After watching Bad Lads' Army, I wondered who the bad lads were.

What an appalling example the NCOs presented. They constantly lost patience which showed itself in extremely bad language.

They also used a sadistic form of punishment on those in their charge.

Was this the ugly face of humanity showing itself once more as we saw in Nazi Germany, Japanese prison camps and, more recently, in Iraq - or was it ITV overkill in what could otherwise have been a very good live show?

It was never like that when I joined the army in 1942.

-Ralph Bicknell, Southwick