 Mr Andrews said it was a question of "common morality" |
A veteran fighter has marked his 100th birthday by sending a letter to the Queen protesting against the proposed replacement of Trident nuclear weapons. Howard Andrews, from Taunton, urged the Queen to try to persuade the government against changing Trident.
He said spending billions on replacing Trident "which we do not need" instead of the NHS, "which we do need", was "plain crazy".
MPs are due to decide on Trident's future in March.
Defence Secretary, Des Browne, said the UK needs to keep its nuclear weapons because of threats to future generations.
The cost of a new generation of nuclear submarines has been estimated at �20bn.
'Grief and destruction'
Mr Andrews, a member of Taunton Peace Group, will be 100 years of age on 15 February.
He served with the Royal Army Medical Corps during the 1920s in Spain, with an International Brigade Ambulance in the mid-1930s, and with the Royal Artillery during World War II.
In his letter to the Queen, he wrote: "During the time of my service I saw at first hand the grief and destruction that war brings.
"I fail to see how a civilised and sane country could even think of being responsible for such mass slaughter under any circumstances.
"For mercy's sake, please urge our Prime Minister to rethink his decision on going ahead with replacing our nuclear arsenal. Before it is too late. This is not a matter of politics but of common morality."
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