“Let us now praise famous men, and our fathers that begat us … All these were honoured in their generations, and were the glory of their time.” — Ecclesiasticus

Those who attain an undeserved standing in any society never really overshadow those whose honour was purchased by merit rather than through connections, croneyism or cash.

Perhaps nowhere is the truth of this more clearly evident than in a small community like Bermuda. Individuals who have earned golden opinions from their peers are always held in significantly higher esteem than those who are decorated with honours, titles and trinkets which are entirely unearned except through wile and guile.

Titles certainly do not add to the honour of those who prove their worth through their everyday actions. And neither do they confer honour on those who are entirely bereft of it.

Still, Bermuda’s adoption of a National Heroes Day in 2008 — followed by the ongoing failure to actually fête our favourite sons and daughters on a regular (or even semi-regular) basis — is becoming something close to a national embarrassment.

There’s certainly no shortage of potential candidates, outstanding individuals who personify our historical and living heritage.

Examples would include Sgt Robert John Simmons, a Bermudian who volunteered for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment — the first all-black unit raised by the US Army — to fight the slave-holding Confederacy in the American Civil War. Unlike most black Americans at that time, he had considerable military experience as a result of his time spent with the British garrison then stationed in Bermuda. Sgt Simmons was among the casualties of the pivotal 1863 battle for Fort Wagner in South Carolina. Wounded and captured by the Confederates, an article in the July 28, 1863 edition of Georgia’s Weekly Columbus Enquirer, described him as “a brave man and of good education.” Taken to Charleston, his “bearing impressed even his captors. After suffering amputation of the arm, he died there.”

In a more recent conflict, Bermudian Glynn Gilbert’s conspicuous gallantry on the Normandy beaches on D-Day — June 6, 1944 —marked the beginning of a distinguished military career which culminated in him reaching the rank of Major-General in the British army. A gifted strategist and an outstanding front-line officer, before his retirement in 1974 he commanded the Third Division, the so-called Iron Division created by the Duke of Wellington during the Napoleonic Wars. During the Second World War he had earned the immediate award of the Military Cross for his initiative and bravery during the crossing of the Escaut Canal, part of a larger Allied operation to cross the Rhine and strike directly into Nazi Germany. He was decorated with the medal by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery personally. As he put it, “later that day (of the crossing), the ribbon was pinned on while we were still in the field. The next day we were relieved by a contingent of Bermudians” which happened to include his cousin, Lieutenant Ambrose Gosling.

Then there are the members of the Progressive Group whose 1959 Theatre Boycott triggered a peaceful revolution which led to the rapid dismantling of an abhorrent system of petit apartheid in public places. More consequentially, their actions marked the beginning of the end of the structural racism faced by Bermudian blacks which impacted on everything from educational and career opportunities to political representation. A handful of Progressive Group members are still with us including Rudolph Commissiong, who actually suggested the boycott of cinemas — then the Island’s primary form of public entertainment — as a form of direct action which would capture the attention of both Bermuda’s Powers That Be and the general population.

Clearly all of these individuals demonstrated the type of rare courage and dedication which qualifies them to be ranked as genuine Bermudian heroes.

To bring matters up to date, also consider some of the more significant ongoing omissions from the Queen’s New Year and Birthday Honours (which Bermuda still depends on for want of any local commendations to reward distinguished service, bravery or achievement).

It soon becomes clear there is an ongoing and systemic failure on the part of local officialdom to recognise and celebrate our own, to honour those who best embody our values and whose sacrifice, perseverance and courage represent all that is best in us as a people.

To misquote a line from Dorothy Parker, you can tell what Bermuda’s officials think of the British honours system by looking at who they give the various decorations to. Gongs are traditionally handed out to politicians and civil servants simply for showing up to work and doing their jobs (even not discharging your duties particularly well does not seem to disqualify you from a medal and a trip to Buckingham Palace).

Meanwhile, those among us who live up to the ideals of heroism, selflessness and service tend to be conspicuous by their absence from the twice-yearly honours lists. When they are included, it’s almost as afterthoughts with minor decorations which are inversely proportionate to the scale of their contributions.

We urgently need to restore the balance. For we have reached a sorry pass when Bermuda’s leadership is not able to say with a full heart and a grateful spirit “Let us now praise famous men.”