When a student is accused of stealing something as small as a five shilling postal order, it just seems so miniscule that expelling the child, and the child’s family suing the college, can seem all rather ridiculous. And yet, that is exactly what happened in London just before the world war, a nationwide viral case that ended up to be depicted in The Winslow Boy. The mail order may seem small, and the court proceedings do feel sometimes tedious, but The Winslow Boy shines through its performances, the style, and the insistence to stand up for the truth, even when it means going against societal pressures and hierarchies to have truth recognized.
Early 20th century England: while toasting his daughter Catherine's engagement, Arthur Winslow learns the royal naval academy expelled his 14-year-old son, Ronnie, for stealing five shillings. Father asks son if it is true; when the lad denies it, Arthur risks fortune, health, domestic peace, and Catherine's prospects to pursue justice.
London, 1911. After 14-year-old Ronnie Winslow is expelled from the Royal Naval College for being accused of theft, his father Arthur doggedly pursues the case, in defiance of the Admiralty and the Crown, to reinstate their family’s honor and standing, with the help of talented lawyer Sir Robert Morton.
A shilling is £0.05, and five shillings would be £0.25. In today’s money, this case would be downright silly, but when you calculate it for today’s inflation, by my calculations it would be around £25 rounded up. It’s more than twice the hourly minimum wage, which means that a) this case might not be as petty, and b) inflation is crazy.
It’s the kind of period drama that needs a bit more context, but it’s not half bad.
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