February 26

The news coverage of the Ukraine war is minute by minute, 24 hours a day. 

Television, radio, the press and social media vividly pour out a disturbing and deeply worrying running account of the first war in Europe for over seventy years. 

I remember the six years wartime years from September 3 1949 when another melogamaniac leader had  ambitions of conquering the world.

At the start I was 13; later, for three years I reported it and when it ended I was in the army. Throughtout that time I took an intense interest in the battles that raged.

In those anxious years the main source of news was radio. Vivid words, not startling television pictures, 

All brought to us by some brilliant, brave commentarirs and foreign correspondents. 

The most famous included Richard Dimbleby and Wynford Vaughan Thomas whose exploits included flying on bombing raids over Berlin. Another BBC man, Guy Byam was killed recording in a USA bomber on a daylight raid in Berlin in 1945.

Travelling by train fromCardiff to London with Vaughan Thomas, I was enthralled by his calm description of his exploits. A very brave and humorous man.

This week I have been equally impressed by the BBC’s coverage of Ukraine. The organisation and timing has been perfect, the reports magnificent.

Clive Myrie, the, main presenter, reporting from Kiev, has been masterly in his handling of a complex  task in television bulletins, and all the correspondents and photographers, from the UK, Moscow, the,USA and Europe have vividly brought to us the historic story.

I am not sure which of the two contrasting presentations of war I prefer, but surely none.

War is such madness.

Richard Dmbleby