DW formed strong views on both religion and politics, and an insight into his political views can be found in his ‘Letter to Posterity’.
Written on 20th November 1947, the day when the future Queen Elizabeth II married the future Prince Philip, the letter was placed in a bottle along with a shorter letter by DW’s step-daughter Diana, and buried in an urn on his terrace.
DW’s intention was that it would be found in a hundred or more years time, but by a twist of fate it was discovered on the demolition of his house in the late 1960s, and has since become the subject of significant media attention*
Clearly concerned by the post war rise of socialism, DW extrapolates forward to a time when he believes Britain will have become a police state where individual freedom of thought and expression is suppressed, and he gives detailed advice on how to rebel against this state of affairs and for individuals to regain their precious freedom.
After its discovery, the Letter was acquired by Richard Humphreys, and has since found its way into another major collection.
References : Phil Baker Chapter 35
Provenance : Ex Humphreys collection
An early pencil draft of the Letter to Posterity can be found in Leeds University's Special Collections archives
* BBC4 2005’s Lost Decade series – Dennis Wheatley; A Letter To Posterity
