WHAT a tragedy it is that the nation has lost so caring a person with the untimely death of Princess Diana.

In her campaign against the sale and use of landmines, she at first-hand, saw many of the innocent, non-military victims of these undetectable, horrific and senseless containers of high-explosives which profit-seeking "merchants of death" have sold by the million to many countries and which have been indiscriminately sown like seeds the world over.

To this end, she visited Bosnia and the minefields of Angola, a country which has more than its share of these buried killers.

Diana shared empathy with people who had been maimed by them.

Some of them were small children and there were many others she could not meet - they were no longer alive.

Her caring for, and comforting of, people suffering from some of life's misfortunes - the homeless, patients in hospital - was to be seen in many places and she was often in close contact, embracing or holding hands with Aids sufferers and people with leprosy, which showed the courage of Diana; someone who chose to do what many others would perhaps shrink from. Although she was constantly pursued by the media, she will be better remembered for what is written above and if her crusade against the havoc and misery-creating landmines succeeds, then for that along her short life will be gratefully and respectfully remembered.

ALBERT J MORRIS, Clement View, Nelson.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.