War Machine Our World War

This programme contains some violent scenes, some strong language

and some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting.

This is it, boys!

We're in the war now!

EXPLOSION

GUNFIRE

Get out, Sid!

GUNFIRE, EXPLOSION Come on!

EXPLOSION

CROW CAWS

HORSE WHINNIES

HORSE AND CART DRIVE AWAY

SHELLS EXPLODE IN THE DISTANCE

Who's that?

I don't know.

Could be a German.

Unlikely.

Do you have a gun?

No. Do you?

No.

Lieutenant Mould.

Welcome to the Tank Corps.

Which one of you's the mechanic?

That'd be me, sir.

-Do you know what happens to a tank when it breaks down?

-No, sir.

The Germans come up from behind and they stuff it, right up the arse.

And we don't want that, do we?

-No, sir.

-No, sir.

You'll get the hang of it.

A tank's like any other machine of war.

Point yours at the enemy and hope they die first.

Shall we?

HORSE WHINNIES

Look at that!

Here she is, the Niveleur.

Is that French or something?

It is indeed French or something, Private Weston.

It means the leveller. Appropriate, don't you think?

Burns...

..if you have to drop something, try and make it the pigeon.

Sorry, sir. It won't happen again.

What's the explosives for, sir?

Germans would love their very own Mark V to play with.

We fall into enemy hands, we have to spoil the fun and blow her up.

With us still inside?

I wouldn't recommend it.

She's beautiful, sir.

We are going to be a part of the biggest

mechanical assault that has ever been.

We rode into this war on horses.

We'll ride out of it in tanks.

Welcome to the future.

SPANNER FALLS

Bollocks to the future.

She's pulling left. This rate we'll still be driving circles round this bloody wood

-when the Germans reach London.

-This is Private Dodds.

-We've put him in charge of morale.

-I can fix her.

Who the hell is this?

He's a mechanic.

Can I have a poke around under the bonnet, sir?

Be my guest.

All right?

Is that a letter from home?

Oh, um...

Blimey, you've got something worth fighting for, haven't you?

Shame to survive the war just to go home and be murdered

by your missus, though, eh?

Ring? Probably lying in no-man's land, right?

HE LAUGHS

These are mine.

No, no, no. This way they're always safe. They're always close,

like a proper family.

Sorry, Fred Firth.

-Chas Rowland.

-Nice to meet you.

So how long have you been married, Chas?

ENGINE TURNS OVER

Well, I'll be damned. He fixed it!

He's good.

You all right, hen?

Where were you stationed before this?

Came straight here from basic.

-Ah, so, you're a conscript, then?

-Yeah.

Well, let me tell you something, you fancy little prick.

Unlike you, I've been here since the beginning,

and you know what I learnt?

Cowards always die first,

and you look like a coward to me.

I'm going to make it through this,

go home, war hero.

Don't get in my way.

Primary objective, attack the German front line,

break through their trenches...

..here.

Make way for infantry support, neutralise their artillery,

and then secure a position seven miles past the crossing point...

..here.

Seven miles behind enemy lines?

As of tomorrow morning, I suspect the antiquated view of what is

and isn't a German line may have changed somewhat.

But, yeah. It'll be hot. I'm told we'll have air support.

What do you mean by air support, sir?

Support from the air, Weston.

Weaponised planes providing covering fire.

Oh, shit the bed! Can we do that...sir?

Well, we're going to give it a bloody good go.

We are going to smash open a hole in their lines so wide

and so deep they will never recover. Sound good?

Sounds very good. Sounds very good indeed.

Lieutenant Cohen.

So you told them, cats out the bag, hey? Good to see you, Mouldy.

And you.

Now...

..as promised.

Is that the good Scotch, sir?

This? It's the weakest, most piss-filled bottle

of Protestant whisky I could find.

-We had a wager.

-Which I lost.

-Apparently.

-Weston, stow this somewhere, will you?

So, this is the crew of the Niveleur?

Well, you're in good hands. This man won't let you down.

-The best of luck.

-Aye, sir.

I'll see you in the big show.

THUNDER RUMBLES

-What's the bird for?

-It's a homing pigeon.

She'll take a message back to HQ if we want her to.

She's our lifeline. Aren't you, hey?

Though if Lieutenant Mould had his way, she'd be on a spit.

"My darling Anne.

"I cannot tell you where my earthly body is

"but I can tell you where my heart lies.

"It is with you in our home."

-Is this you, Weston, you soppy bastard?

-It's mine.

Yeah, sorry, Chas. Didn't have you pegged for the romantic sort.

Mind your own business.

Listen, the first rule of working in a tank crew

is don't leave your love letters lying around unless you want some bastard yanking himself off to them.

THUNDER INTENSIFIES

Weston. Weston!

Don't eat too much too quickly. You'll just throw it up later.

Nice.

Nice to have a woman around the place.

Well, another one, anyway.

O'Brien, you Irish bastard,

get some grapeshot in that cannon. I want a body count today.

All right, Rowland, let's get moving.

We're a long way from home and she's not built for speed.

What, you want me to drive, sir?

-You know how, don't you?

-Yeah.

Good. Let's get moving, then.

Weston, you're on the front gun.

ENGINE STARTS AND REVS

That's the reconnaissance squad. They'll lead us out,

just follow the light.

SOMEONE WHISTLES

ROAR OF PLANES OVERHEAD

They're here! They're here!

Now we just wait for our guns.

What do you mean, sir?

They'll fire a few shells to disguise the sound of our tanks.

Not long now, boys.

They'll be bombing the German trenches any minute now.

HUGE EXPLOSION IN THE DISTANCE

Here we go!

Weston's pissed himself, sir.

Don't worry, Princess. We won't let anything happen to ya!

Get us moving!

Come on. Mike, you can do this.

Come on!

One, two...

We're going over a German trench!

All men to positions!

They haven't got a bloody clue.

Weston's down.

Pick him up.

The bastards!

We're not walking this time!

This is it! This is it, boys!

We're in the war now!

They're surrendering!

Fire!

Dodds, the bastards are surrendering.

Reload, O'Brien! Reload!

Fire!

Firth, shoot that bloody gun!

Fire!

Fire!

Those guns haven't been knocked out, sir!

We'll have to do it!

Weave! Keep it moving!

ENGINE WHIRRS TO A HALT

CONTINUED GUNFIRE AND SHELLING

-The engine's stopped.

-It's not working!

We can't stay here!

Somebody get us moving!

I'm on it!

Weston, you get this fucking tank moving right now!

Bloody fool.

What's he doing, sir?

He's trying to draw their fire.

Someone get that engine started right now, goddamnit!

-Get our tank moving now!

-Shut up and let him get on with it!

I say we bail.

No! Nobody leave the boat! It's not safe!

Right, stay put.

Come on!

Just wait one minute!

Try it now!

Come on!

Crank it, crank it!

Fucking have that!

Go! Now!

MASSIVE EXPLOSION

Dodds. Dodds! It's Cohen!

Keep firing.

Get that six-pounder into the tree line! Keep firing, dammit!

Guns are out, sir.

MACHINE GUNS CLACK

-We're clear! Cease fire!

-Cease fire!

-Cease fire!

THEY COUGH

Weston, stop these fumes!

HE CHOKES

HE BREATHES DEEPLY

Get up, Chas. Get up. Get up!

You all right, fella?

Good man.

She'll be waiting for you when you get home.

The whole of the retreating German army are in that valley.

If we go down there now we can inflict...

If we go down there now, they'll blow us to bloody pieces.

If you want us to attack tonight, you'd better come up with

a plan more advanced than, "Drive down there and see how it goes."

-If you disobey an order...

-What? What will you do?

Take us out of action in the middle of an offensive?

I will personally ensure that neither you nor your crew

-sees a single medal or citations.

-Well, a minute ago you were personally ensuring that neither me

nor my crew would ever see daylight again so I count this as progress.

Arsehole!

Don't think that I won't ask you to drive into certain death.

But just know it'll be for a bloody good reason.

No-one's gained this much ground in four years of fighting.

You did well today.

You'll do well again tomorrow.

HE WHISTLES

Weston.

HE CARRIES ON WHISTLING

Weston!

I don't know what you've got to smile about, Weston.

Good men died today because of you.

I saw them burn.

-Wasn't his fault.

-No?

-No.

-No.

While we were sat around scratching our arses waiting for him to do

his job and fix that bloody engine, that other tank took lumps for us.

-How many white feathers did you get, Weston?

-Six.

Six? Six! Six. Fuck me.

Look, I'm sorry, mate, all right?

My dad needed me at the garage.

He was depending on me, Dodds.

You're a liar and you're a coward.

Dodds...

You can go fuck yourself, you jock bastard.

Bloody lunatic.

Come on!

Get off me!

SHOUTING AND COMMOTION

I'm all right, I'm all right.

Dodds, go outside and cool off.

I think he's dangerous, sir.

Good. He's supposed to be.

He had two brothers, both of them younger than you, Weston.

Both of them enlisted.

One of them's missing, the other one's dead.

Do you know what the wager I had with Lieutenant Cohen was?

He bet me I couldn't take this rabble and turn it into a team.

I told him he owed me a bottle of whisky.

I can't give it back to him now,

so we'd better be damn sure I don't break my bet.

For now, just try to stay out of Dodds' way.

PIGEONS COO

DOOR OPENS

Setting off soon, pal.

So, where were you before all this?

17th West Yorks.

16 months on front line.

What made you try tanks?

Seemed like the regiment to join

if you want to make a difference, so I signed up.

You?

I was infantry as well. I had too many nights out on no-man's-land.

I was feeling like a sniper's drawing a sight on you.

I was too exposed.

I like to...

I like to reach out and touch the walls, you know.

It calms me down.

She write often?

She's not the letter-writing type.

"Your children are growing."

That's what mine said to me in the last one.

"Your children are growing."

My daughter, when she was little, wasn't interested in me.

Just wanted her mother...

..which is normal, I suppose.

But I was determined. I said to her, I said,

"You will love me. I will do whatever it takes to win you over."

And I did.

She'd run through walls for me now.

And my boy...

..going to be three soon.

Now, if I die, he won't even remember me.

Missed my chance, haven't I?

Grown up without me so far.

Won't know any different.

Leaving in two minutes.

Sorry...

I'm sorry.

'My darling Anne.

'I cannot tell you where my earthly body is as I write this,

'but I can tell you where my heart is.

'It is with you in our home...'

SHOUTS ECHO

Tank's on fire! Get the starboard door open.

MACHINE GUN FIRE

Burns, get the fucking map - don't let the map burn.

Map!

All right, out.

-No, no!

-Get low - get low!

-Out!

-Get low!

-Get out!

SUSTAINED GUNFIRE

BULLETS RICOCHET

Stay low, stay close to the tank.

Move to the back.

Shit!

No!

ALL SHOUT

No, we're not. Stay behind me.

Dawson, Dodds, O'Brien, cover our flank!

Pull back!

Pull back! Move!

Trees - on knees.

GUNSHOT

Firth!

Is he dead?

No, he's moving. Get him back in the tank!

FIRTH SCREAMS

Cover. Fire!

You'll be fine. It's just a graze.

Listen to me!

Argh, get me in!

Get me in...

Please get me in, please get me in, please get me in,

-please get me in...

-Firth!

Get us moving and let's find our way back to the others.

Ready as she goes, sir.

Take us forward!

All right, steady as she goes, lads...

EXPLOSIONS ECHO

-MACHINE GUN FIRE

-Argh!

They're coming!

-They're coming!

-Firth, those are our men!

-Argh! They're coming!

-Firth!

They're coming! They're going to surround me!

Argh!

Dodds! Lay him out, for fuck's sake!

Did he hit anyone?

No, sir, he was firing high.

He's lost it.

He'll be all right.

-He just needs some time, that's all.

-No, he won't.

We have to leave him.

Sir...

please...

This bus is full of explosives, petrol and ammunition.

I can't have a man like that in here.

He's one of us.

We're a machine.

If there's a faulty part WE break down.

Sir, if we do this, he'll die.

It doesn't matter.

Sir?

It doesn't matter if he dies, Weston.

Take us into that valley,

away from the enemy as far as you can.

I won't make it home.

Here...

Dodds, please, mate...

Dodds, please..

-Here.

-No, no, no!

Please, please...

Come on, we can't stay here.

I'm sorry.

'I love you.

'For always.

'For always.'

There's a farm, a rendezvous point.

That's where we need to head.

Where is everyone?

We'll go and take a look.

Two volunteers to go with me?

I'll go.

No.

Rowland, Burns.

Burns, mind your head!

BIRD CALLS

WESTON COUGHS

Hey!

We should stay by the tank.

Why?

You all going to leave without me?

HORSE WHINNIES

Be quiet. Follow me.

Oh, damn!

Go, go, go!

GUNFIRE

ENGINE FIRES

There'll be more coming.

Get down!

GUNSHOT

MACHINE GUN FIRE

Go!

Thanks, Chas.

Reload that.

That'll get us to the right place.

VOICE ECHOES: 'I am returning from the garden with dirt under my nails.'

HE SIGHS

Back there...

..in the village....

I just want to say thank you.

We need a mechanic.

If you couldn't fix the bus, I'd have left you there,

and I'd have been glad to.

Stop trying to prove yourself to us, Weston. You can't.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry about your brothers.

-I know how much they meant to you.

-Nah. No, you don't.

You don't know anything.

Fine.

Naw. No, it's not fine.

None of this is fucking fine.

Piss off.

This...

..is our final end point.

If we can get our bus from here...

..to there... then maybe the war turns our way.

This...

is the route we take to get back.

Driving home, boys.

Simple as that.

So let's get to it.

# There is a house built out of stone... #

VOICE ECHOES: 'You are reading your book in my chair.'

# Wooden floors, walls and windowsills

# Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust

# This is a place where I don't feel alone

# This is a place where I feel at home... #

HE COUGHS

Going to slam the door open.

I'll drive for now, you walk alongside.

Sir?

Go on.

ENGINE RUMBLES

When we stop again, you've got to take a look at that engine.

There's nothing I can do about the fumes - it's the design.

Listen, I won't be poisoned to death

because the conscientious objector doesn't feel like doing his job.

This ain't a job.

Fixing cars is a job.

Working in a shop is a job.

That's decent, that's honest.

Killing people, leaving your mates to die alone in the mud -

that's something else.

He was a good man.

There, Michael, I've said it!

Firth was a good man and we put him out.

You might not be used to war, but the rest of us here are.

We've all killed people.

We don't need somebody like you judging us for it.

I'm not the one you need to worry about, mate.

You think you're all going to go home war heroes.

But no-one back home wants to know about it.

No-one wants to know about this tank, or this mission,

or me, or you, or your dead fucking brothers, Dodds.

Shut up!

You've been gone so long they've got over it.

They've got over all of us.

Maybe I ain't one of you, Dodds,

but when I get back, all they'll see is another fucking soldier

with another fucking story they don't want to hear.

Bitte - bitte!

Schiessen Sie nicht!

Lieutenant!

German prisoner!

Schiessen Sie nicht! Bitte!

-Bitte!

-We don't take prisoners!

He's just a wee boy, lads.

They're all just wee boys.

Who do you think you've been pointing your gun at

these last couple of days?

What do we do?

I'll do it.

Let me. I'll do it - give it here.

Schiessen Sie nicht!

Bitte!

Schiessen Sie nicht!

HE COCKS PISTOL

Bitte...schiessen Sie nicht!

Bitte...

Schiessen Sie nicht!

No! You...

I'll do it.

Aah!

HE SOBS

Bitte!

Bitte!

-Bitte...

-Shut up.

Bitte!

Fucking hell.

What's going on?

I can't do it.

Can't do it?!

We're in the middle of a war! "Can't do it"?!

This is what we're here to do, gentlemen.

HE SOBS

It's what we're here to do.

Sorry.

ENGINE RUMBLES

Burns!

Burns - hold here!

This is it.

Lieutenant.

Where is everyone?

No-one else has made it back yet.

Are any of you injured?

Good.

Firth.

ALL: Firth.

Right, lads...

Let's see what you're made of.

Ready?

Ah, ha, ha! No!

Right, well, we'll just pretend that didn't happen, eh?

LAUGHTER

GUNSHOT

Come on.

We're still a long way from home,

and she's not built for speed.

# And I built a home

# For you

# For me

# Until it disappeared

# From me

# From you

# And now it's time

# To leave

# And turn to dust... #

HE KNOCKS

Yes?

Anne?

Can I help you?

Can I come in?

I don't understand.

Were you friends with my husband?

Yes. No! I mean, I found him.

He were waiting to be buried.

I opened his jacket and there you were.

Chas, what are you doing?

You took my photo from him?

It were next to the letter.

What letter?

His letter back to you.

It was like the one I'd written home.

The one that, if I died, I hoped would have been delivered.

Not stuck in the ground with me.

No man wants to think that his last words wouldn't make it home.

So I carried it.

I told myself I'd carry it home. To you.

Where is it?

This is...

This is all that were left.

Oh, no...

It wasn't... there was a fire in MY tank.

He wasn't burnt -

I don't know how he died, but he wasn't burnt.

-I shouldn't...

-I haven't offered you tea.

Thank you.

Your house isn't as I imagined it.

SHE SOBS

"My darling Anne...

"..I cannot tell you where my earthly body is as I write this,

"but I can tell you where my heart lies.

"It is with you in our home.

"Our children are asleep upstairs.

"You are reading your book in my chair.

"I am returning from the garden with dirt under my nails.

"We have just met on the Common.

"I have held you in my arms for the first time.

"You have said yes to my proposal.

"We are walking along Southend Pier together.

"Your stomach swells with our children."

SHE SOBS

"We are hand in hand.

"It is in all of these places where my heart lies.

"Keep my boots by the door,

"keep my hat on the stand, for I mean to come home to you.

"And only death will stop me.

"In which case I will send you these words in my place.

"I love you.

"For always.

"For always.

"Jack."

Sorry.

I didn't mean to memorise it.

# Darling, I loved you

# I longed to become you

# And know what it is that you gave

# We dance the sorrow

# Forgive me tomorrow

# I pray

# Night after night

# Day after day

# Would you watch my body weaken

# My mind drift away?

# Dear lover, forsaken

# Our love is taken away

# You were my speaker

# My innocence keeper

# I don't

# Night after night

# Day after day

# Would you watch my body weaken

# And my mind drift away? #