Stories of heroes gathered by Gary
GARY Bridson-Daley is a man on a mission, driven by his contagious passion.
He has always had a keen interest in world history, especially the Second World War.
Now Gary, who hails from Manchester, wants to ‘pay a debt of gratitude to the last heroes’.
Working as a tour manager in travel and tourism for more than 15 years exposed him to many countries and cultures.
In 2014, on this page, my colleague Norman Warwick wrote about Gary travelling across the UK, gathering stories from armed forces veterans to form the basis of a book.
That book, called The Last Heroes, is now published by the History Press, with a foreword by Dame Vera Lynn.
It isn’t a history book or a book of short stories, nor is it a book of poetry or a collection of reminiscence – it is in fact all of these things.
It can be read cover to cover and it can be dipped into. It inspires and moves, educates and humbles.
It has powerful prose alongside poetry that is enriched by stunning imagery, relaying stories of self sacrifice and heroism with both terrifying episodes and moments of humour.
The Last Heroes gives us a glimpse into a very different world from ours, through the eyes of women and men from multi-ethnic and multi-cultural backgrounds.
These are stories by and about people who are still with us and reflect the diversity of contemporary society, with stories from Dambuster George ‘Johnny’ Johnson through to riveter Susan Jones.
Gary is justifiably proud of the diversity and range of his book.
He said: “There is a whole chapter dedicated to women and their valuable contribution and another chapter dedicated to the poetry and songs (mainly poetry) of the veterans and myself.”
This generation is rapidly disappearing, but Gary has ensured that these ‘last heroes’ will live on through the stories he has captured and preserved, a total of 42 stories, many by people who only now feel able to share their memories.
Gary has fulfilled his mission by capturing these precious stories for posterity.
The Last Heroes is available in bookshops and online for £20.
Email Gary at bookof theveterans@gmail.com or visit the Facebook page, A Debt of Gratitude to The Last Heroes.