Sidney Shipton

Professor Stuart Stanton writes: Sidney Shipton (obituary, Jan 31 ) led the Federation of Zionist Youth from the front by example and firm leadership. He was modest, logical, persistent in his arguments and, although serious, there was always an underlying humour. As students, many of us came under the sway of his leadership and owe much of our Zionist allegiance and pluralistic ideals to his influence.

Despite his many national and international roles, he never had airs and graces and long friendships were always remembered.

Peggy Jay

Judith Graham-Jones writes: Among Peggy Jay's campaigns (obituary, Jan 23 ) was her support for a group of young parents who in 1961 started to urge hospital staff to implement the recommendations of a 1954 White Paper, chief among which was that young children should be separated from their parents as little as possible. Open visiting and beds for parents to stay near their children had been robustly resisted by hospital staff, and the time had come for parents' voices to be heard.

Peggy Jay encouraged and supported the campaigners, who styled themselves Mother Care for Children in Hospital. She was their president for many years and was able to guide them in the paths of effective campaigning. Slowly but surely the professionals came on board and the organisation was renamed the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital, and later Action for Sick Children. Sick children and their families owe a huge debt of gratitude to Peggy Jay.

Charles Tasnadi

Peter Unwin writes: When Charles Tasnadi (obituary, Feb 5 ) fled from Hungary in 1956 he was not entering the Soviet zone of Austria. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955 had put an end to the four-power occupation of the country a year earlier. Austrian frontier guards patrolled their own borders in 1956. Indeed, one of them was brave or foolhardy enough to engage and shoot dead a Soviet soldier who (deliberately or inadvertantly) crossed the border in pursuit of escaping refugees.

Air Chief Marsal Sir John Willis

Jim Callaghan writes: John Willis (obituary, Jan 24 ) was a truly inspirational leader, a thoroughly nice person and a good friend.

In the early 1970s, when he was a Squadron Leader, his career almost came to a premature end. At his annual medical it was found that he had a possible heart problem which would have resulted in the loss of his flying category and, as a result, the career he wanted. Fortunately, he was on a ground tour at the time and he persuaded the medical authorities that they should review his case in a year. In that time he spent at least four hours every day running around the sports field and doing other things to improve his fitness. The authorities were astonished that his problem had, apparently, disappeared, and he was declared fully fit.

He then continued with what turned out to be a glittering career.