The Winslow Boy

by Terence Rattigan

Just filmed by David Mamet, starring Nigel Hawthorne and Jeremy Northam, The Winslow Boy is based on the real-life court case of a young naval cadet unjustly accused of stealing a five shilling postal order. An eminent—and initially unsympathetic—QC takes on the case, and the boy has to withstand the full might of the Royal Naval Establishment seeking to discredit him.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Fiction, Classics, School, Historical Fiction, Theatre

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan, CBE was a British dramatist. He was one of England's most popular mid twentieth century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background. He is known for such works as The Winslow Boy (1946), The Browning Version (1948), The Deep Blue Sea (1952) and Separate Tables (1954), among many others.

A troubled homosexual, who saw himself as an outsider, his plays "confronted issues of sexual frustration, failed relationships and adultery", and a world of repression and reticence.

Reviews

[Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1908, a British boy of about 14, George Archer Shee [a double last name, and pronounced "Shay"], from a respectable but not rich family, was expelled from the Osborne Naval College after being falsely accused of stealing a five-shilling postal money order from a fellow cadet. (The administrators assumed his guilt and made no real attempt to investigate.) He and his family maintained his innocence, convinced one of England's leading lawyers to take the case, and brought suit against the Admiralty for redress (an uphill battle from the start, since agencies of the British government could not be sued in British courts without their own consent!). Four days into what became a high-profile trial, the Crown counsel conceded George's innocence. (Sadly, young George lived to be only 19, dying in World War I at the first battle of Ypres.)

Acclaimed 20th-century British playwright Terence Rattigan took this real-life incident as the basis for this play, changing the names of the people involved (George Archer Shee becomes Ronnie Winslow, for instance), and changing some details, some character's ages, etc., and fictionalizing some plot lines, but keeping the essential premise intact. The result is a very powerful and engrossing drama, set against the background of the Edwardian era with its strict social conventions and its almost-vanished codes of personal integrity and honor. It's a David vs. Goliath tale, with messages about the value of truth and defending one's good name, about justice and fairness in the way people are treated by those in power, about family loyalty, moral courage, and willingness to sacrifice in a good cause. Rattigan doesn't give us the courtroom scenes here, focusing instead on the family relationships and interpersonal dynamics of the characters. Two of the latter who stand out the most are Ronnie's older sister Catherine, a suffragette and social rule-breaker with a heart for justice, and staid conservative legal titan (and opponent of women's suffrage, from his seat in Parliament) Sir Robert Morton. Except for a mutual dedication to justice, they're opposites from the get-go (and you know the old saying about opposites.... :-) ).

This was required reading in my English class in the spring semester of my sophomore year in high school, and it's stayed with me ever since (though I'd forgotten the author's name and title until recently). It's been filmed several times; I've never been fortunate enough to see any of those productions (nor any live one), but I'd really like to see the 1990 TV movie version with Emma Thompson as Catherine!

Since I haven't read or watched any of Rattigan's other plays, I can't say how typical this one is of his output. On the strength of this work alone, though, I'd say he deserves a place in the history of the English theater of the 20th century. This is a work that stands out, especially in its beacon-like moral clarity, in contrast to the bleak nihilism of so much English-language drama in the later 20th century. To my chagrin, I've discovered that Rattigan is largely (or maybe completely!) unrepresented in Bluefield College's library collection. That's a gap I'm definitely going to remedy!)

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent stage play is based on an actual incident in the Edwardian era, which took place at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, England. Before he took the case, the barrister who was to represent him subjected the boy to questioning to test his story, only accepting once he had satisfied himself of the boy's innocence.

The theme of the lawsuit was "Let Right be Done" which recognizes the operative principle that what is legal does not mean it is right.
If Sir Robert Morton were to appear in the courts today I wonder if his ringing cry for right would move the hardened hearts of the justice
system.

Favorite quote(s):
Sir Robert Morton
“I have a point of order, Mr. Speaker. . . I will not yield. . .You shall not side with the great against the powerless. . . Have you heard those words, gentlemen? Do you recognize their source? From that same source I add this injunction. It is this: what you do to the least of them you do to me.”

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
"It is easy to do justice - very hard to do right".

Let Right Be Done. A father battles to prove the innocence of his son, accused of stealing a postal order at his Edwardian naval college. His stubborn quest sparks reverberations at the House of Commons.

Stars Michael Aldridge as Arthur Winslow, Pauline Letts as Grace Winslow, Sarah Badel as Catherine Winslow, MichaeI Maloney as Dickie Winslow, John McAndrew as Ronnie Winslow and Nicholas Courtney as the Attorney-General.

Adapted from Terence Rattigan's stage and TV scripts and directed by Ian Cotterell

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1986.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0129678

[Vishy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first discovered 'The Winslow Boy' by Terence Rattigan when I was a student. It was the prescribed play for our English language class. I picked it up and read it during the first few days of the semester. I loved it. I'd never heard of Terence Rattigan before. I wondered who this playwright was, who wrote such a beautiful play. Even my sister, who majored in literature, hadn't heard of him. I thought that one day, when I grow older and become more mature, I'll come back and read 'The Winslow Boy' again. I also thought that I'll look for more Terence Rattigan plays. They were hard to find and I gave up. Yesterday, I felt that the time has come to read 'The Winslow Boy' again. I'm older, hopefully more mature, and my literary taste has evolved. So why not?

The story told in 'The Winslow Boy' goes like this. A young cadet is expelled from the naval academy for a small theft. He says that he is innocent. His family believes him. His family decides to go to war against the establishment, against the admiralty, to prove his innocence. What happens after that forms the rest of the story.

'The Winslow Boy' is the story of a little man who is wronged, and who goes to war against the establishment to get justice. How can we not like this story? It is stirring, it is inspiring. I liked it the first time I read it, I liked it even more this time. The dialogue, the cool lines, the humour, the drama, the romance, the deep conversations, it was all beautiful. I'm not sure I understood some of the subtext when I was younger, but I understood it now. The way the family goes through lots of challenges and have to make sacrifices in their pursuit of justice, when sometimes it all looks hopeless, this is all beautifully depicted. 'The Winslow Boy' was inspired by a real-life story which happened. So in a way, it is a theatrical adaptation of history. It makes the story even more interesting.

Terence Rattigan was one of the great British playwrights of the 20th century. From the middle '40s till the middle '50s, he was probably the pre-eminent British playwright, with many of his plays running for more than a year in London's West End, and sometimes multiple plays of his running at the same time. But sometime in the '50s, and definitely in the '60s, he lost favour among the critics and reviewers and even theatre fans. It was the era when a new kind of play started coming out, which had no story, no plot, or if it had one, it was difficult to understand. For some reason, this no-story-difficult-to-understand play succeeded and most playwrights started writing this way. Terence Rattigan was probably one of the last of the traditional playwrights who wrote a play with a solid plot, and well sculpted characters, and beautiful dialogue. These new playwrights dispensed with all this, and for reasons which defy logic, found success. I don't know why people hate good stuff. Terence Rattigan was knighted in the early '70s for his services to theatre, and there was a revival of his plays in those years. Since then it has been long periods of quiet, with an occasional revival of some of his plays. Today, outside of hardcore theatre enthusiasts and fans and maybe literature students, he seems to be mostly forgotten. It is sad. It is a shame. Because he really wrote beautifully. This particular play, 'The Winslow Boy', is one of his finest.

I'm so happy to read 'The Winslow Boy'. I'm glad that some good Samaritan included it in my college English syllabus, as otherwise I probably wouldn't have discovered it. Hoping to read more of Terence Rattigan's plays now.

Sharing one of my favourite conversations from the play. Arthur is the dad and Catherine is the daughter.

#BeginQuote

ARTHUR. Poor Kate! (Pause. He takes her hand slowly.) How I’ve messed up your life, haven’t I?

CATHERINE. No, Father. Any messing-up that’s been done has been done by me.

ARTHUR. I’m so sorry, Kate. I’m so sorry.

CATHERINE. Don’t be, Father. We both knew what we were doing.

ARTHUR. Did we?

CATHERINE. I think we did.

ARTHUR. Yet our motives seem to have been different all along – yours and mine, Kate? Can we both have been right?

CATHERINE. I believe we can. I believe we have been.

ARTHUR. And yet they’ve always been so infernally logical, our opponents, haven’t they?

CATHERINE. I’m afraid logic has never been on our side.

ARTHUR. Brute stubbornness – a selfish refusal to admit defeat. That’s what your mother thinks have been our motives –

CATHERINE. Perhaps she’s right. Perhaps that’s all they’ve been.

ARTHUR. But perhaps brute stubbornness isn’t such a bad quality in the face of injustice?

CATHERINE. Or in the face of tyranny. (Pause.) If you could go back, Father, and choose again – would your choice be different?

ARTHUR. Perhaps.

CATHERINE. I don’t think so.

ARTHUR. I don’t think so, either.

CATHERINE. I still say we both knew what we were doing. And we were right to do it.

ARTHUR kisses the top of her head.

ARTHUR. Dear Kate. Thank you.

#EndQuote

Have you heard of Terence Rattigan? Have you read 'The Winslow Boy'? What do you think about it?

[Daisy Leather · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful play about family, loyalty and sacrifice. It made me cry a number of times throughout. Catherine is an amazing woman - strong minded, powerful, self assured, confident, and yet feels so deeply without letting her emotions take over or cloud her judgement. And I wish I had an Arthur in my life to advocate for me as he does for Ronnie. Even the sacrifice Sir Robert makes is entirely unexpected and yet so touching, for a case that could be considered so trivial but for the purpose of it simply being RIGHT. Love love loved it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excerpt -- Best. Repartee. Ever.

CATHERINE
Father, I've been a fool.

ARTHUR
Have you, my dear?

CATHERINE
An utter fool.

ARTHUR
In default of further information, I can only repeat: Have you, my dear?

CATHERINE
There can be no further information. I'm under a pledge of secrecy.

[jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“while the appeal of justice is intellectual, the appeal of right appears for some odd reason to induce tears in court” apparently same here sir robert because i’m crying a bit!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this play! The story was interesting and filled with witty dialogue, a strong cast of characters, an interesting and thought provoking subject and all in a relatively short script.

[Jeff Yoak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, short read.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Script, and Film and radio play

[Illiterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would you (should you) continue a stubborn fight for right at the expense of your loved ones? I say “no”.

[James Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premiered in 1946, The Winslow Boy is based on an actual incident, in which fourteen-year-old Ronnie Winslow (John McAndrew) is falsely accused of stealing a five-shilling postal order, and expelled from the Royal Naval College. Eventually his name is cleared, but only after the intervention of eminent QC Sir Robert Morton (Aubrey Woods), who takes the case to the House of Commons and the High Court. The play celebrates the Winslow family's fight for justice, as they are prepared to sacrifice everything, both materially and emotionally. Arthur Winslow (Michael Aldridge) puts his own health at risk, while daughter Kate (Sarah Badel) gives up on a prosperous marriage.
Ronnie is the subject of the entire case and he tries to live a normal life midst the extraordinary circumstances taking place around him. It was clear he would rather spend a afternoon at the local cinema rather than go to court. It is through the character of Ronnie that the reader can reflect on the merits of the case: did the Winslows do the right thing by pursuing it to its farthest extent, or would they have been better off abandoning the whole thing?

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mid 20th century play holds increasing relevance in a time when truth, right, and the law are so much on our minds. This play asks: where does personal dignity and honor intersect with the good of all citizens? At which injustice does the line of tranny begin?

This play is about a father and daughter’s quest for justice for their son/brother and asks important questions such as “what is the distinction between right and justice?” and “how far would you go to see right done? What happens when those sacrifices are not yours?” and “what if the easier, better path for everyone involved would have been to let it go?”

A smart, sometimes coy, funny, and sweet story hiding a wealth of important questions in the folds of its fabric. The 1999 Mamet film is a tremendous movie, in part because it was so well cast, but in larger part because Mamet’s screenplay stays true to the wonderful material already there, merely enlarging it in a way that cannot be done on a stage.

[zeinab · Rating 3 out of 5]

اول عمل اقرأه لتيرنس راتيجان
تدور الاحداث حول طفل يتهم زورا بالسرقه واب يناضل لاثبات براءه ابنه
ودع الحق يأخذ مجراه كان شعار القضيه
تضحى الاخت بخطيبها الذى تحب فى سبيل نصره اخيها ويظهر الخطيب ضعيف الشخصيه امام والده
يوقف الاخ ااكبر تعليمه ع مضض منه ف سبيل توفير النقود للقضيه
ويكسب الطفل القضيه
دور المحامى الاكثر من رائع

انا سعيد لانى عشت حتى أرى ابنى يأخذ حقه
من السهل انتصار العدل انما انتصار الحق
كانت اجمل الاقتباسات

اتمنى حقا مشاهده الفيلم
واتمنى ان تجد كيت اخت الفتى وينسلو من يهيم حبا بها حتى تكون نهايه الفيلم العربى

[ems · Rating 4 out of 5]

so glad this wasn't the book i thought i was reading. after the first 10 pgs or so i was settling in for a moby dick-type plot, family is destroyed by father's quest for justice blah blah. i kept thinking, why can't this be about kate instead. and then it kind of was. and then i thought, she needs to lose that fiance and go into politics herself. AND SHE DID. this almost never happens. i'm so happy.

[وائل المنعم · Rating 2 out of 5]

قوة وإثارة أحداث المسرحية يضعفها الشخصيات السطحية، فرغم ان كل من الاب والبنت والمحامي يمثلون اساس لبناء شخصية قوي، وتسمح لهم الاحداث بتطور كاف وسبل للكشف عن ذواتهم الحقيقة إلا ان المسرحية عرضت لهذا بشكل ضعيف للغاية أثر على تقييم العام للمسرحية.

[Dimitri Bartels · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm writing this review like 2 months after I read it and I'm still obsessed

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

[Macky · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️3.5/4⭐️

[Tarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy of 13 years of age from Osborne Naval College is accused of theft. The matter is of such spectacular notoriety that the family must go to court to try to see their son proven innocent, if at all possible.

A classic.

I found the play to be easy to follow, and the dialogue is interesting enough to stick with it.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m having to pace myself on Terence Rattigan’s plays, because, after reading my first one earlier this summer, I want to devour his entire oeuvre immediately. As it is, I’m trying to limit myself to one play a month (although that play is usually read in one sitting).

The Winslow Boy did not help my fascination. If anything, it made it worse. Centering on a comfortable if not wealthy British family in the years before WWI, the play opens with the cosseted younger son expelled from school for a crime he claims he did not commit. His father believes him and sets about clearing the boy’s name, no matter the cost. The action takes place entirely in the family’s sitting room and, similar to The Deep Blue Sea, which took place over the course of one day, I loved the intimacy the limitation creates.

The play’s central theme is the cost of justice. As an audience, we love the stories of big court cases and David-over-Goliath victories, but so few of those stories ever ask, in a meaningful way, what happens behind the curtain. That’s the focus of this play, and it makes for absorbing (and at times uncomfortable) narrative. Highly recommended.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember seeing the 1999 film version of The Winslow Boy some years back and liking it, but for some reason reading the original play impressed me even more, though the film was a faithful adaptation. Perhaps it's the structure of the play that's more dramatic, or perhaps there's simply more to it that I didn't recall from the film. The characters and the pre-WWI setting are alive on the page, the play itself an absorbing and thought-provoking study of justice and the cost of standing for conviction. Not in sympathy with the feminist angle of Kate's character, but the story does not deal so much with her opinions as it does with the way they affect her relationships/conflicts with other characters. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and I couldn't help wondering what it would be like to see it performed on stage.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: I have watched this play by Rattigan for the fourth and fifth times. I've watched it in English, in a BBC collection of plays by Rattigan, and in parallel in Spanish, in the representation broadcast by RTVE over half a century ago.

The best scene in this play is the interrogation of the Winslow boy by Sir Robert Morton, which brought him to the conclusion that the boy was innocent.

ESPAÑOL: He visto esta obra de Rattigan por cuarta y quinta vez. La he visto en inglés, en una colección de obras de Rattigan de la BBC, y en paralelo en español, el la representación emitida en Estudio-1 hace más de medio siglo.

La mejor escena de esta obra es el interrogatorio del chico de los Winslow por parte de Sir Robert Morton, que le convenció de que el niño era inocente.

[Jimena González Lebrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

“(…) This victory is not mine, it is the people who have triumphed - as they always will triumph - over despotism.”

_____________________________
The Winslow Boy es una obra de teatro publicada en el año 1946 y basada en un hecho real. Ronnie Winslow tiene 14 años y es estudiante en el Royal Naval College; antes de terminado el año escolar es expulsado y enviado a su casa con una carta para su padre en donde se explica que Ronnie es culpable de haber robado 5 chelines correspondientes a un giro postal. Considerándolo una injusticia, el padre inicia una demanda no sólo para probar la inocencia de su hijo sino para demostrar la impunidad de la milicia Británica.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great play - I love the family interactions throughout the story. The subtleness of the character study may make the plot seem a bit slow, but the point of the play is the people, not the action. It has a great message, but without being heavy-handed about it.

FYI - David Mamet's movie is a fantastic version, and stays very true to Rattigan's play. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoyed reading the original.

[Hriday · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stress of taking up a book reading challenge is a bit too much!

The stress got to me so much that last night it came to me in a dream that this book had been prescribed in school and i had read it! I am fudging the date so as to keep up with my challenge. :P

A faint memory of it being a nice readable read is all that persists

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who knew that justice at a military school for boys could be arbitrary?

The expositional telephone conversation at the start of the last scene was pretty bad. Sort of: "Hello? Yes? The same, five months later? A stifling hot afternoon in June – nearly two years less one month since the boy's dismissal from Osborne?"

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was made to read this at school, I don't know why because it had no relevance in the 1980s. I suspect it had been put on my school's reading list when it was first published and no-one ever thought to remove it. Besides which it's grim and boring. I hope modern children don't have to endure the same experience.

[Victoria Sethunya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was about 13 when I read The Winslow Boy. Ever since then the courthouse is a dreadful place, and I believe it was from the fear that I developed as I went through various motions with the young Winslow. Great read for all ages.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting pre WW1 drama about a boy accused of stealing a postal order and his fathers campaign for justice. Compelling story but could have made more of the supporting characters side stories and the knock onn effect of the case other than the father and son :)