THE LETTERS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

Typewritten, signed.
Bishop Bell replied positively the following day (typescript copy at Lambeth Palace Library LPL Bell 208, f.309):

My dear Dr Vaughan Williams,
It was a pleasure to hear from you. And I agree with your strong plea for public recognition of the fine work of Martin Shaw by his inclusion in the Honours List. It is difficult to know quite how to set about this. Presumably the proper machinery would be through the Ministry of Education, by means of a letter or series of letters to the Minister (at present Sir David Eccles) from admirers of Martin Shaw – so that he might be included in the list which the Minister sends in. It is now too late for the Birthday Honours this year: but an attempt might quite well be made for the New Year Honours. I will have a word with a friend of mine who has been high up in the Ministry of Education, and will write to you again about this. Apart from the Honours List, there is the possibility of an approach to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a Lambeth Degree. I don’t know whether Martin Shaw has ever been approached for that? I expect you could find out from him. If no approach has been made,
then I would suggest that a letter might be sent to the Archbishop, signed by a number of composers and musicians, under your leadership – particularly composers and musicians
connected with the Church – and by a number of ecclesiastics who have worked with, or who knew the work of Martin Shaw. What the Archbishop would pay particular attention to would be the weight of the musicians’ recommendation. If T. S. Eliot were also willing to support such an approach (seeing that Shaw wrote the music for The Rock) that would add greatly. I would advise you to enquire amongst brother musicians to see whether they would support such an application – if you found that no application had hitherto been made. The other alternative would be to get up a small but rather select dinner to Martin Shaw on the occasion of his 80th birthday (Who’s Who says he was born in 1875), perhaps at the Athenaeum. This could anyhow be done, whether he got an Honour or a Degree, and would I am sure give him great pleasure. Those who know him much better than I do would be much better able to suggest the names of possible guests. I feel sure that Cumberlege would help you with regard to such a dinner, as he organised one a little time ago at the Athenaeum for Arnold Toynbee. I would of course gladly co-operate.