Stories of Dorset heroes whose achievements are forgotten

Many great names are associated with the region past and present; people who have added much to the fabric to the county, the country and even the world.

For those who have been recognised for their achievements, their notoriety can be boundless.

Thomas Hardy's works have travelled the world, as have the poems of William Barnes, and William Henry Fox Talbot is renowned as one of the pioneers of photography.

But what of those whose achievements, bravery and perseverance went largely untold?

Gillingham author David Beaton stopped Dorset's finest unsung heroes falling by the wayside back in 2006 by penning a book about their varied notable achievements.

In Dorset's Forgotten Heroes the tale of the soldier who literally fought to the bitter end is retold for a wider audience. With a leg blown off, he sat firing from his post upon a warship until every trace of life left his body.

There is a story of a nurse who served in both world wars, tending the injured and dying and having to escape back to Britain. In it you will also read about an accomplice of Charles Darwin whose work, and name, have been largely forgotten.

It would be fair to think that if someone did a heroic act or lived their life in a manner that commanded respect, they would automatically become renowned for it. So why are there so many omissions in our knowledge of our local heroes that a book is warranted to celebrate them?

David said: "All of these people made the county what it is to some extent and I think it's important that they don't get forgotten. Like the Tolpuddle Martyrs. There isn't anyone who doesn't know their name but if you ask what they actually did then it's another matter, they probably couldn't tell you. But they are central to our history. They did huge things not only for themselves but also for farmworkers throughout Dorset. Their plot brought the whole issue of the terrible conditions and pay to light. They were eventually pardoned and agricultural workers' wages went up as a result of their actions.

"I think a book like this to remember our heroes is of huge importance," said David. "I'm sure the same applies to other counties but a lot of these people shaped this Dorset's history as well as Britain's and in some cases the world.

"Take Alfred Wallace for instance, who worked with Charles Darwin with his theories of natural selection and was one of the most distinguished scientists of his age but not many people know of him."

Before David could set out writing the book, the definition of the title had to be worked out. Although the concept may seem fairly straightforward there were issues such as boundaries and not least the large amount of heroes that have resulted from Dorset's military history.

"It was hard working out the definitions for the book. First of all I had to work out what Dorset meant. Did I include Bournemouth and Christchurch that became part of the county in 1974 or did I leave it? In the end I decided to include people who lived in Bournemouth and Christchurch before the boundary changed.

"Then I had to work out what was the definition of a 'hero'. I didn't just want it to mean somebody courageous because then the book would have been in danger of being just about military heroes. As it stands the swing is about one-third military and the rest civilian, which I think is a nice proportion. As well as the military heroes, including some of those who won the Victoria Cross, plus lifeboatmen, one or two sporting heroes, some in politics and then others who contributed through their expertise and dedication."

Although the people included in the book all did great things, their dedication, hard work and courage exhibited did not mean they would automatically be remembered for what they did.

It may have once been the case, David believes, but changes in how we live our lives and what we do for entertainment has changed all that. Once we may have sat down in an evening and listened to our grandparents retelling the story of the soldier who risked his life for others, but now in an age of television, computers and mobile phones, who needs stories to entertain us?

"The demise of an oral tradition in this country has played a part in these people's stories not being known, I am absolutely certain of that.

"It's a double edged sword really. We've lost the oral tradition and that would have seen these stories get passed on from the grandfather to the father to the son and so they would be kept alive. It was part of the social fabric, part of their entertainment in a sense. Now it doesn't really happen but of course on the other hand do have terrible good resources. You can go online and find out census information and all sorts about different people.

"Out of all the different projects I've worked on this is the one I've most enjoyed doing. One of the exciting aspects was covering new ground and being able to bring to light the amazing things these people did."

Sidney Godolphin Osborne (1808-1889) - champion of the rural poor

Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne

During the 19th century, Reverend Lord Sidney Godolphin Osborne was a force to be reckoned with.

His lofty title might not have made him sound like a campaigner for The People but throughout his life he harangued the authorities on matters he felt were steeped in injustice.

His Dorset connection began in 1841 when he was invited to "take the Durweston living" and remained here for 34 years.

Immediately he became aware of the high levels of unemployment and squalid living conditions of the agricultural labourers in his and nearby parishes. Along with other clergy, he submitted evidence "couched in scathing criticism, to the Poor Law Commissioners who published a report in 1843 about the exploitation of women and children in agriculture.

This did not go down to well with his neighbours, the local landowners, and he gained a reputation for not mincing his words and for being prepared to act on behalf of his disadvantaged parishioners.

He often wrote hard-hitting letters to The Times, signing himself off as S.G.O as became his trademark. He aslo pressured the Church to take responsibility for the plight of the poor. He also wrote on Free Trade, Women's Rights, Sanitation as well as Opportunities in the colonies - encouraging young men and women to emigrate not the America but to Australia and Canada.

He campaigned for better administration, both in Ireland after the famine and in the Crimea, where he assisted in the military hspitals where Florence Nightingale was campaigning for better conditions.

Reverend Osborne died in 1889, aged 81.

Jack Foreman Mantle (1917-1940)

Jack Mantle

Leading Seaman Jack Mantle was in fact a Londoner but because of the courage he displayed on Dorset soil, he is remembered annually on Portland.

On July 4, 1940 Jack was manning the starboard 20mm pom-pom gun aboard the ill-fated HMS Foylebank at Portland during an air raid. His left leg was shattered by a blast from a bomb early into the action.

Jack Mantle

Although wounded several times after that, he remained at his post and when the Foylebank's electricity failed he trained and fired by hand until he collapsed and died. He was 23.

Jack was awarded the Victoria Cross, the first to be awarded for action in British home waters. He was laid to rest in Portland Naval Cemetery and every year the island remembers his sacrifice.

George Millar (1910-2005)

George Millar

George Millar was as colourful as his life.

He was Scottish but eventually made his home in Dorset.

George had originally planned to be an architect but then he became a journalist instead. When the Second World War broke out he trained as an officer with the Special Operations Executive (SOE) that was formed by Churchill following the fall of France in 1940.

In June 1942 he was wounded and captured at Gazala and shipped to an Italian POW camp in Taranto. He soon masterminded the buying of black-market food from outside the camp and played female parts in prisoners' theatricals. One fellow inmate commented: "While others were forming escape committees and drawing up rotas for tunnelling parties, Millar was planning to climb over the wire dressed as a nun. "

After the collapse of Italy in 1943, George's chance to escape came. While the prisoners were being transported to Germany by rail George jumped from a train at night near Munich. He went travelled through Strasbourg to Paris where a White Russian princess, Mara Scherbatov, gave him money to complete his journey through F5rance to Spain, then Gibraltar and then on home.

Not one to be deterred, he again enlisted for active service. He was given parachute training and was dropped into France on June 1, 1944 to work with the Maquis [guerrilla bands of French resistance] in delaying German troops from the south of France to the Normandy battlefields just before the D-Day landings.

He established the SOE 'Chancellor' network in the region and embarked on a series of sabotage operations in conjunction with the Maquis, whose confidence he had quickly won. He and his saboteurs caused so much disruption to the Besançon marshalling yard that Millar advised SOE's headquarters against an RAF bombing attack on the yards.

His bravery and tenacity in his first stint in the war had already earned him the Military Cross and his time with the Maquis resulted in George being awarded with the DSO, the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre.

After the war he settled in Sydling St Nicholas, rearing sheep and cattle on the 1,000 acres adjoining his home Sydling Court. He stayed there for 50 years before he moved to Uploders where he died in 2005.

Saint Judith (circa 7th century), Saint's Day - July 13

Judith lived in Halstock and was famed for her piety and her hospitality.

She would welcome pilgrims in to her home and when her mother died, she remained at her father's home with her brother and three sisters. Judith would spend long hours fasting and kneeling in devotion.

When her father remarried, troubles began. Judith's stepmother did not like her and was jealous of her. She began hatching a plan to get rid of her.

When Judith complained of chest pains, her stepmother's plan kicked in. she suggested that Judith applied freshly made cheese to her chest to soothe the pain. Judith did as she was told, not minding the milky deposits left on her undergarments.

Meanwhile the stepmother told Judith's brother that his sister was pregnant. He went in a rage and confronted Judith, who meekly denied the accusation.

He ordered Judith to remove her dress and seeing the soiled undergarments, he took this as evidence and swiped off her head with a sword.

Soon enough Judith's innocence was realised. The stepmother was shunned and banished from the family home and Judith was given a Christian burial.

The place of her death, Abbot's Hill in Halstock, is popularly known as Judith's Hill.

The village pub, The Quiet Woman, continues to be a reminder of Judith's martyrdom.

Its inn depicts Judith carrying her head, a nod to popular folklore that said when she was killed, she picked up her head and carried it to the church where she placed it on the altar as a plea to God to recognise her innocence.