Many people set up websites about their favorite celebrities. Sites dedicated to Madonna, Selena and other notables abound on the Net.
Everyone has a favorite hero. For some, admiration for a popular star inspires a website. Others venerate an author or poet. But there are quieter and lesser known heroes out there. Tom Barker is one of them, and this site is for him.
True heroes frequently go unnoticed. Genuine heroism is frequently made up of noble acts by everyday people. When every exploit of a celebrity is plastered on every newspaper and television channel in the world, we miss the everyday self denial and actions that comprise the everyday hero.
I won't see this hero go unnoticed.
Tom Barker was born in England in 1921, on May 23rd. He was the son of a farm laborer and his wife, and grew up in rural Lincolnshire. A bright and sensitive child from the beginning, he was curious and inventive. He made many of his own toys, and had an interest in everything around him.
At that time, and in that place, children left school at fourteen. Tom did too, and worked a number of laborer's jobs until he joined the British Army at the age of seventeen. Shortly afterwards, Britain declared war on Germany, and Tom found himself caught up in the maelstrom of World War II.
Now, at seventy-six, Tom has written about many of his experiences. I found Tom through a World War 2 Page created by Bob Cull. I contacted Tom, and found a marvelous friend, considerate and caring, with a sparkling sense of humor.
Tom has admitted that he'd like his own webpage, but says he has to wait until he learns how to write. I disagree, and believe that Tom already knows how to write, so I've made this website for him--a tribute to a soldier, a hero, a gentleman and a loving, modest man.
So here it is, Tom--with love from a Yank from across the Big Pond.