High Flight, A Song Of Hope Poem by Dr Ian Inkster

This poem was of huge success just after publishing, at a time when the war was going agaist the Allies, when the UK and its Colonies were increasingly alone, and when the US had not yet officially entered.

This version of the sonnet or poem was reproduced directly by George Buday in 1954 from the collection of Christmas cards held at Windsor by HM Queen Mary.It was written by John Henry Magee of the Royal Canadian Air Force shortly before his death in a flying accident over Lincolnshire UK 0n 11 December 1941, aged 19. I am no fan of poems or songs of god, but in this case there are good reasons...

Born in 1922 in Shanghai, China, the poet was killed in a flying accident over Lincolnshire just after writing this, and buried at Scopwick, Lincolnshire Although a Us citizen he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in order to get to the European front as soon as possible and served in 1940 - 1941 as a pilot office with Unit No.412 Squadron RCAF. He was madefamous for his poem High Flight.
Its sacns well for music, and onlyy two words needed adding to give a nice effect I think. My own family was very RAF with my grandfather, my father and my uncle all serving in 1941 when this poem was written, it could have happened to any of them, and they almost definitely - at least at some time - felt something of these sentiments however tough they were.

Dr Ian Inkster