The Purple Plain the three men struggle to survive in the hostile environment, the self-destructive Bill finally realises that he can depend on support from others and that he may have someone to live for. Blore, however, abandons them to attempt to return to the crash site and commits suicide. "The Purple Plain" is regarded generally as historically accurate with good production values and attention to detail, and depicts the native Burmese in a respectful manner. The film is based on the 1947 novel "The Purple Plain" by H. E. Bates, one of three novels he wrote after his travels to Burma and
William H. Bates 1969. Immediately upon his death, the U.S. Navy attack submarine , originally planned to be named USS "Redfish", was renamed in his honor before her construction began. The Bates Bridge, which crosses the Merrimack River between Groveland and Haverhill, Massachusetts, is named in his honor. His great-nephew is comedian John Mulaney, whose maternal grandmother is Bates' sister. William H. Bates William Henry Bates (26 April 1917 – 22 June 1969) was a member of the United States House of Representatives notable for his staunch support of the United States Navy. Bates was born in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Nora