RECENT letters about celebrating ancient battles are slightly reminiscent of ugly manifestations of neo-nationalism in Yugoslavia (Letters, August 19, 20 & 21).

A Serb told me that the Ottoman triumph at Kosovo Polje in 1389 was a real and present justification for the ethnic cleansing of Albanians from Kosovo in 1998.

Let's be thankful that most Scots remember history as history and get on with the job of building a better future together with our neighbours. As for "celebrating the defeat of an invading army", am I supposed to celebrate the deaths of members of my family who were killed at Flodden in James IV's disastrous invasion of England in 1513?

I don't think so - it's better to learn from history than to wallow in it.

John Home Robertson,

The Apple House,

Paxton,

Berwickshire.