The poem "For Johnny" read by Sir John Mills is as follows: "Do not despair, For Johnny-head-in-air; He sleeps as sound, As Johnny underground. Fetch out no shroud, For Johnny-in-the-cloud; And keep your tears, For him in after years. Better by far, For Johnny-the-bright-star, To keep your head, And see his children fed."
The poem recited by Sir John Mills is titled "For Johnny". It is an ode to Royal Air Force pilots written by John Pudney (1909-1977).
The Hurricane seen doing a victory roll over the airfield was flown by Battle of Britain pilot Sandy Armour,
The film set in WWII and about the airmen on a British air base conveys the atmosphere of war without a single shot being fired, a combat scene or any exchanges between pilots and other crew members.
This movie was criticized as too clichéd, and failed at the U.S. box-office.