Heroes Of Britain
@HeroesOfBritain • 4,757 subscribers
British Heritage | Veterans, inventors, explorers and writers | Remembering the people worth teaching
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Just hours after the Argentine surrender 🇬🇧 On 14 June 1982, two British paratroopers were filmed walking through Port Stanley by Argentine cameraman Eduardo Aníbal Rotondo. Believed to be from 2 PARA, they're seen carrying a Sterling SMG and an SLR as the fighting came to an end and the Falklands War entered its final chapter. A rare moment, captured from the other side of the camera 🇬🇧
Heroes Of Britain393,806 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce
A soldier gave Bear Grylls his last capful of water. The detail I cannot shake happened during Grylls’s time with 21 SAS. His patrol was crossing a scorching desert. Their extraction point was about 20 miles away. Grylls was badly dehydrated and struggling to keep moving. Sergeant Chris Carter stopped the patrol. Although he was thirsty too, he insisted that Grylls drink the final capful from his own bottle. That choice floors me. Carter gave away the last of something his own body desperately needed, with no fuss and no audience. Grylls said the kindness gave him more strength than the water itself. He went on to climb Everest, become a household name and serve as Honorary Colonel of the Army Foundation College, where young soldiers begin their Army lives. Carter was later killed in Afghanistan. Grylls eventually told his family what their son had done in that desert. That breaks my heart, but it also fills me with pride. His family learnt that when nobody was watching, Carter used what little he had left to keep another man going. Armed Forces Day honours serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets and their families. I think this one quiet act explains why that whole community matters better than any slogan could. The toughest man in the patrol chose kindness. Decades later, the man he helped is still telling us his name.
Heroes Of Britain72,687 görüntüleme • 16 gün önce
I cannot get over what Britain asked of RAF radar expert Jack Nissenthall at Dieppe on this day in 1942: go ashore—and accept that his Canadian escort had orders to kill him if capture seemed certain. He volunteered anyway. When German fire kept him out of the radar station, he cut its phone lines, forcing its crew onto radio that British listeners could monitor. I am in awe of that nerve (and of the Canadians beside him). Nissenthall came home but received no gallantry medal. On Dieppe’s 84th anniversary, his name deserves to be known.
Heroes Of Britain49,801 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
He never asked to be called a hero. He just wanted to get back to serving with his mates. 🇬🇧 In 2013, Lance Corporal Josh Leakey of the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for extraordinary bravery during a fierce battle in Afghanistan. Under intense Taliban fire, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to rescue a wounded US Marine officer, man machine guns, and rally his comrades. His actions were credited with turning the tide of the battle and helping British and coalition forces regain the upper hand. Josh became just the 15th recipient of the Victoria Cross since the end of the Second World War. Remarkably, his distant cousin, Nigel Leakey, had also been awarded the Victoria Cross during the Second World War. Despite receiving Britain's highest award for gallantry, Josh remained remarkably humble. Speaking after the announcement, he said he simply wanted to return to his battalion and carry on serving alongside his mates. A true British soldier whose actions spoke louder than words. 🇬🇧
Heroes Of Britain72,124 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
30 minutes later, thousands of them would be dead. 🌺 On the morning of 1 July 1916, soldiers of the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers gathered in Sunken Lane near Beaumont-Hamel, waiting for the order to go. For a few minutes, they stood together, checking their kit, talking to each other, probably wondering what was about to happen. Then, at 7:30am, the whistles blew. They climbed out and advanced across No Man's Land. Many never made it beyond those fields. The first day of the Battle of the Somme became the bloodiest in British military history, with nearly 20,000 British soldiers killed and around 60,000 casualties. Today, Sunken Lane is quiet. The guns are gone, the shell holes have disappeared, and the trees have returned. But it's impossible to stand there without thinking about the young men who spent their final half hour in that very place. Lest we forget. 🌹🇬🇧
Heroes Of Britain45,144 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
🇬🇧 Some people spend years preparing for the career they dream of. Jack Sadler was already living it. Before deploying to Afghanistan, Trooper Jack Sadler had earned a degree in War Studies, completed the demanding Surveillance and Target Acquisition Patrols Course, and volunteered for operational service with the Honourable Artillery Company. Friends remembered him as intelligent, quick-witted and completely committed to military life. He hoped to become a Regular Army officer after returning home. On 4 December 2007, while on patrol near Sangin in Helmand Province, the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by an explosion. He was just 21 years old. His military career was only beginning, but his dedication, professionalism and willingness to serve left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him. Lest We Forget.
Heroes Of Britain31,890 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
She flew into Basra knowing the helicopter could be shot down. She went anyway. 🇬🇧 On the night of 1 June 2007, RAF Flight Lieutenant Michelle Goodman was called to rescue a seriously wounded soldier in central Basra. The landing site was considered extremely dangerous. Enemy fire was already hitting the area. Flying her Merlin at low level on night vision goggles, Michelle went in. Mortar rounds landed around the aircraft as her crew loaded the casualty. She held her nerve, got airborne and brought him safely back to the British field hospital. Without the rescue, he was expected to die within 15 minutes. Michelle's courage earned her the Distinguished Flying Cross, making her the first woman in history to receive the award. A remarkable RAF pilot who didn't just break a barrier. She saved a life when it mattered most. 🇬🇧🌹
Heroes Of Britain25,162 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
A father who never met his son. A son who came to rest beside him. James Hughes Kirton died in November 1918, just two days before the First World War ended. His wife was expecting their second child, David, who would be born months later and grow up knowing his father only through stories and a headstone. In 1940, David followed his father's path into military service, joining the RAF. At just 21 years old, he was killed during the Battle of Britain while flying a Spitfire with No. 65 Squadron. He was buried beside the father he never had the chance to know. The family's heartbreak did not end there. David's older brother, Squadron Leader James "Jim" Kirton, was killed in a flying accident in 1944, leaving their mother to mourn her husband and both of her sons across two world wars. Some families gave more than anyone should ever have to give. The Kirton family was one of them. 🌹🇬🇧
Heroes Of Britain33,863 görüntüleme • 2 ay önce
William Angus was warned that rescuing Lieutenant James Martin meant almost certain death. He went anyway. On 12 June 1915 at Givenchy, Angus crawled into No Man’s Land under heavy fire, reached Martin, then drew enemy fire onto himself as Martin was pulled back. Angus survived around 40 wounds and lost an eye. I cannot get past that choice. He had every reason to stay in the trench, but chose another man’s life over his own safety. I find that kind of courage almost impossible to imagine. Martin recovered and returned to Carluke. For decades, every 12 June, he sent Angus a telegram remembering the rescue. I love that detail. The act lasted minutes; the gratitude lasted a lifetime. How many people still know William Angus’s name?
Heroes Of Britain17,162 görüntüleme • 1 ay önce
