All the valour and bravery of a true hero
GOD bless you Wayne Marques, the British Transport Policeman who sustained serious injuries while fighting with the London Bridge attackers.
Armed with only his baton, the 38-year-old officer was repeatedly stabbed as he fought against all three terrorists. ‘I was just trying to save lives,’ he said.
His efforts have left him with major injuries to his head, leg and left hand. His valour and bravery make PC Marques a British hero. And a reminder to us that during all the terrible things that have happened in recent times, it is ordinary people who have covered themselves in glory.
The emergency services and first responders have been incredible — but so, too, have ordinary members of the public.
Time and time again, when their moment of truth came, they did not step aside or run away. They did their bit, they put their own comfort and safety aside to help others. This is in marked contrast to our political classes, who seem to regard each fresh atrocity as something that can be used to further their own cause — or career prospects.
When I hear the bickering in the Commons, or watch Labour MP David Lammy speaking nonsense about conspiracy theories, I feel utterly ashamed of the whole shower of them, I really do.
Thank goodness for people such as Wayne Marques, who go a long way towards restoring my faith in humanity.
‘Being a hero was the last thing I was thinking about,’ he said. ‘All I was trying to do was keep people alive. That was my job, keep people alive. And that’s what I did, that’s what I tried to do.’
OK, Wayne. But you are a hero all the same.