An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Encyclopedia
An Airman's Letter to His Mother (1941) is a documentary-style
British
propaganda
short based on an actual letter from a British bomber pilot to his mother published in The Times
in June 1940, which subsequently was published as a pamphlet and received wide distribution in the U.K.
(RAF) airman who dies during a mission has left a letter to be sent to his mother upon his death. This film shows that letter being delivered to his mother. As the letter is read out by John Gielgud
in a voiceover, we see the mother in the airman's room, looking through his things and remembering him as a youth. The letter tells of his reasons for joining the armed forces and going to fight, knowing full well that he could die.
The actress playing the part of the mother is unknown. Her face is not visible and she never speaks.
Vivian Rosewarne, the co-pilot
of a Vickers Wellington
bomber
, stationed at RAF Marham
, Norfolk
. The 23-year-old flyer was killed during the Battle of Dunkirk
in May, 1940.http://www.airmuseum.ca/mag/exag0311.html Rosewarne's death notice was eventually published on 23 December 1940.
Rosewarne was an only son whose early years were spent in Brentwood where he attended Brentwood School.
On 30 May 1940 a force of 17 Wellington Bombers from RAF Marham took off to provide close ground support to the British Expeditionary Force
as they withdrew from the beaches of Dunkirk. Aircraft R3162 from No. 38 Squadron RAF
was shot down near the town of Veurve in Belgium and the six-man crew were killed. The co-pilot, Flying Officer
Vivian Rosewarne, was reported missing, believed killed on 31 May 1940. His station commander, Group Captain
Claude Hilton Keith
, found a letter among the missing airman's personal possessions. It had been left open, so that it could be passed by the censor. Group Captain Keith was so moved by the letter that, with the mother's permission, it was anonymously published in The Times on 18 June 1940.
This is the text of the loss report and crew disposition:-
On this day Winston Churchill
announced, in his "This was their finest hour
" speech to the House of Commons that the "battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin". The Times was inundated with over 10,000 requests for copies in the first few days after publication. The letter was subsequently published in a small book by The Times Publishing Company Ltd (as An Airman's Letter to His Mother) and reprinted three times. By the end of the year over 500,000 copies had been sold. King George VI
wrote personally to the mother. In the USA the book was reprinted 12 times by E.P. Dutton & Co. Suggestions that the letter was fictitious and propaganda eventually led to the identification of Flying Officer Rosewarne and his death notice was finally published on 23 December 1940. In 1941 Michael Powell
released a short documentary-style British propaganda film, also called An Airman's Letter to His Mother, featuring the voice of John Gielgud
.
A portrait of Flying Officer Rosewarne (painted from his mother's photographs) by Frank O. Salisbury
was unveiled on 18 September 1941 and although his mother attended she wished to remain anonymous desiring to be known only as "the mother of the young unknown warrior".
Rosewarne and his crew were laid to rest at Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension (West Vlaanderen Belgium).
Rosewarne's letter continues to inspire and his letter features in the RAF's publication Leadership. His portrait is displayed at Brentwood School and a copy at Cranwell.
The following pictures of Rosewarne come from his Commanding Officer Group Captain C. H. Keith's personal copy of the published book and are published here for the first time.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
British
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
short based on an actual letter from a British bomber pilot to his mother published in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in June 1940, which subsequently was published as a pamphlet and received wide distribution in the U.K.
Plot
A Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) airman who dies during a mission has left a letter to be sent to his mother upon his death. This film shows that letter being delivered to his mother. As the letter is read out by John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
in a voiceover, we see the mother in the airman's room, looking through his things and remembering him as a youth. The letter tells of his reasons for joining the armed forces and going to fight, knowing full well that he could die.
Production
The letter was a real letter left by an airman for his mother. The airman's commanding officer was so moved by it that with the mother's permission he had it published in The Times and it was subsequently published in a small book which was in such demand that it had to be reprinted three times.The actress playing the part of the mother is unknown. Her face is not visible and she never speaks.
The author of the letter
The author of the letter has subsequently been revealed to be Flying OfficerFlying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Vivian Rosewarne, the co-pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of a Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
, stationed at RAF Marham
RAF Marham
Royal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The 23-year-old flyer was killed during the Battle of Dunkirk
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk was a battle in the Second World War between the Allies and Germany. A part of the Battle of France on the Western Front, the Battle of Dunkirk was the defence and evacuation of British and allied forces in Europe from 26 May–4 June 1940.After the Phoney War, the Battle of...
in May, 1940.http://www.airmuseum.ca/mag/exag0311.html Rosewarne's death notice was eventually published on 23 December 1940.
Rosewarne was an only son whose early years were spent in Brentwood where he attended Brentwood School.
On 30 May 1940 a force of 17 Wellington Bombers from RAF Marham took off to provide close ground support to the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
as they withdrew from the beaches of Dunkirk. Aircraft R3162 from No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron RAF
No. 38 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was a bomber squadron formed in 1916 and was disbanded for the last time in 1967.-World War I :...
was shot down near the town of Veurve in Belgium and the six-man crew were killed. The co-pilot, Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Vivian Rosewarne, was reported missing, believed killed on 31 May 1940. His station commander, Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
Claude Hilton Keith
Claude Hilton Keith
Group Captain Claude Hilton Keith was an early pioneer of air gunnery who played a central role in the preparation of the Royal Air Force for World War II. His work as Assistant Director of Armament Research and Development with responsibility for armament led to the establishment of the "Air...
, found a letter among the missing airman's personal possessions. It had been left open, so that it could be passed by the censor. Group Captain Keith was so moved by the letter that, with the mother's permission, it was anonymously published in The Times on 18 June 1940.
This is the text of the loss report and crew disposition:-
On this day Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
announced, in his "This was their finest hour
This was their finest hour
The This was their finest hour speech was delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 18 June 1940...
" speech to the House of Commons that the "battle of France is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin". The Times was inundated with over 10,000 requests for copies in the first few days after publication. The letter was subsequently published in a small book by The Times Publishing Company Ltd (as An Airman's Letter to His Mother) and reprinted three times. By the end of the year over 500,000 copies had been sold. King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
wrote personally to the mother. In the USA the book was reprinted 12 times by E.P. Dutton & Co. Suggestions that the letter was fictitious and propaganda eventually led to the identification of Flying Officer Rosewarne and his death notice was finally published on 23 December 1940. In 1941 Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
released a short documentary-style British propaganda film, also called An Airman's Letter to His Mother, featuring the voice of John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
.
A portrait of Flying Officer Rosewarne (painted from his mother's photographs) by Frank O. Salisbury
Frank O. Salisbury
Francis Owen Salisbury was an English Methodist artist from who specialised in portraits, large canvases of historical and ceremonial events, stained glass and book illustration. In his heyday he made a fortune on both sides of the Atlantic and was known as “Britain’s Painter Laureate”...
was unveiled on 18 September 1941 and although his mother attended she wished to remain anonymous desiring to be known only as "the mother of the young unknown warrior".
Rosewarne and his crew were laid to rest at Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension (West Vlaanderen Belgium).
Rosewarne's letter continues to inspire and his letter features in the RAF's publication Leadership. His portrait is displayed at Brentwood School and a copy at Cranwell.
The following pictures of Rosewarne come from his Commanding Officer Group Captain C. H. Keith's personal copy of the published book and are published here for the first time.
The letter
External links
- An Airman's Letter to His Mother reviews and articles at the Powell & Pressburger Pages