Home Fires

Let me help out.

It's warm, boys.

Welcome to Great Paxford, boys.

Well, the poor devils look absolutely shattered.

Hardly surprising given they had to fight their way out of Czechoslovakia

and across half of Europe. At least Churchill committed to getting them out.

I've been thinking.

Someone who knows Adam ought to say a few words at the thanksgiving service in his absence

and as president of the WI -

Hardly appropriate for a member of a secular pacifist organisation

to comment on the silencing of church bells due to war.

If anyone's likely to know what the vicar would have said under the circumstances,

it would probably be the vicar's wife.

Our country is in a state of war with Germany

and, as of this morning, Italy.

As a consequence this station is on high alert around the clock

as is every man here.

The last thing they need is the kind of distraction

you've been offering Wing Commander Bowers.

Consorting with a married officer undermines morale

and is utterly beyond the pale. Sir, I never set out to distract -

You appear to be under the illusion that this is a conversation.

It is not.

We've wasted quite enough time on this. I agree.

Aircraft Woman Campbell, you are to be dishonourably discharged from the WAAF effective immediately.

Sir, please. I - As a consequence

this will prohibit you from joining any other branch

of His Majesty's armed services.

Do you understand?

This is unfair.

You will be escorted off the station.

Wing Commander Bowers had me transferred -

Did you hear me, Miss Campbell?

What's happening to him? Has he been dishonourably discharged?

He has been reassigned to another station. You are dismissed.

Miss Campbell.

Scramble! Scramble!

Scramble! Scramble!

Laura. Please don't be nice to me, Thomas.

I simply want to leave and never come back.

I'll drive you home. Thank you.

Sir. Sir?

Mrs Brindsley.

I'm sure I'm the last person you want to see.

Not at all. However, once again, I'm afraid the information you request

is unavailable to the general public at the present time.

I have an absolute right to whatever information you have.

And I'll keep coming until I get some answers.

At the very least you must be able to tell me where my son's ship went down.

Was it near land - That information, as you've been repeatedly told, is restricted.

I wouldn't tell another living soul.

Please, Ijust want to find out what happened.

Please, Mrs Brindsley, calm down.

I'm perfectly calm.

Under the circumstances. Ijust need to be told -

What happened to your son.

And I'm telling you that at present I'm not at liberty

to give you any more information than you've already had. Which is none.

Well, in that case, I'd like the name of your commanding officer.

Mrs Brindsley, that really won't make any difference.

I can see why you'd say that.

But I'd like it nevertheless.

Were you listening in to that call?

Not listening in, so much as...checking.

Oh. We're all being encouraged to be on the lookout

for the out of the ordinary.

And what I'm doing is ensuring the caller is the person they say they are

and not a spy of some kind.

Oh. I wasn't aware German spies were expected in Cheshire.

3,000 Czech soldiers in the village, Mrs Simms.

What about them?

Who's to say they're all Czech? Who's saying they're not?

Can you tell the difference between a Czech accent and a German one?

Are you seriously suggesting that 3,000 German soldiers

have snuck into the country by pretending to be Czech

and no-one's noticed?

I'm saying we shouldn't assume anything is as it seems any more.

So snooping - Not snooping. Checking.

So checking in on calls is, in your mind, a first line of defence?

Exactly.

Have you heard from Mr Simms at all?

No. Not yet. And I suppose he's not actually fighting, is he?

Just sitting behind the lines, writing about fighting.

Yes.

Writing about fighting.

Number, please?

Now there's a sight for extremely sore eyes. Nick!

You're back.

I'm taking up the post of the station's new Wing Commander.

I did so well at Dunkirk,

the top brass has promoted me out of the sky altogether.

Congratulations. I'm sure it was thoroughly deserved.

Well, I wish I shared your conviction.

Have you heard from Adam since? No, nothing yet, no.

It was about as close to chaos as I've ever seen in the military.

Men were being scooped up and dumped

just about anywhere this side of the Channel, so...be patient.

I'm trying.

Well, do come round for tea once you get your feet under the table.

Thanks. I'll er, I'll be sure to take you up on that.

Do.

I'm so pleased you're back safely.

Leave them be!

Get off him!

Stop that! That's it...

Stop! Stop, stop!

He spilt my beer! I know. It was a mistake, yeah?

Come on. He didn't know what you were saying.

He pays for another! Of course, of course.

Here.

Take what it costs for beers for you and your friends, yeah?

Come on. OK? Here. OK?

Come on, let's go inside.

I'm very sorry. Are you hurt?

Your friend should watch where he's going.

Can't just plough into people when they're going about their own business.

If you can't handle your drink, don't go to the pub!

If you wish to lodge a complaint,

I take full responsibility. My name is Captain Marek Novotny.

And I'm very sorry that you were involved, Mrs...? Simms. Simms.

I don't need to make a complaint.

I simply need to be left in peace when I'm walking through my own village.

In future, watch what you're doing!

That's all you have to do round here is watch what you're doing.

Hello?

Laura? You all right?

Dishonourably discharged.

But not just that. Not just from the WAAF, that's not enough.

I'm also banned from joining any other branch of the services.

What happened? They painted me as a little slut

who jumped into an affair, even though he pursued me!

Lied through his teeth about his marriage,

but he's a Wing Commander so clearly none of that matters.

Look at me. If you refuse to be defined by this

you stand every chance of getting through it.

His wife is divorcing him for adultery

and plans to publicly name me as the other party.

I don't know what to do.

It's going to be all right. You have my word.

You have my absolute word.

If you've read it, then why haven't you done anything?

The article clearly said that radiation treatment

has had considerable success. What it actually said

was there's been considerable success with SOME cancer.

And considerable failure with others.

Why couldn't you be among the successful?

As likely, possibly more likely, it would make me worse.

You can't say that without trying it. Surely it's worth a shot.

You're not listening to me. You're the one who's not listening.

If there's the slightest chance - That's exactly what it is, Kate.

The very slightest chance.

There is no dignity in false hope, none whatsoever.

I'm not prepared to gamble with what little time I have left.

So you're just going to do nothing then?

Couldn't I put the same question to you?

Before you met jack, you wanted to become a nurse.

And then, as you said, I met jack.

And now he's gone.

His life has been cruelly taken from him, Kate. From both of you.

But yours hasn't.

Before telling me what I should do with what's left of my life,

why not give some thought to what you might do with the rest of yours?

Now, hang on a minute!

I do understand how hard this must have been - Will.

That's for you.

Good day.

Aren't you going to ask how it went?

I expect it went the same as the last time.

Well, you'll be wrong.

This time I have the name of someone in real authority to write to.

Don't get your hopes up.

They know what happened, Bryn.

Even if they do, you can't expect them to give away military positions.

I'm not asking for that. One thing leads to another, doesn't it?

If they tell you, they've got to tell everyone

and suddenly information gets out they need to keep under wraps.

David will be home in time to meet his brother or sister, Bryn. Mark my words.

Miriam - Mark them.

Christ, how could she have been so stupid?

Because she's young and naive, Will.

But Wing Commander Bowers wasn't. NO.

He knew precisely what he was doing. We need to do something and fast.

But what can you actually do?

Will.

Go back to Italy, you dirty wop!

Dirty wop! Dirty wop! Dirty wop!

Dirty wop! Dirty wop! That's enough!

Dirty wop! Dirty - That is enough!

What on earth do you think you're all doing?

Go!

Mrs Esposito, are you all right?

What Italy has done is terrible. Mussolini is terrible.

But this has been my country for many years.

I have made my home here.

I'm so sorry.

It won't happen again from those children.

You can take my word on that.

Morning, Bryn.

Good afternoon, Mrs Simms.

Captain Novotny.