Deserved medals

Veterans minister Andrew Robathan’s scandalous statement (that “authoritarian regimes and dictators, such as Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein, often throw medals around”, your report, 8 December) was not the result of a slip of the tongue.

He scrapes the barrel to find any flimsy reason for not fulfilling the Conservative Party promise of an Arctic medal.

Taxpayers’ money wasted by the Veterans Minister’s department during the past 15 years, blocking an agreement on the Arctic, Suez, and Malaysian medals, must be enormous. Worse still, his department admitted it was wrong and awarded the Suez medal and allowed the wearing of the Malaysian medal.

If Robathan makes excuses concerning his Gaddafi gaff, there is another of his crass statements the Secretary of State for Defence ignores. He said the British – unlike the Soviets – award medals only when risky and rigorous duties justify it, meaning the four-year-long Arctic campaign was nothing special.

The man is a hypocrite. One of his two medals was for being Commanding Officer of an Iraqi prisoner of war camp. There was no risk attached; did he refuse the medal? No.

Arctic veterans are disgusted. This arrogant man is not the Veterans Minister, but the “Hate Veterans” Minister. I shall write to David Cameron asking him to sack Robathan.

William Edward Grenfell Elected Leader of the Arctic Medal campaign

Queen Street

Portsmouth