Letter from Compton Mackenzie, 1941
Rhiannon Phillips of Gwent Archives shares a letter revealing the wartime incident that inspired one of Scotland’s most famous writers
In the classic 1949 Ealing Studios comedy Whisky Galore!, the people of a remote Scottish island are delighted when a ship full of whisky is wrecked on their shores – and they steal the cargo, against a backdrop of tax regulations and Second World War privation.
The film is based on a novel by author Compton
Mackenzie – and a letter held in Gwent Archives reveals the real-life incident that inspired the story, as education and outreach archivist Rhiannon Phillips explains.
Can You Describe The Letter To Our Readers?
The letter is part of a collection of correspondence between the writer Compton Mackenzie and Mrs Syssyllt
Avis Gurney. She was the daughter of Frederic George Morgan, the 5th Baron Tredegar, and Dorothy Syssyllt Bassett. Compton Mackenzie and Avis Gurney formed a friendship and wrote to each other for more than 20 years, discussing topics including his work, friends and family, health, politics and the impact of the Second World War.
The letter I have chosen was written in February 1941 and sent from Compton Mackenzie’s secluded home on the Isle of Barra, in the Outer Hebrides, to Avis Gurney’s residence in Colchester. It’s only a short letter, covering two sides, but it is absolutely packed with snippets of information. I would probably describe Mackenzie’s handwriting style as a little tricky in terms of first impressions.
Who Was Compton Mackenzie?
Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie was born in 1883 in West Hartlepool, County Durham. His parents, Edward and Virginia Frances Compton (née Bateman), were actors and theatre-company managers.
‘This event, which he mentions in passing, inspired
Compton Mackenzie went on to become a political activist, broadcaster and prolific writer.
He wrote on a range of subjects including history, as well as children’s stories and poetry. However, he is probably most well-known for his novels The Monarch of the Glen and Whisky Galore (both of which have gone on to be adapted for film and TV – the latter with an exclamation mark added). He took great pride in his Scottish heritage, and was a founding member of the Scottish National Party.
Compton Mackenzie built his home on Barra in the 1930s, finding inspiration and creative solitude there. In other letters to Avis Gurney in the 1940s, he details the difficulties of leaving the island due to the local Home Guard and coastguards. He died in November 1972 in Edinburgh, but was laid to rest on the Isle of Barra.
What Does He Discuss In The Letter?
Most of the news in this wide-ranging letter is condensed into a sentence or two. Compton Mackenzie refers to the difficult circumstances that Avis Gurney has found herself in; his work on the novel The North Wind of Love and an attack of shingles; a recent visit by his friend, Robert ‘Bob’ Boothby, parliamentary secretary to the Ministry of Food; and Avis’ brother, John.