Ethel & Ernest Page #3

the doors and windows,

put wet newspapers in

between the floorboards.

He's a right old barmy.

Rarr!

Oh, Raymond! Behave.

This isn't a game, you know?

Underneath the spreading

chestnut tree...

Mr. Chamberlain and said to me

If you want your

gas masks fitted free

Join the blinking ARP.

Read this booklet until you

know by heart what it contains.

Oh, I wish I had a proper gas mask carrier.

Not a soppy old cardboard

box and string. It's not fair!

Oh, dear.

Ernest. Ernest, can you hear me?

- No!

- I can!

Be quiet, son.

Can you beat it? IRA bombs in

London, Manchester and Birmingham.

When will it end?

Oh, those Irish, they are just

like the blessed Arabs and Jews.

- Always at it.

- Yes, and don't forget the Serbs and Croats.

They're just as bad. Then

there's the Hindus and Muslims.

Why can't they all just be

like us and live in peace?

We interrupt this broadcast

with an announcement from

the Prime Minister in London.

I am speaking to you from the

Cabinet Room in Downing Street...

Underneath the spreading

chestnut tree...

- Ssh! It's the Prime Minister.

- Mr. Chamberlin said to me...

Ssh, dear!

...handed the German

government a final note,

stating that unless we heard

from them by 11 o'clock,

that they were prepared

at once to withdraw

their troops from Poland,

a state of war would

exist between us.

I have to tell you now that no

such undertaking has been received.

And that consequently, this

country is at war with Germany.

Blimey, duck.

This is it.

Mum?

The government announced today

that one and a half million

children are to be evacuated.

Children living in big

cities and towns...

- No!

- ...are to be moved temporarily from their homes...

- No, they're not taking ours away.

- Course they are.

No, they're not. Over my dead body!

It will be over his dead body, then.

- Is that what you want?

- Oh...

- Oh, Ernest.

- Well, that's exactly what will happen. He's got to go.

Oh, sorry, darling. Come on.

Don't cry.

Don't cry, love.

I know...

You be a good boy now, Raymond.

Come on, then.

Up you go, son. That's it.

Bye, son.

- We'll send you some things in the post.

- Stand clear now!

I know, I know...

- Bye, darling.

- Bye...

Bye, son.

He's gone.

- He's gone...

- Don't cry, darling.

He'll be safe down the country.

He's only five!

Ernest!

Ernest, it must be from Raymond.

Yes! Yes!

"Dear Mum and Dad, Auntie Flo and

Auntie Betty are very nice ladies."

Look, he's done some drawings, too.

"I sleep on a camp bed

in Auntie Flo's bedroom."

Aw, poor little mite.

"I get the milk in a can. It is

not in bottles because it is cows."

Milk not in bottles? Blimey.

"I rode on a carthorse's

back when we got the hay.

"I nearly did the splits.

"Yours sincerely, Raymond."

"Yours sincerely"!

Mind my antirrhinums, Ernest.

I hope you know what you're doing.

Eh? Course, duck. You just wait.

That's it. All done.

Is that it? Finished?

Is it really bombproof?

You'll have to wait and see.

Russia's invaded Finland now.

I thought they'd invaded Poland.

- Yes, they have.

- But you said Germany's invaded Poland.

- Yes, that's right. - Well, who was

it invaded Czechoslovakia? - Germany.

Germany's always invading someone.

I expect they'll invade Russia

one day. Cor blimey! Not likely.

- They're in league. Or Russia will invade Germany.

- Oh, don't be daft.

Well, if they all keep

invading one another,

we'll end up invading someone.

Oh, Ette, you just don't

understand politics.

Doh! Now look.

Blessed shelter!

Do you think they ever will

come down our road, Ernest?

I expect it will be OK.

They say Hitler's assured Holland

and Belgium of his friendship.

Oh, that's nice.

What do you think? It's all right, eh?

I thought firemen had those nice

brass helmets with curly tops.

No, blokes have been getting

electrocuted in those.

At last!

Churchill's taken over.

- "Blood, toil, tears and sweat."

- Ernest!

- Don't. Disgusting.

- It's your gentry talking, his words, not mine.

Yes, but he was talking

to the common people.

He wouldn't use words

like that in his own home.

What General Weygand has called

the Battle of France is over.

The Battle of Britain

is about to begin.

Upon this battle depends

the survival of Christian civilisation.

But the whole fury and might of the enemy

must very soon be turned on us.

Hitler knows that he will have

to break us in this island

or lose the war.

We can stand up to him,

all Europe may be free

and the life of the world

may move forward into

broad sunlit uplands.

But if we fail,

then the whole world,

including the United States,

will sink into the

abyss of a new dark age.

Let us therefore brace

ourselves to our duties,

so bear ourselves that if the

British Empire and its Commonwealths

last for 1,000 years,

men will still say...

...this was their finest hour.

"Broad, sunlit uplands."

Good old Winston! Our finest hour!

They're starting to take away

our nice gate and railings.

- I'll make a wooden gate.

- Oh, it's a shame.

They want saucepans too.

They make 'em into Spitfires.

Funny to think of our

front gate being a Spitfire.

Front door's halfway up the stairs.

It's spoiled my loose covers.

Could've been worse, Ette.

We got off light.

I'm glad Raymond was

well clear of all this.

Perhaps when we've got this mess cleared up

we could take a trip down to

Dorset and give him a visit.

Mum! Dad! Look at me!

Look!

Raymond, be careful, dear.

No need to worry about him, Ethel.

He's got quite used to things now.

Oh! Lovely country smells, eh, boysie?

- Are the pigs like that because of the blackout?

- Oh, Ette.

Ooh!

Come along, Raymond. We've seen the pigs.

He's fitted into the school

very well, hasn't he, Flo?

- It's as if he's always been here.

- Oh, good...

Mum, the boys at school all have boots.

They're common boys, Ethel,

from Lambeth and Bermondsey.

Can I have boots?

Certainly not, Raymond.

I've always dreamed of

a cottage in the country.

Down here it's hard to

believe there's a war on.

Come on, piggies.

That Mr. Morrison and

his soppy shelter's ruined

my nice dining room.

Government precautions, dear.

Still, at least we won't

have to go out into the cold.

You look like you're in the zoo.

I'll paint it brown to

tone in with the furniture.

A nice pastel brown, Ernest.

Blimey.

What?

Germany's invaded Russia!

I wish I'd betted you sixpence.

Oh!

Night, dear.

Night.

Ernest, what on earth are

you doing with that ruler?

Marking five inches. You're only

allowed five inches of water.

But if you were fat, it would be higher up.

Yeah, well, the King's done

it at Buckingham Palace.

It's not fair, fat people

getting a deeper bath.

They say you're supposed to

share the bath too, darling.

Disgusting!

- We share ours.

- But not at the same time.

Over here! Go on, go on!

Jerry's got a direct hit.

Those buildings are going to topple.

- Is there anyone in 'em?

- Don't know. Hope to God not.

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