YP Comment: VC soldier personified courage
WHEN it comes to contemporary commentary on sporting events, including rugby league, words like '˜bravery' and '˜courage' invariably feature. Yet these attributes do a disservice to those competitors whose deeds transcend sport; heroes '¨like Hull FC's Jack Harrison '¨who was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his valour when he led his troops into no man's land during the First World War a century ago.
However the Army officer, who volunteered to serve his country shortly after the birth of his son, has not been forgotten and the special commemorative events now being planned in Hull are testimony to the special bond that exists between sporting clubs and the military. For, while some regard sport as being more important than life and death, the Bill Shankly parable, the self-sacrifice of Lt Harrison – and his comrades – puts any grievances about a lost match, or poor decision, into perspective.
They’re trivial in comparison to the price paid by those soldiers who remain, to this day, the true personification of courage.