The Way Ahead
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, seven more or less reluctant conscripts find themselves on the same train, bound for their army training camp at Hacklesfield. They're a mixed bunch…
The Way Ahead
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, seven more or less reluctant conscripts find themselves on the same train, bound for their army training camp at Hacklesfield. They're a mixed bunch, representatives on a nation under arms. Evan Lloyd is a council rent-collector from Cardiff, John Luke is a Scottish farm-worker, Geoffrey Stainer, a car salesman, is the spoilt son of a London businessman and Ted Brewer is a grumbling cockney who works the boilers at the Houses of Parliament. Bill Parsons and Herbert Davenport work at the same department store - Davenport is a self-confident and pompous senior floor-walker; Parsons a young and diffident salesman who allows his older colleague to continue to boss him about. The only positivity comes from Sid Peck, an eternally optimistic London travel agent with a flair for languages and an encyclopaedic knowledge of train timetables. The grousing about conscription starts in the train and is in full flow in the buffet at Crewe station when the group bump into - literally - a regular NCO. Angry words are exchanged and on arrival at the camp the boys are dismayed to discover that this same NCO is their platoon sergeant, Ned Fletcher. The subaltern in charge of the platoon is Lieutenant Jim Perry, and he forms a strong team with Fletcher as they lead the section through basic training. The group are unhappy with the uniform, the food, the physical hardships, the lack of bathing facilities and mistake the sergeant's no-nonsense approach to toughening the recruits up for vindictiveness about the incident at Crewe station. Perry is a highly motivated Territorial and finds it difficult to understand the malcontents' attitude. Nevertheless Sergeant Fletcher is, out of their hearing at least, very proud of his platoon. He identifies Lloyd as a natural leader and tells Perry that the whole group will grow into good soldiers. Things come to a head when the section deliberately messes up an assignment on a large-scale exercise, so that they can be judged 'killed' and sent back to camp. An irate Perry berates them, reminding them of the battles that the regiment has won in its lengthy history, and the responsibility they have to uphold those traditions. Gradually the time-honoured processes of basic training prove effective at turning unpromising raw material into soldiers and some enthusiasm and team spirit are engendered. Eventually the whole battalion is sent to North Africa. En route the troopship is torpedoed and the group's reactions show that these men are skilled, courageous, and level-headed. Later they tackle the unexciting prospect of garrison duty in a dusty North African town with cheerful resignation, but suddenly they find themselves in action as the Germans attack. With the odds against them, the group responds with calm pragmatism and the attack is beaten off. The transformation of seven unfit, unmotivated, uncertain individuals into a cohesive team of resourceful professionals is complete.
The Way Ahead
Drama,War
Film Details
Shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War, seven more or less reluctant conscripts find themselves on the same train, bound for their army training camp at Hacklesfield. They're a mixed bunch, representatives on a nation under arms. Evan Lloyd is a council rent-collector from Cardiff, John Luke is a Scottish farm-worker, Geoffrey Stainer, a car salesman, is the spoilt son of a London businessman and Ted Brewer is a grumbling cockney who works the boilers at the Houses of Parliament.
Bill Parsons and Herbert Davenport work at the same department store - Davenport is a self-confident and pompous senior floor-walker; Parsons a young and diffident salesman who allows his older colleague to continue to boss him about. The only positivity comes from Sid Peck, an eternally optimistic London travel agent with a flair for languages and an encyclopaedic knowledge of train timetables. The grousing about conscription starts in the train and is in full flow in the buffet at Crewe station when the group bump into - literally - a regular NCO.
Angry words are exchanged and on arrival at the camp the boys are dismayed to discover that this same NCO is their platoon sergeant, Ned Fletcher. The subaltern in charge of the platoon is Lieutenant Jim Perry, and he forms a strong team with Fletcher as they lead the section through basic training. The group are unhappy with the uniform, the food, the physical hardships, the lack of bathing facilities and mistake the sergeant's no-nonsense approach to toughening the recruits up for vindictiveness about the incident at Crewe station.
Perry is a highly motivated Territorial and finds it difficult to understand the malcontents' attitude. Nevertheless Sergeant Fletcher is, out of their hearing at least, very proud of his platoon. He identifies Lloyd as a natural leader and tells Perry that the whole group will grow into good soldiers.
Things come to a head when the section deliberately messes up an assignment on a large-scale exercise, so that they can be judged 'killed' and sent back to camp. An irate Perry berates them, reminding them of the battles that the regiment has won in its lengthy history, and the responsibility they have to uphold those traditions. Gradually the time-honoured processes of basic training prove effective at turning unpromising raw material into soldiers and some enthusiasm and team spirit are engendered.
Eventually the whole battalion is sent to North Africa. En route the troopship is torpedoed and the group's reactions show that these men are skilled, courageous, and level-headed. Later they tackle the unexciting prospect of garrison duty in a dusty North African town with cheerful resignation, but suddenly they find themselves in action as the Germans attack.
With the odds against them, the group responds with calm pragmatism and the attack is beaten off. The transformation of seven unfit, unmotivated, uncertain individuals into a cohesive team of resourceful professionals is complete..