Thanks, I didn’t know about Byron’s foot. I was aware of Churchill’s depression. Though I’m sure neither of these things are much fun, my personal view is still that neither can be considered disabilities as such. For me, you’re disabled if you’re missing senses, limbs or the use of limbs, things of that magnitude. Obviously you, the compilers of this list and no doubt many others have a different definition.
I totally agree. And in fact this list is mainly composed of those whose achievements do stand alone, not just in a patronising “not bad, considering their disablility” way. All except for Tanni Grey-Thompson have achieved their greatness outside of artificial “disabled-only” categories.
Can I vote for Joe Swail, the deaf mediocre snooker player, who isn’t really British, or should I wait for the Top Ten disabled sorta British snooker players poll?
This poll may well be patronising , it’s certainly ridiculous.
OK Douglas Bader is disabled. missing his legs. Fine, fair enough.
But Lord Byron qualifies as disabled because of a club foot?This is the same Byron who travelled freely over Europe, slept with women (and some men) by the hundred.Whose hobby was long distance swimming and who famously swam the Hellespont. I should be so lucky.
Churchill, because he suffered from fit’s of depression. Probably self induced by his vastly unhealthy lifestyle.
George the VIth is disabled because he has a stammer? Yes i know stammering is unpleasent for those who have it but it’s hardly in the same class as Motor Neurone disease.
Lord Nelson? Who grew up perfectly healthy and lost his eye and arm to battle injuries.
His stammer was so violent it rendered him speechless many times. It was thought to have been caused by being forced to use his right hand when he was left-handed. Not to mention he and the Duke of Windsor were abused as very small children by their nanny-for years until King George V and Queen Mary found out.
And of course, there was his little brother, the youngest of George and Mary, Prince John, who suffered from such severe epilepsy he was forced to live apart from the family. The only one who ever spent time with him regularly was his grandmother, Queen Alexandra.
The scores are reflecting the short memories and poor knowledge of history of the general public. I guess a lot won’t have heard of Bader. Steven Hawking is easily the most famous, followed by Ian Dury (no doubt helped by recent publicity ) . I think if there are documentaries things might change and Bader will be in with a chance. Especially if David Beckham backs him
Prince John was the subject of A BBC drama documentary shown recently. No mention of abuse . Lala (?) was portayed as a serene and devoted nanny to Prince John.
Because the abusive nanny was long gone by the time little John came along. She was fired when it was just David, Bertie and Mary*. I think only David and Bertie suffered-they weren’t fed properly, and the nanny used to pinch them right before taking them to their parents, so they’d be crying and whining when their parents saw them. Then, the King and Queen would ask that they be taken to the nursery, and the nurse would have them all to herself. Some kind of weird Munchausen’s by Proxy, perhaps. I’ll have to look it up.
(Duke of Windsor, George VI and Princess Mary-the children were not always called by their first names and as Kings, Edward VIII and George VI used names of popular previous kings that were one of their middle names).
Prince John was the youngest of what-six? Let’s see, David, Albert, Mary, George, Henry and John. Okay, yeah, John was the sixth and youngest child. (there may have been another that was stillborn or died as a baby, I don’t remember off hand).
Ok that was never mentioned in the drama-doc and the articles about it sort of gave the impression she’d been involved with them all.
Want we call abuse is what the upper classes would have called call character forming. That’s what public schools were for. I expect some would argue the young royals obviously didn’t get beaten enough - chaps don’t blub, dontcha know!
Looks like <b>Ian Dury</b> is winning at the moment.