Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Chief of the Defence Staff and a career soldier who has seen active service in Aden, Oman, Malaysia, and East Africa.
On the island
Eight records
Nabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (Va, pensiero)Favourite
Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Riccardo Muti
I've chosen that because when I commanded the Welsh Guards they had a choir which had this as one of their standard pieces, and it reminds me of my regiment. And my regiment is enormously important for soldiers. It's our second family, really. And also, I remember that the Hebrew slaves wanted to escape from Nebuchadnezzar. and I'll want to escape from his island as soon as I possibly can.
Chor und Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin, conducted by Eugen Jochum
I'd like this record because if I ever felt lethargic, if ever I find it difficult to get out of my hammock in the morning, I just play this.
Maria Callas, Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, conducted by Victor de Sabata
The highlight of my opera career was appearing on a Royal Command performance. With Maria Kallas and Tito Gobby. And I'll never forget the first time Callus came off.
Les pêcheurs de perles: Au fond du temple saint
Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Renato Cellini
I think is quite suitable to have on a desert island.
I Just Called to Say I Love You
I have been away from my family very often. And the link of a telephone to our wives or to our loved ones is very important. I actually proposed to my wife from my command post and conducted part of my court trip on what we called the welfare telephone.
I spent two years in my seventies in Berlin and it's Lisa Minelli singing cabaret.
The Magic Flute: Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja
Hermann Prey, Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Sir Georg Solti
It's an extraordinary opera. Amazing story. Quite a lot of it pretty good rubbish, I think. But it is about good overcoming evil, and it's got some marvellous music.
In conversation
Presenter asks
5:11Why did you decide that soldiering was for you?
I decided to go into the army because I wanted a bit of excitement. I was a very keen sportsman. I liked travel, and it seemed to me that the army would give me all these things I liked, and pay me for it.
Presenter asks
6:07What do you remember about [the Second World War]?
I do remember seeing the sky of London bright red after a bombing raid. I can remember seeing after I was evacuated to Lincolnshire. Aeroplanes criss crossing in the sky. … I remember also there was a those are great occasions we used to disappear into a shelter at night when there was a bombing raid, which I found frightfully exciting.
Presenter asks
10:19What do you learn if you're out there in the jungle [with the SAS]?
Well, you learn a lot about yourself, what your limitations are. You learn a lot about the people you're with,'cause you're probably with them for weeks. … Maybe one wasn't physically as tough as you thought you were. Maybe you were short-tempered some days. Maybe some of your patrol had irritating habits. But after weeks in the jungle get in your nerves. So you knew a lot about yourself.
The keepsakes
The book
Wellington: The Years of the Sword
Elizabeth Longford
The Duke of Wellington is a hero of mine, and Lady Longford wrote the most marvellous biography about him.
Presenter asks
16:32Where do you meet at such times as the Kosovan crisis?
Sometimes he comes to the command bunker, but usually uh we have meetings in the command bunker, and then we go across to Dining Street.
Presenter asks
18:40Is there a war that you would refuse to fight if you were asked by a politician?
Well, I find it inconceivable that uh a democracy like the United Kingdom would get ourselves into this sort of situation. And we are very conscious about what a just war is, and we have legal advisers who we do consult regularly about what is. possible and what is not.
Presenter asks
29:22How important in your professional career has your [religious] faith been?
Well, I mean, it's important to me. I became a Catholic. It seemed the right thing to do. I didn't become a Catholic because I was a fellow of the Church of England, or because my wife was a Catholic. It just seemed right, I can't tell you quite why. … I think religion is a help. It doesn't mean to say I spend my whole time on my knees or I spend my whole time in confession, but it does mean a lot.
“I think that it's no bad thing if generals sometimes show a bit of steel.”
“I think it is a a great help to have seen action and people if you are going to ask em to do really frightening things, it's good for em to know that you've probably done that too.”
“Military history doesn't repeat itself. If you try to fight the next war like the last one, you're almost certainly going to lose it. So you do have to adapt, but you have to study military history in depth.”
“Anyone who likes war must be m raving mad. But the nature of man is, and the nature of the world is, but we still live in a very dangerous place.”