Anthony Southwell had been piloting Lancaster flights out of RAF Bottesford with 207 Squadron RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War.
On the evening of 16 August 1942, he was carrying out a mine-laying exercise near Denmark when they were attacked by a German Luftwaffe aircraft.
Of the seven men on board, only one survived – Jack Read. He wrote a letter to Anthony’s wife, Pauline, calling him a “hero”.
On the inspiration for the film, Nick said: “Twenty five years ago… my dad just sort of opened up about it and told me all about it, and then produced this amazing letter which was written by the sole survivor from the flight.”
Nick said the letter left an impression on him.
Southwell said he also viewed his grandfather as a “a complete hero”, and “having his photographs, his flying logbook and this remarkable letter – to make a film just seemed a really lovely way to honour him and all his crew.
“I feel my generation is one of the last to have a real, personal connection to those who lived through the Second World War – that makes it incredibly important to me that we keep their memories and stories alive,” he said.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
