The inimitable Spike Milligan reminisced in one of his hilarious military memoirs, Adolph Hitler, My Part In His Downfall: "Now, whereas wartime Hailsham offered boredom of an evening, nearby Eastbourne offered a greater variety of it."

Any improvement in peacetime is a moot point.

In contrast, Brighton, with its risqu reputation as London-on-sea, was probably most young servicemen's dream billet but C W Pratt (Letters, January 3) welcomed the conflict as the only chance to escape from it.

Personally, I've loved Brighton since my first visit in December 1970 when I freaked out to Status Quo, who have also been back since. If C W wants a house-swap, I would accept faster than a rocking Rossi riff or a Seagoon soliloquy.

-William Fraser, Summerheath Road, Hailsham