The honour and the shame

the long version

At a crucial point of the Second World War, John Kenneally proved himself to be a soldier of extraordinary courage. During a desperate battle in which his regiment defended a hilltop position while surrounded by the enemy, Kenneally performed a daring solo attack armed only with a bren gun - an action for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Years later, he made a remarkable confession - the hero of the Irish Guards was not, in fact, John Kenneally at all, but Leslie Jackson, the illegitimate son of Neville Blond and Gertrude Robinson, who had deserted his former regiment, the Honourable Artillery Company.