Preface [v-viii]
[vi] To collect a ‘complete record’ of the stories of heroism in every-day life would be an impossible task. Turning over the lists of the Royal Humane Society, of the Lifeboat Institution, of the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, of the Police Register, of the recipients of the Albert Medal and of the Royal Red Cross, I have come upon such an overwhelming mass of material that, in view of the difficulty of making a wise selection, my heart has well-nigh fainted within me. […] [vii] We live in a sensational age. Sensational fiction, sensational journalism, sensational speech-making – these are the every-day features of our times. To the lovers of the sensational I offer a new, and at the same time a healthy, gratification of their taste. Such as they are, I venture to dedicate these stories of heroism in every-day life to the working men and boys of Great Britain. Whatever may be lacking in the completeness of my work, there is certainly no lack of love, no lack of sympathy with the great working class. I have faith in the future of the English people. I believe that they will not allow themselves to be misled by the passion and prejudice of the hour. I believe that the sound commonsense and love of fair-dealing which has always characterized them will characterize them still. We live in a transition period. The old order is passing away and giving place to new. This is inevitable. Change and decay are written on all human institutions. But in all the changes that are surely coming (political and social), let us not forget one broad principle – namely, that it is ‘Righteousness’ (and righteousness alone) ‘that exalteth a nation.’ No material advantages an prove of lasting benefit unless they are accompanied by the [viii] growth and development of the higher nature.
The preface is remarkable for expressing a sense of an emerging new order; heroism of working-class people appears to be reassuring in times of change. The book intends to commemorate the heroism of everyday life because it is important for the nation. The people whose deeds are described perform deeds of bravery as part of their work-life or in everyday situations of emergency.
The first story, “A Cornish Hero”, is about a fisherman from Cornwall, Alfred Collins, who saves shipwrecked people: [16] “Those who are called to swell the ranks of the great army of the brave and true of heart belong to every class of society, as well as to every nation and tongue. We have our Bayards, our gentle knights […]; but serried close against them, equaling and sometimes distancing them in the race, are simple unlettered men, utterly incapable of giving expression to the nobility of their natures, save by some thrilling act of heroism, revealing the one-ness of nature which ‘makes the whole world kin.’”
The second story, “Underground Heroes”, is about heroic behaviour exhibited during an accident in a mine.
The fourth narrative is dedicated to Alice Ayres, who saved children during a fire but lost her own life:
[65] “Alice Ayres leaves behind her an example of presence of mind, courage, and fidelity to duty, such as the world has seldom seen, and which may fitly bear comparison with the noblest achievement of former ages. High up on the roll-call of heroes must we place the young maid-of-all-work whose deed of signal valour we have just described. The honours of a grand funeral […] bespeak the gratitude and admiration of the public. But this is not enough. The name of Alice Ayres must be a household word; her memory must be engraven on our hearts, and our children’s children must tell the story of the nineteenth-century heroine.”
Another story is about Hannah Rosbotham, “A Brave Schoolmistress” who saved children during a storm.
Contents
Preface vA Cornish Hero 13
Underground Heroes 27
A Shark Story 41
Alice Ayres 55
A Devonshire Worthy 67
Dynamite Heroes 77
A Gallant Scotchman 87
The Rescue of Dennis Bagshawe 97
A Strange Adventure 109
A Brave Schoolmistress 121
The Coxwain of the ‘Bradford’ 129
A Fire in a Lunatic Asylum 142
A Band of Heroes 153
Heroes of the Tynewydd Pit 167
An Australian Grace Darling 179
The Capture of a Slave Dhow 188
A Railway Hero 199
Heroines of the Royal Red Cross 205
A Lancashire Hero 219
Heroes of the Mardy Colliery 229
Conclusion 247