"[5] A Royal Air Force (RAF) airman who dies during a mission has left a letter to be sent to his mother upon his death.
[Note 1] The author of the letter has subsequently been revealed to be Flying Officer Vivian Allen William Rosewarne,[8] the co-pilot of a Vickers Wellington bomber, stationed at RAF Marham, Norfolk.
This is the text of the loss report and crew disposition: Type: Wellington Mk.1C Serial number: R3162, HD-H Operation: Diksmuide, B Lost: 30 May 1940 Flying Officer (Pilot) Vivian A.W.
Rosewarne, RAF 40021, 38 Sqdn., age unknown, 30 May 1940, Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, B Pilot Officer (Pilot) Roy Baynes, RAF 42479, 38 Sqdn., age unknown, 30 May 1940, Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, B Sergeant (Obs.)
Spencer, RAFVR 755611, 38 Sqdn., age unknown, 30 May 1940, Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, B Aircraftman 2nd Class (W. Op./Air Gnr.)
James C. Adams, RAF 630069, 38 Sqdn., age 20, 30 May 1940, Veurne Communal Cemetery Extension, B Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
His station commander, Group Captain Claude Hilton Keith, found a letter among the missing airman's personal possessions.
[Note 2] Dearest Mother: Though I feel no premonition at all, events are moving rapidly and I have instructed that this letter be forwarded to you should I fail to return from one of the raids that we shall shortly be called upon to undertake.
I have always admired your amazing courage in the face of continual setbacks; in the way you have given me as good an education and background as anyone in the country: and always kept up appearances without ever losing faith in the future.
Today we are faced with the greatest organized challenge to Christianity and civilization that the world has ever seen, and I count myself lucky and honoured to be the right age and fully trained to throw my full weight into the scale.
I firmly believe that evil things are sent into the world to try us; they are sent deliberately by our Creator to test our mettle because He knows what is good for us.
Thus at my early age my earthly mission is already fulfilled and I am prepared to die with just one regret: that I could not devote myself to making your declining years more happy by being with you; but you will live in peace and freedom and I shall have directly contributed to that, so here again my life will not have been in vain.
In the United States the book was reprinted 12 times by E. P. Dutton & Co..[11] Suggestions that the letter was fictitious and a propaganda device led to the identification of Flying Officer Rosewarne with his death notice finally published on 23 December 1940.
The following pictures of Rosewarne come from his Commanding Officer Group Captain C. H. Keith's personal copy of the published book.
They often transcend its original purpose as a work of British wartime propaganda making it far more compelling and enduring than Powell’s contribution to the now dated and unwatchable The Lion Has Wings (1939), which he does mention in his recollections.