From Mrs Patsy Conway Sir, I made my first Holy Communion during wartime rationing in the 1940s. All the girls borrowedfrom a pool of second-hand white dresses donated by parents. The boys wore their best suit. It didn't worry us as we were all in the same boat, and we managed to have a very enjoyable and special day. I think that Mrs Lindberg's suggestion that first communicants of both sexes wear long albs is a splendid idea. Freed from the pressures to outdo each other in appearance, children and parents could then concentrate on the really important things.
Yours faithfully, PATSY CONWAY, Tring, Hertfordshire.