Dear Sir/Madam,

In response to the article in today's Telegraph lamenting the lack of interest by young people in British history (History is a mystery for the young, 10 November 2001):

Perhaps it is because they are expected to learn irrelevant details, like the number of wives Henry VIII had or the length of Queen Victoria's reign.

And besides, why should someone of Asian or African decent be particularly interested in what European's have been doing on these islands for the past 2000 years?