Thought it would be good to creat an alternative hard men thread

Paddy Mayne
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Blair ('Paddy') Mayne DSO & 3 Bars (11 January 1915 -14 December 1955) was a Northern Irish soldier, solicitor, rugby union international, amateur boxer and polar explorer.

1 Early life and sporting achievements
2 World War II
3 After the war
4 Reputation
5 Full list of decorations
6 See also
7 References



Early life and sporting achievements

Born in the County Down market town of Newtownards, Mayne was the second youngest of seven children. The Mayne family were prominent landowners, and owned several retail businesses in the town. He was named Robert Blair after a second cousin, who at the time of his birth was a British Army officer serving in World War I. The family home, Mount Pleasant, is situated on the hills above Newtownards.

He attended Regent House Grammar School. It was there that his talent for rugby union became evident, and he played for the school 1st XV and also the local Ards RFC team from the age of 16. While at school he also played cricket and golf, and showed aptitude as a marksman in the rifle club.

On leaving school he studied law at Queen's University of Belfast, studying to become a solicitor. While at university he took up boxing, becoming Irish Universities Heavyweight Champion in August 1936. He followed this by reaching the final of the British Universities Heavyweight Championship, but was beaten on points. With a handicap of 8, he won the Scrabo Golf Club President's Cup the next year.

Mayne's first full Ireland rugby union cap also came in 1937, in a match against Wales. After gaining five more caps for Ireland as a lock forward, Mayne was selected for the 1938 British Lions Tour of South Africa. While the Lions lost the first test, a South African newspaper stated Mayne was "outstanding in a pack which gamely and untiringly stood up to the tremendous task". He played in seventeen of the twenty provincial matches and in all three tests.[1] On returning from South Africa he joined Malone RFC in Belfast. In early 1939 he graduated from Queen's and joined George Maclaine & Co in Belfast, having been articled to TCG Mackintosh for the five previous years. Mayne won praise during the three Ireland matches he played in 1939, with one report stating "Mayne, whose quiet almost ruthless efficiency is in direct contrast to O'Loughlin's exuberance, appears on the slow side, but he covers the ground at an extraordinary speed for a man of his build, as many a three quarter and full back have discovered."[2]

His legal and sporting careers were cut short by the outbreak of World War II.


World War II

In March 1939, prior to the outbreak of World War II, Mayne had joined the Territorial Army in Newtownards. After training with the Queen's University Officer Training Corps, he received a commission in the 5th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery, Royal Artillery. In April 1940 he transferred to the Royal Ulster Rifles. Following Churchill's call to form a "butcher and bolt" raiding force following Dunkirk, Mayne volunteered for the newly formed 11 (Scottish) Commando. He first saw action in June 1941 as a lieutenant with 11 Commando, successfully leading his men during the Litani River operation in Lebanon against the Vichy French Forces.

It was after this particularly brutal and confused action, in which 130 officers and men, around a third of the strike force, were wounded or killed, that Mayne reacted violently against what he believed was the ineptitude of his Commanding Officer, whom he considered inexperienced, arrogant and insincere. Some sources state that Mayne struck him, and was awaiting court-martial and almost certain dismissal.

However, his leadership on the raid had attracted the attention of Captain David Stirling who recruited him as one of the founder members of the Special Air Service (SAS). From November 1941 through to the end of 1942, Mayne participated in many night raids deep behind enemy lines in the deserts of Egypt and Libya, where the SAS wrought havoc by destroying hundreds of German and Italian aircraft on the ground.

Following Stirling's capture in January 1943, 1st SAS Regiment was reorganised into two separate parts, the Special Raiding Squadron and the Special Boat Section (the forerunner of the Special Boat Service). As a major, Mayne was appointed to command the Special Raiding Squadron and he led the unit with distinction in Italy until the end of 1943. In January 1944 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed commanding officer of 1st SAS Regiment. He subsequently led the SAS with great distinction through the final campaigns of the war in France, Holland, Belgium, Germany and Norway, often campaigning alongside local resistance fighters including the French Maquis.

During the course of the war he became one of the British Army's most highly decorated soldiers and received the Distinguished Service Order with three bars, one of only seven British servicemen to receive that award four times during World War II. Mayne pioneered the use of military Jeeps to conduct surprise hit-and-run raids, particularly on enemy airfields. By the end of the war it was claimed that he had personally destroyed 130 aircraft.[3]

In recognition of his leadership and personal disregard for danger while in France, in which he trained and worked closely with the French Resistance, Mayne received the second bar to his DSO. Additionally, the post-war French Government awarded him the Legion d'honneur and the Croix de Guerre, the first foreigner to receive such a dual honour.

It has often been questioned why Mayne was not awarded a Victoria Cross, and even King George VI was to express surprise at the omission. The answer almost certainly lies in Mayne's abrasive attitude to some of his superiors, combined with the Army hierarchy's askance view of the unconventional attitudes and tactics of the special forces.

In the Spring of 1945 Mayne was recommended for a VC after single-handedly rescuing a squadron of his troops, trapped by heavy gunfire near the town of Oldenberg in north-west Germany. After the squadron became pinned down and sustained casualties, Mayne rescued the wounded, lifting them one by one into his Jeep before destroying the enemy gunners in a nearby farmhouse. However, although the VC recommendation was signed by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, commander of the Allied 21st Army Group, Mayne instead received a fourth DSO.

Major General Sir Robert Laycock, Post War Chief of Combined Operations, wrote :

I feel I must drop you a line just to tell you how very deeply I appreciate the great honour of being able to address, as my friend, an officer who has succeeded in accomplishing the practically unprecedented task of collecting no less than four DSO's. (I am informed that there is another such superman in the Royal Air Force.)

You deserve all the more, and in my opinion, the appropriate authorities do not really know their job. If they did they would have given you a VC as well. Please do not dream of answering this letter, which brings with it my sincerest admiration and a deep sense of honour in having, at one time, been associated with you.

An Early Day Motion put before the House of Commons in June 2005 and supported by more than 100 MPs also stated that:

This House recognises the grave injustice meted out to Lt Col Paddy Mayne, of 1st SAS, who won the Victoria Cross at Oldenburg in North West Germany on 9th April 1945; notes that this was subsequently downgraded, some six months later, to a third bar DSO, that the citation had been clearly altered and that David Stirling, founder of the SAS has confirmed that there was considerable prejudice towards Mayne and that King George VI enquired why the Victoria Cross had `so strangely eluded him'; further notes that on 14th December it will be 50 years since Col Mayne's untimely death, in a car accident, and this will be followed on 29th January 2006 by the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Royal Warrant to institute the Victoria Cross; and therefore calls upon the Government to mark these anniversaries by instructing the appropriate authorities to act without delay to reinstate the Victoria Cross given for exceptional personal courage and leadership of the highest order and to acknowledge that Mayne's actions on that day saved the lives of many men and greatly helped the allied advance on Berlin.[4]


After the war

After a period with the British Antarctic Survey in the Falkland Islands, cut short by a crippling back complaint that had begun during his army days, Mayne returned to Newtownards to work first as a solicitor and then as Secretary to the Law Society of Northern Ireland. (Some have also said that Mayne could not adapt to being second in command of the BAS survey party.) Suffering severe back pain, which even prevented him from watching his beloved rugby as a spectator, and ill at ease with the mundanity of post-war life among provincial lawyers, Mayne became reserved and isolated, rarely talking about his wartime service. On 13 December 1955, aged 40, he had been drinking and playing poker in a pub not far from his home in Newtonards. He later left, and went on to a friend's house where he drank some more. He drove homewards in his Riley sports car at 4am. The car collided with a lorry parked with no lights in the middle of the road just a short distance from his home. The town of Newtonards came to a standstill and his death was mourned across Northern Ireland.


Reputation

Bronze statue of Blair Mayne, Conway Square, Newtownards
Grave Of Mayne at Movilla Cemetery in NewtownardsThere are differing accounts of Mayne's personality and appearance. He is variously described as having been anything between six feet and six feet four inches tall, and sources describe him as especially reckless and uncontrollable when drunk. During the 1938 Lions tour it is said that Mayne relaxed by "wrecking hotels and fighting dockers".[5] He was allegedly under arrest for knocking out his Commanding Officer when David Stirling came to recruit him for the SAS. It is this incident, as well as resentment and suspicion by some senior officers in the British Army of the SAS's unorthodox behaviour and unconventional tactics, which are cited as the reasons why his Victoria Cross was downgraded.

Many urban legends of his post-war years exist in Belfast and Newtownards. These mostly tell of incidents in which, after drinking for several hours, Mayne would challenge every man in the bar to a fight, which he would invariably win. Other accounts describe him as a courageous leader of his men and a ferocious opponent. Mayne is also described as growing increasingly withdrawn as the war progressed, preferring books to the company of friends. This tendency was said to have become more marked after the death of his father. Mayne was refused leave to attend the funeral and embarked on a drinking binge in central Cairo, smashing up a number of restaurants.

Mayne was inclined to remonstrate with colleagues in the armed services who showed little or no understanding of the complex politics of Northern Ireland.[6] To those who served with him, Mayne was both ruthless and inspirational. In the History Channel documentary "SAS Warrior" produced in 2004, one former SAS colleague is quoted as saying: "Our job was about killing, resting, killing and resting. The war did something to you, you became almost a sadist; and Paddy was the best professional killer I have ever seen."




A lifesize bronze statue of Blair Mayne stands in Conway Square, Newtownards, and the western bypass of the town is also named in his honour.

In 2003 a temporary British Army base in Kuwait, occupied by the first battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, was named after him - Camp Blair Mayne. It was there that Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins, 1RIR's commanding officer, gave his celebrated address to his troops on the eve of the Gulf War.

A film of Blair Mayne's life has long been mooted, with recent speculation linking Liam Neeson to the role. Eddie Irvine has become executive producer for the film. Three books have been written about Mayne, the first being Colonel Paddy by Patrick Marrinan (1960). Rogue Warrior of the SAS: the Blair Mayne legend was written by Ray Bradford and Martin Dillon (1989, updated 2003) features a foreword by David Stirling. Paddy Mayne by Hamish Ross (2004) has sought to debunk the numerous myths and legends concerning Mayne's character and exploits, preferring a more circumspect account based on tangible evidence. Ross' book is the only biography endorsed by the Mayne family. Another book, SAS: The History of the Special Raiding Squadron: Paddy's Men by Stewart McClean was published in early 2006.

Stirling's Men: the inside history of the SAS in World War Two, by Gavin Mortimer [Cassell, 2004], also features extensive accounts, both of Mayne's exploits and of his character, by many soldiers who served with him in the SAS


Full list of decorations
Below is a list of Mayne's military citations:

DSO (24 February 1942, Middle East)
1st bar (21 October 1943, Sicily)
2nd bar (29 March 1944, Normandy)
3rd bar (9 April 1945, Germany)
Africa Star, 8th Army bar, Italy Star, France & Germany Star, 1939-45 War Medal, Defence Medal, War Medal & Oak Leaf, French Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre & Palm.[7]

Audie Leon Murphy (June 20, 1925 – May 28, 1971) was an American soldier in World War II, who later became an actor, appearing in 44 American films.[2]He also found success as a country music composer.

In 27 months of combat action, Murphy became the most decorated United States combat soldier of World War II, and United States military history.[2][3] He received the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest award for valor, along with 32 additional U.S. medals,[2][3]five from France, and one from Belgium.[1][2][4]

Murphy had a successful movie career, including the extremely popular To Hell and Back (1955), based on his memoir of the same name (1949),[3] and starred in 33 Hollywood Westerns. He died in a plane crash in 1971[3] and was interred, with full military honors,[3] in Arlington National Cemetery (his is the second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. Kennedy).[3][4][1]

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.1.1 Enlistment
1.1.2 Battles
1.1.3 Medal of Honor citation
1.1.4 Lifted to "Living Legend" status
1.1.5 Post war illness
1.2 Personal life
1.3 Movie career
1.3.1 First starring role
1.3.2 Autobiography
1.3.3 Hollywood Walk of Fame
1.3.4 Filmography
1.4 Music career
1.5 Death
2 Other honors
3 Cultural influences
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links



Biography

Early life

Audie Leon Murphy was born near Kingston, Texas,[2][5] to Emmett Berry and Josie Bell Murphy (née Killian)who was of Irish descent,[5][6] poor sharecroppers,[3][5] and grew up on farms between Farmersville and Greenville, as well as near Celeste, Texas (Hunt County).[2] Murphy was the sixth of twelve children,[6][5] nine of whom survived until the age of eighteen.[1][5] His brothers and sisters included Corinne, Charles Emmett (Buck), Vernon, June, Oneta, J.W., Richard, Eugene, Nadine, Billie, and Joseph Murphy. He went to school in Celeste until the eighth grade,[5] when he dropped out to help support his family (his father deserted them in 1936), working for a dollar a day, plowing and picking cotton on any farm that would hire him.[5] He became very skilled with a rifle, hunting small game to help feed the family.[1] One of his favorite hunting companions was neighbor Dial Henley who noticed that young Audie never missed when he shot at squirrels, rabbits, or birds. When that was pointed out to him, Murphy remarked, "Well, Dial, if I don't hit what I shoot at, my family won't eat today." During the 1930s Murphy worked at a combination general store/garage and filling station in Greenville, Texas.[2][5] At sixteen he was working in a radio repair shop when his mother died[2][5] on May 23, 1941. Later that year, in agreement with his older sister, Corrinne, Murphy was forced to place his three youngest siblings in an orphanage[5] to ensure their care (he reclaimed them after World War II).


Enlistment

Immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Murphy (then just 16 years old) tried to enlist in the military, but the services rejected him for being underage.[4] In June 1942, shortly after his 17th birthday (sister Corrine adjusted his birthday so he appeared to be 18 and legally allowed to enlist, and his war memoirs, To Hell and Back, maintained this misinformation, leading to later confusion and contradictory statements as to his year of birth), Murphy was accepted into the United States Army,[3][4] at Greenville,[6] after being turned down by the Marines and the paratroopers for being too short (5'5"/1.65 m)[2] and of slight build.[3][4] He was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas, for basic training[1][6] and during a session of close order drill, passed out. His company commander tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers' school[5] because of his baby-faced youthfulness, but Murphy insisted on becoming a combat soldier. His wish was granted: after 13 weeks of basic training,[5] he was sent to Fort Meade, Maryland for advanced infantry training.[1][6]



Battles

Because of his small stature, Murphy still had to "fight the system" to get overseas and into combat. His persistence paid off, and in early 1943 he was shipped out to Casablanca, Morocco as a replacement in Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment (United States), 3rd Infantry Division.[4] Murphy saw no action in Africa, but instead participated in extensive training maneuvers along with the rest of the 3rd Division. His combat initiation finally came when he took part in the liberation of Sicily on July 10, 1943.[1][4] Shortly after arriving, Murphy was promoted to corporal[1] after killing two Italian officers as they tried to escape on horseback. He contracted malaria[2][5] while in Sicily, an illness which put him in the hospital several times during his Army years.[5]

After Sicily was secured from the Germans, the 3rd Division invaded the Italian mainland, landing near Salerno[1] in September 1943.[4] While leading a night patrol, Murphy and his men ran into German soldiers but fought their way out of an ambush, taking cover in a rock quarry.[1] The German command sent a squad of soldiers in but they were stopped by intense machine-gun and rifle fire:[1] Three German soldiers were killed and several others captured.[1] For his actions at Salerno, Murphy was promoted to sergeant.[1]

Murphy distinguished himself in combat on many occasions while in Italy, fighting at the Volturno River,[4] at the Anzio beachhead,[4] and in the cold, wet Italian mountains. While in Italy, his instinctive skills as a combat infantryman earned him promotions and decorations for valor.[4]

Following its participation in the Italian campaign, the 3rd Division invaded Southern France[4] on August 15, 1944 (Operation Anvil-Dragoon).[4] Shortly thereafter, Murphy's best friend, Lattie Tipton (referred to as "Brandon" in Murphy's book To Hell and Back), was killed while approaching a German soldier who was feigning surrender.[1] Murphy went into a rage,[1] and single-handedly wiped out the German machine gun crew which had just killed his friend.[1] He then used the German machine gun and grenades to destroy several other nearby enemy positions.[1] For this act, Murphy received the Distinguished Service Cross[1] (second only to the Medal of Honor). During seven weeks of fighting in that campaign in France, Murphy's division suffered 4,500 casualties.[4]

Just weeks later, he received two Silver Stars for further heroic actions.[1] Murphy, by now a staff sergeant and holding the position of Platoon Sergeant, was eventually awarded a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, which elevated him to the Platoon Leader position.[1] He was wounded in the hip by a sniper's ricocheting bullet 12 days after the promotion[1] and spent ten weeks recuperating.[1] Within days of returning to his unit, and still bandaged, he became company commander (January 25, 1945), and suffered further wounds from a mortar round which killed two others nearby.


The next day, January 26 (the temperature was 14 degrees with 24 inches of snow on the ground), the battle at Holtzwihr (France) began[1][4] with Murphy's unit at an effective strength of 19 out of 128. Murphy sent all of his men to the rear[4] while he took pot-shots at the Germans until out of ammunition. He then proceeded to use an abandoned, burning tank destroyer's .50 caliber machine gun[1] to cut into the German infantry at a distance,[4] including one full squad of German infantry that had crawled in a ditch to within 100 feet of his position. Wounded in the leg during heavy fire,[1][4] he continued this nearly single-handed battle for almost an hour.[1][4] His focus on the battle before him stopped only when his telephone line to the artillery fire direction center was cut by either U.S. or German artillery. As his remaining men came forward, he quickly organized them to conduct a counter attack,[1][4] which ultimately drove the enemy away from Holtzwihr.[4] These actions earned Murphy the Medal of Honor.[1][4]

Murphy was then removed from the front lines and made a liaison officer; he was promoted to 1st lieutenant on February 22, 1945. On June 2, 1945, Lt. Gen. Alexander Patch, commander of the US Seventh Army, presented him with the Medal of Honor and Legion of Merit. The Legion of Merit was awarded for outstanding services with the 3rd Infantry Division during January 22, 1944 to February 18, 1945. On June 10, Murphy left Paris by plane, arriving in San Antonio, Texas four days later.

Audie Murphy received 33 US medals, plus five medals from France and one from Belgium.[1][4] It has been said that he received every US medal available at the time; 5 of them awarded more than once.

His height and weight at his enlistment were 5 feet 5.5 inches and 110 pounds; after his three year enlistment, they were 5 ft 7 inches and 145 lbs.

Medal of Honor citation

The official U.S. Army citation for Audie Murphy's Medal of Honor reads:[1][7]


Medal of HonorRank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945.
Entered service at: Dallas, Texas. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Texas, G.O. No. 65, 9 August 1944.
Citation: Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire, which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad that was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack, which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective.[1][7]

Lifted to "Living Legend" status

Audie Murphy on the cover of Life for July 16, 1945, got him seen in Hollywood.Audie Murphy was credited with destroying six tanks in addition to killing over 240 German soldiers and wounding and capturing many others.[4] By the end of World War II he was a legend within the 3rd Infantry Division as a result of his heroism and battlefield leadership.[3] His principal U.S. decorations included the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star s with Valor device, and three Purple Hearts (for the three wounds he received in combat). Murphy participated in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, as denoted by his European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver battle star (denoting five campaigns), four bronze battle stars, plus a bronze arrowhead representing his two amphibious assault landings at Sicily and southern France. During the French Campaign, Murphy was awarded two Presidential Citations, one from the 3rd Inf, Division, and one from the 15th Inf. Regiment during the Holtzwihr action.

The French government awarded Murphy its highest award, the Legion of Honor (Grade of Chevalier).[8] He also received two Croix de Guerre medals from France[8] and the Croix de Guerre 1940 Palm from Belgium.[8] In addition, Murphy was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge. (A complete list of his awards and decorations appears later in this article.) He spent 29 months overseas and just under two years in combat with the 3rd Infantry Division, all before he turned 21 years of age and was eligible to vote.[4]

In early June 1945, one month after Germany's surrender, he returned from Europe to a hero's welcome in his home state of Texas,[4] where he was showered with parades, banquets, and speeches. Murphy was discharged from active duty with the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas on August 17, 1945,[6] and discharged from the U.S. Army on September 21, 1945.[1][4]

He gained nationwide recognition, appearing on the cover of Life magazine for July 16, 1945 (see image above).

After the Korean War broke out in June 1950, Murphy joined the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas National Guard; however, that division was not called up for combat duty. By the time he left the Guard in 1966, Murphy had attained the rank of major.


Post war illness
Murphy suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his return from the war.[2][3] He was plagued by insomnia, bouts of depression, and nightmares related to his numerous battles.[2] His first wife, Wanda Hendrix, often talked of his struggle with this condition, even claiming that he had at one time held her at gunpoint. For a time during the mid-1960s, he became dependent on doctor-prescribed sleeping pills called Placidyl.[2] When he recognized that he had become addicted to the drug, he locked himself in a motel room where he took himself off the pills, going through withdrawal for a week.[2]

Always an advocate of the needs of America's military veterans, Murphy eventually broke the taboo about publicly discussing war-related mental conditions. In an effort to draw attention to the problems of returning Korean and Vietnam War veterans, Murphy spoke out candidly about his own problems with PTSD, known then and during World War II as "battle fatigue"[2] and also commonly known as "shell shock." He called on the United States government to give increased consideration and study to the emotional impact that combat experiences have on veterans, and to extend health care benefits to address PTSD and other mental-health problems suffered by returning war veterans.[2]


Personal life

Audie Murphy and his sons, Terry Michael Murphy and James Shannon Murphy.Murphy married actress Wanda Hendrix in 1949;[2] they were divorced in 1951. He then married former airline stewardess Pamela Archer who was an army nurse, by whom he had two children: Terry Michael Murphy (born 1952) and James Shannon Murphy (born 1954). He became a successful actor, rancher, and businessman,[4] breeding and raising quarter horses. He owned ranches in Texas, Tucson, Arizona and Perris, California.[3]

In 1955, Murphy became interested in Freemasonry. He was encouraged by his close friend, Texas theater owner Skipper Cherry, to petition and join the Masonic Order in California. He returned to Texas to become a 32d degree Scottish Rite Mason and to join the Shriners. He was active in various Masonic events and was a member in good standing for the rest of his life.




Movie career

Actor James Cagney invited Murphy to Hollywood in September 1945, after seeing the young hero's photo on the cover of the July 16 edition of Life Magazine.[2] But the next few years in California were difficult for Murphy. He became disillusioned by the lack of work, was financially broke, and slept on the floor of a gymnasium owned by his friend Terry Hunt (Murphy would later name one of his sons Terry out of respect for his friend). He eventually received token acting parts in the 1948 films Beyond Glory and Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven.[2][4] His third movie, Bad Boy, gave him his first leading role.[3] He also starred in the 1951 adaptation of Stephen Crane's Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage, which met with critical success.[4] Murphy expressed great discomfort in playing himself in To Hell and Back however. In 1959, he starred in the western film No Name on the Bullet, in which his performance was well-received despite being cast as the villain, a professional killer who managed to stay within the law.[2]


First starring role

After returning home from World War II, Murphy bought a house in Farmersville, Texas for his oldest sister Corinne, her husband Poland Burns, and their three children. The idea was that Audie's three youngest siblings, Nadine, Billie, and Joe, who had been living in an orphanage since Murphy's mother's death, would also be able to live with Corinne and Poland and would become part of a family again. Unfortunately, six children under one roof created too much stress on everyone, particularly Nadine and Joe, so Murphy came and picked them up.

Joe and Nadine wanted to stay with him, but despite a lot of post-war publicity, his acting career had gone nowhere and he was finding it difficult to survive financially. The oldest Murphy brother, Buck, and his wife agreed to take Nadine, but Murphy didn't know what to do with Joe. He approached James "Skipper" Cherry, a Dallas theater owner who was involved with the Variety Clubs International Boy's Ranch, a 4,800 acre (19 km²) ranch near Copperas Cove, Texas who arranged for the Boy's Ranch to take Joe in. He loved it there and Murphy was able to visit him, as well as Cherry, frequently. In a 1973 interview, Cherry recalled, "He was discouraged and somewhat despondent concerning his movie career."

Variety Clubs was financing a film to be called Bad Boy to help promote the organization's work with troubled children and Cherry called Texas theater executive Paul Short, who was producing the film, to suggest that they considered giving Murphy a significant role in the movie. He looked good in the screen test, but the president of Allied Artists did not want to cast someone with so little acting experience in a major role. However, by this time, Cherry, Short, and the other Texas theater owners had decided that Audie Murphy was going to play the lead or they weren't financing the film. Their money talked and he was cast, turning in such a fine performance that the Hollywood powers that be finally recognized his talent. As a direct result of the film, Universal Studios signed Murphy to his first seven-year studio contract.


Autobiography

1955 photo of Audie Murphy used for advertisement and art work purposes to promote the movie To Hell and Back.
1955 photo of Audie Murphy and his wife, Pam Archer Murphy, as they arrived at the Los Angeles premiere of To Hell and Back at the Wiltern Theater on October 12, 1955.Murphy's 1949 autobiography To Hell and Back became a national bestseller. In the book, actually ghostwritten by his writer friend David "Spec" McClure,[9] Murphy modestly describes some of his most heroic actions — without portraying himself as a hero. Not once does he mention any of the many decorations he received for his incredible combat exploits. Instead, he chooses to praise the skills, bravery, and dedication of the other soldiers in his platoon.

Murphy played himself in the 1955 version of his book made into a film of the same title, To Hell and Back.[2] The film grossed almost ten million dollars during its initial theatrical release, and at the time became Universal's biggest hit of the studio's entire 43-year history. This movie held the record as the company's highest-grossing motion picture until 1975, when it was surpassed by Steven Spielberg's Jaws.[2] Universal gave Murphy latitude in choosing the various roles, as long as plenty of action was included. Terry Murphy, who played Joe Preston Murphy (at age 4), is in fact Murphy's older son.

Audie was reluctant to star in To Hell and Back fearing that he was cashing in on his war experience - he even suggested that his role be played by Tony Curtis. The film was introduced by General Walter Bedell Smith, United States Army, Retired. During World War II, Smith had served as Chief of Staff to General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Harold B. Simpson's 1975 comprehensive biography, Audie Murphy, American Soldier, covers the breadth of Murphy's life. The book emphasizes his military exploits, and includes photos, maps, and battle-maneuver diagrams. Murphy's post-war career is also well-documented.


[edit] Hollywood Walk of Fame
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Audie Murphy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1601 Vine Street.


[edit] Filmography
Main article: Audie Murphy legacy#Films made
In the twenty-five years he spent in Hollywood, Audie Murphy made a total of 44 feature films, 33 of them Westerns.[2] He also appeared in several television shows.[2]


[edit] Music career
In addition to motion picture acting, Murphy also became successful as a country music songwriter.[2] teaming up with talented artists and composers such as Guy Mitchell, Jimmy Bryant, Scott Turner, Coy Ziegler, and Terri Eddleman. Many of Murphy's songs were recorded and released by such performers as Dean Martin,[2] Eddy Arnold,[2] Charley Pride,[2] Jimmy Bryant, Porter Waggoner, Jerry Wallace, Roy Clark, and Harry Nilsson. His two biggest hits were "Shutters and Boards" and "When the Wind Blows in Chicago". Eddy Arnold recorded the latter for his 1983 RCA album, Last of the Love Song Singers.


[edit] Death

Murphy's headstoneJust after noon on May 28, 1971[2][3][4] (during Memorial Day weekend), while on a business trip, and flying in bad weather with a pilot unqualified to fly on instruments, Murphy's private plane crashed into Brush Mountain, near Catawba, Virginia, some 20 miles west of Roanoke.[4] The pilot and all five passengers, including Murphy, were killed.[2] He was 46 years old. In 1974, a large granite memorial marker was erected near the crash site. A close friend, Captain Carl Swickerath (who is now buried directly in front of Murphy), represented the Murphy family at the dedication.

On June 7, 1971, Murphy was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.[2][4] The official U.S. representative at the ceremony was the decorated World War II Veteran and future President George H. W. Bush. Murphy's gravesite is in Section 46, located across Memorial Drive from the Amphitheater.[4] A special flagstone walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who stop to pay their respects.[4] It is the second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. Kennedy's.[4]

The headstones of Arlington's Medal of Honor recipients are normally decorated in gold leaf, but Murphy had requested that his stone remain plain and inconspicuous,[4] as would be the case with an ordinary soldier. An unknown person maintains a small American flag next to his engraved Government-issue headstone, which reads as follows:

Audie L. Murphy, Texas. Major, Infantry, World War II. June 20, 1924 to May 28, 1971. Medal of Honor, DSC, SS & OLC, LM, BSM & OLC, PH & two OLC.
(Key to abbreviations: DSC = Distinguished Service Cross; SS = Silver Star; LM = Legion of Merit; BSM = Bronze Star Medal; PH = Purple Heart; OLC = Oak Leaf Cluster.)

An Oak Leaf Cluster signifies a subsequent award of the same decoration. First Lieutenant Audie Murphy was one of very few company-grade officers ever to be awarded the Legion of Merit. That decoration is usually awarded only to officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel and above.




Cultural influences

His highest grossing film was the autobiographical To Hell and Back, which was the highest grossing film for Universal Pictures, until "Jaws" in 1975.[2][3]
His films earned him close to $3 million in his 23 years as an actor.[3]
Murphy was the original choice to play the Scorpio Killer in Dirty Harry.[citations needed]
He purchased a Middle Eastern oil field in the 1960s which was blown up during the Six Day War, causing him to file for bankruptcy in 1968.[4][citation needed]
Former World War II General and President Dwight Eisenhower did not enjoy Murphy's films, saying his combat scenes were unbelievable due to his small stature, despite Murphy having actually accomplished those feats in real life. However, Murphy's relatively short height is not particularly noticeable in To Hell and Back or in his other action movies.[citations needed]
Murphy was a life member of the National Rifle Association.[citations needed]
Always a modest hero, Murphy gave his awards and decorations to friends. When these were replaced, he gave them away again.[citations needed]

John Smeaton QGM (born Bishopton, Renfrewshire[1] 1976[2]) is a Scottish baggage handler at Glasgow International Airport. He became involved in thwarting the 2007 Glasgow International Airport Attack. Smeaton lives in Erskine, Renfrewshire,[3] a town outside the city and near the airport. Brought up in Erskine, he was educated at Park Mains High School.

Smeaton was a general bystander when he first witnessed the incident. He later recalled his first thoughts on being confronted by the two desperate suspects in a burning car as he smoked a cigarette during his break: "What's the score? I've got to get this sorted."

He added "I thought 'that's not right' and ran over to assist. All that was going through my mind was I've got to help the policeman, I'm not letting these guys get away with this."[4]

It was reported that Smeaton shouted "fucking come on then" and aimed a kick at the now deceased Kafeel Ahmed.[1][5]

During the incident Smeaton also helped drag Michael Kerr to safety after Kerr, another person to intervene in the event, had been left lying with a broken leg beside the burning jeep. [3]

The incident has been described as inspiring others to take the law into their own hands. Newsagent and former policeman Mohammed Afzah cited Smeaton as inspiration for his facing down and repelling a would-be armed robber.[6]

In late July, Smeaton returned to his old job as a baggage handler at the airport.[7] Later in the year he accepted a job as head of security at a nearby company.[8]

On 18 December 2007, it was announced that Smeaton was to be awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for his actions.[9][10]




Contents [hide]
1 Television interviews
2 Tribute website and media attention
3 Awards
4 See also
5 References
6 External links



[edit] Television interviews
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Following the attack, Smeaton gave television interviews to the BBC, ITV and CNN which were broadcast worldwide.[11] There were numerous heroes on that day,[12] but Smeaton's energy and personality in his interviews, as well as his behaviour and attitude towards the attack,[original research?] seem to have reflected that of most people from Glasgow and around the world.[clarify][neutrality disputed] As a result, he has gained a fanbase of admirers.[13][14]

The television interviews that brought him to the attention of the world were based around his own reaction to the attack.

After he saw the police grappling with one of the attackers, he thought:
"You're no' hitting the Polis mate, there's nae chance."[11]
Describing his own actions:
"So I ran straight towards the guy, we're all trying to get a kick-in at him, take a boot to subdue the guy."[11]
Asked by ITV News what his message to terrorists was, he said:
"Glasgow doesn't accept this. That's just Glasgow; we'll set about ye."[13][3]
In his News of the World interview, he said:
"If any more extremists are still wanting to rise up and start trouble, know this: We’ll rise right back up against you. New York, Madrid, London, Paisley … we’re all in this together and make no mistake, none of us will hold back from putting the boot in."[15]
The Sun interviewed him for their July 12 edition. One of his more telling quotes reads:
"Would you stop it with all this hero worship? Anyone else would have done exactly the same as me."
From an interview with Scotland Today:
"If you see the law going down then you have to step up to the plate. I mean, at the end of the day, when the law falls, we fall."

[edit] Tribute website and media attention
A tribute website[16] was set up in Smeaton's honour, which received 500,000 hits in its first 48 hours.[17][4] The website urges visitors to buy a pint of beer for him; over 1000 pints were donated within two days.[13] The BBC reported on the 18 July 2007 that John Smeaton has pledged half of the money donated for pints of beer to the veteran's charity Erskine, which cares for former servicemen and women at five homes throughout Scotland. The balance of the money will be used to fund a night out for those who also assisted at the incident at Glasgow Airport. [18]

The website also called for Smeaton to make an appearance at the popular Scottish music festival, T in the Park.[19] The website's creator said:

“ I watched the footage of John Smeaton and I just thought it was fantastic. He had the kind of unthinking, selfless heroism that most people wished they had.[19] ”

A Bebo group was also set up in dedication to Smeaton, called the John Smeaton Fan Club.[14] Over 550 Bebo members had joined the club within 48 hours, and this page also received exposure in the Daily Record[20]

A Facebook group called the John Smeaton Appreciation Society was also established with over 4,000 members; this refers to John as: Glasgow's Jack Bauer.[17]

Smeaton was also the subject of a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal.[21]

In the weeks after the attack, Smeaton made a variety of public appearances and interviews[22] including appearing on the pitch at Ibrox Stadium before a football match[23] and meeting Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street.[7] He also appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[24]

In September 2007 he started writing a column for the Scottish edition of the Sun newspaper every Thursday[25] and was invited to appear at the World Trade Center ground zero for the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[5] He also appeared on Richard and Judy.[26]

On September 12, 2007 he received an official audience with New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg at New York City Hall. On September 24, 2007 he attended the Labour Party Conference and his exploits were referred to by Gordon Brown in his speech. He also received a standing ovation from the crowd.

In the October, 2007, edition of the men's magazine Loaded, John Smeaton revealed in an interview that he feared 'a jihad or a fatwa being issued' against him, but added, 'that would just be fate. I can't stop a bloke with an AK47. One thing is for certain, they'll have to kill me. They'll never take me alive.' [27] In the same month, Smeaton and other bystanders who intervened in the Glasgow International Airport attack were recognised at the Pride of Britain Awards.


[edit] Awards
On November 9, 2007, Smeaton was one of four members of the public who were presented with Daily Mirror Pride of Britain awards. [28]

November 18, 2007 saw Smeaton voted as 3rd most eligible male in Scotland in Scotland on Sunday's Spectator magazine supplement, although it does note that, at 31, he still lives with his parents.

On December 6, 2007 John Smeaton was presented a CNN Everyday Superhero Award in New York. [29]

John Smeaton, the baggage handler hero of The Glasgow Airport terror attack.. who with several others, attacked the terrorists who attempted to blow up the crowded passenger terminal on June 30th..and who then himself became World Headline News when he was interviewed and declared to terrorists everywhere…
“DON’T COME TO GLASGOW! .. COS WE’LL SET ABOOT YOU! ” .. and as a result became an internet phenomenon.
On December 18, 2007 John Smeaton was awarded a Queen’s Gallantry Medal.[9] [30] In the same month Smeaton was named as one of the ten "Top Scots 2007" by Scotland on Sunday.[31]

- My Dad (Mal Cadden)
- His Dad (John Cadden)
- Lance Armstrong (multiple tour de France winner.... post-chemo)
- Ranolph Fienes (Thrown out of the SAS for being too hard, doing 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents, unassisted polar explorer)
- Paddy Doyle (most world records and endurance athelete)
- Robin Simpson (slowly but surely beating all Paddys records)

Im sure I will have more later on, but these spring immediately to mind.

only in Glasgow would you get punched whilst being on fire!

You couldnt summarise that could you Baz, not enough time to read it whilst sneaking a peek on Ax!

"my dad'' class

first role model for all of us I would say, mines a right headdoer at time but he brought up a reasonably well adjusted bloke who can write his own name and has a sense of right and wrong

The Battle of Mirbat took place during the 1970s Dhofar Rebellion in Oman which was supported by communist guerillas from South Yemen. Britain assisted the Oman government by sending elements of its Special Air Service to both train soldiers and compete against the Adoo guerillas for the "hearts and minds" of the Omani people.

At 6am on 19 July 1972 the Adoo retaliated against the British, sending 250 well-armed men against the isolated British Army Training Team (BATT) house near Mirbat (commanded by Captain Mike Kealy). Against overwhelming odds, the nine SAS soldiers stationed there resisted fiercely, holding the Adoo back for several hours until reinforcements could arrive. Defeated, the Adoo withdrew at about 12:30pm.


Mirbat Castle, site of the Battle of MirbatThe 25 pounder gun, now known as the "Mirbat gun" which was used by Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba (a Fijian SAS soldier) during the siege is now housed in the Firepower museum of the Royal Artillery at the former Woolwich Arsenal. Sgt Labalaba was killed in action. He displayed notable bravery by continuing to fire the 25 pounder in spite of being seriously wounded. Labalaba's actions helped to keep the insurgents pinned down until a relief force arrived. Labalaba was awarded a posthumous Mention in Dispatches for his actions in the Battle of Mirbat, although some of his former comrades have campaigned for him to be award a posthumous Victoria Cross.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes alleged in his book 'The Feathermen' that Mike Kealy was murdered years later in the Brecon Beacons by an Arab terrorist cell.

Leonidas (Greek: Λεωνίδας; "Lion's son", "Lion-like") was a king of Sparta, the 17th of the Agiad line, one of the sons of King Anaxandridas II of Sparta, who was believed to be a descendant of Heracles. Leonidas was one of three: he had an older brother Dorieus and a younger brother Cleombrotus, who ruled as regent for a while on Leonidas' death before the regency was taken over by Pausanias, who was Cleombrotus' son. Leonidas succeeded his half-brother Cleomenes I, probably in 489 or 488 BC, and was married to Cleomenes' daughter, Gorgo. His name was raised to heroic status as a result of the events in the Battle of Thermopylae.


Thermopylae
Upon receiving a request from the confederated Greek forces to aid in defending against the Persian invasion, Sparta consulted the Oracle at Delphi. The Oracle is said to have made the following prophecy in hexameter verse:[1]

O ye men who dwell in the streets of broad Lacedaemon!
Either your glorious town shall be sacked by the children of Perseus,
Or, in exchange, must all through the whole Laconian country
Mourn for the loss of a king, descendant of great Heracles.

In August 480 BC, Leonidas set out to meet the Xerxes' army at Thermopylae with 300 of his personal body guards, all with sons to carry on their names, where he was joined by forces from other Greek city-states, who put themselves under his command to form an army 4,200 strong. This force was assembled in an attempt to hold the pass of Thermopylae against hundreds of thousands of Persian soldiers who had invaded from the north of Greece under Xerxes I. Leonidas took only his personal bodyguards, and not the army, because the majority of the Spartan Army was coordinating with the massed naval forces of the Greeks against the Persian Navy. This is contrary to the belief that the army could not be sent because of religious restrictions.


Statue of King Leonidas of SpartaLeonidas and his men repulsed the Persians' frontal attacks for the first two days, killing roughly 20,000 of the enemy troops and losing very few of their own. The Persian elite unit known to the Greeks as "the Immortals" were held back, and two of Xerxes' brothers died in battle. On the third day, a Malian Greek traitor named Ephialtes led the Persian general Hydarnes by a mountain track to the rear of the Greeks. At that point Leonidas sent away all Greek troops and remained in the pass with his 300 Spartans, 900 Helots, and 700 Thespians who refused to leave. Another 400 Thebans were kept with Leonidas as hostages. The Thespians stayed entirely of their own will, declaring that they would not abandon Leonidas and his followers. Their leader was Demophilos, son of Diadromes, and as Herodotus writes: "Hence they lived with the Spartans and died with them."

One theory provided by Herodotus is that Leonidas sent away the remainder of his men because he cared about their safety. The King would have thought it wise to preserve those Greek troops for future battles against the Persians, but he knew that the Spartans could never abandon their post on the battlefield. The soldiers who stayed behind were to protect their escape against the Persian cavalry. Herodotus himself believes that Leonidas gave the order because he perceived the allies to be out of heart and unwilling to encounter the danger to which his own mind was made up. He therefore chose to dismiss all troops except the Thespians and Helots and save the "glory" for the Spartans. [2]


Leonidas at Thermopylae, by Jacques-Louis David (1814)The little Greek force, attacked from both sides, was cut down to a man except for the Thebans, who surrendered. Leonidas was killed, but the Spartans retrieved his body and protected it until their final defeat. Herodotus says that Xerxes' orders were to have Leonidas' head cut off and put on a stake and his body crucified. This was considered sacrilegious. [3] The tomb of Leonidas lies today in the northern part of the modern town of Sparta.

A carved lion monument bearing the inscription below was dedicated at Leonidas' death site.

Go, stranger, and in Lacedaemon tell,

That here, obeying her behests, we fell. — (Greek: Ώ ξειν', ἀγγέλειν Λακεδαιμονίοις ότι τήδε κείμεθα, τοις κείνων ρήμασι πειθόμενοι) epitaph at Thermopylae (Simonides' epigram)
Two Spartans survived the conflict. Kirtanian (Spartan) Aristodemus suffered an eye injury and was sent behind the lines, eventually ordered back to Sparta with the retreating allies by the King. Pantites was sent by Leonidas to raise support in Thessaly, but returned to Thermopylae only after the battle's conclusion. Pantites hanged himself in disgrace after being shunned as a "trembler".

Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, DSO, MC, TD, Order of Suvorov (Soviet Union), Légion d'honneur (France), Croix de guerre (France) (9 July 1911 - 16 March 1995) was the 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser and a prominent British Commando during the Second World War. His friends called him "Shimi" Lovat, his name in the Scottish Gaelic language. His clan referred to him as MacShimidh, his Gaelic patronym. He is commonly known as the 17th Lord Lovat.

Contents
1 Early life
2 World War II
3 Later life
4 References



Early life

Lord Lovat and Rosie, on their wedding day.Simon Fraser was born at Beaufort Castle, Inverness, Scotland, the son of the 14th Lord Lovat (commonly known as the 16th Lord), and Laura, daughter of Thomas Lister, 4th Baron Ribblesdale. After being educated at Ampleforth College (where he was a member of the Officer Training Corps and Oxford University, where he joined the University's Cavalry Squadron, Fraser was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Lovat Scouts (a Territorial Army unit) in 1930.[1] He transferred to the regular army (still as a second lieutenant) joining the Scots Guards in 1931.[2] The following year, Fraser succeeded his father to become the 15th Lord Lovat (referred to as the 17th Lord Lovat) and 25th Chief of the Clan Fraser. He was promoted lieutenant in August 1934.[3] Lovat resigned his regular commission as a lieutenant in 1937, transferring to the Supplementary Reserve of Officers.[4] He married Rosamond Broughton in 1938, with whom he had six children.


World War II
Prior to the Second World War, in June 1939, Lord Lovat also resigned his reserve commission.[5] In August, as war approached, Lord Lovat was mobilized as a captain in the Lovat Scouts. The following year he volunteered to join one of the new commando units being formed by the British Army, and was eventually attached to No. 4 Commando. On 3 March 1941, Nos 3 and 4 Commando launched a raid on the German-occupied Lofoten Islands. In the successful raid, the commandos destroyed a significant number of fish-oil factories, petrol dumps and 11 ships. They also seized encryption equipment and codebooks. In additional to the destruction of materials, the commandos captured 216 German troops, and 315 Norwegians chose to accompany the commandos back to Britain.

As a temporary major, Lord Lovat commanded 100 men of No. 4 Commando and a 50-man detachment from the Canadian Carleton and York Regiment in a raid on the French coastal village of Hardelot in April. For this action he was awarded the Military Cross on 7 July 1942.[6][7] Lord Lovat became an acting lieutenant-colonel in 1942 and was appointed the commanding officer of No. 4 Commando, leading them in the abortive Dieppe Raid (Operation Jubilee) on 19 August.[8] His commando attacked and destroyed a battery of six 150mm guns. Lovat was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).[9] The raid as a whole was a disastrous failure: over 4,000 casualties were sustained, predominantly Canadian.


Sword Beach. Lord Lovat, on the right of the column, wades through the water. The figure in the foreground is Piper Bill Millin.Lord Lovat eventually became a Brigadier and became the commander of the newly formed 1st Special Service Brigade in 1944. Lord Lovat's brigade was landed at Sword Beach during the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. Lord Lovat reputedly waded ashore donning a white jumper under his battledress, with "Lovat" inscribed into the collar, while armed with an old Winchester rifle. Lord Lovat instructed his personal piper, Bill Millin, to pipe the commandos ashore, in defiance of specific orders not to allow such an action in battle.

Lovat's forces swiftly pressed on, Lovat himself advancing with parts of his brigade from Sword Beach to Pegasus Bridge, which had been defiantly defended by men of the 6th Airborne Division who had landed in the early hours. Lord Lovat's commandos arrived almost exactly on time, late by about two minutes (for which Lord Lovat apologised to Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, 7th (Yorkshire Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion. The commandos ran across Pegasus Bridge to the sound of Bill Millin's bagpipes. Despite rushing across in small groups sniper fire led to the deaths of twelve men, most of who were shot in the head through their berets (the men crossing the bridge wore their helmets from then on). He went on to establish defensive positions around Ranville, east of the River Orne. The bridges were relieved later in the day by elements of the British 3rd Infantry Division.

During an attack on the village of Bréville on 12 June, Lord Lovat was seriously wounded whilst observing an artillery bombardment by the 51st Highland Division. A stray shell fell short of its target and landed amongst the officers, killing Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Johnston, commanding officer of the 12th Parachute Battalion, and seriously wounding Brigadier Hugh Kindersley of the 6th Airlanding Brigade.


Later life
Lord Lovat made a full recovery from the severe wounds he had received in France but was unable to return to the army (he transferred to the reserve in 1949).[10] Winston Churchill requested that he become Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms in the House of Lords; however, Lord Lovat declined the offer and in 1945 joined the Government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He later became Minister of Economic Warfare, resigning upon Winston Churchill's post-war election defeat. In 1946 he was made a Commander of the Venerable Order of Saint John.[11] His formal retirement from the army came on 16 June 1962, he retained the honorary rank of brigadier.[12]

Lord Lovat's involvement in politics continued throughout his life, in the House of Lords and the Inverness County Council. He devoted much of his time to the family estates. He was chieftain of Lovat Shinty Club, the local shinty team which bears his family name. Lord Lovat experienced a great deal of turmoil in his final years; he suffered financial ruin and two of his sons predeceased him in accidents within months of each other. A year before his death, in 1994, the family's traditional residence, Beaufort Castle, was sold.

Piper Bill Millin, Lord Lovat's personal piper who had piped the Commandos ashore on D-Day, played at Lord Lovat's funeral.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jack Malcolm Thorpe Flemington Churchill, DSO and Bar, MC and Bar (September 16, 1912—March 8, 1996), nicknamed "Fighting Jack Churchill", was an English soldier who fought throughout World War II armed with a bow, arrows and a claymore. He once said "any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed".



Early life
Born in Hong Kong to English parents, Churchill graduated from Sandhurst in 1926 and served in Burma with the Manchester Regiment. He left the army in 1936 and worked as a newspaper editor. He used his archery and bagpipe talents to play small film roles in the movie The Thief of Baghdad.


Second World War
He resumed his commission after Poland was invaded and volunteered for the Commandos after fighting at Dunkirk. It is said that Churchill was not sure what was entailed in Commando duty, but that because it sounded dangerous, he signed up. In May 1940, Churchill and his unit, the Manchester Regiment, ambushed a German patrol near l'Epinette, France. Churchill gave the signal to attack by cutting down the enemy feldwebel (sergeant) with his barbed arrows.

He led two companies in Operation Archery, the raid on the German garrison at Vågsøy, Norway on December 27, 1941. As the ramps fell on the first landing craft, Churchill leapt forward throwing a grenade behind him and running towards the bay. For his actions at Dunkirk and Vaasgo, Churchill received the Military Cross and Bar. He received the Distinguished Service Order in 1943 for capturing the battery at Salerno, while commanding Number 2 Commando. Leading from the front, Churchill infiltrated the town with only a corporal in support. He kidnapped a sentry and forced him to make his comrades surrender. Churchill and the riflemen walked out of town with 42 prisoners and a mortar squad.

In 1944, he led Number 2 Commando in Yugoslavia, where they supported the efforts of Tito's partisans. The commandos raided the German-held island of Brač and assaulted Hill 622. Only Churchill and six others managed to reach the objective. A mortar shell killed or wounded everyone but Churchill, who played "Will Ye No Come Back Again?" on his pipes as the Germans advanced. He was knocked unconscious by grenades and was flown to Berlin for interrogation after being captured. He was placed in Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

In September 1944, he and an RAF officer crawled under the wire through an abandoned drain and set out to walk to the Baltic coast. Their luck was not in, however, and they were recaptured near the coastal city of Rostock, only a few miles from the sea. In time, they were moved to a camp at Niederdorf, Austria.

He escaped from Niederdorf in April 1945 and walked 150 miles to Verona, Italy where he met an American armoured column.

As the Pacific war was still ongoing Churchill was sent to Burma, where the largest land battles against Japan were still raging, but by the time he reached India, Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been bombed, and the war abruptly ended.


Later life
In 1946 Twentieth Century Fox was making Ivanhoe with Churchill’s old rowing companion Robert Taylor and wanted him to appear as an archer, firing from the walls of Warwick Castle. Churchill took the assignment, flown off to the job in an aircraft provided by the movie company.

After World War II ended, Churchill qualified as a parachutist, transferred to the Seaforth Highlanders, and later ended up in Palestine as second-in-command of 1st Battalion, the Highland Light Infantry. And it was there, in the spring of 1948, just before the end of the British mandate the region, that he again risked his life for other people. Along with twelve of his soldiers, he attempted to assist the Hadassah medical convoy that came under attack by hundreds of Arab militants.[1] Following the massacre, he coordinated the evacuation of 700 Jewish doctors, students and patients from the Hadassah hospital on the Hebrew University campus on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.

In later years, Churchill served as an instructor at the land-air warfare school in Australia, where he became a passionate devotee of the surfboard. Back in England, he was the first man to ride the River Severn’s five-foot tidal bore and designed his own board.

He finally retired from the army, with two awards of the Distinguished Service Order, in 1959 and died in Surrey in 1996. Eccentric until the end, Churchill would toss his briefcase out of the window of the commuter train he rode home every day. Passengers and conductors were shocked because they didn't know he was throwing the luggage into his own backyard as the train passed by. It saved him the trouble of carrying it all the way home from the station.

Randy Shughart and Gary Gordan

Sergeant First Class Shughart, United States Army, distinguished himself by actions above and beyond the call of duty on 3 October 1993, while serving as a Sniper Team Member, United States Army Special Operations Command with Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia. Sergeant First Class Shughart provided precision sniper fires from the lead helicopter during an assault on a building and at two helicopter crash sites, while subjected to intense automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenade fires. While providing critical suppressive fires at the second crash site, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader learned that ground forces were not immediately available to secure the site. Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader unhesitatingly volunteered to be inserted to protect the four critically wounded personnel, despite being well aware of the growing number of enemy personnel closing in on the site. After their third request to be inserted, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader received permission to perform this volunteer mission. When debris and enemy ground fires at the site caused them to abort the first attempt, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader were inserted one hundred meters south of the crash site. Equipped with only his sniper rifle and a pistol, Sergeant First Class Shughart and his team leader, while under intense small arms fire from the enemy, fought their way through a dense maze of shanties and shacks to reach the critically injured crew members. Sergeant First Class Shughart pulled the pilot and the other crew members from the aircraft, establishing a perimeter which placed him and his fellow sniper in the most vulnerable position. Sergeant First Class Shughart used his long range rifle and side arm to kill an undetermined number of attackers while traveling the perimeter, protecting the downed crew. Sergeant First Class Shughart continued his protective fire until he depleted his ammunition and was fatally wounded. His actions saved the pilot's life. Sergeant First Class Shughart's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest standards of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army.

bit offtopic but hard animals

G.I. Joe (March 24, 1943 in Algiers - June 3, 1961 in Detroit) is possibly one of the most famous pigeons in world history, serving much of its life in the United States Army Pigeon Service as one of over 54,000 pigeons in the force.

In World War II, G.I. Joe saved the lives of the inhabitants of the village of Calvi Vecchia, Italy, and of the British troops stationed there. The village was scheduled to be bombarded by the Allied forces on 18 October 1943, but the message that the British had captured the village, delivered by G.I. Joe, arrived just in time to avoid the bombing. Over a thousand people were saved.

In November 1946, G.I. Joe was presented with a high award, the Dickin Medal for gallantry.

William of Orange was a male pigeon soldier of MI14 (British secret service). He was awarded the 21st Dickin Medal for delivering a message from the Arnhem Airborne Operation. This message saved more than 2000 soldiers combined at the time of the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Its official name in military record is NPS.42.NS.15125. He received the medal in May 1945.[1]

Communications in that battle were a problem for the Allied units; German troops had surrounded the airborne forces and the few radio sets present malfunctioned. William of Orange was released by British soldiers at 10:30 on September 19, 1944 and arrived at his nest box in England at 14:55. He flew over 250 miles and the message he carried was one of few to make their way back to United Kingdom.

William of Orange was bred by Sir William Proctor Smith of Cheshire and trained by the Army Pigeon Service of the Royal Signals. Smith bought him out of service for £185 and ten years later reported that William was "the grandfather of many outstanding racing pigeons".[2]

Chips the dog was the most decorated war dog from World War II. Chips was a German Shepherd-Collie-Husky mix owned by Edward J. Wren of Pleasantville, NY. During the war, private citizens like Wren donated their dogs for duty. Chips shipped out to the War Dog Training Center, Front Royal, Virginia, in 1942 for training as a sentry dog. He served with the 3rd Infantry Division in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. His handler was Pvt. John P. Rowell. Chips served as a sentry dog for the Roosevelt-Churchill conference in 1943. Later that year, during the invasion of Sicily, Chips and his handler were pinned down on the beach by an Italian machine-gun team. Chips broke from his handler and jumped into the pillbox, attacking the gunners. The four crewmen were forced to leave the pillbox and surrendered to US troops. In the fight he sustained a scalp wound and powder burns. Later that day, he helped take 10 Italians prisoner. For his actions during the war, he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart; however these awards were later revoked. His unit unofficially awarded him a Theater Ribbon with an Arrowhead for an assault landing, and Battlestars for each of his eight campaigns. Chips was discharged in December 1945 and returned to the Wren family.

In 1990, Disney made a TV movie based on his life, entitled Chips, the War Dog.

Cher Ami (French for "Dear Friend" (male form)) was a homing pigeon owned and flown by the U.S. Army Signal Corps in France during World War I. He helped save the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division in the battle of the Argonne, October 1918. In his last mission, he delivered a message despite having been shot through the breast, being blinded in one eye, covered in blood, and having a leg hanging only by a tendon. The bird was awarded the Croix de Guerre for heroic service delivering 12 important messages in Verdun.

He is enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution, and is currently on display with Sergeant Stubby in the National Museum of American History's "Price of Freedom" exhibit.

Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, FRAeS, DL, RAF (21 February 1910–5 September 1982);[1]) was a successful fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Bader is upheld as an inspirational leader and hero of the era, not least because he fought despite having lost both legs in a pre-war flying accident. His brutally forthright, dogmatic and often highly opinionated views (especially against authority) coupled with his boundless energy and enthusiasm inspired adoration and frustration in equal measures with both his subordinates and peers.

Contents

1 Early years
2 Joining the RAF
3 Second World War
3.1 Battle of Britain
3.2 Wing Leader
3.3 Prisoner of war
4 Postwar
5 Honours and tributes
5.1 Combat credos
6 References
6.1 Notes
6.2 Bibliography
7 External links



Early years

Bader was born in St John's Wood, London, the second son of Major Frederick Roberts Bader of the Royal Engineers and his wife Jessie. His first two years were spent with relatives in the Isle of Man as his father had returned to his posting in India shortly after the birth of his son, and was accompanied by his wife and eldest son. At the age of two, Douglas joined his parents in India for a year before the family moved back to London. He went to Temple Grove Prep School, in Eastbourne, then to St Edward's School, Oxford, which was also attended by Guy Gibson and Adrian Warburton. His father fought in France during the First World War and died in 1922 of complications arising from shrapnel wounds that he suffered in 1917. His mother re-married shortly thereafter, to Reverend Ernest William Hobbs. Bader was subsequently brought up in the rectory of the village of Sprotborough, near Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire now South Yorkshire.


Joining the RAF

Bader joined the RAF as a Cranwell cadet in 1928. He was an above-average pilot and an outstanding sportsman; he played rugby union for Harlequin F.C. coming close to national team selection.[2] He played one first-class cricket match playing for the RAF cricket team against the Army cricket team at The Oval in July 1931; his batting scores were 65 and 1.[3] Commissioned as a pilot officer in 1930, Bader was posted to Kenley, Surrey, flying Gloster Gamecocks and soon after, Bristol Bulldogs.

On 14 December 1931, while visiting Reading Aero Club, he attempted some low-flying aerobatics at Woodley airfield in a Bulldog, apparently on a dare. His plane crashed when the tip of the left wing touched the ground. Bader was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, where, in the hands of the prominent surgeon Leonard Joyce, both his legs were amputated - one above and one below the knee. Bader made the following laconic entry in his logbook after the crash:

“ Crashed slow-rolling near ground. Bad show. ”
— Douglas Bader, [4]

In 1932, after a long convalescence throughout which he needed morphine for pain and relief, Bader was transferred to the hospital at RAF Uxbridge and fought hard to regain his former abilities now that he had a new pair of artificial legs. In time, his efforts paid off and was able to drive a specially modified car, play golf and even dance.

Bader got his chance to prove that he could still fly when, in June 1932, Air Under-Secretary Phillip Sasson arranged for him to take up an Avro 504 which he piloted competently. A subsequent medical examination proved him fit for active service. However, in April the following year, he received notification that the RAF had decided to reverse the decision on the grounds that this situation was not covered by the King's Regulations. In May, Bader was invalided out of the RAF, took an office job with the Asiatic Petroleum Company and, in 1935, married Thelma Edwards.


Second World War

When war broke out in 1939, Bader used his RAF Cranwell connections to rejoin the RAF. Despite official reluctance on the part of the establishment to allow him to apply for an A.1.B. – full flying category status, his persistent efforts paid off.[5] Bader regained a medical categorisation for operational flying at the end of November the same year and was posted to the Central Flying School, Upavon, for a refresher course on modern types of aircraft. Starting with the Avro Tutor, Bader progressed through the Fairey Battle and Miles Master (the last training stage before experiencing Spitfires and Hurricanes). Bader retained the rank of Flying Officer, that which he held on his retirement in May 1933.[6]

Bader's first operational posting was in February 1940 to No. 19 Squadron based at RAF Duxford, near Cambridge, where a close friend from Cranwell days, Squadron Leader Geoffrey Stephenson, was the Commanding Officer, and it was then that he got his first glimpse of a Spitfire. At 29 years of age, Bader was considerably older than his fellow pilots. It was thought that Bader's success as a fighter pilot was partly due to having no legs; pilots pulling high "G" in combat turns often "blacked out" as the flow of blood from the brain drained to other parts of the body - usually the legs. As Bader had no legs he could remain conscious that much longer and thus had an advantage over more able-bodied opponents.[citation needed]


Battle of Britain

The following April, he left 19 Squadron to become a Flight Commander with No. 222 Squadron, also based at Duxford, commanded by another old friend of his, Squadron Leader Tubby Mermagen, and it was during this phase of Bader's flying career that he had his first taste of combat. While patrolling the coast near Dunkirk in his Spitfire at around 30,000 ft, he came across a Bf 109 in front of him, flying in the same direction and at approximately the same speed. Bader believed that the German must have been a novice, taking no evasive action even though it took more than one burst of gunfire to shoot him down. His second encounter was with a Dornier a day or two later, in which he narrowly avoided a collision while silencing the aircraft's rear gunner during a high-speed pass. Shortly after Bader joined 222 Squadron, it relocated to RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, just south of the Humber.

After flying operations over Dunkirk, he was posted to command No. 242 squadron as Squadron Leader at the end of June 1940; a Hurricane unit based at Coltishall, mainly made up of Canadians who had suffered high losses in the Battle of France and had low morale. Despite initial resistance to their new commanding officer, the pilots were soon won over by Bader's strong personality and perseverance, especially in cutting through red tape to make the squadron operational again. Upon the formation of No. 12 Group RAF, No. 242 squadron was assigned to the Group while based at RAF Duxford.

As a friend and supporter of his 12 Group commander Air Vice-Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Bader joined him as an active exponent of the controversial "Big Wing" theory. Bader was an outspoken critic of the careful "husbanding" tactics being used by 11 Group commander Keith Park, and Bader vociferously campaigned for an aggressive policy of assembling large formations of defensive fighters north of London ready to inflict maximum damage on the massed German bomber formations as they flew over southeast England. As the battle progressed, Bader often found himself at the head of a composite wing of fighters consisting of up to five squadrons. Achievements of the Big Wing were hard to quantify, as the large formations often overclaimed aircraft shot down, but there is no doubt that Bader and Leigh-Mallory contributed to the departure of both Fighter Command commander Air Marshal Hugh Dowding and Air Vice Marshal Keith Park after the battle was over.


Wing Leader
In 1941, Bader was promoted to Wing Commander and become one of the first "Wing Leaders." Stationed at Tangmere, Bader led his wing of Spitfires on sweeps and "circus" operations over northwestern Europe throughout the summer campaign. These were missions combining bombers and fighters designed to lure out and tie down German Luftwaffe fighter units that might otherwise serve on the Russian front. One of the Wing Leader's "perks" was permission to have their initials marked on their aircraft as personal identification, thus "D-B" was painted on the side of Bader's Spitfire. These letters gave rise to his radio call sign "Dogsbody."

During 1941 his wing was re-equipped with Spitfire VBs, which had two Hispano 20mm cannon and four .303 machine guns. However, Bader flew a Spitfire Va equipped with just eight .303 machine guns, as he insisted that these guns were more effective against fighter opposition.


Prisoner of war
By August 1941, Bader had claimed 22 German planes shot down, the fifth highest total in the RAF. On 9 August 1941, Bader was shot down and taken prisoner. Although he believed for years that he had collided in mid-air with a Messerschmitt Bf 109 over Le Touquet, recent research shows no "Bf 109 was lost to a collision that day and he may have been shot down by a Bf 109F of II/JG26 flown by Feldwebel Meyer.[7] As he tried to bail out, his right prosthetic leg became trapped in the aircraft, and he only escaped when the leg's retaining straps snapped.

More recently, in a Channel 4 documentary "Who Downed Douglas Bader?", aired on 28 August 2006, research by air historian Andy Saunders now suggests that he may have been a victim of "friendly fire," shot down by one of his fellow RAF pilots after becoming detached from his own squadron.[8] RAF combat records indicate Bader may have been shot down by F/L "Buck" Casson of No. 616 Squadron RAF, who claimed a "Bf 109 whose tail came off and the pilot bailed out." Bader was flying at the rear of the German fighter formation, alone, and his squadron were the opposite side of the Germans. "Buck" only had a few seconds in which he saw Bader and mistook his Spitfire for a Bf 109. Ironically, Casson was also shot down and made prisoner that same day. Whether Bader devised the collision story to cover for a fellow pilot is left unresolved.[8]

Bader was captured by German forces, who treated him with great respect. General Adolf Galland, a German flying ace, notified the British of his damaged leg and offered them safe passage to drop off a replacement. The British responded on 19 August 1941 with the 'Leg Operation'- an RAF bomber was allowed to drop a new prosthetic leg by parachute to St Omer, a Luftwaffe base in occupied France, as part of Circus 81 involving six Blenheim bombers and a sizeable fighter escort. The Germans were less impressed when, task done, the bombers proceeded onto their bombing mission to Gosnay power station near Bethune, although bad weather prevented the target being attacked.

General Galland stated in an interview that the aircraft dropped the leg after bombing his (Galland's) airfield. [9]

Bader tried to escape from the hospital where he was recovering, and over the next few years proved as big a thorn in the side of the Germans as he had been to the RAF establishment. He made so many attempts at escape that the Germans threatened to take away his legs. Initially held at Stalag Luft III at Sagan, his "goon-baiting" of the camp guards reached such heights that he was finally dispatched to the "escape-proof" Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C, where he remained until the spring of 1945 when it was relieved by the 1st US Army. When Bader subsequently arrived in Paris, true to form, he requested a Spitfire so that he could rejoin the fighting before the war was over, only to be refused.


Postwar
After his return to England, Bader was given the honour of leading a victory flypast of 300 aircraft over London in June 1945 and was later promoted to Group Captain. He remained in the RAF until February 1946, when he left to take a job at Royal Dutch/Shell. Bader resumed playing golf, an enthusiasm developed after his amputation, achieving a handicap of 5.

Never a person to hide his opinions, Bader also became controversial for his political interventions. A staunch conservative with traditional Victorian values, his trenchantly-expressed views on such subjects as juvenile delinquency, apartheid and Rhodesia's defiance of the Commonwealth (he was a staunch supporter of Ian Smith's white minority regime) attracted much criticism. His association with figures on the radical right fringes of British politics contributed to a perception that he was a closet extremist and racist - an impression that in the case of the politically unsophisticated Bader was almost certainly incorrect.

Following the death of his first wife, Thelma, Bader married Joan Murray.

In 1976 Bader was knighted for his services to amputees and his public work for the disabled. His workload was exhausting for a legless man with a worsening heart condition, and, after a London Guildhall dinner honouring the 90th birthday of the Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris, Bader died of a heart attack on 5 September 1982 at the age of 72. Bader had previously suffered a "minor heart attack" three weeks earlier after a golf tournament in Ayrshire.

Honours and tributes

Douglas Bader House in Fairford is now the headquarters for the RAF Charitable TrustDouglas Bader has a road named after him in Elm Park, Essex. Bader Way is a few minutes walk away from the old RAF base in Hornchurch. In Canford Heath, Poole, Dorset is Bader Road, and the pub now called The Fighter Pilot, previously called The Pilot was opened by him. Bader Close is located at, Kenley, Surrey – a few minutes away from the former RAF Kenley. The Bader Way in Woodley, Reading is located near a housing estate built on the site of the airfield where he had his famous crash and lost his legs. He has a road named after him in Birmingham. There is a Bader Way in the town of Kirton in Lindsey near a Royal Air Force base. Bader Walk is situated in the housing estate near the Sentinel statue in Castle Vale.

Sir Douglas Bader Intermediate School is located on Bader Drive, near Auckland International Airport, in South Auckland, New Zealand. There is a Sir Douglas Bader seniors' apartment building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. There is a school, now owned and run by Norfolk County Council, called the Douglas Bader Centre on the former Coltishall RAF base.

Northbrook College Sussex at Shoreham-by-Sea Airport has a building named after him in which aeronautical engineering and automotive engineering are taught.

Bader's biography, Reach for the Sky, was written after the war by Paul Brickhill and became a best seller. A feature film of the same title was made in 1956 and starred Kenneth More as Bader. An animated version of Douglas Bader appeared in the Gargoyles television series, voiced by Charles Shaugnessy, in an episode titled "M.I.A."

Two pubs have been named in Bader's honour. The first, the Douglas Bader, is located in the village of Martlesham Heath on the site of Martlesham Heath Airfield where Bader was briefly stationed in 1940. The second, the Bader Arms, is situated in the village of Tangmere, West Sussex near RAF Tangmere, where Bader was stationed in 1941.

The Douglas Bader Memorial Garden in Cupar, Fife was opened by Bader in 1982.[10]. After a public campaign, the citizens of Cupar backed a scheme by the new charity Douglas Bader Community Garden to create a world class garden and community centre in the Fife town. This would replace the original garden, which had been vandalised and was set to be closed by Fife Council, the local authority.[10] In late 2007, the new project was given outline planning permission by Fife Councillors, who had initially expressed some concern about the scheme. Local Cupar Councillor Bryan Poole, who is independent, stated that he thought the new garden project would not happen at a public meeting.

On many RAF Stations, including RAF Coltishall and RAF Coningsby there is a junior ranks' barrack block named after Douglas Bader.

Bader's artificial legs are kept by the RAF Museum at their store at Stafford and are not on public display.


Combat credos

Bader attributed his success to the belief in the three basic rules that had been tried and tested by earlier fighter pilots:

If you had the height, you controlled the battle.
If you came out of the sun, the enemy could not see you.
If you held your fire until you were very close, you seldom missed.
Quote; “Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”

Quote; "Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the obedience of fools."[11]

Quote; "I am not one of those who see war as a cricket match where you first give anything to defeat the opponent and then shake hands."

At the time of the fall of the ancient Siam capital of Ayutthaya in 1767, the invading Burmese troops rounded up a group of Thai residents and took them as prisoners. Among them were a large number of Thai boxers, who were taken by the Burmese to the city of Ungwa.

In 1774, in the Burmese city of Rangoon, the king of the Burmese, King Mangra decided to organize a seven-day, seven-night religious festival in honor of Buddha's relics. The festivities included many forms of entertainment, such as the costume plays called likay, comedies and farces, and sword-fighting matches. At one point, King Mangra wanted to see how Muay Boran would compare to the Burmese art Lethwei. Nai Khanom Tom was selected to fight against the Burmese champion. The boxing ring was set up in front of the throne and Nai Khanom Tom did a traditional Wai Kru pre-fight dance, to pay his respects to the Burmese king, as well as for all the spectators, dancing around his opponent, which amazed and perplexed all the Burmese people. When the fight began, he charged out, using punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, pummeling his opponent until he collapsed.[2]

The referee however stated that the Burmese opponent was too distracted by the Wai Kru, and the knockout was invalid. The King then asked if Nai Khanom Tom would fight nine other Burmese champions to prove himself. He agreed and fought them all, one after the other with no rest periods in between. His last opponent was a great boxing teacher from Ya Kai City, Nai Khanom Tom mangled him by his kicks and no one else dared to challenge him any further.

King Mangra was so impressed that he remarked, "Every part of the Thai is blessed with venom. Even with his bare hands, he can fell nine or ten opponents. But his Lord was incompetent and lost the country to the enemy. If he would have been any good, there was no way the City of Ayutthaya would ever have fallen."

King Mangra granted Nai Khanom Tom freedom along with either riches or two beautiful Burmese wives. Nai Khanom Tom chose the wives as he said that money was easier to find. He then departed with his wives for Siam. Other variations of this story had him also winning the release of his fellow Thai prisoners. His feat is celebrated every March 17 as "Boxer's Day" or "National Muay Thai Day" in his honor and that of Muay Thai's.

Today, some have wrongly attributed the legend of "Nai Khanom Tom" to King Naresuan, who was once taken by the Burmese. However, Nai Khanon Tom and King Naresuan were almost two centuries apart.

Michael Watson - hardest bloke that Eubank or Benn ever fought

Aran Ralston - the climber who cut his own arm off with a knife when he got stuck under a boulder!!!!

Mahatma Gandhi - took on the world's most powerful empire by peaceful and quiet protest

Leonard William Weston......part of the regiment that held back the German forces at Dunkirk while the others escaped by sea.

My Grandfather.

Anyone that has left their families behind to fight for their country, not knowing if they will ever see them again.

Jane Tomlinson - one of the hardest that ever lived, doesn`t always have to be a man.

Good points lads I hope I would have the bravery and guts of the people on this tread if I ever got put to the test.

Plus it doesn't always have to be violence look at Gandhi

Also I really admire the Dalai Lama the chinese just steamed him and invaded his country yet he keeps up the peaceful protest and fled to spare the lives of his people who are that loyal they would have died for him if asked.

Dave Guns Croft

Wouldnt he come under the celebrity gangster thread? :)

im banging him on all the threads imagine croft v hayes in a wwe career ending match

harry greb lightwelterweight champion of the world in the 20s had 60% vision in one eye and none in the other use to spar with heavyweights and knock them out also night before fights used to be in the whorehouses getting pissed and laid and take out the occasional doorman quality

I havent read any of the above :)

lol @ Dave

I havnt read the off topic section for ages and then here I find my name albeit tongue in cheek mentioned on the thread with such luminaries as Ranolph Fiennes and Douglas Bader. Roy and the late lenny. Thats gotta be worth a swift Drambuie! Cheers

Your also on the other hardman thread with the likes of Lenny, Dave Courtney and Calton Leach.

Which list would you rather be on?

start petition for dave to write a book, make ficticous names and places please

chapter one. i left home at fifteen. joined and left the police due to a disgust at the corruption (this was the 70's), starting driving taxis, signed up as a mercenary, had few scraps for cash went back to learning started my own business. the end.

might need a little padding to fill a book

ha ha

Dave nice to see some people with morals. The police (Not the group) are just as bad now mate, I assure you!

There was a line from a Billy Bragg song on the album "poetry for the taxman"

"this is a court of law. Not a court of justice!"

Always struck a cord with me that.

Make you 100% right there..... Never a truer word said, or sang in this case ;-)

Billy Dunne;
my club sponser:
so many hard man storys around about him but i like the one where he was set upon by 6 men with baseball batts (some of the bats broke!!) but he ended up chasing them off ... most of them ran onto a bus but he caught one and chucked him under the bus wheels..... got 2 years for that!!
at present he has 52 assault charges and thats just when he got caught!!