A talent for adventure - Andrew Croft

Colonel Andrew Croft, DSO, OBE, has used his "talent for adventure" to the full and he typifies the traditional hero that is every schoolboy's inspiration. Arctic explorer, soldier, pioneer, world record holder, medal winner, yet he remains a gentle, kind and thoughtful man with the time to listen and care about other people. The book is his own account of a life filled with adventure, told in the quiet and unassuming manner one would expect.;At sixteen it was already clear that his spirit and qualities of leadership were outstanding, but it was not until 1933 when he joined the team for the Trans-Greenland Expedition that his fascination with polar exploration really began. The expedition was to gain him an entry into the Guinness Book of Records for the longest self-supporting dog sledge journey. He subsequently took part in expeditions to North East Land, Swedish Lapland and the Canadian Arctic. His military career was equally remarkable, serving in the Russo-Finnish War and in Norway, leading covert operations from Corsica to Italy and France and working with French Resistance groups behind enemy lines.;Andrew Croft has always had a keen interest in giving young people the opportunity to develop their skills of leadership; he was the Commandant of the Army Apprentices School in Harrogate and the founder of the Metropolitan Police Cadet Corps. Whilst enjoying retirement in an idyllic house on the banks of the Thames, he maintains an active interest in the training of young people, as well as advising on modern day polar exploration.