St George from Turkey

St George, born in Turkey and a Roman Soldier, never came to England. Apparently, a patron saint does not have to be from the country they were born in (some may say also true of sports!) - they just needed to embody the characteristics the country want to project to the outside world.

The legend of St George is that he slayed a dragon. The tale goes that a dragon made it’s nest in a lake in Libya. When people came to collect water, they inadvertently disturbed the dragon and so offered sheep as a distraction. After time, there were no sheep left to offer the dragon and so a maiden from the town was chosen by drawing lots. When the results were read, it was revealed that the princess was to be the dragon’s next victim. Despite the King’s protest, his daughter was offered to the dragon...At that moment of offering, St George appeared on a white stallion. He drew his sword, protecting himself with the sign of the cross, he slay the dragon and saved the princess.

Our front line workers are the "daughter" that have willingly offered themselves up to the "dragon" virus. "St George", in the form of an RAF plane, picked up half of the PPE equipment from Turkey. There are more "St George" planes on stand by to pick up the rest. In the meantime, the "consumption" of PPE equipment is outstripping the supply. Some of this gap is being filled by the public rising to the challenge by making garments and masks. It seems that the public have "drawn their swords" to rise to the challenge that we currently face.