Joy Street: A Wartime Romance in Letters

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His Wall Street Journal colleague Stefanie Cohen thought the play suffered from difficulty in adapting the book to the stage. But I do know John, that you have given me something, and I, perhaps, to you, that no man or god can ever destroy. As the co-founder of the Special Air Service (SAS), he played a vital role in establishing the unit’s ethos and high standards of training and discipline. Their developing love affair is chronicled in an affecting narrative that reaches a tragic conclusion when Jock is killed in action on 30th December 1941.

Ashwell took the play to the US, where it ran for just 25 performances at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway.Impressed by the success of German parachute units - particularly during the Battle of Crete in 1941 - Lewes endeavoured to set up his own small parachute raiding unit. But before the outbreak of World War Two, Lieutenant Jock Lewes was "deeply impressed" with the Third Reich, a new documentary reveals. This nearly had disastrous consequences, when John severely injured his hand during one of their bomb-making experiments.

The play premiered on 2 August 2012 in the Cottesloe Theatre at the Royal National Theatre in London before transferring to the Apollo Theatre in the West End on 12 March 2013. Paul Taylor of The Independent described the work as an "imaginative adaptation" and "brilliant production" saying that it was presented in a "fresh and arresting light" while balancing humor and tragedy. Here he experienced intense combat and honed his military skills, especially in small-party raiding and desert endurance. The original house dating from the 1770s was largely rebuilt in the early 20th century by Ernest George. In addition to physical exercise and parachute training, it provided instruction in a raft of other skills including desert survival and navigation, first aid, observation and demolitions.Through this intense training programme and inspired leadership, Lewes imbued the fledgling SAS with the ethos and high standards that are its hallmarks today.