John Harvey

Grenville A. J. Bird writes: John Harvey (obituary, Jan 30) had the distinction of being on the platform at the last public meeting to be addressed by Sir Winston Churchill. In October 1959, after addressing an eve of the poll meeting in Woodford, Sir Winston was driven over to Walthamstow and spoke at a crowded meeting in the town hall in support of John Harvey. Apart from saying a few words of thanks later that month when Field Marshal Montgomery unveiled his statue on Woodford Green, this was the last occasion Sir Winston spoke in public.

Colonel Kenneth Savill

Jayne Watts (née Slater) writes: The obituary of Colonel Kenneth Savill (Jan 11) records his luck during the final days of the war in northern Italy when the driver of his Jeep took a German sniper's bullet that was certainly aimed at the colonel. The driver was Jack Slater, and I am his surviving daughter.

Colonel Savill apparently gave an undertaking at the time of my father's death that he would send my mother a cap badge of the 12th Lancers, which he was then commanding for the attack on the Po region. She received her husband's few possessions but not the badge.

Fifty years later Colonel Savill went to great trouble to obtain a badge and locate my mother through the good offices of a Wilmslow newspaper. This was difficult because she had married an army colleague of her late husband, Harold Overton, and moved away. She was delighted to receive a most warm letter from the colonel.

Professor Michael Butler

Harry Davis writes: As lecturer in charge of Italian Studies at the University of Birmingham from 1989 to 1994, I would like to pay tribute to Michael Butler (obituary, Jan 28) for his enlightened headship, at the time, of the university's School of Modern Languages. Italianists have good reason to be grateful for his vigorous support.

The Government's policy of promoting market economy practices in universities had already generated among teaching staff a general mood of sauve qui peut. Michael was impervious to this. Imbued with humanist ideals, he was determined to prevent Italian studies from being run down to the point of extinction. He persisted in this endeavour and was successful in winning the backing of the school as a whole.

The university was persuaded to reinstate the Serena chair, which had been suspended in 1989. Professor Michael Caesar was elected as the

new incumbent in 1994 and has overseen a splendid revival of Italian studies at Birmingham. The department remains mindful of its debt to Michael Butler.