- Do you have a question for which you'd like to find out the answer? Or perhaps you know the answer to one of these questions?
- Send your correspondence to: Charles Legge, Responses for Readers, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY; or you can email him at charles.legge@INSPIRATIONS-DIGITAL.co.uk
QUESTION: Numerous movies from the 1950s and 1960s included Percy Herbert. Can you tell me how many films he appeared in and what his later life was like?
Percy Herbert (1920-1992), born in London, was an actor known for appearing in more than 70 movies. He frequently portrayed roles such as soldiers, rugged men, or individuals from the working class.
His tough appearance suited those kinds of characters perfectly, making him an dependable actor in movies about wars and period pieces.
Prior to his acting career, Herbert served in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps. World War II and spent four years at the Changi Prisoner of War camp, where he was compelled to labor on the Burma Railway. He was liberated by American troops and ultimately returned London .
He started his acting journey in theater with the Old Vic Company directed by John Gielgud. In film, he appeared in "The Cockleshell Heroes" (1955) and "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957), a movie inspired by the POW camp where he had been incarcerated.
Herbert served as a consultant for the movie too. Additionally, he appeared in several other war movies like Tobruk (1967). With his diverse range, Herbert showcased his talent in various types of films—from fantastical works such as One Million Years B.C., through historical dramas including Mutiny On The Bounty, to comedic roles where he starred in two Carry On pictures.
He made appearances on television in "Worzel Gummidge," "General Hospital," and "Dixon of Dock Green." In 1947, he married Amy Lindsay, with whom he had two children. He passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 72.
Clive Gill, Wimborne, Dorset
Why does a hoax also fall under the category of a canard?
The term 'canard,' which refers to an untrue, disparaging, or baseless rumor in English, originates from the French word with the same spelling but denotes a duck. This usage is consistent in both languages.
The 19th-century Frenchlexicographer Emile Littre traced the usage to an old expression, ‘vendre un canard a moitie’, meaning ‘to half-sell a duck’ (i.e. to not sell it at all).
Randle Cotgrave, in A Dictionarie Of The French And English Tongues, from 1611, defines the French expression ‘vendeur de canards a moitie’ as ‘a cousener, guller, cogger; foister, lyer’.
S. E. Smith from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
What are some of the strangest and most unusual marathon competitions held around the globe?
In addition to the previous response, one of the most unusual races has to be the Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race. Runners circle a lone block in New York City continuously over a period lasting as long as 52 days to finish this race.
Diane Higgs, Street, Somerset
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