LAST month you carried a report about the late Hedley Verity's death during the Second World War. While it was not actually incorrect, it left out some interesting details.

You said he was injured in Italy and later died of his wounds.

In fact, he was injured in Sicily, wounded and taken prisoner by the Germans. He was then held by the Italians.

He was well enough to help to look after other prisoners, but then got gangrene in his wound.

Unfortunately, the retreating Germans had taken all the medical supplies with them, and the Italians were unable to provide the relatively simple treatment that would have saved his life.

His grave, in Caserta, was later found by another officer, Len Hobbs, son of the England cricketer Jack Hobbs.

What led to his being wounded was the fact that he had bad feet!

All this is explained in the unpublished war memoirs of fellow officer Major George Reginald Hovington, also of the Green Howards. "Hov" and Norman Yardley (later Yorkshire and England cricket captain) were friends and colleagues of Verity during the war, and played together for the Green Howards against several Irish teams before they were sent overseas.

Another fellow officer, for a time, was George Howard, of Castle Howard, who later became chairman of the BBC. While the regiment was in Ireland, he was "promoted" to captain in the Indian army. This was because he had got into a fight while on the way to buy gin and whisky for an officers' party, and had lost the mess funds.

Another big name in Hov's story was that of Wilf Mannion, later a distinguished Middlesbrough and England footballer. Hov saved him from a misguided attempt to desert.

Michael Rines,

Saxon Way,

Melton,

Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Updated: 10:41 Thursday, November 17, 2005