Fools, heroes, and villains – Venture out in the midday sun.
(This Postcard was originally published in January 2023. Like many, I was both enraged and deeply concerned about Putin's illegal and unprovoked attack on Ukraine. When little Vlad suggested that the West needed to stay out of it, well I had to respond.)
Who would venture out in the midday sun? Well according to the 1931 Noël Coward song, only ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen’. Coward would perhaps smile in considering the deconstruction, and reconstruction of his lyrics. As a result, they have morphed to accommodate ideas quite removed from the simple witty satire originally intended. Noel knew social media to be newspapers and the medium he mastered, popular music. Today’s social media brings the glare of the midday sun, onto most people on the Planet. That is to say, Noel’s lyric are a metaphor for public exposure. Most people have some exposure to social media. As a result, most people, know how cruel, how energy sapping, how destructive, such exposure can be. Only a certain type of person enjoys such attention. Consequently, only fools, heroes, and villains venture out in the midday sun!
Does anything more than popular entertainment result from social media dominance? Perhaps it depends on whether those exposed are heroes, fools or villains. Above all whether we can understand the difference. I was pondering such issues when I decided to write to little Vlad.
Putin – fool and villain. Dear Vlad,
Recently I sent a letter via LinkedIn to President Putin as follows:
Oh, Mr. Putin you are a hypocrite. You say, “The Wests’ provision of weapons to Ukraine will prolong the war, it must stop”.
Do you remember the USSR, it was in all the papers, especially its dissolution on Dec 26, 1991. Well,
The USSR was attacked by Germany on June 22, 1941. The USSR was sustained by Allied Convoys delivering weapons and materials. Oh, that sounds remarkably familiar.
And you clearly forget that in excess of 10,000 merchant sailors perished on such convoys.
Convoys like PQ17, 35 ships commenced the journey, only 11 made it to the USSR.
Lest we Forget!
Peter Veal, January 2023
Vlad the Hypocrite.
I attached the following poster. Which depicts Allied Convoys making the extremely dangerous run to Russia. Arguably Russia would have succumbed to German Nazism during World War 2 if not for such sacrifice. Now Putin complains of the same Countries sustaining Ukraine: Hypocrisy!
British Merchant Seaman – Uncelebrated Quite Heroes
I’m still awaiting a response from Vlad, perhaps he’s busy? My intent was to define Putin’s hypocrisy in complaining of the West’s support for Ukraine. Whilst ignoring the historical fact that in 1941 the West supported Russia (USSR).
Over 10,000 Merchant Seaman died crewing these convoys. This figure excludes military personnel, sailors and airman: In total 72,000 lives! Britain expended weapons and treasury it really needed for self-defense. British convoys commenced in August 1941, only a few months after the Battle of Britain, had ceased to be an existential threat. Consequently, as much as Britain needed Russia to resist Germany, it desperately needed all its weapons, men and treasury rebuild its defensive and offensive strength.
Extraordinary Heroism and Conspicuous Courage. Death in a freezing cold sea, a long way from home.
- So, what does it mean to be a hero?
- What is the importance in Society of Heroes?
- Should we still value heroic endeavours in the contemporary world?
One person’s Hero, another’s Fool a short time travel trip.
In Ancient Greek tradition, a hero was a human, male or female, of the remote past. Heroes, in consequence of descendance from immortal gods, possessed superhuman abilities. Equally, they had all of the qualities and faults of their fellow humans. But those human characteristics were always on a much larger scale. Counterintuitively for the modern mind, ancient heroes were not paragons of virtue. Whether fool or villain, ancient heroes like their parent gods, were objects of cult worship.
Obviously, some of this tradition time travelled 2500 years down to us: Donald Trump.
Funny? No: Pathetic and Insulting to Real Heroes, yes!
If you’ve been lucky to escape this absurdity, Trump has recently released a range of digital trading cards which portray himself as a superhero! Quick pause to be sick and then we will continue………………………
Trump certainly fits the classical tradition: No virtue, all the failings of mortal humans but on a much larger scale, and at least in his ‘mind’, descended from a god albeit a self-seeking, sociopathic one, his father Fred Trump!
A sensible definition of a Hero.
Out of respect for legitimate heroes, like the merchant men on Convoy PQ 17, let’s move on. What’s a contemporary more plausible definition of hero?
The Oxford English Language Dictionary defines Hero:
- A person who is admired by many people for doing something brave or good;
- The main male character in a story, novel, film, etc.;
- A person that you admire because of a particular quality or skill that they have; or
- In North American English, a long bread roll split open along its length and filled with various types of food.
Ok, Item 4 demonstrates how contemporary language has become ‘monetized’, to the point of meaninglessness. So, this Postcard definition (with the help of people who actually know what they are talking about):
Definition of HEROICS:
- It’s performed in service to others in need – whether that’s a person, group, or community – or in defense of certain ideals;
- It’s engaged in voluntarily, even in military contexts, as heroism remains an act that goes beyond the requirements of military duty;
- A heroic act is one performed with recognition of risks and costs, be they to one’s physical health or personal reputation, in which the actor is willing to accept anticipated sacrifice; and
- It is performed without external gain anticipated at the time of the act.
Heroism is a concern for other people in need—a concern to defend a moral cause, knowing there is a personal risk, done without expectation of reward. What are the consequences of neither having legitimate heroes, nor honouring them:
Enough chat, lets discuss some real heroes:
Who were the Heroic Men of Convoy PQ17.
The merchant seaman of Convoy PQ17 were just average British men, men of combat age, who just loved being at sea, right? Absolutely wrong! PQ17 included: Indian, Chinese, West Africans, Scandinavians, Dutch, Canada, New Zealanders, and Australians. Notably and in contrast to the times – The British Merchant Navy was similar to a ‘Foreign Legion’, recognized as an open society, free of distinctions of class, race, religion, age or colour.
The men who crewed such convoys, are often portrayed as grizzled, crusty older men. Perhaps stoking boilers or a cook smoking whilst stirring yet another stew of salted beef. Much of this is true, for example the oldest known merchant seamen were in their seventies. Chief Cook Santan Martins of SS Calabria was aged 79 when he was killed in action in her sinking by German Submarine U-103 in December 1940. But, there were also boys.
The youngest merchant seamen were invariably “Boy” ratings, Deck Boys, Galley Boys, Mess Room Boys, Stewards Boys or Cabin Boys typically 14 or 15 years of age. Ken and Ray Lewis, aged 14 and 15 years respectively, were killed sailing together aboard the SS Fiscus when it was sunk by German Submarine U-99.
What motivated such Heroes?
So why did they do it?
Well, it certainly wasn’t for the pay and conditions! The basic working week was 64 hours, before overtime kicked in. Food was usually coarse and poor as refrigeration was not available. Salt meat from brine tubs and butter from tins provided much of the staple diet.
On British vessels attacked and sunk by enemy action, merchant sailors received no pay from the moment that their ship sank, regardless of survival if picked from the sea, it was all recorded as non-working time! Fortunately, this changed in May 1941, so the few survivors of PQ 17 were paid: An amount substantially less than a British Army Privates pay, so not very much!
From the outbreak of war in September 1939, British Merchant Seamen could decide if they wished to sail and risk attack by German forces. The extremely high losses were public knowledge. Such men knew the fear and went anyway.
The men of PQ 17 were not there for the pay or conditions, they weren’t volunteers as such, but it seems they had a choice: They really were unsung heroes! They must have known the risk of death in a cold dark sea.
Lying in the dark, trying to sleep, waiting for the shattering, shaking, and shock inducing impact of a torpedo: They really were heroes, scared and frightened, but nevertheless heroic.
Heroes: Real and Fictious:
Do we need to bring back real heroes? Why if at all do we need heroes?
We need heroes first and foremost because our heroes help define the limits of our aspirations – Courage, humour, and justice: Or indeed the lack of them. Sometimes those heroes are real characters, sometimes fictious. Sometime those heroes are very young and very scared, but they perform heroic acts regardless. The fictious ones are often satirical, funny, pathetic even: They provide a voice that the real unsung heroes may never otherwise have.
Old Tin Legs – Sir Douglas Bader:
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, or better known to those who respect him as, ‘Old Tin Legs’, or ‘Dogs Body (DB)’.
Those lucky to have been born in my generation or earlier, the Swinging 60’s, know Douglas well. For others, a potted history:
Douglas was a WW2 British Spitfire Ace. Quite remarkable given he lost both legs crashing his plane in 1931. Flew top cover over ‘The Dunkirk Evacuation’, then ‘The Battle of Britain’, until shot down over France in 1941: Multiple escapes from German captivity, the first within days of being shot down. Such a pain in the arse, Germany locked him in ‘Colditz Castle’. Not one to let the weeds grow under his tin feet, Douglas spent his time in Colditz smuggling contraband around inside his tin legs.
Sir Douglas is a legitimate hero in the classic military sense, boundless drive, courage, and resilience But, just as important is the example he sets in overcoming adversity. Imagine losing both legs in 1931? We’ve all seen contemporary amputees working hard to regain mobility, and that’s with extremely sophisticated prosthetics. Imagine having two tin legs manufactured by a craftsman who last week was beating out wing panels for a Morris Minor?
Heroism is not just displayed in military settings. Not all heroes are solely of the ‘daring do’ military type, some heroes, who time travelled down to us, were simply heroic regardless of setting!
Captain Lawrence Oates.
“I am just going outside and may be some time.”
Captain Lawrence Oates.
Last week, 19 January, was the anniversary of British Naval Officer, Captain Scott’s ill-fated race to the South Pole. He lost the race and his life. Also losing his life was a British Army Officer, Captain Lawrence Oates. Lawrence was another classic military hero. Seriously wounded in an 1898 Second Boer War engagement, when called on to surrender Lawrence replied, “I came to fight not surrender”. For that action Lawrence was recommended for the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest military medal, since 1856 only ever awarded to 1358 individuals. But another action made him an enduring hero.
On the return from the South Pole, Lawrence performed an extraordinary feat of self-sacrifice. Injured and crippled from frost bite, he knew he was slowing down the team, compromising their chance of a safe return. Lawrence walked out into the night with classic British understatement: “I am just going outside and may be some time”.
Captain Lawrence Oates – ‘A Very Gallant Gentleman’.
Enduring British Heroes of total fiction.
Some fictious heroes, just endure, for their message travels across time – Take Captain James ‘Biggles’ Bigglesworth – then we have a not so humble bank manager, the WW2 British Home Guards, Captain Mainwaring.
Captain George Mainwaring a fictional WW2 British Home Guard Captain of the sitcom ‘Dad’s Army’ fame. First aired on 31 July 1968, ‘Dad’s Army’ still remains a favourite, despite 53 years of time travel! But seriously, what can the bungling George tell us about heroism?
George is pompous, blustering, with an overdeveloped sense of his own importance. But he is also brave, self-sacrificing, loyal to his men without fault, and prepared to make very hard decisions. If not perhaps classically heroic in appearance, Captain Mainwaring is at least out in public demonstrating fundamental Leadership skills. However, even the bumbling, likeable Captain, does at times display heroics beyond that expected of a Home Guard Officer. When the local parishioners are taken hostage by a downed Luftwaffe air crew, George leads a successful rescue mission. Success is only possible when George places his own life in danger as a distraction, allowing the Platoon to flank and overcome armed German airman.
Captain George Mainwaring symbolizes all the ordinary people that have performed extraordinary heroic feats of self-sacrifice in the interests of others.
Lest we forget that fact. Britain has not.
Lest We Forget all the Captain George Mainwarings
The End – of Heroes
The time has come to change our model of heroism. Being a hero is no longer a mythical classification reserved for superheroes in comic books, or a few legendary men and women, or classic military types. Nor should we tolerate narcissistic politicians, who debase the concept of ‘Hero’ for self-seeking purposes.
The meaning and definition of words is important. That the Oxford English Language Dictionary, defines ‘Hero’ as a: ‘Bread roll stuffed with food’, is quite absurd!
Our role models need reprogramming, who do we want to emulate. People we respect because of their ethical values and morals? Or those who have many social media followers?
Social media makes it far too easy to confuse celebrity with excellence.
Recognition and acceptance of the value of Principles is part of the answer: Trustworthiness, Integrity, Courage, Honesty, Authenticity, and Humility – Foundational Leadership aspirations. Oh, and let’s toss in some essential Captain Mainwaring – Loyal to his men without fault and prepared to make very hard decisions.
The war in Ukraine has many lessons – We need more of such Principles.
The Wisdom of Humble Butchers can inspire Presidents!
