2021 Book #38 – Remarkable People

Medium – Book

About the Book – Dan Walker, the journalist and broadcaster who works on BBC Breakfast, was apparently asked to write his memoirs for publication. He realised (as I wish others did!) that whilst his life has been interesting, there are others who he has worked with and interviewed who have had more fascinating lives. And so, this book came into being. Dan picked a number of people, or groups of people, to tell the stories of – people who are remarkable for their own reasons. They include two women who lost children (at different ages), the policeman who apologised for the metropolitan police, Tony who got a flypast in Sheffield for some downed airmen and Terrence the lonely Age Concern volunteer, among many others. Dan Walker tells his own story, but it very much takes the back seat to the stories of the other men and women in this book.

My Rating – 4/5

My Thoughts – In the UK, we have these Awards called ‘The Pride of Britain Awards’. They are awarded to people who have saved lives, raised money or just been really good citizens, and I watch them every year. Often in floods of tears! This book is very much like that, with Dan Walker talking through the ten groups of people who have made the most impression on him over his years of working in broadcasting. The stories include a little of his own life, and most markedly, his Christianity, but mostly the focus is on the remarkable people that he dedicates each chapter to. The stories are sympathetic and uplifting, the perfect antidote to the doom, gloom and anxiety of the media.

My favourite chapters were:

• Tony Foulds – he met Dan Walker whilst Dan was dog-walking one day and Tony was tending a war memorial. The memorial was to a group of American Airmen. In the middle of WW2, Tony and his friends were playing on a playing field when an American plane, which had been badly damaged in a bombing raid tried to land on the the field that they were playing on. The airmen realised that they would hit the children and local houses if they landed, and so didn’t land, meaning that they crashed into a local hillside, killing all the airmen. Tony and Dan managed to get a full-on flypast and organise a massive event in memory of those airmen.
• Figen Murray – the mother of Martyn Hett, who died in the Manchester Bombing. She has refused to be drawn into hatred for the men who killed her son, instead choosing to forgive them and build her son’s memory in love. She now campaigns for Martyn’s Law, which would require public events to improve security.
• The medics and care staff working during the Covid pandemic – I have (as yet, touch wood) been relatively untouched by Covid, seeing as my day-job is mostly online or only fleetingly in person, and I have not had Covid yet. I realise how lucky I am, and that this isn’t the same for everyone. But my admiration is unbounded for those people who have gone to work in hospitals, care homes, surgeries and other medical establishments throughout the pandemic to keep people healthy. This chapter is a striking tribute to them.

A great book – but don’t read in public as it will make you cry!