Forget Valentines’ flowers, Col. Ewart Grogan walked from the Cape to Cairo

Colonel Ewart Grogan. [File, Standard]

Love is in the air. Millions of roses will be plucked in the name of love today but some lovers are going to be left clutching at the thorny stems when the roses wither. It is Valentine’s Day. Back in the days when Valentine was an obscure saint and not a buzzword for outpouring of emotions, some people did unimaginable things to convince their lovers of their undying commitment. Ewart Grogan, then aged 24, walked from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo, Egypt to impress his future wife Gertrude.