| I read somewhere that you can tell a lot about a | | | | on the other hand, doesn't seem to create the same |
| person by finding out who her heroes are. I suppose | | | | kind of heroes. It's true that Boadicea is a genuine |
| that's fairly obvious. Take Homer Simpson. It comes | | | | heroine, from the same mold as Wallace, but strictly |
| as no surprise to find out that his hero is Superman, | | | | speaking she was not English. She was the leader of |
| ("If you are up there and can hear me, I just want | | | | one of the Celtic tribes who fought the Romans |
| to say thank you for listening, Superman"). It occurs | | | | before the Saxons came to Britain. In our day (more |
| to me that it ought to be possible to extend this idea | | | | or less), Churchill was a great leader and hero, but he |
| to national heroes. This is probably a tired old idea, | | | | led the entire British nation, not just England. Besides, |
| used in seminars up and down the country, but most | | | | his mother was American...That really only leaves |
| of the things I know, I learnt after leaving school, so | | | | Alfred the Great and Nelson as English military heroes. |
| as far as I'm concerned this is new and original. | | | | If you ask English children what they know about |
| Anyone got a problem with that? Alright, let's try it | | | | Alfred they'll probably tell you that he burnt the |
| out. I'll just stick to countries that I feel linked to, | | | | cakes when he was left in charge of the kitchen, |
| either by blood, language or shared history and ideas, | | | | rather than that he was the country's last desperate |
| and I'll start with Scotland, since it's my home.The | | | | hope of saving the Anglo-Saxon world from Viking |
| Scots, to coin a phrase, sure know how to pick 'em. | | | | tyranny.The English are traditionally suspicious of |
| Scottish heroes are sometimes unfortunate, very | | | | strong military leaders. William the Conqueror, for |
| often tragic and always romantic, in the old sense. | | | | instance, was hated at the time, naturally enough, |
| Arguably the greatest Scots hero of all was William | | | | but that dislike still reverberates in the form of the |
| Wallace. More than anyone else he stands, in Scottish | | | | English class system, now thankfully dying out. Or |
| hearts, for freedom and liberty. He had that rare and | | | | take Edward 1st., who, at the time of William |
| precious ability, shared by a handful of leaders such | | | | Wallace, defeated Scots armies time after time and |
| as Alfred the Great, Nelson, Churchill, and in America, | | | | built massive castles across Wales, but is not |
| George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Lincoln, | | | | regarded as a hero. Neither is Henry 5th., in spite of |
| to lift up a nation, to become its voice and spirit, not | | | | the spin Shakespeare put on his exploits in France |
| through fear and oppression, the hallmark of the | | | | and his triumph, at odds of seven to one, at |
| tyrant, but by reflecting the will of the people.Wallace | | | | Agincourt.It's interesting to contrast the two |
| taught the nation that it could win against its mighty | | | | Englishmen who helped to defeat Napoleon |
| neighbour to the south. Although essentially a brilliant | | | | Bonaparte - Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. Both |
| guerrilla fighter, he defeated a major English army at | | | | were brilliant strategists, both got results. Wellington |
| the Battle of Stirling Bridge. He was eventually | | | | was respected but not much liked, Nelson was |
| betrayed to the English, taken down to London and | | | | adored by the British public. Wellington was a rather |
| tortured and executed as a traitor, which he certainly | | | | frosty character, who treated his men with |
| was not. Unlike many prominent Scots, he had never | | | | contempt, while Nelson genuinly liked his men and |
| sworn allegiance to the English king, Edward 1st. In | | | | was concerned with reforming conditions in the fleet. |
| suffering a martyr's death Wallace became Scotland's | | | | I think his affair with Lady Hamilton didn't do him any |
| first national hero, and paved the way for his own | | | | harm either, as far as the public were concerned.Dick |
| personal hero, Robert the Bruce.The father of | | | | Whittington is probably one of the best loved of |
| Robert de Brus was Anglo-Norman and his mother | | | | English heroes. The story goes that as a poor boy |
| was the Celtic Countess of Carrick. He was | | | | from the country he tried several times to make his |
| descended from King William the Lion. Through Brus | | | | fortune in London. When at last he gave up and |
| came the Royal House of Steward who produced | | | | headed off for the sticks, he hadn't gone far before |
| the current British royal family. Robert the Bruce was | | | | he heard the bells of London - 'Bow Bells' - saying, |
| not always a dedicated patriot. He was a landowner | | | | "Turn again, Dick Whittington, three times Lord Mayor |
| on both sides of the border, equally at home in the | | | | of London". Back he went and became Lord Mayor |
| English and the Scottish court. Eventually he was | | | | as the bells had forecast. Oh yes, and he had a cat. |
| forced to choose which side he was on. He chose | | | | The reality is fairly close to the myth, but he was |
| the Scots cause and in 1314, at the Battle of | | | | remembered at the time as a benefactor to the |
| Bannockburn he led them to victory over an English | | | | poor and to charities.I think the hero that most |
| army twice their size. Bannockburn was the turning | | | | completely stands for English virtues,as perceived by |
| point in Scotland's struggle for independence. From | | | | themselves, would have to be Robin Hood. Nobody |
| this time on there was no question but that the | | | | knows whether he really existed. Was he the Earl of |
| Scots were a separate and independent nation.Formal | | | | Huntingdon or possibly Sir Robin of Locksley? Most of |
| recognition of Scotland's rights was still required from | | | | the stories are set in mid-12th. century, when Richard |
| the Pope. A representative group of the Scottish | | | | 1st was away at the Crusades. The modern Robin |
| nobility wrote to him in a famous letter known as the | | | | Hood was popularised by Sir Walter Scott in |
| 'Declaration of Arbroath', part of which went as | | | | 'Ivanhoe', but in a way it doesn't really matter if he |
| follows: | | | | existed or not. He stands for freedom from |
| 'For as long as there shall but one hundred | | | | oppression and the rights of the poor and vunerable, |
| of us remain alive we will never give consent to | | | | so it's right and proper that he should be England's |
| subject | | | | most popular hero.In moving across the Atlantic, it |
| ourselves to the domination of the English. For it is | | | | seems to me that Canada doesn't really go in for |
| not | | | | heroes, although I'm sure they exist. My own list |
| glory, it is not riches, neither is it honour, but it is | | | | would start with Grey Owl, who pioneered an |
| liberty | | | | awareness of Canadian wildlife issues and was the |
| alone that we fight and contend for, which no | | | | friend of the Ojibway. When he died in 1938 it was |
| honest man will lose but with his life.'One of the | | | | realized that he was not an Indian. In fact his name |
| most romantic, and at the same time tragic figures in | | | | was Archie Belaney and he was from Hastings in |
| Scottish history was Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary had | | | | England. Then there would be Lucy Maud |
| been brought up in France and returned to Scotland | | | | Montgomery, who wrote Anne of Green Gables, |
| on succeeding to the throne in 1560. She was | | | | which was about her childhood on Prince Edward |
| eighteen years old, very attractive, impulsive and | | | | Island. Finally I'd probably include White Fang and Joni |
| inexperienced in the machinations of Scottish court | | | | Mitchell as my personal favourites.Heroes are not in |
| life. Everything went well at first but when she | | | | short supply in America, in fact the making of |
| married her cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, her | | | | America is a heroic story in itself. I can't say too |
| life changed and nothing ever went right for her | | | | much about American heroes; not because I don't |
| again. She soon became disillusioned with her husband | | | | know who they are, but because it's not for me to |
| and took a lover, an Italian called Riccio, who was | | | | say what they mean to Americans. The earlier ones |
| murdered in front of her in her room, by her jealous | | | | were, naturally, concerned with the forming of the |
| husband and others. It wasn't long before her | | | | nation - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe |
| husband was also assassinated. At this point poor | | | | Lincoln, possibly Paul Revere. I think Davy Crockett |
| Mary seems to have lost the plot completely and | | | | counts - 'King of the Wild Frontier', according to the |
| married the Earl of Bothwell, the man who was | | | | song.Then there are the Native American heroes, |
| almost certainly involved in the murder of her | | | | Sitting Bull, Geronimo and my favourite, Chief Joseph |
| husband.It must have been clear to her by now that | | | | of the Nez Perce. Chief Joseph, with his band of 200 |
| the only kind of luck she attracted was bad luck. | | | | warriors and 500 women and children, conducted one |
| After a few more set-backs she decided to head | | | | of the most brilliant retreats in American history. In |
| south to enlist help from her cousin, Elizabeth, Queen | | | | over three months this small, forlorn band fought off |
| of England. This proved to be a fatal mistake. Far | | | | 2000 U.S. soldiers in four major battles and numerous |
| from helping her, Elizabeth had her arrested and | | | | skirmishes. They travelled 1400 miles and got to |
| imprisoned in a gloomy castle far to the north of | | | | within forty miles of the Canadian border and |
| London and the English court. She remained Elizabeth's | | | | sanctuary before being forced to give up. When he |
| prisoner for the rest of her life, some nineteen years, | | | | finally surrendered, Chief Joseph made this speech:'I |
| and was finally executed for 'treason' in 1587, which | | | | am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed, |
| fate she met with great dignity.Probably the best | | | | Looking Glass is dead, Tu-hul-hil-sote is dead. |
| known of Scotland's heroes is Bonnie Prince Charlie | | | | It is the young men who say yes or no. |
| who raised the standard in Scotland for the Jacobite | | | | He who lead the young men is dead. |
| cause. The name 'Jacobite' was a French version of | | | | It is cold and we have no blankets. |
| 'James', i.e. the 'Old Pretender' James. Charles Edward | | | | The little children are freezing to death |
| Stuart was actually more Italian than Scottish and | | | | My people - some of them have run away |
| was only in Scotland for less than a year. His | | | | to the hills and have no blankets, no food. |
| campaign culminated in the disastrous battle of | | | | No-one knows where there are - perhaps freezing |
| Culloden in 1746, the last battle ever fought on British | | | | to death. |
| soil. Following the defeat of the Scots army, he | | | | I want to have time to look for my children and see |
| abandoned his followers and, with the help of the | | | | how many |
| wonderful Flora MacDonald, fled the country, dressed | | | | of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among |
| as a washerwoman. His undignified exit has always | | | | the dead. |
| reminded me of the story of Toad of Toad Hall, who | | | | Hear me, my chiefs, my heart is sick and sad. |
| also fled the law, dressed as a washerwoman. I | | | | From where the sun now stands I will fight |
| wonder if that's where Kenneth Graham got the idea. | | | | no more against the white man. |
| After all he was a Scot.The Jacobite army had at | | | | Chief Joseph 1877Coming nearer to our own time, |
| one point struck deep into England, and in fact came | | | | there is no doubt John Kennedy is an American hero, |
| to within a hundred miles of London, before turning | | | | and so, of course, is Martin Luther King, and I see no |
| back. The English, badly scared by the whole business | | | | reason at all why the New York firefighters who |
| now did their best to destroy the Highland clan | | | | were on duty on the day of the Twin Towers should |
| system by driving off the Highlanders cattle, burning | | | | not qualify too. |
| their homes and banning the singing of gaelic songs, | | | | James Donaldson CollinsJames Donaldson Collins is an |
| the wearing of the kilt and other gaelic traditions - an | | | | artist and writer. He lives in the Highlands of Scotland |
| eerie precurser of the treatment meted out to the | | | | with his wife, daughter and three dogs. His interests |
| northern Plains Indians in America after the Battle of | | | | are conservation, history, science fiction, chess and |
| the Little Bighorn.So there you have Scotland's | | | | snooker. He also claims to play guitar like a ringing a |
| heroes, all tragic and all more or less in conflict with | | | | bell. |
| their powerful neighbour across the border. England, | | | | |