BOOK LAUNCH AND THE START OF THE GREAT HERO DEBATE

Just returned from France to find a box full of copies of my book waiting for me; to be distributed to family and friends; very exciting!
I have a long list of those I am greatly indebted to for their assistance in writing this book, so they know what they can expect for Christmas from me!

Already I am getting a lot of suggestions as to other heroes I might have included in my book. Clearly, we have a wealth of heroic characters to chose from in this country. The selection of a hero is a very personal and potentially controversial matter it seems!

Which has got me thinking…

Perhaps I should ask everyone who reads my book to ‘Vote’ not only on which of ‘The Six’ they believe to be the be the pre-eminent hero within the book, but also, if they could have included one more hero into the book, who would it have been?

Of course, my choice of heroes in ‘Six of the Best’ was largely founded on military heroism, defiance and bravery. But there are many other types of heroism. Heroism can be linked to morality, strength of character, altruism, suffering, achievement, skill, attractiveness or even plain old ‘coolness’.

And as social mores and customs change, what defines a hero also shifts. If one behaved as Richard the Lion-heart did in 2021, then one would probably not be described as a hero; more likely a war criminal.

But it is important not to fall into the trap of judging the past by the standards of and with the benefit of the present. Those who lived before us acted as they did within society as they knew it. And it is within that social structure that they should be judged; not by 21st century standards; be they better or worse.

They were not gifted with the benefits of hindsight or foresight any more than we are.

So, take care before you select your Great British Hero. Its not as easy as you think…

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