Original subtitles

WOMAN: Keep up. Come on.

I can hear the train. Hurry. Up you go. That's it.

(STEAM TRAIN APPROACHES)

No, wait. Stop, stop, stop, stop.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Stay together.

Be careful. Stop here.

You smile, OK? Big smiles.

And, um, be polite. Say, "Yes, sir. Yes, madam."

- Mum... - Don't Mum me, Lily. This is important.

- Will you stop messing? - I don't like it.

- It's pink and it's got bows on it. - It's a dress. You have to look smart.

- But why? - So they choose you.

- I hate dresses. - You're wearing it.

All right. You have to get on. Come on. Come on.

Look after your little brother. Don't leave him.

I can't do it.

You're coming home. I can't let you go.

- I don't want to go. - Listen, my love.

It will be an adventure. Tell them, Lily.

Of course it will. Just like a holiday.

- I want you to come. - I can't, sweetheart, but, um...

- I'll... I'll write. - (WHISTLE BLOWS)

And you write to me, eh?

- Lots of letters. - We'll be OK, Mum.

Come on. Come here, come on.

- (WHISTLE BLOWS) - I love you all so much.

Go on.

It's all right. You'll be all right.

Lily, look after them, OK? You're the parent now.

- I love you, Mum. - I love you.

- (WHISTLE BLOWS) - Go on. It's all right. Go on.

(EXHALES)

It's all right.

Bye.

Take care. Bye.

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

(CRIES)

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

GIRL: What's that?

- BOY: Tunnel! - (LAUGHTER)

I can't see anyone.

- (CHILD SQUEALS) - GIRL: Whee!

We're coming out. Look!

- Pattie, what are you doing? - Taking it off.

- You heard what Mum said. - I don't want to look smart.

- I want to look like me. - Pattie.

If they don't want me, I don't want them. (GRUNTS)

- You wore two outfits? - Yes, I did.

What's Mum going to say? Get up and go and put it in the bag.

(SIGHS) You're giving me more to carry.

- Look, there's sheep. - (GASPS)

Look at all them trees.

- You can count them. - One, two...

three, four, five, six.

I need a wee.

There's no lavvy. You're gonna have to hold it.

- I can't. - Why didn't you go before we set off?

- I did. - I need a wee, too.

And me.

- I'm touching cloth here. - (LAUGHTER)

All right. Here you go. I'll go check. Hold that.

- Everyone, hang on. - I don't want it. You have it.

- Hey! - I don't want it.

(CHATTER AND LAUGHTER)

Please, sir, everyone needs the toilet.

- Can we stop? - No stops.

You'll have to wait until we get there.

But everyone's desperate.

- Did you hear what I said, young lady? - But, sir...

No stops!

(SIGHS OF RELIEF)

(GROANS)

BOY: I needed that.

Get off me.

- Here. Did you cause this? - Me, sir?

- Course not, sir. - I'll find out, young lady.

- How are you gonna do that? - You what?

- How will you find out? - I've got eyes everywhere.

Hurry then.

- (LAUGHS) - LILY: Stop messing. Pattie.

- Stop it. - Leave me alone.

Teacher's got eyes everywhere.

- BOY: Chocolate! - Share it.

- CHILD 1: Where'd you get that from? - CHILD 2: I want some!

Mmm!

Best thing ever.

(DISTANT CHATTER)

Come on. Hurry.

- Grandma, we will hear it. - There's no telling her, Thomas.

- I want to be there when they arrive. - We will be, Gran.

- Not at this speed, we won't. Come on. - OK, Mum.

(LAUGHTER)

WOMAN: Come on. Quickly.

Hi, Richard. Oh, that looks lovely. (LAUGHS)

Are they coming?

- Have you heard from them? - Don't worry.

Just running a bit late, that's all. Some kind of delay on the line.

- What are you eating? - Just a... Just a scone.

They were freshly baked for the children.

Oh, yeah, but I've bitten it now. You might as well let me eat it.

Certainly not. Oh! Oh.

Hey. You gave it to the dog.

I think he stole it. Bad Monty!

- No, no, no, no. He didn't steal it. - No, you did.

Let that be a lesson to you.

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

They're coming.

I can hear them.

Oh, Mum.

Do you remember arriving here?

Like it was yesterday.

Oakworth. This is Oakworth.

Come on, you lot. Off you get.

- We haven't got all day. - Come on. This is our stop.

Bit of a motley-looking bunch, aren't they?

Better lock the coal shed.

- Right. Are you headmistress? - I am.

Well, these are for your village, and try and keep the siblings together.

Oh. Wait, is that it?

No other instructions?

Well, some of them could do with a damn good bath.

And watch out for nits. Good luck.

- BOY: I've not got nits. - You can smell the air.

It's so clean.

- Are we on holiday now? - Soon.

First they've got to give us pretend parents for whilst we're here.

Form an orderly line. That's it. We've got a short walk ahead of us.

Walk? I hope it's downhill.

Come on. Don't get left behind.

You've been on the train all day. It's good exercise.

Yes. It's not much further.

You did get some scones.

Are you all right, all of you?

MAN: One, two.

- Move it, boy! - Goddamn it. Stop calling me that.

MAN: I said move it!

Let's go. Let's go.

(LOUD CHATTER)

- What if we get separated? - We won't, trust me.

Look at all these people.

They're not looking at us. They don't want us.

We'll stay together, no matter what, OK?

You OK? Give me a hug.

Hello. Well, I'd like to welcome you all to Oakworth.

I appreciate that everything will seem very new to you

and probably a bit strange right now.

Yeah?

But don't worry, we will all get to know each other soon enough, OK?

First of all, let's get you settled with our local families. Um...

If you'd like to... start choosing.

Where are you from? Where's your tag?

Your hair OK?

WOMAN: I can take this one. I think she'll make a good cleaner.

WOMAN 2: Ever worked on a farm before?

- We should choose one. - No.

Let's wait.

Oh, you don't clean behind your ears, do you?

Oh, nope.

CHILD: We'll make our beds.

We'll tidy up after ourselves.

- Sure you can't take three more? - A bit small, aren't you?

They've gone to a good family.

- WOMAN 3: Stop talking. Keep going. - Come on, you.

- You'll do. Come on. - OK.

PATTIE: Will you take us?

- We can clean. - We can scrub and cook.

No one wants them, Mum.

PATTIE: Please. Will you take us?

No one's chosen us.

We're too many.

Or maybe it's because he won't take that off.

- (MUFFLED SPEECH) - Come on, Ted.

We won't be able to feed three of them.

- We'll manage. - No, Mum.

Look at their little faces. Annie, just look at them.

Stop messing. Put it away.

- Right? That's agreed. - No.

Good. That's excellent.

I'm Bobbie. What's your name?

- I'm Lily. - And...

- Pattie. - Hello there, Pattie.

- Adolf. - (GIRLS CHUCKLE)

Well, come along then, Adolf, and bring the Gestapo with you.

This is my grandson, Thomas.

And what's the teddy's name?

- PATTIE: It's Teddy. - Teddy? Oh.

This is your room.

You know, I was brought here from London

when I was a little girl with my brother and sister.

There wasn't a war on, but my father wasn't with us

and it was a big change.

So I know a little of what you must be feeling.

Your mummy has done the kindest thing

a mother can do to send you from harm's way.

I'm going to ask Thomas to bring some extra bedding

and we'll... we'll see what we can make work.

- OK. - OK.

(SIGHS) Here you go. Some hot milk.

I'm sorry it's not the biggest room. We weren't expecting to take in three.

I hope you don't mind me asking, Mrs. Clark, but are you married?

- Uh... Yes. Why? - Is your husband away?

Yes, he's at war.

So you've got a double bed?

- Yes. - It's just, uh, like you say,

there's three of us and there's only one of you so...

- I'm pulling your leg. - (CHUCKLES)

- Yes, very funny. - We're happy in this room anyway.

PATTIE: It's so dark out there.

And just look at all the stars you can see.

It's scary. I wish we were at home.

- (OWL HOOTS) - What is it?

It's an owl, I think. Is it an owl?

- (OWL HOOTS) - (TED YELPS)

Don't worry. They only eat little girls.

Hey!

PATTIE: I wonder what Mum's doing now.

- She's probably having a great time. - Avoiding bombs?

She'll be OK.

The sirens give warnings. You've heard them.

Why send us away, then, if there's no danger?

Just in case.

- I miss Dad. - Don't talk about Dad, OK?

And be happy about being here.

We'll make the best of it.

Come on. Let me do your hair for bed.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Here you go.

There's more outside and a mattress.

If you got more cushions together,

you can make a massive bed on the floor. Be really cozy.

- What are you doing under there, Ted? - Do owls eat children?

- Rats, I think. - You've got bloomin' rats as well?

(ALL LAUGH)

- WOMEN: Down by the riverside - Gonna lay down my sword and shield

Down by the riverside

- Ain't gonna study - War no more

Ain't gonna study

War no more

United States Military Police! You're under arrest!

TED: I can't sleep.

Me neither.

- Ted, do you want to come in here? - Yes, please.

- Me too? - Of course you can.

- Ow! - (CHUCKLES)

In you come.

- Just tucking myself in. - Ow!

You're meant to be asleep. Shuffle down.

- They're not gonna hear us. - They might.

Ready? Come on.

- I thought we were having breakfast. - We are.

(COCKEREL CROWS)

- Here we go. (CHUCKLES) - Chickens!

Now, who has ever collected eggs before?

- None of us have. - Thomas, show them what you do.

They lay every day.

Here you go.

- (GASPS) Oh! - (CHUCKLES)

- There's a chicken in there. - Yeah.

There's a chicken in there.

- There's one in there. - ANNIE: Come on, chicken.

- Some eggs in here. - THOMAS: Grab enough for all of us.

- Oh, look, I've got a white one. - Urgh, it's got poo on, though.

Straight from t'bottom. It tastes good, though.

- If you get all t'poo off. - Thomas.

- Mummy loves eggs. - Hey.

I know. Come on. Let's go and have a run, shall we?

Here you are, hold my hand. Come on. (CHUCKLES)

Whee! (LAUGHS)

- (GROANS) - (CHILDREN LAUGH)

Thomas, don't just stand there. Help me up, will you?

- Here, give me the eggs. - (YELLS)

- You dropped all the eggs. - Oh, no, not the eggs!

Somebody, please. Oh, my goodness.

(LAUGHS)

Oh, the yolk's gone everywhere!

(CHILDREN LAUGH)

Look at my... Look at the back of me!

Come on. You don't want to be late on your first day.

Eh up, Barnes. Got any evacuees living with you?

- Hi. - You two all right?

- How's the new family? - Rotten. The granddad picks his toes.

Count yourself lucky.

The mum where I am, she can't stop farting.

(LOUD CHATTER)

Right, OK, thank you.

(CLEARS THROAT) Thank you.

Right!

(CLEARS THROAT) Thank you.

Right, first of all, rules.

Now I'm sure those of you who have joined us are good kids

and were well behaved in your previous schools.

(MUTTERING)

But here at St Mark's, we will have...

One, respect for our elders.

Two, honesty at all times.

Three, no fighting, no spitting, no biting.

And four, most important of all, comradeship.

Now we are in this terrible, terrible war

because some people cannot get along with their fellow man.

That will not happen in this school! OK?

(LAUGHTER)

- Come on. - Don't run on the graves.

- They're dead. - I know, but it's disrespectful.

Tell you what, if any of them complain, we'll stop.

TED: Ow!

- You all right, Ted? - Yeah.

- LILY: So, where's your dad? - THOMAS: France, I think.

He's air force, so they move around.

He wasn't conscripted. He volunteered. Where's yours?

I don't know, but he's killing Germans. I know that much.

- What's Manchester like? - Manchester?

You see all this? Manchester's the total opposite.

- Like how? - Close your eyes.

Go on. Close 'em.

Now imagine...

Gray skies. The air is dirty.

The houses where we live are all in rows. Bits of it are bombed.

- Some houses haven't got any windows. - Did you see that?

- Bombs dropping? - Yeah.

Must have been scary.

It was all right. They did an air-raid siren.

Then everyone has to run outside fast as you can,

hide in the Anderson shelter.

Then it would go really quiet, and you'd wait.

And it would get louder and louder and louder, and you'd wait and wait

and boom!

And if you're still alive after the noise has gone,

- then you know you survived. - No wonder they sent you here.

Slum kids! Go home. You're not wanted here.

Come. Quick!

Go, Pattie. Go, go, go!

- Come on, Thomas. - Get lost!

- What are they throwing? - THOMAS: They're conkers. Run!

Come on! Come on, over here.

There they are.

- They're chucking coal now. - Come on, Ted.

- Where are we going? - THOMAS: My secret hideout. Up here.

- Hurry. - Wow.

Oh, my gosh.

I love it. It's like a little house.

You know what? Can I live in here, please?

- It'd make the bedroom less smelly. - Shut up!

- And you snore. - I do not!

- Do you want some sweets? - Oh, yeah.

- Here. - I haven't had one of those in ages.

- Lily? - I'm all right.

So what do you do in here all on your own?

I keep watch, but no one knows about it.

- You... You can't tell anyone. - Oh, we won't.

- Keep watch for what? - Suspicious enemy activity.

- What does that mean? - I keep a lookout, patrol the area

for anyone that looks strange, spies,

or people planting bombs, or trying to bring down planes.

- And have you ever seen anything? - Well, there was a man a few week ago.

I think he were Russian. He had a strange accent.

- You've got a strange accent. - So have you.

Anyway, I followed him,

and he were walking around t'village like he didn't know where he were going,

So I told t'police. They went to him and questioned him.

- And who was he? - THOMAS: A secret agent.

I think so, anyway, cos he's gone now. It's all because of me keeping watch.

Police wanted to give me a commendation, but I said no.

Just doing me bit for t'war effort.

- (BOYS CHATTER AND LAUGH) - (CLANGING)

I can hear those boys. Come on.

BOY: Oh, I could have had that if you weren't in the way.

Look at it.

- Which one of them's the toughest? - Ginger one.

Georgie Duckworth. He's famous for his nostril stretching.

Right, you wait here with Ted. Pattie, come on.

THOMAS: Where are you going?

- You go that way, distract them. - OK.

Come on then, turd breath! I can smell you from here.

- Come here, brat. I'll slap you. - No, you come here. I'll knock you out.

- I'll nail this conker in your head. - Like that'll ever happen.

You can't even throw cos you're a sissy.

See? That was way off. Come on. Try again. You're pathetic.

No, wait!

Nostril stretch, Georgie.

(YELLS)

ANNIE: Right. Everybody get stuck in like this. That's it.

That's it. Go on.

- No, harder than that. - Like this?

ANNIE: That's more like it. Go on, really put some elbow grease into it.

- Not your actual elbow. - (ALL LAUGH)

That's it. Come on, Lily, you're strong. You can do it.

- Ready? - Look.

- Yes! - Oh, that was loud.

- (RINGING) - Hang on a minute. I'll get that.

That's it, go on, Really beat it up. Punch, punch.

- LILY: I can punch it the hardest. - TED: No, I can.

Pattie, you've poured way too much!

- Oh, Pattie. - Look, let me help you.

OK.

Stop! What are you doing?

(CHILDREN LAUGH)

Sorry, Annie.

It's OK, George.

(LAUGHTER AND SCREAMING)

Thomas!

- (PATTIE SCREAMS) - (GROANS)

(CHILDREN CHATTER)

Get it off me.

What on earth is going on?

Stop it! Stop it now!

Get out of my sight!

Go on, clean yourselves up! Get out, please! (SOBS)

What's going on?

- What a waste! There's a war on. - Mum.

This arrived.

Oh.

I've not seen one of those since your father.

- What does it say? - I... I can't read it.

Can you, please, Mum?

What does it say?

- Your mum was scary. - She can be at times.

She's a head teacher, isn't she? We did make a mess.

Yeah.

How long should we stay out for?

Probably about three weeks.

(CHUCKLES)

- Let's play a game. - What about...

hide and seek?

- Yeah. - All right.

But let's have some rules.

You can hide anywhere around the station, but no further.

- Who's on? - I'll find.

- It's seek. - I'll seek then. Go.

- I'm counting to ten. - No way ten. We'll never get anywhere.

All right, 20. Go.

Close your eyes.

- Stay there. - Off you go.

One, two, three, four, five,

six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

11, 12, 13...

18, 19, 20.

Coming! Ready or not.

Hello?

(SCREAMS)

Germans!

Germans! Run!

- Gotcha. - Run!

- Run! Germans. They're in there. - What? Wait. Wait, wait, Pattie.

- What's going on? - No idea. She said someone's in there.

- Where's Ted? - I don't know.

- Ted? - Ted!

Ted?

- Run! - Wait, Pattie.

- What's got into you? - There's someone in there.

In the hideout. Soldier, or a spy. I think he's a German.

- Are you making this up? - Do I look like I'm making it up?

- There's someone in my hideout? - Yes. A man.

- We should get adults. - No!

- Why? - This is our mission.

If we've found an enemy, we have to trap him. Find weapons.

- We have to be armed. - This is not a good idea.

You get weapons. I'll find Ted. Go, quick.

Ted!

Ted, you've won. I've got sweets.

Where?

Ted, I've got sweets!

- You've got sweets? - Not really.

Pattie found a German in the hideout.

- A German? - Yes.

Stay here whilst we go get him.

- But I wanna get him too. - No, you're too little. Come on.

Hurry up.

What if he's got a gun?

Shh.

There's no one here. If there ever was.

I'm telling you, for the thousandth time, he was there.

- Did you eat the sweets? - No!

- Swear on your life? - I swear on my life.

- Swear on Ted's life. - I swear on Ted's life.

In that case, we should keep watch, in case he comes back.

You mean, make a secret hideout to watch the secret hideout?

Exactly.

Ow!

He's not coming back.

Could have been a tramp, wanting somewhere to sleep.

We don't have those in the countryside.

Really? There's loads in Manchester.

- I wanna go home. - Me, too.

- I'm cold. - All right. Who votes go home?

Well, that's a clear majority.

Let me have a look.

- Hell's bells. He's in there. - Let me have a look.

- You two, get your weapons. - Hey, what about me?

- I told you, you're too little. - But what if he comes and gets me?

OK, come on, then.

Shh!

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

Hello?

There's four of us and I'm warning you, we're armed.

On three, I'm going in.

One, two, three.

- (GASPS) - (CHILDREN SCREAM)

Stay back! Stay back!

I said, stay back.

You all kids?

- Are you German? - No, I'm American.

Look, I'm a soldier on your side. I'm with the army, up at the base.

- So, why are you here? - A little injury.

- Shall we call the army? - No.

No, look, I'm fine.

- It's bleeding. - Hey, I told you, I'm fine.

Look, I'm a soldier. Believe me.

I've been through much worse than a cut leg.

Thank you all for your concerns, but you can be on your way.

Go! You won't see me again.

Why don't you want us to call the army? They could help you.

Look, I'm really not supposed to be telling you this,

but I'm on a mission, a secret army mission.

And I can't talk about it, but I need to carry on.

So I need you to tell no one. Understand? No one.

- There are enemy spies everywhere. - Told you.

For all I know, you could be enemy spies.

- We're not. - Good.

In that case, there is something you could do to help my mission.

In your house, you maybe have bandages?

- Something for pain? - Yeah.

Do you think you could get hold of them without anyone knowing?

My dad's a soldier, too.

So, anything to help.

So is ours.

Then they're good men. Being a soldier's hard.

So, what are your names?

- Lily. - Pattie.

- Thomas. - Ted.

I'm Abe, like Abraham.

- Like Abraham Lincoln? - Yeah. Like Abe Lincoln.

So you all promise, right? Our secret.

- What about you? - Promise.

THOMAS: Shh. Ted, Ted, quiet.

OK. Pretend they're hungry. I'll get the pills and bandages.

- Where are they? - Mum's room.

Where on earth have you four been? It's late.

Get into your pajamas and brush your teeth.

Gran, these two are hungry.

Can you make 'em summat to eat?

Oh, all right. I'll heat up some soup. Thomas, go and see your mother.

- (SIGHS) - (KNOCKING AT DOOR)

- Mum. - Thomas.

Come in.

You all right, Mum?

Sorry about the food fight.

Oh.

Never mind that now, darling. Come here.

I love you so much.

MAN ON RADIO: There have been reports of a disturbance

involving members of the United States Army

at a public house in Yorkshire on Friday night.

Shots were fired and a number of American soldiers have...

Thanks, Ted.

Take these. His rations might've ran out.

- Don't be too long. - I'll be fine.

If you aren't back in 30 minutes, I'll come after you.

OK.

(GASPS)

(PLANE ENGINE)

(PANTS)

- (BOMB WHISTLES) - (SCREAMS)

(EXPLOSION)

(ALL GASP)

(DOG BARKS)

- What was that? - THOMAS: Sounded like a bomb.

What if it hit Lily? You said there were no bombs here.

There isn't, usually.

Mum, Mum, Mum.

- Where are the children? - I'll check on them.

- I'm going to take a look. - What? No, do...

- Mum. - Don't fuss.

Asking you to stay away from bombs is not fussing.

(GASPS)

It's OK. I got you.

(GROANS)

- At least they're already dead. - My brother's buried here, Richard.

Of course. I'm sorry. That was a daft thing to say.

(SIGHS)

Wretched war. Even the dead aren't safe.

Must have been an offload.

Bomber had one left on his way back.

(LILY GRUNTS)

How's the head?

Bit woozy but... yeah.

- OK. - I heard you scream.

And then the bomb.

You must have fell down the bank, knocked yourself clean out.

Thank you.

Anyway, I brought supplies.

First-aid kit.

Some water.

- A razor. - Thank you. You're too kind.

Let me see your head.

It's fine. I'm supposed to be looking after you.

You're going to have to take your trousers off.

- You mean my pants? - Don't take your pants off.

(LAUGHS) It... It's fine. I know what you mean. Let me just...

- Do you need any help? - Uh, can you pull?

Yeah, sure.

- Ready? - As I'll ever be. (GRUNTS)

Be careful in case it gets infected.

- This might hurt. - (WINCES)

- Let me see to your ankle now. - How do you know how to do all of this?

Well, my mum's a nurse back in Manchester,

but I've been the man of the house last couple of years.

All done.

So your dad, he's away fighting?

- Yeah. Yeah, he is. - I know.

It's tough.

- Do you have family fighting? - Yeah.

Well, I did. Um, my big brother.

He didn't make it.

I'm so sorry.

So you're thinking, "His brother died off at war.

How comes he was stupid enough to sign up too?"

- I wasn't. - Well, you should.

It's a good question.

I signed up for revenge, plain and simple.

I wanted to kill myself some Germans for them killing him.

My brave brother.

He was only 18 years old.

- How old are you? - Eighteen.

But he was your big brother.

- Um... We was born close, that's all. - At home, we have a saying...

- "You can't kid a kidder." - Look, I'm not lying, OK?

I'm 18. I'm a soldier on a secret mission.

- Lily! - Thank God you're safe.

- I was just gonna go look for you. - We were so worried about you.

- No need to worry about me. - Did you see the bomb?

- What bomb? - It was enormous.

Now listen, there's things I need to tell you about Abe.

You understand the meaning of "secret," right?

I need to get to Liverpool.

That's where we were headed when I got injured.

- Well, you're in the right place. - Really?

Trains run through the station to Liverpool every day or two.

- Straight there? - I think so.

It's the same line we came on.

Do you think you could get the times for me?

Yeah. Yeah, of course.

There's a port in Liverpool. Maybe his unit's picking up supplies.

I can get a timetable.

He's like Captain America! Captain America!

Lily, you're up. Quite extraordinary, you slept through all the drama.

- It's the war. I'm used to it. - Why are you wearing your coat?

- Um, it's cold. - Well, maybe try shutting the window.

Yeah.

OK, right, back to bed now, all of you.

And, Thomas, if you're scared, you can come in with me later.

Yeah, Thomas. You can go with Mummy.

Are you scared? Do you want your mummy?

- THOMAS: I'm not even scared. - PATTIE: Yeah, you are.

I need it at half price, Mrs. Wilks.

This is for the war effort. You heard that bomb drop.

We're supposed to be mucking in together.

- All for one and one for all. - I'll give you ten percent off.

Ten? Oh, ten, she said. Oh, come on, Mrs. Wilks, have a heart.

Ah. You'll back me up, won't you, Thomas?

Uh, yeah.

Have you got a timetable for trains to Liverpool?

Uh, would have thought so, yeah. What do you want it for?

- We're doing a school project. - Oh, yeah. Well, they're inside.

I'll fetch you one just as soon as Mrs. Wilks has seen sense

- on her pricing policy! - What are you buying?

New battery for my secret war work, you know.

What secret war work?

- He won't tell us. - Yes, because it's a secret.

Suffice to say, that battery is vital

to the overthrow of that vile creature Adolf Hitler.

You're trying to tell me that's not worth a 50 percent discount?

- I'll give you 12. - Twelve? Forty.

- All right, 15. - Twenty-five.

Twenty. And that's me going out on a limb.

Thirty percent and I will not accept anything less,

or may God strike me down.

- Twenty-five! - Done. There you go.

It's all there, don't worry.

She'd have the eyeballs out of your head.

Shut that door behind you.

Have a seat down there next to Monty.

Nobody knows I'm doing this.

Not even your mother and she knows everything.

- (CHUCKLES) Doing what? - Listening.

- Listening? - Shh!

- Aye. To messages. - Messages?

Is there a parrot in here?

- I'm eavesdropping on the enemy. - (RADIO CRACKLES)

- How? - Intercepting messages, cracking codes,

and then feeding my findings back to the authorities.

Aye, you're right to look impressed. It's all very hush-hush.

- Wow. - I'm a vital cog in the war machine.

Well, they say that I'm too flat-footed to fight,

but I'm in here, night after night

fighting those Germans as sure as if I had a gun in me hand.

THOMAS: With your biscuits and cup of tea?

Hey! Less of it. Cheeky chops.

- Say, what did you want? - Timetable.

Timetable.

Uh...

THOMAS: Liverpool.

- There you go. - (RADIO POWERS DOWN)

Oh, no.

That Mrs. Wilks has done me over again. The shark.

- (LAUGHS) - Hey!

Now, remember you. Hush-hush.

- What is it? - Hush-hush.

- Louder? - Hush-hush. (LAUGHS)

(DOG GRUMBLES)

Pour us a brew, will you? I'm parched here.

And keep your eyes off those biscuits.

- Come on. - (CHILDREN LAUGH)

Yeah, this is great. Liver-pool, Liverpool. Liverpool.

(LAUGHS)

It's such a strange name for a city, right? (CHUCKLES)

- Where in America are you from? - New York.

- Are you near the Grand Canyon? - No. (LAUGHS)

I'll show you. Uh, pass me some chalk, please.

- Thank you. - Here.

All right.

This...

is the US of A.

And right here, first thing you hit, that's New York.

And way over here...

is California where the sun always shines.

And right down here is our famous hole in the ground.

- The Grand Canyon. - Have you ever been there?

- No. But I plan to go, someday. - THOMAS: Do you miss home?

Yeah. Yeah, I do. Like crazy.

THOMAS: He'll be better in no time. Then he can carry on his mission.

MAN: Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Stay right there. Come here!

What are you doing with that lady, boy?

- What are they doing? - Did you hear me?

- Probably just getting chips. - Can we get chips?

- Get back! - Get off him!

Hey, you leave her alone.

- Stop it! No! - Stand back. Stand back!

- What're you doing with that lady, boy? - None of your business.

- No! - No, Pattie.

- You should be ashamed! - What are they doing?

Ashamed!

Stay down.

- Why would they do that? - Help!

- I don't understand it. - It was their own soldier.

Everything's gonna be fine.

- Go, go, go! - He needs, he needs...

- I'm all right. I'm all right. - WOMAN: You're not.

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

- Mum. - Hello, darling.

Come on.

You can have the warm side. (CHUCKLES)

There you go.

LILY: Dad! Daddy!

Daddy!

TEACHER: Lily.

Lily Watts!

Nice of you to join us, Miss Watts. Is your mind somewhere else?

She's staring at Jimmy Goodman's bum, miss.

- (LAUGHTER) - Shut your cakehole.

Thinking about home, aren't you, slum girl? Why don't you go back there?

- (YELPS) - (LAUGHTER)

Lily Watts! To the head's office straight away.

Go on. And you.

And don't speak to each other on the way.

Sorry, Georgie.

Didn't realize that fall would give you such a shock.

What?

I can see the skid marks showing through your shorts.

Yeah? Well, you heard from your mum yet? She's probably dead under a bomb.

- Gentlemen, uh, can I help you at all? - Thank you, ma'am.

We're searching the area for this young man.

That's what I thought.

ANNIE: I don't recognize him. What's his name?

MAN: His name is Abraham McCarthy.

- He's a deserter and a coward, ma'am. - A deserter?

- What do them Americans want? - Shh!

ANNIE: I can't say I have, no. But I will keep a lookout.

- MAN: If you see anything, let us know. - ANNIE: Of course.

- Thank you. - Thank you, ma'am.

- You haven't seen me. - Where are you going?

- None of your business. - I'll tell.

Do that and I'll drag you by your nostrils all the way to Manchester.

You lied to me.

There's Americans everywhere. They're looking for you.

- They're saying you're a deserter. - It's not true!

The army are lying? They're calling you a coward.

They think I've failed my mission.

There is no secret mission, Abe.

I'm sorry.

OK? I didn't mean to mislead you, but I had my reasons.

I ran away Lily, OK?

I ran away and I don't ever want to go back.

But I'm not a coward! I'm not!

- Lily, I'm not as old as I said I was. - I knew it. How old are you?

- I'm almost 15. - You're 14?

But how are you even in the army?

It was real easy. They weren't turning folks away.

I wanted to follow my brother, make my family proud.

But it didn't work out. I've had the worst time.

I miss home. I miss my mom, Lily. You must know what that feels like.

Yeah, I do.

But you can't stay here. It's too risky. They might find you.

Here.

Put this on and, uh....

Stick that on your head.

Come on.

(GRUNTS)

- OK. - Are you sure about this?

You're safer here. Come on.

This is Thomas's bedroom.

There's a big cupboard room in here.

- I felt safer in the hideout. - Trust me.

(ABE GRUNTS)

- Lily. - Yeah?

Don't you care that I ran away?

No. I don't. And you're not a coward.

(CAR APPROACHES)

- Someone's here. - What if they come upstairs?

They won't. But just in case, hide.

I'm so happy you're here. It's Annie, she's just terribly upset.

MAN: That's understandable. I just hope I can be of some help.

- What are you doing? - Shh!

- Where did you come from? - Just go along with me.

What?

- Thomas! - Oh, Great Uncle Walter.

You've shot up. (CHUCKLES)

Oh, you must be our new house guests. I've heard all about you.

Well, this is Lily and Pattie. And that little one there is Ted.

Now, come on, washed and dressed.

We're having a special dinner for Great Uncle Walter's arrival.

- Come on. - (CHUCKLES)

Upstairs and get dressed.

Thomas, before you go in your bedroom, there's something you should know.

- What? - Wait.

What have you done? Why is he here?

- A deserter? - Shh!

- Are you out of your mind? - We have to keep him safe.

No. We have to tell the army. What if they find him here?

How long do you think he can be in there before someone realizes?

It's just for a day or so. Till they give up searching.

What if he's dangerous? I sleep in here.

He's not dangerous. He's 14.

Fourteen?!

I don't care. He's a liar. And why has he deserted?

Our dads are overseas fighting, and he runs away?

He saved me, Thomas.

When the bomb hit, he came out and he got me.

We can't give him up.

Look what happened to that other soldier.

What if they catch us hiding him? What if we all end up in jail?

(DOOR OPENS)

He's right. He is.

Look, you don't know me and now I'm in your home.

But I heard what you were saying.

So before you hand me in, what did you see?

- What happened to this other soldier? - He got hit.

By his own officer, for being with a local girl.

- Was he Black? - Yeah. Yeah, he was.

Why does it happen? It makes no sense.

You got that right. It makes no sense at all. But...

that's the way it is.

- But why? - You want the truth?

See this uniform we wear? If you're Black and low ranking like me,

they think it gives them a license to abuse you.

It was constant. OK? I had enough.

We're here to help, but we're treated like dirt by our own officers.

When we first arrived here,

they went down in town, to the pubs and the cafés, and they told the owners

to do what they do right back at home.

Signs in the windows, "No Black folk." So the whites could drink alone.

Some people in the village said no. They told 'em, "We don't do that here."

But that just made them more angry.

Then, one night, the military police turned up.

MAN: United States Military Police!

ABE: They started a fight. A fight with their own soldiers.

They screamed at us.

How they had it right back at home with the lynchings and the beatings.

I couldn't believe it.

Then more started showing up.

Started handcuffing people. They even shot a guy.

- (WOMAN SCREAMS) - (GUNSHOT)

But it was only soldiers that looked like me getting arrested.

So I got myself out of there as quick as I could.

(GROANS)

But Thomas is still right.

I'm a stranger here and if they catch me they'll throw me in prison, or worse.

What's worse than prison?

Hanging.

You're a soldier. They wouldn't do that.

They can do whatever they please. They already have to others.

Just let me escape, OK?

If I can get to Liverpool, I can find a boat

and sail my way back home to New York.

No.

Stay.

Stay tonight.

We won't tell anyone.

I made a couple of calls.

- It's very much as we suspected. - BOBBIE: How do they know?

WALTER: Well, intelligence fed back information. He's not the only one.

We must remain positive. There's always hope.

Really?

Didn't work out too well for Uncle Peter or Dad, did it?

- Annie. - I'm gonna check the dinner.

WALTER: After a series of defeats...

from Dunkirk to Singapore,

we have a new experience.

We have victory.

A remarkable and definitive victory.

Rommel's army has been defeated.

It has been routed.

It has been very largely destroyed as a fighting force.

Hear, hear!

But, Ted, this is not the end.

It is not even the beginning of the end.

But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.

- BOBBIE: Thank you, Mr. Churchill. - Oh, please. My pleasure.

Churchill is undoubtedly a great man,

but, um, I wish he'd been a little bit more supportive

to us suffragettes at the time.

- What's a suffergette? - They fought to get women the vote

so we could have more control over our lives.

- Your grandma was one. - WALTER: Oh, Bobbie was magnificent.

- A determined fighter for the cause. - Yes, Walter.

And how many women are there in senior positions in your department?

(CHUCKLES)

Still some way to go, then. (CHUCKLES)

What do you do for a job, Walter, in London?

Yes, Walter. Will you explain to all of us what you do?

(CHUCKLES) Oh, I'm just a cog in the machine, really.

I work in a large department

making sure our war effort is as efficient as it might be.

I talk to a lot of other countries, our allies,

so that, uh, we know we're all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Do you ever speak with the Americans?

- WALTER: I do. Why? - No reason.

Pattie asked the question. Let her speak.

Are they our friends, in the war?

Oh, very much so.

It took them a while to join but, uh, now that they have,

they are fighting with us, side by side.

You've seen the posters.

"United we're strong. United we shall win."

- To victory. - To victory.

(TAPPING)

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Sorry, young man.

Your mum says the backgammon set is in your cupboard room.

We have a score to settle.

- No! - No?

- It's not in there. - Your mum said it was.

- I moved it. - Oh.

Did you find it?

- No, he says it's not in there. - No, no, it is.

- It definitely was last time I looked. - No, it's not. It's not in there.

(SIGHS)

Here it is, just as I thought.

Backgammon. (CHUCKLES)

What's got into you?

Right, come on. Let's settle this score.

Abe? Are you OK?

MAN ON RADIO: When I visited the devastated area,

the people pulled together going from the rubble of their homes

to their daily tasks.

You gave him loads. I'm still hungry.

- Can I have some of yours? - No, get off. I haven't finished.

Here you are, kids. This looks like a letter from home.

With a great big love heart written on the back.

Read it on the way to school but don't be late.

- Can I read it? - "Pattie, Lily and Ted Watts."

- Give it, give me it. - No. I'll read it on the way to school.

I want it. Lily, let me have it.

Just wait. I'll give it to you in a minute.

Up.

Let's sit over here.

- What does it say? - OK, I'm opening it.

"Dear Lily and Ted and your new friend, Thomas.

- All good here." - What?

- It doesn't say that. - Yes, it does.

She must have forgotten about you.

- Give it me, Lily. Give it! - OK, OK.

"Dear Pattie, Lily and Ted.

All good here and please don't worry.

We are safe and life goes on as normal as we can make it.

It was amazing to receive your letter. I read it five times.

All the girls at the hospital thought I was mad

because I kept reading parts aloud to them on the ward.

It was so nice to hear."

- LILY: That's it. - Don't interrupt.

No. Listen.

- I know what to do about Abe. - What?

Me mum, our mum, she's a nurse.

If we can get him to me mum, she can help him.

And how are we gonna get him to your mum? She's in Manchester.

The train stops there on the way to Liverpool.

- That's crazy. - Is it?

So you won't let us tell my mum but you're happy to tell your mum.

- It's different. - Why?

Because my mum's not a head teacher. He hasn't gone missing in her village.

My mum can help him too. She can.

- Thomas, it's not the same. - Why?

Because we know about war, OK?

- About what's at stake here. - And I don't?

No, you don't. Because you haven't lost anyone.

THOMAS: Well, who have you lost?

Our dad.

But you said he were away fighting.

I lied.

He died. In combat.

Dad! Daddy!

Daddy!

(SOBS)

LILY: Daddy!

I'm sorry.

Why didn't you tell me the truth?

I don't know. We'd only just met.

I hardly knew you.

Every time I talk about it, one of us cries.

THOMAS: I'm sorry.

You'll never get Abe to your mum. Lily, it's impossible.

Straight to Liverpool, then.

We'll get as much medicine and bandages as we can find

and we'll get him to the dock.

No. Lily, stop doing this now.

We're telling the grown-ups. And whatever happens happens.

Thomas, for heaven's sake! You're a great lad,

- but you don't know how things work. - Meaning?

Meaning all you've ever known is happiness, and that's brilliant.

But in the city, you have to be smart, take risks, tell untruths.

- It's called survival. - No.

It's called being a liar. And I'm not one. Not now, not ever.

You've got today. You work out a plan or I'm telling 'em he's there.

- Lily, I'm coming. - No, you're not.

- I am! - Not.

- Am! - Not.

- Am! - Ow! Idiot.

Pattie, if you come, we'll have to take Ted, and that's not fair on him.

And anyway, the more of us that go, the more chance we'll get caught.

You're horrible.

We need to go. It's now or never. Here.

OK, but not in your hat and jacket again.

Fine. We'll borrow you some clothes from Thomas's dad. Come on.

- You all right? - I just can't move too fast.

What?

You've gotta be joking.

You want to get on that train, don't you?

Come on.

Can't be that hard.

How does it start?

- The front. - OK, go.

(ENGINE STARTS)

Hurry.

All right.

All right.

Oh, hell. Go, go, go!

This is as fast as it goes. It's a tractor.

Hurry!

- ABE: Is that the train? Is that it? - Yeah. Yeah it is. Come on.

- You're not making it on that train. - Thomas, why are you here?

- Tom, I'm going. - I'm telling you.

You won't make it on that train.

You need my help. To cause a distraction.

(BLOWS WHISTLE)

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

Oi! Right! You come back here, boy.

Now.

Hey. Come back! I'll have your guts for garters!

Hey, boy! I'm coming for you.

LILY: Hurry.

Now!

Hey, who are you waving at?

- Hey! - Who's on that train?

- Who got on that train? - I don't know.

You do know cos you were waving at 'em.

- THOMAS: I were just messing around. - No, you weren't. I saw you.

Oi, arrest that boy!

Them that got on the train, he was helping them.

- Is that true? - No.

- Right. Come on, lad. - TRAIN GUARD: Yes, it is.

And furthermore, you've spoilt my uniform,

so you'll be paying for that an' all.

Liverpool, here we come.

MAN: Come on.

Let's go!

Let's go, let's go.

- How much money have you got? - Um, a little.

Enough to get by. I can give you your fare back.

Track's clear.

(BRAKES SCREECH)

Why are we stopping?

Wait here. I'll go check.

Be careful.

- MAN: Where are we now? - I think I see some soldiers.

Thank you, folks. We promise not to keep you held up.

Excuse me, folks. There's no cause for concern.

We just need to conduct a short search of the train.

- We have to hide somewhere better. - What? What is it?

Army. Loads of 'em. Come on.

- You have a nice journey. - Hope you find him.

- Thank you. - What's that about?

(CHICKENS CLUCK)

SOLDIER: You take this area, I'll search the other side.

(LILY SCREAMS)

- Get up! Get up, get up! - No!

- Lily! - Get off me!

- Let go of her! - Get off!

- Lily! - Abe!

- Don't touch her! - You done messed up, boy.

ANNIE: Come in.

Thomas is in trouble with the police down at the station.

- What? The police? What's happened? - I don't know.

- They wouldn't tell me. - Oh, my goodness.

Where's my son? What's going on? I want to see him now.

Please come this way. We need to speak about a very serious matter.

(GASPS)

Stand.

- Mum. - Oh, come here, darling.

- I'm sorry. - What on earth has been going on?

(DOGS BARK)

I'll do what I can to find out where they've been taken.

What am I gonna say to Lily's mother? That's if we can even get hold of her.

- I'll make some phone calls. - OK. Come on.

You should have told me.

I thought we always told each other the truth.

Do we? Are you telling me the truth about Daddy?

Is he dead?

No, he isn't.

And you're right, you know. I should have told you but...

I was protecting you.

- Well, trying to, anyway. - What's happened?

- Tell me! - (SIGHS)

His plane got shot down.

He parachuted, he survived.

But then he was captured.

He's in a camp, OK?

A prisoner-of-war camp but, you know, we've heard he's all right.

There's others in there too, other allies.

And now Uncle Walter can keep track of him.

Will they hurt him?

No. (SNIFFS) No, they won't.

Look, and when all this nonsense is over, we'll get him back.

We have German soldiers here in England. We'll give them back too.

Thomas, your dad is alive, OK? He's alive and we have to cling to that.

I hate war. I hate it.

I know.

I just want him home. I want Daddy home and this whole thing over.

- I know, darling. Come on. - Just leave me alone.

Tom! Thomas!

Are you OK?

Yeah.

You ever been in trouble before?

- Yeah, loads. - But not like this, right?

No, not like this.

- Lily, I'm so sorry. - You don't have to be sorry, Abe.

- I'll tell them I made you do it. - I'll tell them I made you do it.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Lily said something to me this morning.

She said my life's always been good, always been happy and she's right.

I've had all horrible things kept away from me.

That's your family's gift to you.

We want your childhood to be special, carefree.

But the truth is...

- the world's a bad place. - It isn't, Tom.

No, no.

Right now, yes, we're dealing with evil.

And it's our bad luck to have to live through that.

But you think of all the people

who want to fight that evil.

Good people risking their lives, men like your father.

There's a saying, "All it takes for evil to flourish

is for good men to do nothing."

Good will win in the end.

- How do you know? - I think we're getting the upper hand,

with a bit of help from our American friends.

But why are they being so horrible to Abe?

He's not a Nazi.

(SIGHS)

Now...

Listen, I shouldn't be telling you this,

but I've discovered that there's an American transport train

coming through here from the military base

with certain young prisoners on board and senior officials.

One in particular, a general, is very powerful.

- Really? When's the train coming? - I don't know.

But we both know a man who might.

(CHUCKLES)

So, let me get this straight.

You're expecting me

to divulge state secrets for your own private purposes?

Yeah. It's important, Richard.

I'm sorry. It's classified information. It's more than my life's worth.

(SIGHS)

How many biscuits have we got left on that plate?

Four.

How many now?

It's not stopping here, mind.

Best place to get sight of it is up on the bridge.

Where is she? When are they gonna let her go?

- I don't know. Soon, I hope. - And what about Abe?

Will the Americans do what he said they would?

No, they mustn't.

Come on. I've got an idea. But we need the others.

- What others? - The evacuees that came with you.

Kids from school. Everyone. Come on!

- Georgie. - What do you want?

- We want your help. - Please.

- Let's get this spread out. - Right.

- OK. - You get this side.

Wait here.

Come with me. We've got a mission.

Follow me!

Come on. Up to Thomas's house.

THOMAS: All right, Georgie. Let's go, everyone.

Let's go. We need to make a start. Quick as we can.

Let's start on the "I" down here. And make sure they're all on one line.

Not too close together. Spread 'em out a bit

so we can see what we're writing.

- We need them bolder. - Yeah.

- Remember the exclamation mark. - Well done.

Nice and big. Nice and... There we go.

What are they doing?

WALTER: Bobbie should know.

Chip off the old block is Thomas.

You think Phyllis wasn't forever telling me about your childhood antics?

Not antics, Walter. Action.

GEORGIE: It's done.

Well done, everyone.

Come on. Quicker!

- Can't be late. - Come on. Don't slip here.

GEORGIE: There it is. Get the banners up!

Quick, it's here. It's here.

- PATTIE: It's coming. Go on. - ALL: Stop! Stop!

Stop! Stop!

Stop!

- Stop! - This is an emergency! Please stop!

- That's them. - Yeah.

I can hear them.

Stop!

Please stop!

Please stop!

(CHILDREN SHOUT)

They saw them but they're not stopping!

- Tom? Tom? - (TRAIN WHISTLE)

Stop!

Thomas, get off the line! Thomas!

THOMAS: Stop! Stop!

Thomas!

Tom!

Oh, my God. I'm so glad you're safe.

Tom.

Come on!

- What the hell are you doing? - Sorry to stop your train, sir, but...

- We want to join the army. - We want to sign up.

- All of us. - We do.

- Don't we? - Yes! We do!

Well, that's, uh, admirable,

but I'm afraid you're gonna need to stay in school

and let our brave soldiers do the fighting.

So what you're saying is we can't be soldiers?

At 11, at 12, at 13, at 14?

- GENERAL: I'm afraid not. - Why?

GENERAL: Because you are children.

- But we want to. - GENERAL: Well, I applaud your spirit,

but I'm afraid you need to be here, safe at home.

Well said, sir. Children need to be safe at home.

Ma'am, what is this? What is this about?

Our friends are on your train, Abraham McCarthy and Lily Watts.

Sir, that young lady is in serious trouble

for aiding and abetting Private McCarthy.

- A US Army deserter. - He's 14 years old.

- That is not true. - It is. It's the truth!

Get this Private McCarthy out here now and the girl.

Sir.

Come on. Let's go.

Quickly, boy. Come on!

Private McCarthy, what is your date of birth?

March 14th, 1930, sir.

Even if that were true, am I right in thinking

that you joined the army of your own volition to fight this war?

Yes. Yes, I did. I joined to fight.

Like so many others.

Cos the Nazis, they don't like folk different to themselves.

And, well...

Let's just say they aren't the only ones.

What do you mean, soldier?

You know what I mean.

I had to leave to escape our own officers.

I may be 14, but I'm no boy.

We need to see this soldier's papers.

These are the only papers I have.

My beautiful brother.

God rest his soul.

This is my mom. I haven't spoke to her in six months.

I left her a letter but...

she's gonna be going crazy.

She gave this to me the year I was born. It's meant to be lucky.

And this.

This is how I got into the army.

Just changed the number on it.

Can I see that please, sir?

(EXHALES)

I'm sorry, sir, but this wouldn't pass any forgery classes.

WALTER: Who let this through?

They should be in handcuffs, not these two.

How about you, young lady? What's your story?

I don't know.

My dad died for his country.

Bobbie's brother.

And her husband, Annie's dad.

And Abe's brother too.

But now he's facing punishment because he was prepared to do the same

aged just 14.

It's unfair, sir.

It's an injustice.

Indeed.

And history will be the judge.

No, ma'am. I will be the judge.

Son...

do you know how old I was when I signed up?

ABE: No, sir.

I lied about my age too. I was 15 years old.

Every child has a right to change their mind.

Let him go. Take off the handcuffs.

You can't do that, sir.

- Oh, indeed I can. - But, sir...

Do you want to wear those handcuffs yourself?

Then step back and take 'em off.

We'll arrange transport home for him,

but he may need somewhere to stay for a while.

I think that can be arranged.

- Pattie! - (CHEERING)

(CHILDREN LAUGH)

ABE: Hi, Mom. Hearing your voice on the telephone

was the best birthday present I could have hoped for.

I wish you could see it here.

The countryside is beautiful, although the weather is crazy and...

sometimes it feels like there's four seasons in a day.

I've learned to cook Yorkshire pudding.

Well, it's not really a pudding, but...

I guess you'll see when I make it for you.

Not long now and I'll be home. Love, Abe.

- PATTIE: We're gonna miss you, Abe. - ABE: Gonna miss you too.

BOBBIE: Safe journey.

All right. I've gotta go.

- Good luck. - Thank you.

Bye.

Look, make sure you write me, OK?

- I will. And you me? - For sure.

- Bye, Abe. - Bye, Lily.

- Bye. - Bye.

(TRAIN WHISTLE)

- Bye. - Bye.

ANNIE: Bye. Take care.

- ABE: Remember me. - CHILDREN: We will!

Subtitles: Iyuno