I HAD often wondered what was in the suitcase belonging to my late fiancée’s father. It was very heavy. Gold bullion, perhaps? After pondering the matter for 12 years or more, I finally succumbed to temptation and flicked open the locks with beating heart. The case was crammed with old newspapers.

Why did he save them? I doubt he ever read them a second time. History in the making and the great events of his life. Would Herr Hitler be satisfied with the sacrifice of Czechoslovakia? And Guy Gibson: was he really dead at 26? Fascinating and illuminating to read, impossible to keep and difficult to destroy. It’s like the Old Man of the Sea. Any takers?

William Dixon Smith, Welland Rise, Acomb, York.