DEEDS OF HEROISM

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21221, 18 September 1940, Page 6

DEEDS OF HEROISM

Acts of great courage stud the ancient and modern history of Britain. Possibly a hero in his own time does not receive the homage that will be his when time has thrown his achievements into a different perspective. In England in 1940 feats of gallantry are being performed which compare favourably with the great deeds of Britons down through the ages. "Who can doubt that years hence Winston Churchill will stand out as the great figure of this war. His destiny lay in the leadership of a great nation which had to be prepared for a Titanic struggle. But what of the lesser men whose personal courage and devotion to duty in close contact with danger are writing the detailed history of this war ? Typical of this personal bravery is the action of the men who at the imminent risk of their own lives saved St. Paul’s Cathedral from destruction by a huge time-bomb. There lay buried in the ground a ton of deadly explosive which, if left alone, would almost certainly have destroyed that noble building which lies close to the heart of all Englishmen. To remove that infernal machine, which might have exploded at any moment, was not a work to be accomplished in a flash of bravery. The deadly thing had to be excavated laboriously, loaded on a truck and carried to a less densely populated area and there exploded. It was only by chance that the men who undertook the task were not blown into eternity, but they did not flinch, and it is right that their names should live. Every day such acts are being performed by the common men and women of Britain. Their heroism is cloaked under mundane titles such as air raid precautions, bomb disposal sections and such, but nevertheless they are taking a proud place as the defenders of a nation which is glad to honour them. Their actions are but examples of the general spirit that actuates the men and women of Britain—a spirit that burns more brightly as the horrors of war increase. In the face of the gravest dangers these wonderful people are showing an exultation of spirit in discharging what they conceive to be a duty which is the admiration of the civilised world and the particular pride of all who are able to call themselves Britons.