The Way Ahead Page #11

---

No, I think the concert parties

are a little further forward.

- All here, Fletcher?

- Yes, sir.

I'll give you the full details later,

but the form is roughly this.

Our battalion's in reserve

in these villages here,

and a long way out in front,

our troops are in contact with the enemy.

You may see the German

Verey lights at night.

Well, we're still a long way from them,

but there's no reason why

we shouldn't keep on our toes, is there?

Cheer up, Davenport. What's that?

Some sort of tortoise, sir.

There's a lot of them.

Some of the men keep them as pets.

I'm glad somebody in the place is friendly.

Now, this cafe.

The man there doesn't seem to like us much.

He may improve with care,

so try not to break the place up,

and be on your best behaviour, right?

- Right, sir.

- Very good, sir.

Nice, friendly country, this.

Look at him. What's up?

He hasn't read the Beveridge Report,

that's what's wrong.

I haven't read it myself, come to that.

He wanted us to leave him alone,

fight somewhere else.

- I don't blame him. I don't blame us, either.

- Here.

What about this? Couldn't we have a game?

Go on, Sid, ask him.

Ahem! Er... Monsieur le patron!

Est-ce que vous serez trs incommod

si nous jouons un peu de darts?

Vous avez de l'objection?

Go on, put it up and play.

Come on, Beck. It's time

to go and get orders.

Och, come on.

Cor! Look at that!

Verey lights.

I wonder if they're ours.

Yeah.

Pretty near, too.

Kind of creepy, isn't it?

Come on.

Nothing like it.

Well done. 39.

Ah, well, it's been a nice game, boys.

Simple.

We'll court the audience.

Er... 21.

- How do we stand, Bert?

- You're 19 down.

- Hey, what's the idea?

- Go on, let him have a go.

- Let him break up the game?

- It doesn't matter. Let him have a go.

Look, he's taking cover.

Thinks it's a spear.

Very good! Very good!

Sacr crtin!

Tu veux voir ma maison en ruines?

Idiot, espce d'andouille... Un grand trou.

Mchant.

- Well played, sir!

- Beautifully played!

- Why can't you play like that?

- Beginner's luck.

Vous voyez, il n'est pas ncessaire

de dsacrer les maisons d'autres.

Allez, filez, filez!

C'est trs dsagrable!

Et vous, vous vous conduisez comme a devant

les Anglais... Une honte! C'est terrible, a!

Continuez.

- Come on, George! Come on!

- You can do it easily. That's the stuff.

Not bad, eh?

Here, now what you want is double two.

- Two, two.

- Two, two.

- Good job!

- Oh, beautiful, eh?

What about beginner's luck?

He's played like this for three weeks.

All right, all right.

- What's the lecture today, sarge?

- Aircraft recognition.

..has been as fine

as anywhere in England.

Yes, it's been a good year all round

in Berkshire.

The potatoes and sugar beet

look like coming on nicely.

And other crops are also satisfactory.

Of course, Michaelmas has been considered for

ages the termination of the farmers' year.

But things have altered.

Thousands of boys and girls on holiday from

school have been helping in the fields,

and working like Trojans

in the harvest camps.

It warms a farmer's heart

to see a thing like I saw last week

in the village of Redshaw-by-Farrow.

A little girl,

she couldn't have been older than five...

Switch it off. Platoon, 'shun!

All right, sit down. Smoke if you want to.

Afternoon.

I had hoped that we would have seen

rather more enemy aircraft round here,

so you could have kept up with your aircraft

recognition without using these models.

However, all we have seen is a couple of

dreary-looking reconnaissance planes,

so we'll run through the German types,

to make sure you haven't forgotten them.

We'll start off with a few questions.

What's this one? Davenport?

- Messerschmitt 109F, sir.

- That's right.

This one? Luke?

- Stuka, sir.

- That's right.

- Brewer?

- Focke-Wulf 190, sir.

- Stainer?

- Lysander, sir.

Parsons, what's the difference between

a Lysander and a Henschel 126?

The wings of the Henschel are swept back,

and on the Lizzy

they look as if they're swept forward.

- Steiner, have you got that machine of yours?

- Yes, sir.

Well, play it. And the rest of

you, for heaven's sake, sing.

Lily Of Laguna

..lady love

She's no gal for sitting down to dream

She's the only queen Laguna knows

I know she likes me

I know she likes me

Because she says so

She is my lily of Laguna

She is my lily and my rose

She's my lady love

She is my dove, my baby love

She's no gal for sitting down to dream

She's the only queen Laguna knows

I know she likes me

I know she likes me

Because she says so

She is my lily of Laguna

She is my lily and my rose

I wonder what's up.

One hour's notice and then stand-to.

Look at it now.

I suppose that's what the

papers call an inferno.

How many magazines have you got?

The Jerries have attacked

and broken through up forward.

- All right here?

- Yes, sir.

- Lummy, I could do with a fag.

- Ssh!

I say, Corporal?

Quiet, Beck.

Thank you.

Watch your front!

Watch your front!

Listen. What's that?

- Sergeant Fletcher?

- Sir?

Do you hear that?

Tanks.

I'll go over and have a

look at that section.

Here they come.

Section! Enemy in front!

Rapid!

Come on, come on.

Fire!

Change!

- Your men all right?

- Yes, fine, sir.

Good. Listen.

They've broken through behind B Company

and we've been ordered back to the village.

- Maria, aux caves!

- Mais...

C'est un ordre!

a y est! a y est! Au secours!

At the double! Davenport, Luke, over here!

Mortar.

- Where the hell is it? Can you see it?

- No, sir.

Let's try down below.

I think I've spotted it!

- Where?

- There! Firing from behind that wall.

Follow me, Beck.

Brewer, come on.

Come on, Fletcher! Luke! This way!

Fletcher, see that six-pounder across the

street? I'm going to try and get it working.

Luke and Brewer will come with me as cover.

- I want you too, Beck. You take over.

- Very good, sir.

- Now, across the street... and run like hell.

- Good luck, chaps.

See that Vickers? Take it into

Rispoli's and cover us from there.

If we keep their heads down on that hill

it will be all right. Go on.

- Venez donc!

- Non, laissez-moi!

Now, Beck.

What's the matter with it, Luke?

Dry. Bone dry.

And ruddy hot!

Pass auf! Pass auf!

Da!

Come on!

- Look who's here.

- Attendez! Attendez!

Down!

- a va aller.

- Here.

Right, Beck.

That's the last one, sir.

One of them gone, anyway.

- Are you both all right?

- Right, sir!

Well, come on back with me, quick!

- Check the ammunition, Lloyd.

- Yes, sir.

- What have you got, Geoff?

- Four magazines and a bit.

- Luke, how much ammo?

- About 25 rounds.

- Ted?

- About 20.

- Davenport?

- Only about ten.

- Beck?

- About 20.

Four magazines

and about 20 rounds a man, sir.

Right, well, go easy on it.

Something happening over there!

They've surrendered! Gosh, I didn't

think it would be as easy as that.

It may be a trick.

Listen.

If you resist us more,

you will be destroyed completely!

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes