It is very easy to have an opinion, to create your own ideals and beliefs about something: be it about a show you’ve watched recently or a person you just met or on politics. However, bridging the gap between having an opinion and doing something about it is extremely daunting, especially when, on the surface, you are just one of a myriad of pieces in a greater cause.
This was the position that almost 6 million men and women faced during World War 2: to leave the comfort of the British Isles behind and to be thrown into the lumbering war machine of Europe where there was no guarantee of survival. It was the courage of these people that enabled them to realise their beliefs and to help contribute to the victory.
Locally too, we can see examples of this. In 1940, a young man was living 11miles away from Guildford in Westcott Dorking: 25 at the time of enlistment. He enthusiastically volunteered to join the cause, leaving behind the comfort of his home in the Surrey hills to serve first under the Queen’s Royal Regiment West Surrey and by 1942 he was in the 7th Armoured division engaged in direct combat. This man took part in a multitude of operations from the North African Campaign as well as in operation Overlord in Normandy and later in Germany itself.
As a testament to his unyielding commitment and courage to the cause of the allies, he is one of only 103 British citizens to ever receive the Légion d’Honneur, the most prestigious order of merit in France.
This man was Donald Kitchener Rose. There was nothing special about him at first glance, living a modest life – he didn’t attend university nor take any higher education, and worked as a labourer as his job.
It is the courage to step away from this, to leave the stability of his life and to then put it on the line that sets him apart from others, just like the millions of others around the world who took part in the war.
Aryan
Sixth Form student