ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE WAY AHEAD (1944)

 

“The Way Ahead” is a World War II drama, written by Eric Ambler and Peter Ustinov and Directed by Carol Reed.

The movie begins with a number of British recruits being plucked from various walks of life on civvie street, Ted Brewer (Stanley Holloway), Evan Lloyd (James Donald), Luke (John Laurie), Sid Beck (Leslie Dwyer), Herbert Davenport (Raymond Huntley, (Bill Parsons (Hugh Burden) and Geoffrey Stainer (Jimmy Hanley) and we see them as they struggle to adjust to military life under sergeant Ned Fletcher (William Hartnell) and Lt. Jim Perry (David Niven).

Once the troopers are whipped into shape they are slated to sail to French North Africa to participate in Operation Torch, the invasion of Vichy France's colonies Algeria and Tunisia.

So they have to say goodbye to family and friends but a group of wives form a support group, Mrs. Perry (Penelope Dudley-Ward), Mrs. Brewer (Esma Cannon), Mrs. Hilda Parsons (Eileen Erskine) and Mrs. Fletcher (Grace Arnold) and track the progress of their loved ones from the moment they embarked, especially the sinking of the troop ship by a German U-boat, with half the battalion lost in the Mediterranean Sea.
As a result the men miss the invasion and from then on seem to be one step behind the action all the way and it's not until the battle of El Alamein starts to turn against the British Eight Arm that Perry's men are immediately sent to the front lines to stop the German Afrika Corps advance.

Apart from the principles there is also a strong supporting cast, Reginald Tate, Leo Genn, Renée Asherson, Tessie O'Shea, A.E. Matthews, Jack Watling and Peter Ustinov is excellent as Rispoli the Cafe Owner.

 

THE SHORT STIRLING

 

The Short Stirling

Was the very first British

Four-engine heavy bomber

The RAF had in the World War 2

It first entered service in 1941

And had a very brief career

As an operational bomber

Quickly being surpassed

By the Halifax and the Lancaster

Relegating the Stirling

To second line role

But it still had a significant

Contribution to make

First as a glider tug

And then as a resupply aircraft

During the allied invasion

Of Europe in 1944-1945

THE BATTLE OF SHANGANI

 

St Crispin’s day has been

A bloody day in history

Famous for being a day 

When battles were fought

High in the cost of life

Among these, in 1893

The Battle of Shangani

In the First Matabele War

When a British column

Was attacked by a large force

Of Matabele warriors.

The British repulsed them

With heavy loss of life

To the Matabele force.

The battle is best noted

For being the first battle

In which the Maxim gun

Was used to great effect

THE RED DUSTER

 

The British merchantmen

Fly the “Red Duster”

And you will always see

The red ensign flutter

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – D-DAY THE SIXTH OF JUNE (1956)

 

D-Day the Sixth of June, Directed by Henry Koster, tells the tale of a love triangle involving a British Officer, Lt Colonel John Wynter (Richard Todd), American Captain Brad Parker (Robert Taylor) and Red Cross Nurse Valerie Russell (Dana Wynter).

The story unfolds aboard an allied transport on the eve of D-Day shown in flashback, as the two officers reminisce about their individual relationships with the beauteous English Rose.

But who will the nurse choose? A married American Staff Officer or the gung ho British Lt Colonel.

RETURNING HOME

 

Through leafy glades we walked together

In the dappled shade beneath the trees, where

Spots of light chase each other frantically

As the soft summer breeze moves the treetops

As on the forest floor the patterns change

In some place’s shafts of golden sunlight

Burst through the canopy, like sunbeams

Sent down from God above to light the darkness

In the sunnier spots the blue bells dance

As if to entertain the travellers

The path leads us upwards into the light

Each step taking us to ever lighter skies

Until we emerge atop a green hill

We looked out across the land, England

And knew what we had all fought and died for

To save this land from the spoils of war

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – FOR THOSE IN PERIL (1944)

“For Those in Peril” is a World War II drama, screenplay written by Harry Watt, J.O.C. Orton and T.E.B. Clarke from a story by Richard Hillary and Directed by Charles Crichton.

 

Pilot Officer Rawlings (Ralph Michael) joined the RAF because he wanted to fly but after the MO wouldn’t sign him fit to fly, he is posted to the RAF Air Sea Rescue squadron operating in the English Channel and he makes no secret of the fact to his commanding officer Flt.Lt. Murray (David Farrar) that he considers his new posting second best.

However, under Murrays leadership he soon learns there are more important things than flying as the rescue boats go out in all conditions picking up downed pilots and taking them to safety.

 

This film dramatization was filmed in the summer of 1943, to highlight the contribution of the Air Sea Rescue Service to the war effort.

Produced with the cooperation of both the Air Ministry and the Admiralty and is too all intents and purposes director Charles Crichton's first feature.