(1880 – 1964) Scion of an Army family with experience of East Asia, General MacArthur made his name in the assault on the Philippines during the Second World War. After losing the islands in an ignominious defeat in 1942, he returned triumphant in 1944, staging his own arrival on the island of Leyte for assembled journalists.

Later, in July 1950, MacArthur was named commander of the United Nations’ multinational force to aid South Korea. MacArthur orchestrated an amphibious landing at Inchon, surprising the North Koreans, who then began their retreat back across the 38th parallel. The general persuaded President Harry Truman to continue the assault to reunify the country inciting the Chinese government to intervene. After MacArthur’s forces had recovered from the onslaught of 300,000 Chinese, he still urged Truman to continue, but the president decided against this. Owing to MacArthur’s public pronouncements on the issue, Truman found it necessary to relieve MacArthur of his command in April 1951. Returning home, the general was met with a hero’s welcome, including ticker-tape parades and an address to Congress. But the military establishment supported Truman, so MacArthur would go the way of the old soldier in the Army ballad he recited for Congress: he would “just fade away”.