"CHARLES LIGHTOLLER"
LITTLE-KNOWN SAGA OF HOW TITANIC HERO ALSO DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF IN WW II AND AT DUNKIRK
One of the few authentic heroes of the Titanic sinking, mariner Lightoller also proved his courage and seamanship in World Wars I and II !
He was 66-yrs old when the German blitzkrieg cornered 400,000 Allied troops on the west coast of France in May 1940. He was 66-yrs old when the Royal Navy requisitioned his family yacht in a desperate effort to evacuate those soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.
And, he was 66-yrs old when he told the Royal Navy, which had twice decorated him for courage under fire, that if any captain was taking his vessel into harm’s way, it would be him.
Weathered, resolute and uncompromising, Charles Herbert Lightoller possessed an unshakeable confident character shaped by a lifetime at sea. When he was born in Chorley, Lancashire, on 30 March 1874, his mother had only a Withdrawal from Dunkirk by noted artist Charles Cundall best depicts the utter chaos of trying to rescue an entire Allied army from German-controlled beaches with only a motley assortment of ships. Despite having their backs to the sea, the Allies managed to safely bring home more than 340,000 British, French and Belgian troops.
When he was born in Chorley, Lancashire, on 30 March 1874, his mother had only a month to live. A sister and grandmother died the same year, and Charles Herbert’s father soon abandoned his remaining children. The young man saw the sea as his only salvation, and began his life as a sailor at age 13. Now, half-a-century later, at ten o’clock on the first morning of June 1940, Charles Herbert headed for Dunkirk.
So folks...the above is a 'lead-in' to this awesome man's story....and it is truely 'awesome'....if you'd care to give it a read....just click: HERE to read "By Valor Alone Charles Lightoller"
------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment