Transcript of
A Matter of Life
and Death.
J: Request
your position, request your position, come in Lancaster, come in Lancaster
P:
Position Nil, repeat nil, age 27, 27.
Did you get that? That’s very important. Education interrupted,
violently interrupted. Religion church of England, Politics conservative by
nature, labour by experience. What’s your name?
J: I
cannot read you, cannot read you, request your position, can you see our
signals?
P: Oh
give me my scallop shell of quiet, my staff of faith to walk upon, my strip of
joy immortal diet, my bottle of salvation, my gallon? of glory hopes true gage
and thus I’ll take my pilgrimage. Sir Walter Raleigh wrote that,
I’d rather have written that than flown through Hitler’s legs.
J: I
cannot understand you, hello Lancaster, we are sending signals, can you see our
signals? come in Lancaster, come in Lancaster,
flying
noise
P: But
at my back I always hear, times winged chariots hurrying near, and yonder all
before us lie, deserts of vast eternity. Andy Marvel, What a Marvel. What’s
your name?
J: Are
you receiving me? repeat are you receiving me? request your position. Come in
Lancaster
P: You
seem like a nice girl, I can’t give you my position, instruments gone,
crew gone too, all except Bob here my sparks, he’s dead, the rest all
bailed out on my orders time 03.35, d’you get that?
J: Crew bailed
out 03.35
P:Station
Warrenden bomber group A G George, send them a signal got that?
J: Station
Warrenden bomber group A apple G george.
P:
They’ll be sorry about Bob we all liked him.
J: Hello
G George, Hello G George, are you all right? are you going to try to land, do
you want a fix?
P:Name’s not G George its P Peter, Peter D Carter, D’s for
David, Squadren Leader Peter Carter.
No I’m not going to land, undercarriage is gone, inner port’s on
fire, I’m bailing out presently, I’m bailing out. ……Take
a telegram.
J: Got
your message, received your message, we can hear you,
P:
Telegram to my mother, Mrs Michael Carter, 88 Hamstead Lane, London North West.
J: 88
Hamstead Lane, London
P: Tell
her that I love her, you’ll have to write this for me but what I want her
to know is, that I love her very much, that I’ve never shown it to her,
not really, but that I’ve loved her always, right up to the end. Give my
love to my two sisters too, don’t forget them
J: Received
your message, we can hear you, are you wounded? repeat are you wounded? Are you
bailing out?
P:
What’s your name?
J: June
P:Yes
June I’m bailing out, I’m bailing out but there’s a catch,
I’ve got no parachute,
J:Hello,
hello Peter, do not understand, hello hello peter, can you hear me?
P:Hello
June, don’t be afraid its quite simple, we’ve had it and I’d
rather jump than fry. After the first 1000 feet what’s the difference I
shan’t know anything anyway, I say I hope I haven’t frightened you.
J: No, I’m
not frightened
P: Good
Girl
J: Your
sparks you said he was dead, hasn’t he got a chute?
P: Cut
to ribbons, cannon shell. June? Are you pretty?
J: Not
bad I …
P: Can
you hear me as well as I can hear you?
J: Yes
P: You’ve
got a good voice, you’ve got guts too, its funny I’ve known dozens
of girls, I’ve been in love
with some of them but its an American girl whom I’ve never seen and never
shall see who’ll hear my last words, its funny, its rather sweet. June, if you’re
around when they pick me up, turn your head away
J:
Perhaps we can do something Peter, let me report it.
P: No,
no one can help, only you. Let me do this in my own way. I want to be alone
with you June. Where were you born?
J:
Boston
P: Mass?
J: Yes
P:
That’s a place to be born, history was made there. Are you in love with
anybody, no, no don’t answer that.
J: I
could love a man like you Peter
P: I
love you June, you’re life and I’m leaving you. Where do you live?
On the station?
J: No in
a big country house about 5 miles from here, Lee Wood House
P: Old
house?
J: Yes
very old,
P: Good
I’ll be a ghost and come and see you, you’re not frightened of
ghosts are you? It would be awful if you were.
J:
I’m not frightened.
P: What
time will you be home?
J: Well
I’m on duty until 6, I have breakfast in the mess and then I have to
cycle half an hour, I often go along the sands. …This is such nonsense.
P: No it
not it’s the best sense I’ve ever heard. I was lucky to get you June. Can’t be helped about the
parachute, I’ll have my wings soon anyway, big white ones. I hope they
haven’t gone all modern I’d hate to have a prop instead of wings.
What do you think the next worlds like? I’ve got my own ideas
J: Oh Peter
P: I
think it starts where this one leaves off or where this one could leave off if
we’d listened to Plato and Aristotle and Jesus. With all our little
earthly problems solved but with greater ones worth the solving. I’ll
know soon enough anyway. I’m signing off now June, goodbye, goodbye June
J: Hello
G for George, hello G George, hello G George, hello……….
Sobs….
Not on
radio:
P: So
long Bob, I’ll see you in a minute. You know what we wear by now, prop or
wings.