Survivor A war, a plane crash, a group of boys stranded on an island by themselves with nothing. It all seems like a movie or a fairly tale you read to your kids before they go to bed at night. Can incidences like this become reality or have they already? Earlier this week a group of English boys were found on an island with nothing but ripped trousers and some not even that. Their plane was shot down by enemy forces, which followed by a plunge into the salty ocean, killing the pilots, adults and a small amount of boys instantly on impact. The survivors of this crash dragged themselves on to the sandy beaches not knowing what the following days would bring or if they could survive. Through the brilliant minds of the youngsters a plan of action was taken. Order and law would form. They would have to establish rules and assign specific tasks to one another in order to keep everyone busy in the fight of their lives.
Jack Teagarden
Ralph Wolf as he prepares to jack a sheep.
Your New Best FriendsAll of this sounds great, but what happens when something goes wrong? Tables turn and so do members of the group. Rivalry and conflict arise between two groups.
Battles and clashes go on about who is right and what priorities should be set first.
One group dominated, but who was it? Hunters or survivors. Rumors of murder and death run amongst the boys but only they know the whole truth. You might hear a variety of stories from different people, but wouldn't you rather hear it from the survivors themselves? Thanks to the co-operation of a few of the boys and the naval officer who found and rescued the boys, we were able t set up three interviews so that you can understand the experience of being stranded.
Interview with Ralph Question: What was your first thought when reaching the island? Ralph: "Well... when I first realized we were stranded with no adults I thought it would be fun with no rules and order. I soon realized that it would be a total disaster without order and law, so we established rules in hopes of maybe surviving this thing together."� Question: What major rules were established? Ralph: "There weren't many, just simple ones like keeping the fire going at all times in case a ship or plane came by. We also had a conch to show who was supposed to be talking a tour meeting and assemblies. Listening to each other was also a key essential because things needed to be completed such as building shelters and gathering food."� Question: What is a "conch"�? Ralph: " The conch was one of the first things found on the island. It is a shell that if you blow on it, a loud noise is created. This is how we all gathered and found each other. It showed authority.. well not really but the right of speech.
Question: How long did this order last? Ralph: "Well, it was all fine until Jack and his group started to prioritize hunting. This is where the downfall began. He tried to get everyone to join his tribe so he could be leader to hunt, kill and have fun. Most joined his group and I was left with a small number of boys. Theft, dominance and murder were the only outcomes of that group."� Interview with Jack Question: Earlier Ralph said you were the leader of the tribe which ruined survival for the boys. Could you Explain? Jack: "Well, all he wanted to do was to build and keep fires going so we could be rescued right away. My group wanted to have fun while we were here and enjoy the freedom from rules and adults. Hunting, getting meat, chanting and swimming kept us occupied. We did get rescued in the end anyways."� Question: He also mentioned murder among his tribe members. Could you explain that? Jack: "All I can say to that is not murder, but accidents do happen. I'm sorry it had to happen to two of his tribe members."� Question: Could you explain what happened? Jack: " Lets just say that one boy, Simon, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Piggy was crushed by a falling rock. That's all I will say."� Interview with the Rescuer Question: What is your profession? Rescuer: "I am part of a navel fleet and hold rank as an officer"� Question: How did you come upon this group? Rescuer: "Well, we were patrolling the area and the crew saw the flumes of smoke rising from the island. It appeared the whole Island was on fire so we went ashore to investigate"� Question: What was the first thing you encountered on the island? Rescuer: "As soon as we set foot on the beach, a boy crawling on his knees ran into my feet. How unusual it seemed. There was a group of boys following behind him with painted faces and bodies, holding sticks. It looked as if they were playing a game of tag or native warriors."� Question: Did you see anything else unusual? Rescuer: "Well the fact the boys were holding spears and had there bodies painted seemed a bit odd, and also seeing one boy being chased by a group, in tag, the one boy chased the group. The whole island was on fire, go figure."� So now you have it. A story just like the books. Survival at it's best proving to you that anything is possible.