Hoping this will meet with your approval
An important letter from Lieutenant Colonel Alfred D. Wintle
Lieutenant Colonel Alfred D. Wintle was opinionated, brave, comical, intelligent, and, most importantly, hugely entertaining—a true “character.” He once attempted to escape a hospital dressed as a female nurse in order to rejoin the war effort, but his monocle gave him away; as a prisoner of war in France during World War II, he went on hunger strike for a fortnight to protest his prison guards' "slovenly" appearance; years later, post-war, he actually took control of a train when he realised there weren't enough first-class seats, refusing to leave the driver's cab until the situation was rectified. In 1958, he made history by winning, without a lawyer, a three year legal battle against a dishonest solicitor that ended in the House of Lords. The stories are endless.
In 1946, he wrote this letter to The Times. It has been admired and preserved at their offices ever since, and with good reason.
From
Lt. Col. A.D. WINTLE.
The Royal DragoonsTo the Editor of The Times.
Sir,
I have just written you a long letter.
On reading it over, I have thrown it into the waste paper basket.
Hoping this will meet with your approval,
I am
Sir
Your obedient ServantADWintle
6 Feb ’46
This letter can be found in the first volume of Letters of Note. And if you can find a copy of Wintle’s autobiography that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, I highly recommend buying it.
w0w, many thanks, prof U...but wait! there's more... www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqMrXBKSBxE
/ 13:59
The Last Englishman (1 of 4)
Billy Bunter
Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Daniel Wintle MC
www.imdb.com/title/tt0213052/reviews/
Eccentricity personified
mccleans23 March 2001
The title of this hour long film aptly describes the way Colonel Wintle saw himself and lived his eccentric and highly individual life.
Injured in the First World War, he volunteered at the outbreak of hostilities in 1939. He was incarcerated in The Tower of London and subsequently parachuted into France with the SOE, before being captured by the Vichy French.
The film begins with his funeral in the early 60's and the story is told via flashbacks, narrated by an elderly gentleman holding a solitary wake in a country pub. It transpires that this old cove is Wintles batman who made a seemingly miraculous recovery from mortal wounds sustained on The Somme, his recovery being solely due to Wintle marching to his death bed and specifically ordering him not to die!
The rest of the film carries on in much the same, hilarious, vain. Despite the rather grim backdrop to the story, I laughed from beginning to end.
Definitely a classic and one to add to your library.
Ah if only I had done this to more than one letter.