Nominate a hero.

[Andy in Sig]

Last night I watched the DVD of Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton in his expedition to the S Pole. Shackleton's leadership was magnificent and the achievement of the voyage to S Georgia in a tiny boat followed by the mountain climb to the other side of the island was genuinely awe-inspiring. Most impressive of all was his determination that all of his men were going to survive. That struck me as being genuinely heroic and it occurred to me that the label of "hero" is too readily given out these days but Shackleton was surely the real thing.

Who would you nominate?

 

[Andy in Sig]

Which one? I would guess there are several.

 

[PaulB]

Gok Wan. Prepared to reckon on he 'bats for the other side' to get carte blanche with the ladies under the guise of (un)clothing them.

 

[accountantpete]

Hedley Verity

The objective was a ridge with strong points and pillboxes. Behind a creeping barrage Verity led his company forward 700 yards. When the barrage ceased, they went on another 300 yards and neared the ridge, in darkness. As the men advanced, through corn two feet high, tracer-bullets swept into them. Then they wriggled through the corn, Verity encouraging them with "Keep going, keep going." The moon was at their back, and the enemy used mortar-fire, Very lights and fire-bombs, setting the corn alight. The strongest point appeared to be a farm-house, to the left of the ridge; so Verity sent one platoon round to take the farm-house, while the other gave covering fire. The enemy fire increased, and, as they crept forward, Verity was hit in the chest. "Keep going," he said, "and get them out of that farm-house." When it was decided to withdraw, they last saw Verity lying on the ground, in front of the burning corn, his head supported by his batman.
After being transferred into Italian hands, he died at Caserta a few days later, on 31 July 1943, as a result of his wounds. As he lay in an Italian military hospital, "he is said to have declared, 'I think I have played my last innings for Yorkshire.'"

 

[PaulB]

Hedley Verityesque. A very good track on McIntyre, Treadmore and Davit by Half Man Half Biscuit.

 

[Dayvo]

On the basis of having seen an amazing program ont' box last week whilst I was back in England, I'd nominate Eddie Izzard for his amazing 43 marathons in 51 days!

That was truly a selfless and heroic performance by an untrained, unfit man, hell bent on helping and raising money for charity.

He deserves a knighthood or summat!

 

[darkstar]

When it come to survival, the recent example of a Haitian man who survived for 43 days under the rubble after the quake. He drank raw sewage to get some hydration and lost over 6 stone. Just incredible.

 

[Andy in Sig]

That's admirable but I would suggest not heroic. IMO Eddie Izzard's achievement falls in the same category.

 

[Hilldodger]

Anyone who served in the trenches of the First World War and any pilot iwho fought in the Battle of Britain.

 

[Dayvo]

Anyone who served in the trenches of the First World War and any pilot iwho fought in the Battle of Britain.

What, regardless of which side they were on? (genuine question).

 

[Hilldodger]

Yes, for the trenches, why not? Both sides suffered unimaginable horror and were fighting under orders.

For the BoB, I guess more so for the Brits due to being heavily outnumbered and still winning.

 

[ASC1951]

Shackleton's leadership was magnificent and the achievement of the voyage to S Georgia in a tiny boat followed by the mountain climb to the other side of the island was genuinely awe-inspiring.

Contrast with Capt. Robert Falcon Scott RN, who in the great tradition of British heroes gets ten times the publicity for -
- not doing his research. (Ponies FFS!)
- failing in his objective
- killing himself and all his men.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Contrast with Capt. Robert Falcon Scott RN, who in the great tradition of British heroes gets ten times the publicity for -
- not doing his research. (Ponies FFS!)
- failing in his objective
- killing himself and all his men.

PDR's not looking good

 

[jig-sore]

at the moment im voting for Eddie Izzard.

also, i can't remember her name but that woman who put herself between those school kids and the guy who attacked them with a machete. thats a hero.

 

[Over The Hill]

Yamamoto must have had some balls to take on the USA!