Letter: Battle tune

YOU say (Now and Then, 29 April) that Joan of Arc entered Orleans and won a victory over the English on 29 April, 1429.

My understanding is that the people of Orleans celebrate the anniversary of her entry on 8 May. Orleans was defended by Scots and the gates were opened to Joan by a Scottish bishop. According to French military records, Joan entered Orleans to the tune which we now know as Scots Wha Hae and which the French know as the Marche des Soldats de Robert Bruce in reference to its use at Bannockburn in 1314. The French military still use the tune on ceremonial occasions. We should use it more often, as our national anthem, possibly the oldest known such anthem in the world.

DAVID STEVENSON

Blacket Place

Edinburgh