A unique evening

Touching wartime correspondence between Brief Encounter star Celia Johnson and her husband Peter Fleming features in the next exclusive event being staged by the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust at the RAF Club in London’s Piccadilly.

Letters to the Moon is a moving production that brings to life the relationship between the star of the classic 1945 film and journalist and writer Peter Fleming OBE. It is being staged on Thursday 30 October to raise much-needed funds for the charity.

The correspondence between Johnson and her husband is dramatised by actress Lucy Fleming, Celia Johnson’s daughter, and Simon Williams, who, among other top roles, starred as Sir Humphrey in the stage adaptation of the much-loved Yes, Prime Minister.

This unique production promises to be an unmissable event, with those attending also enjoying a hot supper in the unique surroundings of the RAF Club.

Written shortly before Johnson went on to star in the classic black and white film, the correspondence outlines her wartime experiences, from running a large, isolated house full of evacuated children and learning to drive a tractor to coping with rationing and becoming an auxiliary policewoman.

She was nominated for an Academy Award for Brief Encounter and went on to enjoy an acting career that spanned more than 50 years. She won a BAFTA for her portrayal of the headmistress in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

Peter Fleming OBE was one of the great travel writers of the 20^th century, having begun his reporting career as a special correspondent with the Times. He served with the Grenadier Guards during world war two and, from 1942, was in charge of military deception operations in Southeast Asia. The couple had married in 1935.

The performance, in aid of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust’s The Next Sortie project, is expected to be over-subscribed. Tickets, at just £85 including supper, can be booked by calling Patrick Tootal on 01732 870809 or emailing battleofbritain@btinternet.com