100 Heroes: Mike Calvert
The gay man who always led from the front.
Brigadier James Michael Calvert was a British Army officer who was involved in special operations in Burma during the Second World War.
He frequently led attacks from the front, a practice that earned him the nickname amongst the men under his command of "Mad Mike."
Early life
Born in India in 1913, Calvert was educated in England - attending the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich and then joining the British Army in 1933.
Military career
With the outbreak of WWII, Calvert was posted to numerous operations - spending considerable time in Australia where he was training commandos, before being sent to Burma to lead guerrilla forces there.
When the Japanese forces invaded Burma, Calvert was heavily involved in trying to slow their advances, before retreating to India.
In 1944, Calvert was evacuated back to England on medical grounds.
Scandal
After a number of post-war assignments, in 1951 Calvert took up a post with the British Army of the Rhine. While there, Calvert was accused of an act of sexual indecency with German civilian youths.
Calvert was court-martialled, found guilty, and dismissed from the British Army.
Personal life
Calvert died in 1998.