by Leslie Howard 1893-1943

Britain’s Destiny

In a Christmas broadcast in 1940, actor Leslie Howard explained why British sovereignty was worth fighting for.

1940

King George VI 1936-1952

Photo by RKO Radio Pictures, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.

Leslie Howard with Rosamund John in ‘The First of the Few’ (1942).

Introduction

This post is number 5 in the series Holocaust Resistance

In a radio broadcast just before Christmas in 1940, British actor Leslie Howard spoke movingly of the remarkable and indeed unique character of his country, built on individual liberty and democratic government, and contrasted it with the ‘new European order’.

by Leslie Howard 1893-1943

abridged

BRITAIN’S destiny has been to uphold tolerance in religion, thought, speech, and race – the mainspring of democracy. We have still far to travel on the road to true democracy, but only the Germans have made no progress in this direction.

Britain, with her great gifts and strange inconsistencies has helped populate five continents and shown that the white man and the coloured man can live in peace together.

We have also taken the Roman ideal of just administration, the Greek ideal of democracy and freedom of art, and the French tradition of the family unit, along with the Norse courage and loyalty and the Christian faith.

Like all people, we have made some mistakes and have committed some crimes during our history, but we can say that we have built something worthy of our defence. We can look at our record without shame.

by Leslie Howard 1893-1943

abridged

From a radio broadcast entitled ‘New Order in Europe’, 23/24 December 1940. Quoted here (slightly abridged) from IMDB. The speech is treated in more detail in ‘Britain Can Take It’, by Tony Aldgate and Jeffrey Richards.

Next in series: The Bishop’s Gambit

Précis

In a radio broadcast in 1940, British actor Leslie Howard explained that Germany had never taken the step forward to democratic freedom that Britain had. Crediting classical culture as well as other European nations and Christianity for Britain’s more forward-looking society, he urged his listeners to feel pride in their sovereignty, and to believe it worth fighting for.

Questions for Critics

1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?

2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?

3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?

Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.

Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

How did Howard believe Britain had benefited from other northern European nations?

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Howard broadcast to Commonwealth countries. He told them about life in England. He hoped to foster friendship.

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Britain’s Destiny

Introduction

Précis

Questions for Critics

Sevens

Jigsaws

Tags

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