Adrian Carton de Wiart: The Most Badass Soldier of All Time and a Real Life Action Hero

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  • čas přidán 24. 06. 2019
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Komentáře • 3,5K

  • @Biographics
    @Biographics  Před 5 lety +204

    Thank you Backblaze for making this one possible! Check out Backblaze here: backblaze.com/biographics

    • @Jordi7174
      @Jordi7174 Před 5 lety +2

      Please do one on Josephine Baker or the Black Venus as she was called by some.

    • @steveshoemaker6347
      @steveshoemaker6347 Před 5 lety +2

      My goodness what a guy...He is one....Who loves war.....Why not war in man's greatest invention...Without it we would have 0....Thanks as always...The tip top of history....To be sure...!

    • @audenabdelkader2236
      @audenabdelkader2236 Před 5 lety +1

      BARRY SEAL Biographic

    • @monstersamator5288
      @monstersamator5288 Před 5 lety +1

      Darwiish in somaliland were tough and gave Andrian hell.

    • @AshenTechDotCom
      @AshenTechDotCom Před 5 lety +1

      you know, what would be great is one on Adrian Cronauer, and perhaps expand on that with a "today you" about "Good Morning Vietnam" and robin williams(could also tie a biographic of him in with this, to this day, i wish i could go back, and give him another way out, to vanish, and live the rest of his life without the stress of greedy, nasty ex's bleeding him dry and causing him as much stress as they possibly can... dude deserved a chance to live his life without his persona/shell up protecting him/who he really was... )
      anyway, i saw this and, the first name....well i was watching an interview with Adrian Cronauer earlier about the accuracy of good morning vietnam, and it got me thinking, that could make a great biographic+today you learned, (perhaps more?)
      been enjoying your videos, being disabled, they give me something to distract from the back/neck/hip pain i have been dealing with since long before you started doing youtube...
      also help me forget being dbmf at least for a while... :)

  • @kiero1236
    @kiero1236 Před 3 lety +860

    "Apparently de Wiart didn't care for being dead, so he simply survived."
    Made me laugh out loud. Brilliant.

  • @GhostBear3067
    @GhostBear3067 Před 4 lety +2019

    I am guessing he died in his sleep like Theodore Roosevelt, Death learned decades ago not to try taking him while he was awake.

    • @Joshua-fq9tm
      @Joshua-fq9tm Před 4 lety +104

      Or there would have been one hell of a fight!!!

    • @bearnunnemaker5453
      @bearnunnemaker5453 Před 4 lety +3

      Did you come up with that?

    • @GhostBear3067
      @GhostBear3067 Před 4 lety +22

      @@bearnunnemaker5453 I do not even know anymore

    • @bearnunnemaker5453
      @bearnunnemaker5453 Před 4 lety +3

      Is that from Harry Potter? 😜😜

    • @7thsealord888
      @7thsealord888 Před 4 lety +39

      If I was Death, I wouldn't be trying to take Mr de Wiart while he was asleep. I'd be too busy looking over my shoulder and wondering when HE would be coming after ME.

  • @jamesgrant8289
    @jamesgrant8289 Před 4 lety +462

    His autobiography "Happy Odyssey" is very good and typically for him, he makes no mention wharsoever of himself winning the victoria cross although he does record every person he knew when they won the same award. The man was incredible and the worst thing about his book is he takes understatement to another level

    • @pyromania1018
      @pyromania1018 Před 2 lety +3

      He also never mentions his wife or daughters. Kind of dickish, don'tcha think?

    • @KingJohnMichael
      @KingJohnMichael Před 2 lety +16

      @@pyromania1018 rolls eyes

    • @aurelius7274
      @aurelius7274 Před 2 lety +9

      @@pyromania1018 Common during those times

    • @pyromania1018
      @pyromania1018 Před 2 lety +6

      Would it have killed him to mention that he got married and had a kid. Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman did.

    • @akSeR2010
      @akSeR2010 Před 2 lety +25

      @@pyromania1018 Different mentality. A good wife is someone you don't have to mention anything about her. The silence is her greatest compliment. The bad ones are those everyone knows about. Or he just wanted to keep his marital life to himself only, as something overly private.

  • @bugvswindshield
    @bugvswindshield Před 4 lety +275

    Adrian deWiart : " Chuck Norris?....Never heard of her."

    • @nyarlathotep6465
      @nyarlathotep6465 Před 3 lety +1

      Nice Lemmy quote

    • @jerrydeem8946
      @jerrydeem8946 Před 3 lety +1

      Good one...ha!

    • @Dave-H
      @Dave-H Před 2 lety +1

      Now that would be a good t-shirt

    • @bugvswindshield
      @bugvswindshield Před 2 lety +1

      @@nyarlathotep6465 haha. I made that up 10 years ago. Was actually my guild name in a video game too. Except I used john wayne at the time.
      did lemmy really say "chuck norris ....never heard of her?" I seriously doubt it. But I'd be honored if he did!!!!

    • @nyarlathotep6465
      @nyarlathotep6465 Před 2 lety

      Bug vs Windshield the actual quote, was when Lemmy was asked once what he thought about Kanye West, his reply was.. "Never heard of her"

  • @lloydparker472
    @lloydparker472 Před 5 lety +644

    "Your arms off!!"
    "...no it isn't."
    "There! Look!"
    "Just a flesh wound"

    • @wes11bravo
      @wes11bravo Před 4 lety +20

      "I've had worse..."

    • @allandavis8201
      @allandavis8201 Před 4 lety +11

      Come back you cowards, as coconut horseshoe sounds fade into the background. One of the funniest Monty Python film scenes ever.

    • @nettemarie8073
      @nettemarie8073 Před 4 lety +10

      Tis but a mere flesh wound.

    • @allandavis8201
      @allandavis8201 Před 4 lety +3

      Jeremy Brookes , I apologise, the memory is not what it used to be. Seriously I don’t remember so well. But it doesn’t change the fact it’s funny.

    • @lloydparker472
      @lloydparker472 Před 4 lety +2

      I love when sir lancelot runs into that wedding killing everyone and the king is like "you killed the brides father!!" and he goes "oh terribly sorry is he alright?"

  • @LykoticState
    @LykoticState Před 5 lety +310

    Bullet through the skull: "There, you are now dead"
    Adrian: "Who decided that?"

    • @royjonesrampage6684
      @royjonesrampage6684 Před 4 lety +4

      LykoticState escanor theme starts playing*

    • @Bjornarp
      @Bjornarp Před 4 lety +6

      I just keep thinking Monthy pythons "Tis but a fleshwound" xD

    • @DefinitelyNattox
      @DefinitelyNattox Před 2 měsíci

      “You are now dead.”
      “Objection. Nuh uh.”
      “The f**k you mean nuh uh?”

    • @fiveseven15
      @fiveseven15 Před 27 dny

      ‘I disagree!’

  • @mitchellneu
    @mitchellneu Před 2 lety +364

    🎵At the edge of madness, in a time of sadness
    An immortal soldier finds his home
    Proven under fire, over trench and wire
    No fear of death, he’s unshakeable🎵
    Sabaton - The Unkillable Soldier

    • @darthhyoh7117
      @darthhyoh7117 Před 2 lety +16

      Yea Sabaton! Now we’re talking

    • @mitchellneu
      @mitchellneu Před 2 lety +6

      @@darthhyoh7117 you know it! Really looking forward to the new album!

    • @darthhyoh7117
      @darthhyoh7117 Před 2 lety +4

      @@mitchellneu I hear u comrade

    • @samnemeth-smyth6109
      @samnemeth-smyth6109 Před 2 lety +5

      Just found that song and it doesn't do justice too just how much of a crazy badass this guy actually was :O
      Still an amazing song though

    • @craigkelly4278
      @craigkelly4278 Před 2 lety +3

      Thanks Sabaton

  • @pointly
    @pointly Před 4 lety +277

    Instead of "Keep calm and carry on" the new British motto should be, "Just get on with it."

    • @coolbreez1214
      @coolbreez1214 Před 4 lety +1

      Yeah, really.

    • @mitchellneu
      @mitchellneu Před 3 lety +10

      In the classic vein of Monty Python and the Holy Grail:
      "YES, GET ON WITH IT!"

    • @cassiecraft8856
      @cassiecraft8856 Před 3 lety

      AMEN BROTHER!

    • @orangewarm1
      @orangewarm1 Před 3 lety +1

      same thing really.

    • @Skorpychan
      @Skorpychan Před rokem +1

      I think 'Crack on' is more widely used.
      Although more people need to use 'get right back on the horse again' like my mother taught me. As well as 'never reverse onto a main road', 'never blindly follow through while overtaking', and 'don't trust people flagging you down on the roadside in the middle of the night'.

  • @lorneholtzclaw4505
    @lorneholtzclaw4505 Před 4 lety +468

    “He didn’t care for being dead”😂😂😂

    • @jantruitt9241
      @jantruitt9241 Před 4 lety +8

      Lorne Holtzclaw
      Yep! I laughed out loud too! 😂😂😂
      Even after getting shot in the groin he still had two children!

    • @catlover2223
      @catlover2223 Před 3 lety +4

      "Death, Good Sir? No, I don't fancy it."

    • @stalinsoulz7872
      @stalinsoulz7872 Před 3 lety +5

      German Officer: Mein Gott!!!! How the hell He still Lives!?
      Hans: whut Herr Commandant?
      German Officer: I shot that man several times in the First World War!

  • @Dewiart16
    @Dewiart16 Před 4 lety +1273

    At the age of six, I met him. He was my father's first cousin's maternal grandfather. He glared at me. I thought I was looking at a pirate with his eye-patch. According to my father, he said..."So you're young Justin. Right, my lad, always obey your father; always serve your country; and never, ever give up whatever the odds are against you!". What a man!

    • @gangasinghrathore4709
      @gangasinghrathore4709 Před 4 lety +60

      Must have been a great memory sir, That was surely the greatest generation

    • @troymarshall1649
      @troymarshall1649 Před 4 lety +6

      @Wild Bill 😁😁

    • @Dewiart16
      @Dewiart16 Před 4 lety +81

      @Wild Bill I'm only 64 - not quite done in yet...and anyway, who's scared of eternal rest and no more lists from the better 'alf!

    • @wonkothesane8691
      @wonkothesane8691 Před 4 lety +20

      You were certainly blessed to meet a real man.

    • @66gtb
      @66gtb Před 4 lety +12

      Justin Walker The question is, did you follow his orders?

  • @GentlemanBystander
    @GentlemanBystander Před 4 lety +234

    "de Wiart Got On With It" should be a t-shirt.

  • @multifister47
    @multifister47 Před rokem +44

    “He didn’t care for being dead. So he simply survived”
    That’s a quote I think I’m going to carry with me for a very long time, Simon.

  • @mattanlurie4362
    @mattanlurie4362 Před 4 lety +328

    He didn't die. He just conquered Earth, and moved on to the next battlefield.

    • @julienjeanmuller
      @julienjeanmuller Před 4 lety +1

      Mattan Lurie best comment ever

    • @philliphoneysett9039
      @philliphoneysett9039 Před 4 lety

      Conquered respects to quest n know battlefield is rest n William Shakespeare there r few who die well in battle n WW ii stopped all evil too all sides to aboves no eye n respects lay to arise n return that's no seas or wats respects to n for all's become n r I P the fallen war n wars lights light all's values n life earth planet n ball world all sight

    • @coolbreez1214
      @coolbreez1214 Před 4 lety

      @@philliphoneysett9039
      What?

    • @minigrrl
      @minigrrl Před 3 měsíci

      LoL

  • @zacharyhughes3053
    @zacharyhughes3053 Před 4 lety +657

    Full disclosure. I am a disabled army veteran, who spent a year in a wheelchair. That being said, HOW THE HELL COULD THIS GUY SWIM THROUGH THE OCEAN , WITH ONE ARM/EYE WHILE 60?! Holy crap! Plus dragging a man with him..with his one good arm? Jesus christ..the man must have hade mutant legs! Hats off to that guy!

    • @craigjomaia
      @craigjomaia Před 4 lety +40

      He was missing a hand, not an arm. Probably wrapped the handless arm around the other guy and had him hold on and sidestroked with his good arm.

    • @isaacsorrels4077
      @isaacsorrels4077 Před 4 lety +50

      Craig Harrison I think he’s highlighting how superhuman this guy was, not trying to say it was actually impossible.
      Seriously, try swimming a large distance with one arm while holding up a large weight. Even with buoyancy it’d be a hell of a time and many wouldn’t be able to do it.
      Now try it at 60 with one eye and a lifetime of wounds and shrapnel littering your body.

    • @elmospasco5558
      @elmospasco5558 Před 4 lety +15

      Its amazing what old school soldiers could do. The Luftwaffe had a guy named Hans Ulrich Rudel who racked up incredible numbers in spite of being sidelined for the first half of WWII. Towards the end he has flying his Stuka on the Eastern Front with part of one leg blown of and a fracture in the other.

    • @julianblake8385
      @julianblake8385 Před 4 lety +6

      Thank you for your service, sir!

    • @windsorSJ
      @windsorSJ Před 4 lety +13

      @@elmospasco5558 And what about Doglas Bader, Lost both legs flew spitfires with skill and captured twice and escaped.? I don't know how those old guys where so hard. If they made a movie of this guy nobody would believe it. I'd love to see that movie. Maybe with Ralph Fiennes.

  • @davidstouffer6627
    @davidstouffer6627 Před 3 lety +330

    Sean Bean, because the guy needs a break and get a role where he does not die a violent death.

    • @lonelysith66
      @lonelysith66 Před 2 lety +1

      Exactly!
      Does his agent hate him or something, what is going on?!

    • @thomasbaker6563
      @thomasbaker6563 Před 2 lety +5

      He's all ready survived the Napoleonic wars as Sharp, and the Trojan wars when he played odeseus.

    • @GoTfan-eb8tk
      @GoTfan-eb8tk Před 2 lety +5

      That's because he needs to make up for how badass Sharpe is.

    • @imkerrusin
      @imkerrusin Před 2 lety +3

      Apparently, no one has seen National Treasure.

    • @chrisvickers7928
      @chrisvickers7928 Před rokem +1

      It's all because his name doesn't rhyme.

  • @youdontneedtoknowwhoiam9612

    "Did he die!?"
    "Unfortunatly yes.... But he lived!"

  • @luckyspurs
    @luckyspurs Před 4 lety +358

    During his time at Oxford de Wiart started a petition to get guns and grenades introduced into the official rules of Rugby. It was at that point that the British army knew they had an officer in the making.

    • @gordonferrar7782
      @gordonferrar7782 Před 4 lety +7

      General Melchiot had the same idea.

    • @stephenvince9994
      @stephenvince9994 Před 4 lety +15

      I had no idea that testicles were available in that size!!

    • @alexmclean760
      @alexmclean760 Před 4 lety +3

      While at Oxford they offer him different types of balls he went with titanium and the size of a male walrus

    • @blahasdirtysock3657
      @blahasdirtysock3657 Před 4 lety +2

      General Melchett was a Cambridge man!

    • @stevenwebb3634
      @stevenwebb3634 Před 3 lety +2

      @@gordonferrar7782 General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchitt was a Cambridge man.

  • @bgt2848
    @bgt2848 Před 5 lety +745

    When he died Archangel Micheal said “ good, your here..ready to fight a eternal endless battle against the Demon forces of hell?”
    Adrian - “ this IS heaven!!!!”

    • @THE-HammerMan
      @THE-HammerMan Před 5 lety +20

      Good one!!!

    • @VojislavMoranic
      @VojislavMoranic Před 5 lety +13

      I hope we all get that honor one day.

    • @bgt2848
      @bgt2848 Před 5 lety +15

      Tojetaj Nikolic amen! That would be dare I say “heavenly” !

    • @EuelBall
      @EuelBall Před 4 lety +23

      So, instead of hitting the harp with the angels, he's hitting the (fallen) angels with the harp? (Or anything he can get his hands on!)

    • @MohitKumar-jf8lz
      @MohitKumar-jf8lz Před 4 lety +22

      So he is the doom guy.

  • @Kerorofan1990
    @Kerorofan1990 Před 4 lety +414

    "Man literally too British to die."

    • @8b_03_akhtargyaneshwarpurw3
      @8b_03_akhtargyaneshwarpurw3 Před 2 lety +1

      Best comment

    • @zxultrviolet370
      @zxultrviolet370 Před rokem +10

      He was belgian and irish

    • @rogoth01themasterwizard11
      @rogoth01themasterwizard11 Před rokem +6

      @@zxultrviolet370 born that way, pledge allegiance to the crown and become a British citizen, meaning at the time of his death he was British.

    • @steviechampagne
      @steviechampagne Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@rogoth01themasterwizard11if a cow is born in a stable that doesn’t make it a horse

    • @MotherGoose264
      @MotherGoose264 Před 3 měsíci

      ​@@rogoth01themasterwizard11He actually really didnt care about becoming british at all. When meeting him in 1907, King George asked if he had become a citizen yet. The answer was NO, and the king urged him " to get it sorted". A hint that he need this to advance his career . We call this " forced with a gentle hand" . They couldnt go on and hand out so many medals to foreigners now could they, it would serve them better if he were a british hero. He himself couldnt have cared less. He fought for britain coz they got the first pick, was loyal coz he did have morals and quite frankly they offered lots more opportunities for action than others, being an Empire at the time. But he would have fought for anyone else really.

  • @Kol2388
    @Kol2388 Před rokem +21

    This man is a definition of never give up, never stop until death. Remarkable life.

  • @6thwilbury2331
    @6thwilbury2331 Před 5 lety +277

    Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart died on June 5, 1963.
    Then from June 6 through June 20, the Grim Reaper was on the 15-day disabled list.

    • @tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347
      @tyroniousyrownshoolacez2347 Před 4 lety +4

      Benny Hill for the reality.

    • @arnaldoteodorani277
      @arnaldoteodorani277 Před 4 lety +8

      Eric Van Do you have a link or reference on that? It sounds ... eerie but also possible in a way. Taking De Wiart to the afterlife was such a chore for Death that he/she had to take a couple of weeks off.

    • @dionjaywoollaston1349
      @dionjaywoollaston1349 Před 4 lety +3

      Arnaldo Teodorani and he would have failed if he didn’t mention that if he goes to the after life he can fight a never ending battle against the forces of hell

  • @ScarlettDeLion
    @ScarlettDeLion Před 5 lety +1456

    Did he die.... or did he go on a war with the afterlife?

    • @laurelkerossow9924
      @laurelkerossow9924 Před 5 lety +151

      Clearly he's in Valhalla.

    • @ScarlettDeLion
      @ScarlettDeLion Před 5 lety +45

      @@laurelkerossow9924 was he invited in though? Or did he invade? Actually he probably went to fight against the Soviet one from a couple months ago

    • @laurelkerossow9924
      @laurelkerossow9924 Před 5 lety +57

      @@ScarlettDeLion Probably thought he'd have to invade, because he didn't die in battle, but then the doors just opened, because there is no denying this warrior and the epic, full life he lived.

    • @LordO-thPalace
      @LordO-thPalace Před 5 lety +12

      And get on with it

    • @MuffinRhino
      @MuffinRhino Před 5 lety +19

      THE DOOMSLAYER

  • @defaultsettings63
    @defaultsettings63 Před 4 lety +56

    12:26 "Apparently de Wiart didn't care for being dead, so he simply survived and got on with it." That pretty much sums up the guy's life! 😅🤣😂

  • @jonnnyren6245
    @jonnnyren6245 Před 3 lety +19

    "Just get on with it." Perfect description of Lt. Gen. Adrian Carton De Wiart.

  • @gullybull5568
    @gullybull5568 Před 4 lety +113

    "Jolly Good"
    "I still have my shooting eye !. Carry On."

  • @willhoward3052
    @willhoward3052 Před 4 lety +95

    This dude is the epitome of the “Walk it off” phrase

  • @shamusmcshane5267
    @shamusmcshane5267 Před 4 lety +28

    “Fortune favors the bold” .. “A coward dies 1000 deaths” .. all written to honor courages souls as his

  • @andrewfriday2521
    @andrewfriday2521 Před 3 lety +17

    "A rather naughty boy" - I cried at that one lol

  • @dialaskisel5929
    @dialaskisel5929 Před 4 lety +564

    "who would you like to see in the lead role?"
    Sean Bean for the irony.

    • @paulgreen2416
      @paulgreen2416 Před 4 lety +22

      Screaming "BASTARDS!" as he charges the enemy 😂

    • @scobra5941
      @scobra5941 Před 4 lety +3

      Except Bean dies in every movie he's been in.

    • @jwinsatt
      @jwinsatt Před 4 lety +29

      His one film of redemption where you think he's gonna die every time but he doesn't lol. Scenes totally set up with tropes basically saying: Yes, audience, he's going to die now... except he doesn't lol.

    • @user-vn3fc7iv6s
      @user-vn3fc7iv6s Před 4 lety +14

      @@scobra5941 that's the whole point

    • @jeremiemonette
      @jeremiemonette Před 4 lety +8

      Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! Very clever; the person who always dies playing the man who never would. :P

  • @KageNoTora74
    @KageNoTora74 Před 4 lety +170

    When they say "beware of an old man in a profession where one typically dies young," Adrian Carton De Wiart is an outstanding example. He had quite an indomitable spirit. Perhaps Benedict Cumberbatch could play him during the Boer War and WWI years. My choice for the older De Wiart would have been Sir Christopher Lee, but alas it is not to be.

    • @GoTfan-eb8tk
      @GoTfan-eb8tk Před 2 lety +9

      I know i'm late, but possibly Charles Dance?

    • @erikaskeroth9720
      @erikaskeroth9720 Před 2 lety +8

      I believe I read somewhere that the two of them met each other. I wouldn't be surprised for a second if that's true!

    • @erikaskeroth9720
      @erikaskeroth9720 Před 2 lety +6

      @@GoTfan-eb8tk Charles Dance Would be perfect as Adrian Carton De Wiart.

    • @philip8498
      @philip8498 Před rokem +1

      @@erikaskeroth9720 that would be very likely. afaik both lee and de wiart fought in the norway campaign of WW2 didnt they?

    • @fd6661
      @fd6661 Před rokem +7

      Ben Cucumberpatch played a general in the movie 1917 that was reminicent of him with the eye patch and lust for war

  • @Plafintarr
    @Plafintarr Před 4 lety +110

    Daniel Day Lewis should play this guy in a film. He was amazing as The Butcher in Gangs of New York, and he would be perfect for this.

    • @pb7491
      @pb7491 Před 2 lety +3

      Very good shout there.... DDL would be perfect - his ability to get in to character would literally bring everything to life. DDL would fancy it I am sure.

    • @catsamazing338
      @catsamazing338 Před 3 měsíci

      A perfect choice !

  • @kurtyb7565
    @kurtyb7565 Před 4 lety +38

    The scene you described of them trying to fit in as Italian Peasants reminded me perfectly of the theatre scene in Inglorious Basterds😂

  • @dervelthecelt
    @dervelthecelt Před 5 lety +182

    Every time Death came calling, he would leave with a bloody nose and a stern talking down

  • @DarkChocolateGamer
    @DarkChocolateGamer Před 5 lety +370

    Enemy Soldier: OK I know I killed that dude like 5 times already!

  • @dtaylor10chuckufarle
    @dtaylor10chuckufarle Před 3 měsíci +4

    "He didn't trust Italian Tailors, he didn't want to look like a gigolo..." - I can't even!

  • @Killerbee_McTitties
    @Killerbee_McTitties Před 3 lety +10

    This guy might enjoy even the grim darkness of the 41st millennium.

  • @CC-8891
    @CC-8891 Před 4 lety +155

    "Didnt want to look like a gigolo"
    Dead.

  • @laurelkerossow9924
    @laurelkerossow9924 Před 5 lety +699

    Monty Python based the Black Knight on him, didn't they?

    • @antiulius2
      @antiulius2 Před 5 lety +1

      🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @laurelkerossow9924
      @laurelkerossow9924 Před 5 lety

      Jeremy Brookes yes! Thank you.

    • @knowitall82
      @knowitall82 Před 5 lety +21

      The Black Knight always triumphs. Have at you!

    • @a.m.hatfield9734
      @a.m.hatfield9734 Před 5 lety +12

      Ha ha. I had the same thought when I was listening to the history of Adrian Carton de Wiart. He kind of begs the comparison.

    • @bungeechord1
      @bungeechord1 Před 5 lety +32

      'Tis but a scratch'

  • @thaddeuscheeleyjr.369
    @thaddeuscheeleyjr.369 Před 3 lety +20

    Adrian Carton de Wiart on death: "I told him to get on with it."
    But death, both grossly amused and awestruck, did not.

  • @thegildedpagestudio6485
    @thegildedpagestudio6485 Před 3 lety +2

    What an absolute legend - thank you as always, Simon, for your articulate and elegant delivery of the facts! Big hugs from Australia xx

  • @Laughing4life4421
    @Laughing4life4421 Před 4 lety +63

    After a plane crash. This man with One eye and arm carried a solider to the shore. Plus 60 yrs old !! Unmatchable drive and determination. I salute this soldier

    • @chrisb9143
      @chrisb9143 Před 2 lety +1

      I imagine when the plane was crashing :
      "Ah, there we go again."
      "What do you mean again ?! We're going to die !!"
      "No, I don't think I will. And you will survive too, I'll give you a hand"

  • @johnmccabe1974
    @johnmccabe1974 Před 4 lety +118

    He must have been bloody annoyed when the King called him back from the Front to pin a VC on his chest,

    • @scobra5941
      @scobra5941 Před 4 lety +10

      That's why the king gave the job to an aide before fleeing to Balmoral "on holiday".

  • @mr_BlueJT22
    @mr_BlueJT22 Před 4 lety +2

    Found your channels about a week ago, been binge watching a whole host of videos and then this popped into my recommended, I've read Happy Odyssey a few times now and can't get enough of Adrian Carton De Wiart. This is a brilliant video and I definitely would like to see a film on him, only problem is, in order to include all the important moments in his life, it'll have to be about 30 hours long. What a man, what a soldier, they certainly aren't made like that anymore.

  • @aelundirclevercake5415
    @aelundirclevercake5415 Před 2 lety +7

    As a Belgian, couldn't be prouder of one of us. Thanks for the video !

  • @kendalhayes9116
    @kendalhayes9116 Před 4 lety +200

    WHY IS THERE NO VIDEO GAME OR MOVIE BEEN CREATED FOR THIS DUDE?!!!

    • @elperrodelautumo7511
      @elperrodelautumo7511 Před 4 lety

      Kendal Hayes because they didn’t think of him at the time

    • @scottcampbell2836
      @scottcampbell2836 Před 4 lety +1

      Character for the next GTA .

    • @AvoidTheCadaver
      @AvoidTheCadaver Před 4 lety +6

      Who did you think Captain Price was based on?

    • @peascoutpesante9456
      @peascoutpesante9456 Před 4 lety +9

      @@AvoidTheCadaver that inspiration would actually be SAS soldier, John McAleese . Though I can see why you would come to that conclusion. By looks alone, Price does look a lot like Adrian.

    • @AvoidTheCadaver
      @AvoidTheCadaver Před 4 lety

      @@peascoutpesante9456 psst I was being facetious

  • @geraldinegaynor1360
    @geraldinegaynor1360 Před 4 lety +70

    This was one of the best stories you’ve told. It’s a wonder a movie series hasn’t been made of this mans life. What a life.

  • @willwalsh3436
    @willwalsh3436 Před 3 lety +9

    I've heard that even in modern warfare a minority of soldiers--less than one in five--inflict a vast majority of the casualties on the enemy. While its abnormal, some people love combat. Most are probably maniacs and don't last long, but not all. De Wiart's attack on the Indian servant sounds unhinged, but he appears to have had sufficient self-discipline and regard for others, as well as the ability to think rationally to survive his bloodlust and be useful, even indispensable. His ability to survive his wounds was surely related to his lack of fear and continued rational thinking rather than succumbing to instinct--the decision to stick with the wreckage of his plane in the fiord until the Luftwaffe planes exhausted their ammunition for example. What a remarkable man. Daniel Craig is my pick.

  • @ltravail
    @ltravail Před 3 lety +13

    Shaking my head!!! I never thought I'd hear anything that topped the Roy Benavidez story. But then I came across this story of de Wiart. I wonder if the two of them are now somewhere in the afterlife comparing battle wounds and trading war stories. De Wiart kind of reminds me of Lord Nelson, whose own wounds included losing an eye and an arm, among many other wounds. Both men just shook it off and went back into battle again and again - though Nelson eventually was finally killed.

  • @Ktmfan450
    @Ktmfan450 Před 5 lety +198

    Monsters look for Adrian Wiatt under their beds

  • @pamelamays4186
    @pamelamays4186 Před 5 lety +476

    Chuck Norris wants to be him when he grows up.

    • @davidtuttle7556
      @davidtuttle7556 Před 5 lety +4

      Chuck Norris once played him on TV.

    • @krymera666x7
      @krymera666x7 Před 5 lety +1

      Pamela Mays damnit, just saw this.
      You beat me by 14 hours.😁

    • @adlockhungry304
      @adlockhungry304 Před 5 lety +20

      Q: How many push-ups can Chuck Norris do?
      A: All of them
      Q: How many push-ups can Adrian De Wiart do?
      A: All of them with one hand while taking artillery fire.

    • @6thwilbury2331
      @6thwilbury2331 Před 5 lety +12

      Adrian DeWiart doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth downward.

    • @adlockhungry304
      @adlockhungry304 Před 5 lety +2

      6th Wilbury, best.

  • @msjapan112
    @msjapan112 Před 3 lety +2

    This is simply the best video among the Biographics. I watch it repeatedly.

  • @ethanramos4441
    @ethanramos4441 Před 4 lety +8

    “Frankly, I had enjoyed the war... and why do people want peace if the war is so much fun?”
    Adrian Carton de Wiart

    • @justsomeponywithamustache8731
      @justsomeponywithamustache8731 Před 3 lety

      Because Nuclear weapons ruined everything. And now most countries act like pussies and shout "if i can't have it, NO ONE can"
      Examples include:
      North Korea
      Iran
      China
      Russia

  • @KixAreKix
    @KixAreKix Před 4 lety +376

    His mother was irish
    Me: this all makes sense now

    • @prepperjonpnw6482
      @prepperjonpnw6482 Před 4 lety +10

      And he was catholic lol

    • @John-gx7io
      @John-gx7io Před 3 lety +8

      Belgium says that they are going to take the other half

    • @michaellejeune7715
      @michaellejeune7715 Před 3 lety +2

      @@John-gx7io We assumed no one would notice.

    • @djquinn11
      @djquinn11 Před 3 lety +17

      “All our songs are sad, and all our wars are merry.”
      Irish proverb

    • @lalehiandeity1649
      @lalehiandeity1649 Před 3 lety

      @@djquinn11 Drunken Sailor is as far from sad as it gets.

  • @saltymisfit6566
    @saltymisfit6566 Před 4 lety +305

    "Dear Father, I regret to tell you I am no longer in school. Instead I have chosen to pursue war in Africa" 👍

    • @sgtjarhead99
      @sgtjarhead99 Před 4 lety +5

      LOL. This is exactly what I told my parents when I joined the Marine Corps.

  • @cathibewley8028
    @cathibewley8028 Před 4 lety +8

    This dude is the one who "super easy barely an inconvenience" was coined about. For real.

  • @silmarienprince3137
    @silmarienprince3137 Před 3 lety +1

    You always find these amazing nuggets of History. Such a Badass. Kudos for bringing this to life

  • @tagcapv1822
    @tagcapv1822 Před 4 lety +100

    they should do a HBO Series with a massive budged of this guys Life story, a single movie wouldn't be sufficient

    • @PamweChete2503
      @PamweChete2503 Před 3 lety +1

      No mater how big the budget is they still wouldn’t be able to afford the balls of steel the lead actor would need to wear in order to accurately portray this man.

    • @sip8454
      @sip8454 Před 3 lety +6

      Although Daniel day lewis sounds like a good shout, his dedication to method acting and "becoming" de wiart, would probably put an end to his career due to a missing hand and eye...

    • @vanduzer1969
      @vanduzer1969 Před rokem

      Like band of brothers

  • @ExMachinaEngineering
    @ExMachinaEngineering Před 4 lety +44

    John Cleese as Gen. Carton de Wiart. I think it would be a masterpiece. He would get the "Tis' but a scratch" part spot on...

  • @stephenponce3598
    @stephenponce3598 Před 3 lety +8

    "Escape tunnel avilable for grooms with cold feet" i died😂😂

  • @reaperking7748
    @reaperking7748 Před 3 lety +6

    He died during the Second Boer War it's just that death didn't have the heart to tell him. Also shout out to the medical professionals who kept this man alive

  • @maxhaly1612
    @maxhaly1612 Před 4 lety +40

    Adrian was one of the greatest mad lads to ever walk the earth

  • @DrKingcake
    @DrKingcake Před 5 lety +165

    Thank you for making these videos. You beat anything on cable!!!!

    • @jimmynickelz
      @jimmynickelz Před 5 lety +4

      Agreed

    • @wendyr1580
      @wendyr1580 Před 5 lety +6

      willy lagos I think we would have all aced history class if Simon taught 🙂

    • @CorbCorbin
      @CorbCorbin Před 5 lety

      Remember Biography Channel? Then it was Bio, now FYI, and the Biography show itself, which was relaunched a couple years ago, just doesn’t go very deep.
      When there was actual historical docs, on the History Channel?
      It’s become a scripted reality show network now.
      This is not new information, so sorry if I’m repeating old news.
      We got a new Cosmos from fuckin’ FOX, of all networks, which got immediate backlash from FOX News watchers. 🥴

  • @thaddeuscheeleyjr.369
    @thaddeuscheeleyjr.369 Před 3 lety +15

    Adrian: gets shot in the face 3 times*
    Also Adrian: What exhilarating fun!
    Lmfao, clearly insane. I love it.

  • @PM-pc7ql
    @PM-pc7ql Před 4 lety +52

    Can this man's DNA be Recovered and Cloned!

  • @codychamberlin5334
    @codychamberlin5334 Před 4 lety +134

    Nobody is allowed to play this guy except for John Cleese and Ralph Fiennes

    • @lylemeckem5176
      @lylemeckem5176 Před 4 lety +3

      I agree

    • @samsonsimpson7648
      @samsonsimpson7648 Před 4 lety +10

      Haha John Cleese crossed my mind... His mannerisms, the way speaks and how he can act serious will being completely ridiculous would be great if it was incorporated into the character...

    • @1228carlito
      @1228carlito Před 4 lety +7

      i was thinking Rowan Atkins

    • @rotaman8555
      @rotaman8555 Před 4 lety +4

      I second Ralph Fiennes!

    • @bertellaurlund3150
      @bertellaurlund3150 Před 4 lety

      Was thinking about Liam Neeson, but I guess Fiennes is good

  • @LovelyObscurities
    @LovelyObscurities Před 4 lety +43

    He could rip a deck of cards in half??? Holy sh*t! He could probably crush hands just with a handshake

    • @radguzzi
      @radguzzi Před 4 lety +6

      I bet he did that card trick with one hand too!

    • @joshstanton267
      @joshstanton267 Před 4 lety +2

      That was his generation in a nutshell. The hydraulic press handshake 😂

  • @jeremypayler6631
    @jeremypayler6631 Před 2 lety

    Brilliant story and fantastic presentation ....another gem

  • @tonysolino3131
    @tonysolino3131 Před 2 lety +1

    Such an amazing man. Wonderful job Simon. It makes me think if this were only the highlights of his life think of all the things he may have done or experienced that was not noted by history.

  • @mckou1547
    @mckou1547 Před 5 lety +154

    Pretty sure the only man tough enough to be believable in the lead role would be De Wiart himself,...or maybe a giant shark. Whichever has a more open schedule.

    • @katielancaster6376
      @katielancaster6376 Před 5 lety +5

      Chuck Norris? Lol except he is the RL version

    • @theangelbelow88
      @theangelbelow88 Před 5 lety +3

      I support this giant shark in the lead role idea 👍

    • @davyaldy76
      @davyaldy76 Před 5 lety +4

      @@katielancaster6376 try Audie Murphy being the American version. But only one war.

    • @darrylroederer2680
      @darrylroederer2680 Před 5 lety +4

      I nominate the Terminator for the lead role in this movie... No, not Arnold. I mean the metal skeleton with the laser beams in its eyes! That's the only one I can think of who might be tough enough to portray this dude!

    • @samuraisoul1043
      @samuraisoul1043 Před 5 lety

      The Perth Guy with the Bowtie he was an actor to and if I’m right according to someone I spoke to they did a movie about Audie starring himself

  • @user-nb5cy1rd4i
    @user-nb5cy1rd4i Před 5 lety +215

    Can you do one on Mikhail Gorbachev. It’s no secret that your audience is interested in history, and I feel like many people who weren’t alive in the late ‘80s don’t know who he is or how influential he was. He is I.M.O. one of the most important and controversial figures of the 20th century, who saw the fall of the Soviet Union when it was not expected and he has a very unique life to tell, and an odd relationship with a U.S. president that was quite bizarre. Keep up the good work!

    • @jeffdallama5431
      @jeffdallama5431 Před 5 lety +6

      Stefan Molyneux you mean the man in the pizza hut ad

    • @jerryjungster7401
      @jerryjungster7401 Před 5 lety +2

      Stefan Molyneux great suggestion.

    • @sgtmayhem7567
      @sgtmayhem7567 Před 5 lety +8

      A brief comment and a word of thanks for this video, before you dive in pitching your own idea would be a lot more respectful.

    • @robdon3472
      @robdon3472 Před 5 lety +1

      Blew my mind that this guys still alive

    • @sulla175
      @sulla175 Před 5 lety +14

      @@sgtmayhem7567 how is a guy named mayhem so easily offended? He was perfectly reasonable in his post. Unbunch your panties, lady.

  • @williambtm1
    @williambtm1 Před 3 lety +1

    Thank you Simon for your detail given of the lives of various and disparate people. The research required to identify the single attributes of the rogues and or heroes must be quite extensive. Top job Oulde mate.

  • @invisibleman4827
    @invisibleman4827 Před 3 lety +5

    "He was amused by the rumour that he was the illegitimate child of King Leopold II"
    I honestly wouldn't put it past the old bastard tbh.

  • @macvena
    @macvena Před 4 lety +86

    Michael Fassbender might make a good choice to play Adrian Carton De Wiart in my opinion.

  • @thatguywesmaranan
    @thatguywesmaranan Před 5 lety +93

    eyepatch?
    facial hair?
    amputee?
    scars?
    badass?
    is that you, big boss?

  • @IKMcGwee
    @IKMcGwee Před 2 lety +5

    I'm here cuz sabaton's newest song is about him!

  • @pjsparrow5904
    @pjsparrow5904 Před 7 měsíci

    I just saw this yesterday and have since sent to a dozen people because WOW. I had never heard of him before and it surprises me because his story is just insane. Thank you!

  • @christophermckenna2839
    @christophermckenna2839 Před 4 lety +146

    The most british guy ever and he aint even british 😂😂

    • @jerribee1
      @jerribee1 Před 4 lety +1

      Courage knows no borders.

    • @a.m.5926
      @a.m.5926 Před 4 lety +9

      Belgian blood brews tough people!

    • @JasonLee-gy5ch
      @JasonLee-gy5ch Před 4 lety

      Not true.

    • @lel9460
      @lel9460 Před 4 lety +2

      @@a.m.5926 and pedophiles

    • @tiredlocke
      @tiredlocke Před 4 lety

      @@shadowsanddust2 Oh, waa-waa. Are you sad that your casual racism is generally frowned upon these days? And to your point, there are plenty of Muhammads sacrificing for their adopted country. It is certainly possible that one of them could one day become as much of a hero, but lets hope those days of total war are behind us.

  • @3EBstudio
    @3EBstudio Před 4 lety +77

    the germans are like.....oh no, not another Mad jack church hill

    • @laurakuhn8743
      @laurakuhn8743 Před 3 lety

      @Imgladandrew gillumisnotmykang386 did they ever meet? If so what happened

    • @kyledabearsfan
      @kyledabearsfan Před 3 lety +1

      I'm sorry Mad Jack is a badass, but this guy makes him and everything else that ever lived look like a bitch

  • @nmarrs8539
    @nmarrs8539 Před 3 lety +3

    This man saw the Abyss several times and never blinked in fact he took it in. took a good long look. That friends is some true blue courage.

  • @fratercontenduntocculta8161

    3:53 When I was in the Army, guys like him didn't stay privates for long. It was Soldiers like him that we would take aside and train to be the next leaders.

  • @KF-kx2zx
    @KF-kx2zx Před 5 lety +41

    He didn’t like being dead so he just got on with it. Pure gold.

  • @trillz31
    @trillz31 Před 5 lety +30

    What a tough and incredible man. His life would make an epic movie or mini series.

    • @jwalden91lx
      @jwalden91lx Před 5 lety

      Ken Burns needs to get down on this.

  • @johnmurphy7250
    @johnmurphy7250 Před 2 lety +4

    The Swedish group sabaton is releasing a song about him tomorrow

  • @royburton3757
    @royburton3757 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for the info.

  • @seanpecson2858
    @seanpecson2858 Před 4 lety +269

    This guy’s story is like fiction. If you told me at any point that all this is a joke I wouldn’t be surprised. He trumps Cpt. America

    • @dionwoollaston5717
      @dionwoollaston5717 Před 4 lety +6

      Sean Pecson fact is often more unbelievable than fiction

    • @samuel10125
      @samuel10125 Před 4 lety +3

      Honestly I thought Mad Jack was well mad.

    • @alexmclean760
      @alexmclean760 Před 4 lety +1

      His balls were used for the shield for Capt. America cuz he just go on with it

    • @martinforrey4988
      @martinforrey4988 Před 4 lety

      The best part is that this man was real, a real badass

  • @davidstewart5811
    @davidstewart5811 Před 4 lety +13

    I have watched this a couple of times and remain amazed that some soldiers just seem to face incredible odds and survive. Audie Murphy comes to mine as an example, but so many others. On the other hand, some guys step off the boat and promptly die. It does not seem fair. In any case, it would be fascinating to take a number of these kinds of soldiers and compare what distinguished them or their conduct or attitude whatever that allowed them to survive in the face of really terrible odds and even extensive wounds.

  • @JojokimVT
    @JojokimVT Před 2 lety +33

    ”INTO THE FIRE THROUGH TRENCHES AND MUD
    SON OF BELGIUM AND IRELAND WITH WAR IN HIS BLOOD
    LEADING THE CHARGE INTO HOSTILE BARRAGE
    BY DESIGN, HE WAS MADE FOR THE FRONTLINE”
    -Sabaton, The Unkillable Soldier

  • @Denison512
    @Denison512 Před 4 lety +14

    My Great-Grandfather was a trooper in the 4th Royal Dragoon Guards and was the one who dragged Carton-de-Wiart to safety when they both got caught up in the shelling in the western front (10:31). Apparently he was most displeased that he never got a mention in Happy Odyssey for the act because he dragged him to safety despite being badly wounded in his leg and abdomen. I highly recommend if you're in York,UK to go see the York Army museum they have most of AC-d-W's stuff from his time in the army including the Katana's from the Japanese soldiers that surrendered to him in WW2.

  • @justinweber4977
    @justinweber4977 Před 4 lety +28

    This guy sounds like that Futurama vet "Free Waterfall Jr."
    "Veteran of over two dozen wars. You name a body part and a planet, I took a bullet in on it."

  • @coralaune4006
    @coralaune4006 Před 3 lety +1

    Holy crap this man was amazing. LOVED your telling of Carton de Wiart.

  • @michaelmccoy169
    @michaelmccoy169 Před 3 lety

    This guy needs a mini series. Great video

  • @leonmitchell454
    @leonmitchell454 Před 5 lety +42

    This was incredible, I've always loved your channel but my god what a man thank you for sharing

  • @brady3610
    @brady3610 Před 4 lety +131

    Absolutely nobody:
    Adrian carton de wiart: "Frankly I enjoyed the war"

    • @NRH111
      @NRH111 Před 3 lety +1

      @xirsamoht x he said if it wasnt for the "Yanks" good ol uncle sam ruined his fun

  • @Ai-he1dp
    @Ai-he1dp Před 4 lety

    Wow!... speechless...great presentation too.

  • @robpatterson3133
    @robpatterson3133 Před 3 lety

    And this video was great !!! Ill be digging deeper 🙌👍

  • @BobJones-dq9mx
    @BobJones-dq9mx Před 4 lety +35

    I always thought that Jack Churchill was the craziest British soldier. What a mistake!

  • @sofronije6404
    @sofronije6404 Před 4 lety +64

    Love stories like this. One man army stuff :) My uncle was a WW2 Hero, when he died in 1981 over 3500 people attended his funeral, according to stories around 2000 surviving comrades from two shock brigades he served with. I will never forget about 2 meters tall pile of flowers , 3 cushions with all his medals pinned and wreaths and hundreds of adult men, war veterans, crying like babies, I was age 8...that's how it is when you fight heroically for your homeland and for liberty of your people and for men next to you in your unit...what he did as a soldier was borderline Rambo stuff I could not believe the stories, he died and went to his grave with 3 bullets lodged in his body, one next to his heart and according to x ray he had 38 shrapnels in his body most of them from hand grenades. His specialty was destruction of fortifications and bunkers and silent elimination of guards on patrol, scouting and sapper tasks, removing mines and blowing stuff up. He was fluent in German and spoke good Russian and Italian so it came in handy often. Knife, explosives, hand grenades and Luger pistol were his weapons of choice. As soon as the war ended he was still an NCO and he was was sent to military academy and then many years later in 1961 retired as Colonel of JNA, he worked in a tank brigade... He was racing motorcycles until mid 1970s and had multiple crashes with them as well as if the wounds from the war were not enough, his son was later Rally champion of my country.... The stories I heard from his comrades that used to visit us throughout 80s were usually "he saved me" or "he saved us all" or "had it not been for him so many of us would not be here" , just by him making right decisions at the right time or doing right actions as a young commander, if you wanted things to get done you'd send him and his unit. He was 14 when the war started in 1941 and joined his unit and was 18 in May 1945 when the war ended.

    • @derekjennings220
      @derekjennings220 Před 4 lety

      SOFRONIJE wow what a bloke a truly great Englishman 👍🇬🇧👍

    • @Agnemons
      @Agnemons Před 4 lety

      @@derekjennings220 No where does SOFRONIJE state or even imply that his uncle was English. The fact that he retired as a "Colonel in the JNA" would imply that he was Yugoslavian.

    • @garrylisle860
      @garrylisle860 Před 4 lety

      This is the first comment, of this size, that I’ve ever read in it’s entirety on CZcams. Thank you for sharing. What a man he was

  • @lfgubrs
    @lfgubrs Před 2 lety +7

    Anyone else here cause of Sabaton - The unkillable soldier

  • @K8E666
    @K8E666 Před rokem

    Brilliantly done