George MacDonald Fraser

Dorothy Ickinger writes: Twenty-five years ago, when my copy of his latest Flashman novel was missing the last section, I wrote to George Macdonald Fraser (obituary, Jan 4), care of his publishers, describing this as the epitome of frustration.

Two years and one month later I received a reply from Mr Fraser, who had just discovered my letter in a book, which had remained unread since he had received it two years before from his publishers. His reply, which I had long since given up hope of receiving, was well worth waiting for, being both charming and witty and particularly as it closed with “belated good wishes to you and your family from the brigadier and myself”.

E.H. McLaren writes: For some people George MacDonald Fraser's short stories, based on the experiences of a young subaltern in the very thinly disguised Gordon Highlanders, were even more entertaining than his Flashman novels. Even those of us with only a peripheral connection to Highland infantry regiments greatly enjoyed his mordantly witty, but sympathetic, accounts of the absurdities, and also challenges, of life as a junior subaltern at that time.

My own TA unit tried, at one annual camp, to replicate the famous One-hundred-and-twenty-eightsome Reel from The General Danced at Dawn - with, it has to be said, disastrous results.

Richard Rhodes James writes: I wrote to George MacDonald Fraser about Quartered Safe out Here - our experiences in Burma had something in common. He wrote back. “This has brought me more mail than I've had for all my other books put together and it still keeps coming.” It is no wonder. This tale will stay with us when the glorious romp that is Flashman has faded away. The sharp end of war has never been so vividly - or humorously - described.

Sir Nicholas Pumfrey

Michael Paget writes: Your obituary of Sir Nicholas Pumfrey (Jan 3) noted that he retained his interest in science after entering legal practice but this also extended to the philosophy of science. While an undergraduate I spent part of a mini-pupillage following Sir Nicholas in a complex patent infringement case. After each day in court, instead of considering the development of the case, we spent the taxi journey back to chambers discussing the finer points of Karl Popper's critical rationalism and his attack on the scientific method.

As a student I was amazed that a non-academic had such a depth of knowledge. To me, Sir Nicholas was a towering figure and inspiration.