Fields of Glory by Gavin Mortimer
Hero is the most overused words in sports journalism today. Manchester United are heroes for winning the treble, England's rugby players are heroes for beating France in Paris and Graeme Hick is a hero for scoring a century against Zimbabwe. The truth is that only a handful of international sportsmen deserve the accolade hero. This book will tell the stories of their extraordinary lives. Chronicling the lives of 16 sportsmen from as far a field as South Africa, Australia and Great Britain, Fields of Glory will recount how they won their medals and what they achieved on the sports field. It will also examine the impact their wartime experiences had on their lives once the gunds had fallen silent. Some flourished - for example, one became Governor of Western Australia - while others turned to alcohol and died in tragic circumstances. Between them the 16 sportsmen from England, Australia, France, South Africa and Ireland won 3 VCs, 10 DSOs, 6 MCs, 2 DFCs, 1 MM and 1 DCM in conflicts ranging from the Boer War to the Second World War. The book will give a colourful, exciting and vivid account of their lives, from birth to death, embellished with photographs. Each life will have its own chapter.