YEP Letters: April 13

Check out today's YEP letters
281217  The   Arthur Aaron VC  statue on the roundabout at the bottom of Eastgate in Leeds .281217  The   Arthur Aaron VC  statue on the roundabout at the bottom of Eastgate in Leeds .
281217 The Arthur Aaron VC statue on the roundabout at the bottom of Eastgate in Leeds .

Move war hero statue to better site

Alan Myerson, Chairman, Major Clive Behrens (Leeds) Branch of The Royal British Legion.

DR Stewart Manning is to be thanked for bringing back to public attention the present unsatisfactory location of the statue to Arthur Aaron, Leeds’ only Victoria Cross winner of the Second World War.

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However, there is a view that the statue should still remain in the city centre, thereby acknowledging Arthur Aaron as a Leeds figure, rather than a Roundhay figure, even though he was both. The work that was done by a committee some 10 years ago, setting out to relocate the statue to a better central site, represented the views of many people and organisations from across the city.

Moving the statue to a location close to the war memorial and close to one of the places where he studied before he joined the Royal Air Force would, in the view of many, commemorate him for what he is, a hero of our whole city.

Remembering Leeds war hero W Edgar Potts

Michael S Potts, by email

today is the centenary of the death of W Edgar Potts – killed in action on April 13, 1918.

Edgar was born in Leeds in 1891, the son of Joseph Potts, a member of the well-known Leeds clock-making family, and Sarah Anna Burton Potts (nee Middleton). He was educated at Leeds Modern School and Leeds Grammar School. In 1909 he joined the West Yorkshire Regiment (Leeds Rifles T.A.), until he decided in 1913 to emigrate to Alberta in Canada and take up farming. In August 1914 he enlisted into the Alberta Hussars anticipating that he would be sent to Europe to participate in the war.

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When it transpired that his regiment was not going to Europe, he returned to England in January 1915 and rejoined, as a private, the 8th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (Leeds Rifles). In 1916 he was sent to France with the 2/8th Bn. after being promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant. He was awarded a Military Medal for bravery and promoted to Sergeant shortly afterwards. The award was gazetted on May 11, 1917 and the citation in the regimental war diary reads: “On the morning of February 19, 1917, in front of Beaucourt Trench, this NCO was in charge of an advance post which was attacked by the enemy which, however, he successfully defended with loss to the raiders.Throughout the whole incident he showed great coolness, judgement and initiative and so saved the situation.”

In January 1918 he returned to England to be married to Winifred Middleton and receive officer training. He received a commission in the 5th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment (TA) and returned to the Western Front in April 1918. He was there when the Lys offensive (Operation Georgette) commenced and on 13th April 1918, 2nd Lieutenant Potts led his platoon into action against a heavy German attack and at a critical moment, whilst operating a Lewis machine gun, was killed by an enemy shell.

Edgar has no known grave and is commemorated on the Ploegstreet Memorial not far from Ypres. He is also remembered on the Leeds Rifles memorial in St Peter’s Church, Leeds and on the Headingley War memorial. His name is on the rolls of honour for both Leeds Modern School and Leeds Grammar School. His name appears in the Roll of Honour published by the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on May 6, 1918.

His two cousins, Robert Gowland Potts and Charles Harold Potts both served during the war and survived.

Steps needed 
to cut obesity

Dr Rajeev Gupta, BMA Yorkshire regional council chair

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The publication of NHS Digital’s obesity statistics highlights the enormous scale of the problem we face with an increase of 18 per cent in obesity related hospital admissions in the last year. In Yorkshire, Wakefield had highest level of obesity-related hospital admissions per population with 7,380 admissions between 2016/17. This highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to tackling obesity and promoting healthy diets in the area.

The recent introduction of the soft drinks levy is a long-overdue step in reducing the prevalence of obesity. With over a quarter of adults and one in five Year 6 students being obese, we must however go further with similar restrictions on the marketing and promotion of unhealthy food and drinks to reduce the prevalence of obesity.

As is often the case, prevention is the best solution but efforts to tackle obesity are being undermined by cuts to public health services, which have included cuts to children’s and adult’s obesity services.

This a national health crisis and one that will not go away until the necessary further steps are taken.

Elderly have already paid for their social care

Jenny Dent, Harrogate

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REGARDING the continuing debate about social care funding and ideas to improve funding.

Forgive me for being obtuse but the straight answer is taxation and National Insurance. We have paid it all our working lives so why do we have to pay again? We are taxed to the hilt as it is.

Oh I forgot, apart from those who get tax breaks – supermarkets, big businesses and such like.

I am not elderly but I do have home care and one gets an annual financial review. Once we get to keep what we are allowed to live on, social services take the rest. It’s a fallacy that sick/old/disabled people get care for free.

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Nor are we getting pots of money and living off the fat of the land. The care providers work hard on a tight budget and are obliged to provide endless training on a three-year cycle.

The answer to the original question of new ideas to fund social care are to stop the Government from cutting council budgets to the bone 
and give us back the taxes we pay.

Also stop wasting money on projects that usually fail and become a white elephant like high-speed trains.

Bay City Rollers rocked Morley Town Hall

Coun Noel Bullock, Elmfield Ward, Morley Town Council

My fellow councillors Colin Taylor and Wyn Kidger will no doubt back me up in saying how good the Bay City Rollers were when they performed to a packed audience at Morley Town Hall. It was great to see so many revellers in their tartan attire and Les McKeown really interacted well with the crowd throughout by high-fiving the fans at the front of the stage and he even signed one lady’s LP which she will no doubt treasure for the rest of her life.

Thanks to Paul Wilson and Anthony Ryder of RAW Events for all their hard work, planning and professionalism and I’m sure that they will be introducing more big name acts to Morley in the future.