Cometh the hour

Some time ago Nike used David Beckham to promote a major football tournament – posters carried a dramatic profile with the slogan ‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man’. The phrase has been a regular cliché in the sports writer’s canon, at least since 1948 when it was uttered by the England cricketer Cliff Gladwin after scrambling the winning single against South Africa – off his thigh! Beckham's tag line carried with it all the weight of expectation of the English, but launched with promotional dollars, bound up in marketing spin and ultimately without substance. Poor chap. But then he is just a footballer.

Beckham’s inability to carry that weight of expectation might be contrasted with the broad shoulders of General Sir Richard Dannatt, who was speaking recently at a Bible Society lecture. Sir Richard is the former head of the army, ex-chief of the general staff, who, in his calm and reasoning way reminded us of the military covenant between England and its army. It’s not something we civilians think about very often, but thankfully soldiers do.

This from the Ministry of Defence;

Soldiers will be called upon to make personal sacrifices - including the ultimate sacrifice - in the service of the Nation. In putting the needs of the nation and the Army before their own, they forgo some of the rights enjoyed by those outside the Armed Forces. In return, British soldiers must always be able to expect fair treatment, to be valued and respected as individuals, and that they (and their families) will be sustained and rewarded by commensurate terms and conditions of service. In the same way, the unique nature of military land operations means that the Army differs from all other institutions, and must be sustained and provided for accordingly by the nation. This mutual obligation forms the Military Covenant between the nation, the Army and each individual soldier; an unbreakable common bond of identity, loyalty and responsibility which has sustained the Army and its soldiers throughout its history.

Did the Labour politicians who sent our army to war in Iraq and Afghanistan understand this? Does the current administration, with its desire to downsize the army, understand this? I am not convinced.

General Dannatt's style appears to be cerebral but we must not forget that he is also a man of action. He was awarded the Military Cross as a platoon commander of just 22 years – he won the gallantry medal for "anti-terrorist operations", but is appropriately reticent about discussing it in public.

He is also, being a man of strong faith, concerned at the moral vacuum he sees at home that threatens our National life. The more I learn about him, the more I like him. Perhaps he makes a better role model than Beckham despite his years, his lack of hair and his quiet demeanour.

When so much is in flux in England, with its crises of faith, economics, and culture, is he the man - or, as seems more likely, one of the men - for this particular hour?