All the Shakespearoes?
They watched their Rome burn
Whatever happened to the heroes?
Whatever happened to the heroes?"
The Stranglers - No More Heroes
When one thinks of a hero, who does one think of? Somebody who won a VC? perhaps running through a hail of bullets to destroy an enemy machine gun post. A fireman who saves a baby from a burning building. Yes, these people are indeed heroes, but so are lots of others that we never get to hear about.
It is these others that I wanted to reflect upon. The unsung heroes who you did not hear about because they died or because the circumstances in which they performed their heroic acts were not as memorable ...
... or perhaps, more interestingly, what about all those people who actually prevented terrible accidents which subsequently never happened because of their actions. Often, these individuals can receive derision and scorn.
Fictional Event - George Bailey
There is a scene in the movie "It's a wonderful life" where George Bailey wishes that he had never been born and the angel grants him his wish. He then returns to his hometown and everything has changed beyond recognition. Owing to the fact he no longer exists, all of his actions, and their consequences, no longer have any bearing on the history of the town. There is a very poignant scene where he discovers that his brother has died.
Clarence: [explaining] Your brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the ice and was drowned at the age of nine.
George Bailey: That's a lie! Harry Bailey went to war - he got the Congressional Medal of Honor, he saved the lives of every man on that transport.
Clarence: Every man on that transport died! Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry.
This apparently un-eventful act, was indeed a heroic act. Without it, his brother would not have been able to be a hero.
Real Event : HMS Titanic
"For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_Want_of_a_Nail_(proverb)
I recently watched a documentary on the Titanic and was struck but the number of possible things which, had they not occurred, would have prevented the disaster. One very interesting conclusion was that some of the rivets used to hold the steel plates on the hull together were not strong enough. It was concluded that this was 'directly' responsible for the 60ft gash in the hull. It was basically caused by a whole series of rivets snapping opening the side of the ship like a torn seam. They drew the usual conclusion, "If only they had used stronger rivets a catastrophe could have been prevented …" etc…
That is all very well, and undoubtedly true but just consider this.
Try to imagine the test engineer responsible for the rivets on the Titanic. He discovers that some of the rivets which are being manually fitted are softer than the standard rivets. A further complication is that he only discovers this when 90% of the work has already been completed. He protests to management that they should be using stronger rivets and insists that the rivets are re-applied. He refuses to sign-off the work until this is rectified.
This results in the rivet workers complaining because it is much more difficult for them to work with the harder rivets. The work takes longer and leads to cost-overruns so the management are unhappy. A senior manager threatens to “Hound” the engineer out of his job as the manager’s bonus is directly related to the work being completed on time. The engineer has a sick wife and several small children to support and the pressure he is under results in many sleepless nights.
However, the engineer stands his ground and refuses to sign-off the work until the changes are carried out. The workers grumble. The planners re-schedule. The deadlines slip a couple of months, but somehow or other the time gets made up and the Titanic eventually sets sail on its original target date.
Finally, the fateful day arrives. April 14 1911, 2am, mid-Atlantic. Message from the crow's nest ...
"Iceberg. Dead ahead !".
But wait... Is it a fateful day any longer? The Titanic makes contact with the iceberg. However, this time, the rivets hold and consequently the impact only results in a small dent in the Titanic’s hull. The rest of the voyage is un-eventful and the ship duly docks in New York harbour three days ahead of schedule.
There is a minor story in the New York local paper regarding the Titanic being in a minor collision with an iceberg mid Atlantic with the flippant headline, “Not even God can sink this ship!”, or perhaps the story does not even appear due to a mutually beneficial arrangement between the New York Times senior editor and a New York public relations firm hired by White Star Line.
Did the engineer’s actions prevent a catastrophe? Yes. Is he a hero? Yes, he is. The problem is: who knows ?
Fifteen hundred people no longer died. The Titanic completed a 30 years uneventful service. Captain Smith retired with an unblemished record and lived a long and happy retirement with his wife in Hampshire,England. James Cameron did not win an Oscar for best director at the American Academy Awards for the 1997 film "Titanic" because the film was never made.
More: Why not be a teacher? You'd be a fine teacher. Perhaps a great one.
Rich: lf I was, who would know it?
More: You! Your pupils. Your friends. God. Not a bad public, that.
- Robert Bolt, A Man for all Seasons
or consider another possibility. It is generally accepted that most accidents are the result of several interconnected events which cumulatively result in the eventual tragic outcome. If any one of these events no longer takes place then the accident no longer occurs. The chain is broken.
During the evening of April 14th 1912 the Titanic radio operator received a radio message - warning of ice in the vicinity - from a nearby ship, the Californian. The Titanic radio operator was working Cape Race and, owing to the close proximity of the two ships the signal was deafening.
Given the way in which the message was received the Titanic radio operator was not obligated to convey this message to the Captain, however, the radio operator of the Californian insisted, following the correct protocol, that he should. Consequently, the Captain of the Titanic, acting on the advice, decided to slow the ship to half-speed and was thus able to avoid the iceberg when he received the message "Iceberg, dead ahead !". The ship missed the iceberg by 20 metres.
Did the engineer's actions prevent a catastrophe? The titanic never hit an iceberg so the strength of the rivets was never called into question. What about the radio operator of the Californian. Is he a hero for insisting that the message was relayed to the Captain of the Titanic? Would he receive a commendation for his actions? Did he receive a ticker-tape parade in New York City for saving 1500 lives. How much does John Jacob Astor IV (the Bill Gates of his era) owe the man who saved his life.
We'll never know ...
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