At the beginning of April, a man started to walk around his garden. He had hoped to raise £1,000 for the NHS, a small thanks, he said, for their work in treating him across a lifetime. By the end of April, the man, Captain Thomas Moore had raised over £30 million, achieved a hit number one single, and had attained the elusive ranks of 'national treasure'.
The status of national treasure in the UK is enjoyed by a select few. To join the ranks, one must capture the hearts of those across the country, while maintaining a resolute self-deprecation for which our nation is so renowned. There is no place in the national treasure cohort for those who blow their own trumpet, after all.
Indeed, there is a clear divide between those who enjoy celebrity status, and those who are on the roster of national treasures. Longevity is a key feature to becoming a treasure. The 15 minutes of fame to which some are allotted is not enough to join the ranks. Those who have maintained a sense of decorum in the public eye for decades, ranging from Maggie Smith to Alan Bennett, are those to whom the status can readily be applied.
The fact that Captain Moore was a relative unknown at the beginning of the year, does, of course, prove that there are exceptions to the rule that longevity is an essential in order to achieve national treasure status. Singularly exceptional acts, such as his outstanding fundraising efforts, combined with his exemplary record of military service, served to fast track his membership to the national treasures club.
In 2013, The Telegraph published a cheat’s guide to becoming a national treasure. The list includes, but is not limited to – triumphing against adversity, making a fool of yourself on national television, and, most importantly of all, never, ever, talking about being a national treasure. While intended as satire, there are some grains of truth in the piece.
For example, our national tendency to support the underdog sees us feel a certain sense of pride in watching individuals who triumph against adversity. From the 1966 World Cup win to the quite striking number of canines who have won Britain’s Got Talent, our soft spot for the metaphorical (and at times even literal) underdog characterises us as a nation, and in turn allows us to distinguish national treasures from the others of the celebrity ilk.
Making a fool of oneself on national television is further evidence of what is required in a national treasure, namely a sense of humour. The very best of being British is an ability not to take ourselves too seriously, quite unlike our American cousins across the pond. Who among us can forget the Queen’s brief feature in a James Bond film as part of the 2012 Olympics preamble? A capacity to mock oneself on a public platform, qualifies oneself for national treasure acclaim.
The Telegraph’s suggestion that the most vital element of becoming a national treasure, refusing to talk about being one, cannot help but remind one of the brief Hipster trend of the early 2010s. The key to the status, never talking about being a member of the select club, further highlights an element of the national psyche – a modesty that is on the verge of paralysing. The very best among us lack public confidence, which immediately ensures their position in the queue to becoming a national treasure. Time will be the only indicator as to whether or not they have met the remaining requirements to join the club.
The national treasures of our country are not united by discipline nor by background. While they play by some of the rules set out in The Telegraph piece, the range of backgrounds and professions befits a nation as diverse as ours. From Sir David Attenborough to Victoria Wood, Dame Helen Mirren to Roald Dahl, the very best of our country are divided by role and circumstance, but united by the fact that they have reached country wide adoration.
However, becoming a national treasure seems far more of a later life endeavour. From the Queen to Sir Trevor McDonald, joining the invite-only club seeks those who have a lifetime of experience to share from, and do so readily, employing their grandparently status to inform, but rarely, if ever, to chastise.
Perhaps the role is best explained by Jan Etherington, a writer for The Telegraph, as an individual you would “want to hug.”
She continues: "They have huge likeability, which transcends their star status, success, age, class and intellectual barriers. Often, they need to have 'come through' some kind of test, to have overcome adversity and to have clawed their way back from the brink. And they need to pass the garden fence test. Is this someone who, I feel, would happily talk to me over the garden fence?"
There is perhaps one element to the national treasure that The Telegraph neglected to include upon their national treasure crib sheet – observing the tenet, “Deeds, not words”, important now more than ever. Indeed, it would appear that the outbreak of Covid-19, has cemented those who are national treasures, and those who fail to make the cut (the latter group including any and all who participated in the Imagine sing-along).
Captain Tom Moore’s status as a member of the club is clear. He has raised a considerable sum for the National Health Service while maintaining an absolutely charming presence. His advice to the nation, for coping during the lockdown, was: "You've all got to remember that we will get through it in the end, it will all be right. For all those people finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away." There are hardly any wiser words which he could have employed during the pandemic, and hardly a better person to say them.
His humility, when reaching the £5 million mark, further indicates there could be no better new addition to the national treasure cohort. He said: “When we started off with this exercise, we didn't anticipate we'd get anything near that sort of money. It's really amazing. All of them, from top to bottom, in the National Health Service, they deserve everything that we can possibly put in their place. They're all so brave.
“Because every morning or every night they're putting themselves into harm's way, and I think you've got to give them full marks for that effort. We're a little bit like having a war at the moment. But the doctors and the nurses, they're all on the front line, and all of us behind, we've got to supply them and keep them going with everything that they need, so that they can do their jobs even better than they're doing now.”
There are other elements to Captain Moore becoming a national treasure, of course. His role in the Second World War, is one facet to it. Another is his enjoyment of the music of Michael Ball, with whom he now shares a number one. In fact, Captain Moore was able to capture the heart of the nation to the extent that he received 150,000 cards to celebrate his 100th birthday on 30th April, which required a specific sorting facility to be used, and the help of over 20 volunteers. The Royal Mail even dedicated a stamp to him in recognition.
Captain Moore’s recently announced knighthood serves to show that the establishment is also able to recognise an individual as a national treasure, ensuring that they receive appropriate state recognition for their distinctly public acts.
Moore is not the only member of the national treasures club to step up amid the outbreak of Covid-19. In spite of the fact he is not currently in the country, David Hockney, who has holed up in his Normandy property, is continuing to paint in an attempt to lift the spirits of the nation.
His latest piece, “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring”, was revealed in March at the beginning of lockdown, which he shared with London’s National Portrait Gallery and Denmark’s Museum of Art. It was also announced this week, that a Hockney inspired art competition is also being held called Hope in Spring: draw like Hockney in order to raise both funds and spirits across the art world.
The competition, developed by Ruth Mackenzie, another Brit isolating in France, followed the receipt of a letter from Hockney which read: “Many [people] tell me these drawings offer respite at this testing time … they are testament to the cycle of life which begins here with the birth of spring … Idiots that we are, we have lost our link with nature even though we are part of it completely. All of this will end one day. What lessons will we learn?
“I’m 82, I’m going to die. We die because we are born. The only things that matter in life are food and love, in that order, and also our little dog Ruby. I truly believe this, and for me, the basis of art is love. I love life.”
Only from such an esteemed artist, entering into his ninth decade, could such a letter be encouraging and in no way trite. The national treasure status protects the most earnest among us, and ensures they are able to provide the essential encouragement and wisdom the pandemic necessitates.
If the British national treasures were to appoint a leader, there is no-one better suited than the Queen. A constant in the face of increasing challenges to the nation, and questions regarding the future of the monarchy, her 66-year reign has more than earned her the title of national treasure.
Not one to rest upon her esteemed laurels, her speech to the nation in early April provided a message of hope, for a time in which we are increasingly hopeless. Her message of unity was clear, as she said: “Together we are tackling this disease, and I want to reassure you that if we remain united and resolute, then we will overcome it.”
She continued, appreciating the unique nature of the challenge which presents itself at present: “While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal.”
Her Majesty concluded: “We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us.”
The Queen’s status as a national treasure was cemented long ago, but her response to the Covid-19 outbreak has only served to demonstrate precisely the kind of spirit it requires to reach such a position.
There are other national treasures who earn a special mention amid the Covid-19 pandemic. From Dame Judi Dench adorning the front cover of Vogue, to the more controversial Gilbert and George performing from their East London abode, the national treasures of the country have come together at a time when we need them most of all.
From the fundraising of Captain Moore, to the painting of David Hockney, to the speeches of the Queen, our national treasures are among the heroes of the pandemic. Their quiet determination and good humour remind us of the aspects of this country of which we ought to be proud.
As we enter into our ninth week of countrywide lockdown, it is increasingly clear that we need our national treasures more so than ever before.
