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Continued...
As Jamieson checks the progress of a Thiersch graft he has done on the hand of a burns patient, the lights go out and he has to resort to using torches and candles to see clearly what he's doing. Afterwards, Wrenn tells him that someone turned off the mains supply. Jamieson remarks that someone definitely has it in for the unit and Wrenn says he has more bad news, Smythe wants to see him.
The Group Captain is prowling the hospital. He sees, joking with the Matron, a patient called Johnny Bridges, who has extensive scarring on his face and has suffered severe burn damage to his hands. The pilot is lounging on his bed with his RAF uniform jacket on over his pyjamas. He acknowledges the officer when he approaches, but is regarded disapprovingly and sharply reprimanded for not sitting to attention. Smythe then demands that the Matron has the beer barrels removed from the ward.
***
Gordon Drake calls on Waterford in his cottage. Sir Michael is not pleased to see him. The Aircraftsman asks if the older man's leg is causing bother in the damp weather and receives assurance that it is not. Waterford greets with stoicism the news that Drake is not going to be able to pay the rent again and is not surprised when the man asks him for money. He tells Drake that he has none and is told that any time will do.
***
Smythe confronts Jamieson in his office in Digby Manor. He says he finds his methods highly unorthodox, such as allowing the men to drink beer while on duty. Jamieson asks angrily if the officer doesn't think the men have done their duty and can be allowed to relax a little now. Smythe snaps, "Not while they are part of the RAF, no!" He demands to know why the men are not properly dressed and describes Bridges as a disgrace. Jamieson explains that the flight lieutenant's Wellington was shot down over Gelsenkirken, but his actions saved his crew. "And this is the man you're saying was a disgrace."
Smythe says he was referring to the lack of correct hospital uniforms and is shocked to learn that the surgeon destroyed them all because they made the men look and feel like prisoners. Jamieson points out that, in any case, many of the men can't use their fingers, so can't fasten buttons. The Group Captain says that he is going to make a report.
***
As he leaves the building, Smythe is watched by Mrs Roecastle, who is vacuuming the stairs, and he is watched by Matron Petrie from an upstairs window as he steps out of the front door of the building to wait for his transport.
Waterford enters the grounds of Digby Manor by a side gate.
A short time later, as Smythe gets into his car, a heavy stone lion, one of two ornamental features on the parapet of the building, crashes down onto the vehicle's bonnet. No one is hurt, but the Group Captain is very shaken.
***
Andrew is called in to see his CO, who tells him the German U-boat fleet are sinking around 40,000 tons of shipping a month and the Admiralty suspect that they are operating out of Le Havre. They need someone to check it out that night, using a new camera that photographs heat, but they need a very slow pass. Andrew is concerned that such a flight would be very risky. "The Spit's Merlin will be lit up like a Christmas tree!"
When Turner asks what he thinks of Greville Woods for the job, Andrew proposes himself for the flight, saying that there's no doubt Woods is a good flier, but his Spitfire is in dock. Turner replies, "Well he can take yours."
***
Foyle and Milner stand with Wrenn on the roof of Digby Manor. Foyle asks who, apart from Sir Michael, would have a key to the roof. Wrenn mentions Waterford's housekeeper, explaining that she still lives in the manor and helps with the laundry and cleaning, and says he has a full set himself.
Milner looks at the back of the remaining stone figure on the parapet and queries, "A lion and a unicorn?" Wrenn says they appear on Sir Michael's coat of arms and that his family have owned the place since the Magna Carta. Milner tells his boss that the stone is almost completely corroded, but when Foyle suggests that, in that case, it could have been an accident, Wrenn protests, convinced it is sabotage. Foyle points out that it could also be attempted murder.
***
In Jamieson's office, Foyle asks the surgeon if it's correct that he and Smythe argued immediately before the incident. Jamieson is astonished that he could be suspected and says that he saves lives, he doesn't take them. He looks pointedly at the DCS and asks him whose side he is on. When Foyle replies that he's on no one's side, Jamieson points out that if someone is wanting to close the place down, the latest incident, a police investigation and someone like the DCS with his suspicions, might be enough to help them succeed.
***
Milner interviews Waterford in his cottage. He says he knows he was at Digby Manor that morning because one of the nurses saw him go in just before the statue fell. Sir Michael says that he goes in and out all the time to keep an eye on things. He says he couldn't have gone quickly up the stairs to the roof because he has great difficulty walking and explains that he was wounded on the Messines Ridge in June 1917, while serving with the 11th Kent Fusiliers. Milner says it must be difficult to lose his home in this way and
Waterford wearily replies that he thought he'd be left in peace, which is what he wanted.
Mrs Roecastle comes in with her employer's lunch. Milner asks her if she was at the manor that morning and she replies nervously that she was, but was cleaning on the first floor. She says she didn't see anything, but heard the crash and then Dr Wrenn running downstairs.
***
While waiting outside the manor for Foyle and Milner, Sam is approached by Johnny Bridges, who asks her for a cigarette. He can't smoke on the ward because the Matron considers it a fire risk. She takes a cigarette case from her jacket pocket and gives him a cigarette, but she has to light it for him because the injuries he sustained have so badly damaged his hands.
Bridges tells her he was a pilot, but he doesn't know what he's going to do in the future. Sam is uncomfortable when he jokes about it. Bridges asks if somebody really did try to kill Smythe and when Sam says she doesn't know, he comments that it certainly wasn't him, because he wouldn't have missed. They laugh. Sam looks pensive as the badly scarred Bridges walks away, obviously thinking of another young pilot she knows.
***
Andrew walks with Greville Woods across the airfield towards a Spitfire. Woods thanks Andrew because, he says, without his say-so the CO wouldn't have trusted him with this mission and it means a lot to him. They say their goodbyes, and Woods climbs into the cockpit of the Spitfire and takes off for France.
***
Dr Wrenn is about to enter the front door of his home when Peter Preston asks to speak with him.
***
In their cottage on the Digby Manor estate, Beryl Drake puts a plate of corned beef and cabbage on the table for her husband's tea. He complains about the food and an argument ensues. When she comments about where he goes at night and says Drake has spent all that her father gave her, the altercation turns nasty and Beryl warns her husband that she knows what is going on between him and Waterford, and threatens to tell. Drake smashes a fist into her face and she falls to the floor. He then takes off his belt and proceeds to beat her with it.
***
Another argument is brewing in another home. Brian Wrenn sits at the tea table with his wife. He is in a sullen mood and asks her to tell him about Gordon Drake. She admits he has been to the house, but says it was only to mend a fuse. Wrenn doesn't believe her and she asks sarcastically if he intends to stick a knife in Drake. Anger begins to well up in Wrenn. He grabs Beryl's wrist, saying that she doesn't know him and doesn't understand his feelings. He attempts to force a kiss on her, but she pushes him away, saying that he doesn't have feelings for her any more, and goes out of the room.
***
By comparison, in the Foyle household there is peace. Foyle and his son are relaxing in the living room, playing chess on a coffee table by the light of a flickering fire. Andrew makes a move that allows his opponent to achieve checkmate. Father tells son he is not concentrating, but Andrew simply says, "You're too good for me."
Foyle knows otherwise and prompts Andrew to tell him what the problem is. His son begins by reminding him that he's not
flying at the moment. Foyle remarks that he can't say he's sorry because it's good to have him home. Andrew goes on to explain that he's been top dog in the squadron for the last few months, but today his CO stood him down from a very important op. Six months ago he'd have given anything to have done the flight. Foyle sits back in his chair and remarks that a lot has happened in six months and his son confirms it by admitting that he was actually relieved not to have been sent on the mission because he hadn't wanted to fly and had even handed over his own plane.
"And you feel guilty about that?"
"Yes, I suppose I do. But I wonder… what happens now?"
"Well, personally speaking, I'd rather you never flew again, but both of us know that's not going to happen because you'll have to. So until we're the other side of this we're going to have to live day-to-day and hope for the best."
"The best?"
"That we at least get through it."
***
Greville Woods' Spitfire comes home trailing smoke, crash lands on the airfield and explodes in flames. Men run to the plane but have difficulty opening the cockpit because the slide resists. Woods, screaming in agony, is finally pulled clear of the inferno.
Continue on...
As Jamieson checks the progress of a Thiersch graft he has done on the hand of a burns patient, the lights go out and he has to resort to using torches and candles to see clearly what he's doing. Afterwards, Wrenn tells him that someone turned off the mains supply. Jamieson remarks that someone definitely has it in for the unit and Wrenn says he has more bad news, Smythe wants to see him.
The Group Captain is prowling the hospital. He sees, joking with the Matron, a patient called Johnny Bridges, who has extensive scarring on his face and has suffered severe burn damage to his hands. The pilot is lounging on his bed with his RAF uniform jacket on over his pyjamas. He acknowledges the officer when he approaches, but is regarded disapprovingly and sharply reprimanded for not sitting to attention. Smythe then demands that the Matron has the beer barrels removed from the ward.***
Gordon Drake calls on Waterford in his cottage. Sir Michael is not pleased to see him. The Aircraftsman asks if the older man's leg is causing bother in the damp weather and receives assurance that it is not. Waterford greets with stoicism the news that Drake is not going to be able to pay the rent again and is not surprised when the man asks him for money. He tells Drake that he has none and is told that any time will do. ***
Smythe confronts Jamieson in his office in Digby Manor. He says he finds his methods highly unorthodox, such as allowing the men to drink beer while on duty. Jamieson asks angrily if the officer doesn't think the men have done their duty and can be allowed to relax a little now. Smythe snaps, "Not while they are part of the RAF, no!" He demands to know why the men are not properly dressed and describes Bridges as a disgrace. Jamieson explains that the flight lieutenant's Wellington was shot down over Gelsenkirken, but his actions saved his crew. "And this is the man you're saying was a disgrace."Smythe says he was referring to the lack of correct hospital uniforms and is shocked to learn that the surgeon destroyed them all because they made the men look and feel like prisoners. Jamieson points out that, in any case, many of the men can't use their fingers, so can't fasten buttons. The Group Captain says that he is going to make a report.
***
As he leaves the building, Smythe is watched by Mrs Roecastle, who is vacuuming the stairs, and he is watched by Matron Petrie from an upstairs window as he steps out of the front door of the building to wait for his transport.
Waterford enters the grounds of Digby Manor by a side gate.
A short time later, as Smythe gets into his car, a heavy stone lion, one of two ornamental features on the parapet of the building, crashes down onto the vehicle's bonnet. No one is hurt, but the Group Captain is very shaken.
***
Andrew is called in to see his CO, who tells him the German U-boat fleet are sinking around 40,000 tons of shipping a month and the Admiralty suspect that they are operating out of Le Havre. They need someone to check it out that night, using a new camera that photographs heat, but they need a very slow pass. Andrew is concerned that such a flight would be very risky. "The Spit's Merlin will be lit up like a Christmas tree!"When Turner asks what he thinks of Greville Woods for the job, Andrew proposes himself for the flight, saying that there's no doubt Woods is a good flier, but his Spitfire is in dock. Turner replies, "Well he can take yours."
***
Foyle and Milner stand with Wrenn on the roof of Digby Manor. Foyle asks who, apart from Sir Michael, would have a key to the roof. Wrenn mentions Waterford's housekeeper, explaining that she still lives in the manor and helps with the laundry and cleaning, and says he has a full set himself.Milner looks at the back of the remaining stone figure on the parapet and queries, "A lion and a unicorn?" Wrenn says they appear on Sir Michael's coat of arms and that his family have owned the place since the Magna Carta. Milner tells his boss that the stone is almost completely corroded, but when Foyle suggests that, in that case, it could have been an accident, Wrenn protests, convinced it is sabotage. Foyle points out that it could also be attempted murder.
***
In Jamieson's office, Foyle asks the surgeon if it's correct that he and Smythe argued immediately before the incident. Jamieson is astonished that he could be suspected and says that he saves lives, he doesn't take them. He looks pointedly at the DCS and asks him whose side he is on. When Foyle replies that he's on no one's side, Jamieson points out that if someone is wanting to close the place down, the latest incident, a police investigation and someone like the DCS with his suspicions, might be enough to help them succeed.***
Milner interviews Waterford in his cottage. He says he knows he was at Digby Manor that morning because one of the nurses saw him go in just before the statue fell. Sir Michael says that he goes in and out all the time to keep an eye on things. He says he couldn't have gone quickly up the stairs to the roof because he has great difficulty walking and explains that he was wounded on the Messines Ridge in June 1917, while serving with the 11th Kent Fusiliers. Milner says it must be difficult to lose his home in this way and
Waterford wearily replies that he thought he'd be left in peace, which is what he wanted.Mrs Roecastle comes in with her employer's lunch. Milner asks her if she was at the manor that morning and she replies nervously that she was, but was cleaning on the first floor. She says she didn't see anything, but heard the crash and then Dr Wrenn running downstairs.
***
While waiting outside the manor for Foyle and Milner, Sam is approached by Johnny Bridges, who asks her for a cigarette. He can't smoke on the ward because the Matron considers it a fire risk. She takes a cigarette case from her jacket pocket and gives him a cigarette, but she has to light it for him because the injuries he sustained have so badly damaged his hands.Bridges tells her he was a pilot, but he doesn't know what he's going to do in the future. Sam is uncomfortable when he jokes about it. Bridges asks if somebody really did try to kill Smythe and when Sam says she doesn't know, he comments that it certainly wasn't him, because he wouldn't have missed. They laugh. Sam looks pensive as the badly scarred Bridges walks away, obviously thinking of another young pilot she knows.
***
Andrew walks with Greville Woods across the airfield towards a Spitfire. Woods thanks Andrew because, he says, without his say-so the CO wouldn't have trusted him with this mission and it means a lot to him. They say their goodbyes, and Woods climbs into the cockpit of the Spitfire and takes off for France.***
Dr Wrenn is about to enter the front door of his home when Peter Preston asks to speak with him.
***
In their cottage on the Digby Manor estate, Beryl Drake puts a plate of corned beef and cabbage on the table for her husband's tea. He complains about the food and an argument ensues. When she comments about where he goes at night and says Drake has spent all that her father gave her, the altercation turns nasty and Beryl warns her husband that she knows what is going on between him and Waterford, and threatens to tell. Drake smashes a fist into her face and she falls to the floor. He then takes off his belt and proceeds to beat her with it.***
Another argument is brewing in another home. Brian Wrenn sits at the tea table with his wife. He is in a sullen mood and asks her to tell him about Gordon Drake. She admits he has been to the house, but says it was only to mend a fuse. Wrenn doesn't believe her and she asks sarcastically if he intends to stick a knife in Drake. Anger begins to well up in Wrenn. He grabs Beryl's wrist, saying that she doesn't know him and doesn't understand his feelings. He attempts to force a kiss on her, but she pushes him away, saying that he doesn't have feelings for her any more, and goes out of the room.***
By comparison, in the Foyle household there is peace. Foyle and his son are relaxing in the living room, playing chess on a coffee table by the light of a flickering fire. Andrew makes a move that allows his opponent to achieve checkmate. Father tells son he is not concentrating, but Andrew simply says, "You're too good for me."Foyle knows otherwise and prompts Andrew to tell him what the problem is. His son begins by reminding him that he's not
flying at the moment. Foyle remarks that he can't say he's sorry because it's good to have him home. Andrew goes on to explain that he's been top dog in the squadron for the last few months, but today his CO stood him down from a very important op. Six months ago he'd have given anything to have done the flight. Foyle sits back in his chair and remarks that a lot has happened in six months and his son confirms it by admitting that he was actually relieved not to have been sent on the mission because he hadn't wanted to fly and had even handed over his own plane."And you feel guilty about that?""Yes, I suppose I do. But I wonder… what happens now?"
"Well, personally speaking, I'd rather you never flew again, but both of us know that's not going to happen because you'll have to. So until we're the other side of this we're going to have to live day-to-day and hope for the best."
"The best?"
"That we at least get through it."
***Greville Woods' Spitfire comes home trailing smoke, crash lands on the airfield and explodes in flames. Men run to the plane but have difficulty opening the cockpit because the slide resists. Woods, screaming in agony, is finally pulled clear of the inferno.
Continue on...