The British secret agent Odette Hallowes was awarded both the George Cross and the French Legion of Honor in recognition of her heroism during WWII. Some years after the war, a burglar broke into her mother’s home, and among the items he stole was Odette’s George Cross. A public appeal for the medal’s return was made, and the burglar sent it back with the following note:
You, Madame, appear to be a dear old lady. God bless you and your children. I thank you for having faith in me. I am not all that bad – it’s just circumstances. Your little dog really loves me. I gave him a nice pat and left him a piece of meat – out of fridge. Sincerely yours, A Bad Egg.
Even this criminal had enough identification with his country and its history and accomplishments to recognized that Odette’s GC was something that really ought to be returned to its owner.
Does anyone think there are many among the current UK rioters who would do the same?
The present rioters don’t know who Churchill is.
I was visiting Warwick Castle two years ago on the New Years holiday. I was there to spend some time with my daughter who was living in Spain. We met at Heathrow and spent the holiday in the Cotswalds. I have been to Warwick Castle many times over the years and have watched as it has been turned into an amusement park after being sold by the family to the Madame Tassauds wax museum. Some of the historical exhibits, such as the one showing that two English kings were once imprisoned there by the powerful Beauchamp family, are no longer there.
I happened to ask one of the security guards about one of these exhibits and he didn’t know what I was talking about. A short conversation convinced me that he, an employee, knew none of the history of the castle, one of the most famous in England. Most of it was no longer in the guidebook and some of the historical locations had been converted to ghost shows to frighten little children.
Aw, what a cute story. And I like the holiday reminiscences as well.