Episode 6 The Crimson Field

This fiance isn't British, is he?

-They'll crucify you.

-It's just a letter.

You find Corporal Prentiss and give him that.

I thought it had been rescinded, sir.

I want Prentiss on that convoy.

You know what I'm looking for.

I destroyed it.

No, I'm certain that you kept it,

because you knew the damage it could do to Roland.

You didn't volunteer out of duty. You volunteered to escape.

I was taken prisoner. I jumped from the train.

You're going to ride away from the village.

There's a crossroads. Hide yourself there and watch the road for me.

Good evening, Sister. What have you been up to?

This programme contains some strong language

I can't give you anything for the pain.

You'll just have to grit your teeth.

Have they caught him?

Please.

Not that I've heard.

Be better for you if they had.

I don't know what you thought you were doing.

DOOR OPENS

DOOR CLOSES

Nothing will happen. Too much business, too much shared interest.

The king is a bloody German. Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

He's more German than me.

No-one's more German than you.

He's ill.

What sort of son would I be

if I didn't go to my father when he's ill?

I'm just so scared.

Liebchen, you're never scared.

Do you think WE'LL get in trouble?

I don't see why we should get in trouble.

We didn't know anything, did we?

If we had, we'd have said so straightaway,

so I don't see why we should get in trouble.

We've been told not to talk about it.

I never would have touched her rotten motorcycle if I'd known, never.

-And I liked her.

-And that's all in the past tense, is it?

So quick to turn your back?

I have brothers fighting.

I showed her their photographs,

I told her I had brother's fighting and she just pretended to be lovely.

And you? Are you going to turn your back like Flora?

Matron's strictest orders were that this matter must not be discussed.

KITTY SIGHS

So, I will not be discussing it.

Colonel Purbright is here.

Roland, you should distance yourself from this.

I'll go in with her. She's my nurse and I'm responsible.

No. It's my hospital.

She must have been desperate.

Joan Livesey,

you stand accused of aiding the escape of a German prisoner of war.

I know how it looks, but it really isn't how it looks. It's just...

I swear on my life, it's not how it looks.

You're to comply fully and truthfully with this hearing

so that when Intelligence arrive,

we can present them with a clear and concise exposition of events

and show that the Royal Army Medical Corps

can put its own house in order. Is that clear? Yes, sir.

You understand you're subject to military law?

That law states that any person who treacherously holds

correspondence with or gives intelligence to the enemy

shall, on conviction by court martial, be liable to suffer death.

Do you now understand the situation that you're in?

How is she?

As you'd expect.

What's going to happen to her?

I don't care.

How can you say that?

What do you think we're doing here?

What do you think this is?

I don't hack the limbs off men for fun.

I don't pull shrapnel out of their brains

so they can spend the rest of their lives in a nursing home,

dribbling down themselves, for fun.

They're not dying for fun.

She didn't go to meet him. She thought it was only a letter.

Did she tell you?

I guessed. Didn't take too much to guess.

But you knew and said nothing?!

Why are you so angry?

A good man could lose his job because of this.

My boss. He trusted her and now his neck's on the block.

And you knew and said nothing.

You're as much to blame as she is.

You'll be in serious trouble if they find out.

SHE PUFFS

I have suppliers in the village, sir. Poultry and eggs.

I was returning to the hospital when I saw Livesey. She was with a man.

He spoke German. They embraced. He was wearing her coat.

She gave him her motorcycle and he drove away.

Now, I would have attempted arrest of both of them, sir,

but I was alone and unarmed.

I felt it better to be certain of one apprehension

-than fail with two, sir.

-Sergeant.

The prisoner appears to be somewhat marked, Sergeant Soper.

There was a kerfuffle, sir.

The prisoner was required to remove an item of evidence

she wore around her neck.

The prisoner did not wish to remove aforementioned item.

The guards were required to...

to employ some encouragement.

Everybody would have had it different, sir.

Thank you, Soper. Dismissed.

Might we have a chair?

Corporal, if you would.

Livesey, in coming to France, was it your express intention

and premeditated purpose to communicate with the enemy?

No.

I came to France to nurse.

-Take him through.

-Watch your step.

-Just breathe.

Can't you get down?

I was frying bacon, I was,

and a shell goes off and all the fat spills down me leg.

Sizzling hot. It really hurts.

Well, let's get you settled into bed and then you'll feel better.

Just a minute.

He's a stretcher bearer. Two nights in a shell hole...

-You're burning.

-..nibbled by the rats. Look at his ears.

Can someone help me, please?

I can hear them.

Who?

I can hear them calling.

You have a terrible fever.

There's no-one calling. I promise you.

I can hear them.

I can hear them...

I'm sure it does hurt, but it really doesn't look too bad.

Don't you want to take your dirty clothes off

-and have a proper wash first?

-No, no.

Do you have a brother?

Rosalie, don't you think we should put aside our differences.

Why?

Because it's not important, not with everything that's going on.

I said that I'm not going to talk about it.

Please!

I have a nasty temper and a sharp tongue. They get me into trouble.

I hurt you and I'm sorry.

I know all about your trouble.

Mrs Vincent.

What did you say?

My crocus and daffodil bulbs came wrapped in old newspaper.

Of course, I remember it all from before the war.

Quite the notorious woman.

Are you trying to wipe the slate clean,

pretend you're something you're not?

Pretend you're decent?

No.

You accuse me of coming here to escape.

What are you doing but hiding?

Five days ago, a group of prisoners of war

were taken for initial interrogation.

One stands out - cultured, intelligent, exceptional English.

Anton Ehrlich.

The prisoners are put on the train and the officer accompanying them

invites this cultured and intelligent German

to his carriage to take tea.

Seeing the coast from the train window,

the prisoner asks where they are, the officer tells him,

whereupon the cultured and intelligent Anton Ehrlich

hits the officer, breaking his jaw, and he escapes.

You know this man?

-Answer, please.

-Yes, sir.

This was the man you met last night?

Yes, sir.

DOGS BARK IN DISTANCE

It's so awful, isn't it, what's happening?

"It's so awful." Is that the best you've got?

Well, it is awful.

What do you want, anyway?

Well, I know we're not really speaking,

but I just wondered if you had a brother or a cousin.

What's it to you?

There's a James Foley just come in.

I just thought...

well, something nice when everything's so horrible.

He's not badly hurt.

Oi, oi, slug-a-bed.

THEY LAUGH

Pete!

Ohh!

-I burned me leg, Pete.

-Oh.

-Bacon fat.

You a doctor?

Course I'm not a bloody doctor, soppy bollocks.

Want to see where I live?

When you arrived at this hospital, you said you'd missed the transport.

I did. I got lost.

It was very chaotic. I told Matron at the time...

In order to get here, you bought a motorcycle

and a British officer's greatcoat. Means of transport and disguise.

You make it sound like I planned it all.

That's because you did.

No, I just wanted to get here and start work.

And what work was that? Identifying potential conspirators?

What do you mean?

Jaco Tillens, Belgian refugee. You treated his daughter here.

-Yes.

-Then you went to his house.

-To check on the little girl, yes.

The same house where you were arrested.

Did you know Jaco Tillens before coming to France?

No, and any nurse here could have treated him or his daughter.

Yes, but any nurse didn't. You did.

Was his name passed to you from a third party?

Of course not. What third party?

I understand that he was badly beaten,

that he'd become the object of suspicion and hostility.

He'll be arrested for espionage the minute he lands in Britain.

He knew nothing.

I never spoke to him about anything but his daughter's health.

There's no conspiracy, no third party, it was just me.

It was just you.

I didn't plan any of this.

You planned it because your sympathies and your loyalties

lie with the enemy.

It's a palace.

Soppy bollocks. It's a tent.

Can I stay here with you?

Don't be daft. You've got a bed on the ward, make the most of it.

Why did you go, Pete?

Got bored, didn't I? Too much graft, having to scrape for everything.

-The Army's the cushy life.

-You never said goodbye.

Spur of the moment, Jimmy. Not enough time.

No-one talks about you.

I asked and Dad fetched me a clump on me ear.

Blood come out.

Well, he's an evil old shit.

Did I do something wrong?

No. Just stop going on about it, all right? I had enough and went.

Would've come with you.

No, you couldn't.

Look, I've got work to do. Come on. Out.

Can I keep my slippers?

Always the same. You get an idea in your head,

you're like a dog with a bone.

This is why you get clumped, Jimmy.

They're comfy. I can wear 'em home.

-You're not going home, Jimmy.

-But I burned me leg. It hurt.

Did you burn yourself?

No.

You burned yourself, didn't you?

Oh, fuck!

JIMMY CRIES

-I want to go home.

-You can't go home!

You should be wanting to kill 'em with your bare hands,

not sitting here crying, blowing snot bubbles like a baby.

I don't want to!

I'm ashamed of you. My own brother running from the enemy.

How and when did you meet this man?

In Liverpool. '09.

He was working on the foundations of the Liver Building.

He's a civil engineer.

And there's no mention of your relationship with this man

in any of your references from England.

You don't know what it was like after the Lusitania was sunk.

You don't know how bad it was at home.

German families, people that had been living in England for years,

were dragged out into their streets to have their heads stamped on...

So you lied.

If you think that came easy...

..to deny him, if you think that came easy...

But you still lied.

You lied to gain people's trust.

I wasn't expecting you for another two days. What brings you back?

Kent was tedious.

The house is very small, the walls very thin,

and there was nowhere I could not hear my brother and his wife snoring,

or sneezing, or merely breathing.

It isn't home.

The driver told me about Sister Livesey.

What a burden you've had to carry... but I'm here now.

I'll change and get straight to the wards.

Did you think whilst you were away?

I did.

I am deeply ashamed of my outburst.

I hope you can forgive me. I will not challenge you again in any way.

Wait.

This situation has left Colonel Brett's status in doubt.

All senior staff are to be questioned

as to his ability to lead this hospital.

This is not the time for it to be discovered

that he countermanded a senior officer's order.

I just wondered, Margaret, if you took

a certain piece of damning documentation to England with you.

Grace, I destroyed the Blighty ticket.

I destroyed it.

When are you going to trust me?

A show of unity and strength is what's needed now.

You and I will go and speak for the colonel together.

It's good to be back.

-KNOCK ON DOOR

-Enter.

What is it, Chinnery?

Telegram for Colonel Brett, Matron.

Well, he can't take it now, can he? Leave it on his desk.

Beg your pardon, Matron, but...

SERIOUSLY: ..a telegram for the colonel.

BUGLE CALL

Did you know he was in France?

I knew he'd been conscripted.

Did you know he was here?

It was thought likely.

-Who told you that?

-His family.

I heard nothing else, not a word for nearly a year,

not knowing if he was alive or dead.

Eyes front.

What is it?

There is no good way to do this.

Roland, I'm so sorry. I know you were so proud of him.

DOOR OPENS

I'm so sorry. Please...

You've lied to everybody. The colonel. Your colleagues.

People at home. The men you've cared for,

they believed in you and you betrayed them.

-I didn't...

-All the time, pursuing your own agenda.

-So much for the dedicated nurse.

-No. No, I am a nurse.

I am a nurse.

You bring me shattered men, with shattered bodies

and shattered minds, and I will try and put them back together again.

And if I can't, I will stay with them till the very last moment and beyond.

No, I am a nurse.

Was it your purpose and intention in coming to France...?

I was desperate. I thought the not knowing would send me mad.

I thought I'd die from it.

Was it your purpose and intention in coming to France

-to communicate with the enemy?

-It was just a letter.

That's all it was. It was...it was just a letter.

SHE SOBS

I was just asking if he was still alive.

Was it your purpose and intention in coming to France

to communicate with the enemy?

SHE EXHALES SHARPLY

Yes.

Yes.

It was.

Don't answer me now.

Tell me when I'm home.

Tell me when I'm home.

BIRD SQUAWKS

DISTANT EXPLOSIONS

MEN CHATTER

Condolences, sir.

I beg your pardon, Foley?

Condolences, sir.

For your son.

ROLAND SOBS

Thank you. Thank you, Foley.

ROLAND SOBS

BUGLE CALL

FLORA: He loves you really.

-JIMMY:

-He was horrible to me.

I hate him.

My brothers nailed my plait to a table once

and I said I hated them, but I didn't really.

HE SOBS

DOOR OPENS

HE SPITS

Traitor.

-Have you spoken to your staff?

-Of course.

Well, you're going to have to speak to them again.

Thank you.

What's happened now?

There's something you should know.

At dawn this morning, Edith Cavell,

a British nurse serving with the Red Cross in German-occupied Belgium,

was executed by enemy firing squad.

RAGGED BREATHING

Um... Why?

Aiding the escape of Allied prisoners of war

from German territory.

Aiding escape.

Treason.

The same crime to which you have confessed.

An official ceremony will be held for Nurse Cavell

once Sister Livesey's hearing is concluded.

There is much here to test our spirit,

but we do not let it break us.

Resume duties.

Military Intelligence will be here soon.

I'm going to be court-martialled for treason, aren't I?

Where is he?

You must have discussed it, made plans.

I keep thinking about that poor nurse.

What must have been going through her mind.

She must have been terrified. All on her own.

Where is he?

He needs to be found. For your sake.

Why for my sake?

They may be lenient if he is found.

Do I need to remind you of the penalty you're facing?

No.

I remember quite clearly.

I could be shot.

Livesey, it is imperative that you are helpful.

-You need to think about...

-Are you married?

-That has no relevance.

-Colonel Purbright...

both of us know this isn't going to end well, so...humour me.

Are you married?

Naturally.

Do you love her?

Just humour me.

I am inordinately fond of my...

SHE LAUGHS HUMOURLESSLY

SHE SOBS

I feel so sorry for you.

I won't betray him.

I've got nothing more to say.

Private.

-Joan, just tell us where he is.

-Wait.

I enjoyed working for you, sir.

You're a kind man.

Sorry for the trouble I've brought upon you.

DOOR CLOSES

PEOPLE CHATTER

Joan's not a spy.

She's just in love with the wrong man at the wrong time.

The machine doesn't care about who she loves.

Mitigating factors blur the edges.

There's got to be clear lines, them and us,

or there won't be a war at all.

You don't think she's a spy, though, do you?

Doesn't matter what I think.

Matters to me.

No. I don't think she's a spy.

But she's been caught. Examples must be made.

Keep the rest of us on our toes.

Like Colonel Brett?

He didn't even know anything.

It makes no odds. He facilitated.

He made it all possible, whether he knew it or not.

I'm glad I got to know you better.

You got my telegram, then, Sister.

I was worried you wouldn't get back in time.

The colonel's not fit to lead this place, he's not able. Mistakes.

Errors of judgment.

He should have chosen you as matron, not Grace Carter.

And a spy under his nose.

I've got his signature on everything.

Petrol orders. Passes.

He might as well have handed that motorbike

over to Fritz himself.

There you go, chummy, and willkommen.

And you can't prove anything without paperwork.

One word from you, Sister, that he's not able,

and you have doubts, he's gone.

Put your medal on and they'll be eating out your hand.

You should be running this whole shooting match.

The hospital or the war?

HE CHUCKLES

We talk the same language, you and me, Matron Quayle.

When Intelligence arrive, they're going to be discreet

when they take Joan away, aren't they?

Why should they be discreet when they can have an audience?

Sister Quayle and I are going to see Colonel Purbright now.

No-one doubts you, Roland.

Margaret, are you ready?

The Royal Red Cross.

Awarded to you, I believe, for distinguished service.

For a woman. DOOR OPENS

Mm.

-My apologies for being late.

-Right.

Well, this is difficult,

concerning, as it does, whether Colonel Brett is appropriate

to command this hospital, in light of recent events.

There are crucial issues of security and discipline

and I must compel you both to be honest.

So, Sister Quayle, do you have any cause

to doubt the colonel's judgment on either of these matters?

Colonel Brett...

..is a man of unimpeachable integrity and honour,

his judgment and competence beyond reproach.

I wouldn't care to serve under anyone else.

Right.

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

You will be able to join in the hymns from your bed.

Those of you who are returning to Blighty...

..it is your God-given duty

to let any man at home who is not in uniform know

that he has no right to call himself a man.

FLORA: Are you sparkling?

-Yeah.

-Good.

Because you can't sing hymns if you're grubby.

So, you get yourself out and dressed

and I'm going to get you some tea with extra sugar.

Nasty bastard, ain't I?

A bit.

I ain't ashamed of you, Jimmy.

I'm proud of you.

Mates again?

PETER LAUGHS

Show us your leg, then.

JIMMY GASPS IN PAIN Ooh. Hurts. Ow.

All right.

That was never going to be enough to get you home.

-It hurt a lot.

-I bet.

Come on.

Who looks after you?

You do.

That's right. I'm going to look after you.

I'm going to do enough.

But it's going to really hurt.

What you going to do?

Get on the floor. On your side.

WATER SPLASHES

Put that round your shoulders, in your gob.

BONE SNAPS

MUFFLED SCREAMS

Brave boy.

JIMMY SCREAMS

PIANO MUSIC PLAYS

FIRE ROARS

BIRDS SQUAWK

Excuse me.

Hello?

Where are you going?

I can hear them calling. I have to go to them.

To who?

The men lost out there.

I have to go. I have to fetch them in.

What are you doing in this terrible place?

A lady shouldn't be in this terrible place.

Oh, but you see, it's all right.

I'm not a lady. I'm a nurse.

You must be cold.

How beautiful you are.

Beautiful eyes you have.

That's very kind. Shall we go, then?

I'll come with you.

INDISTINCT CONVERSATION

-KNOCK ON DOOR

-Military Intelligence, open up.

PLANE FLIES OVERHEAD

CONGREGATION: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses...

They want you in theatre.

I'm afraid your brother's had a bit of an accident.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

I burned the newspaper.

The power and the glory...

My step-sister would have sent it to me deliberately

because she knows that I find...

that I found things like that rather shocking.

She likes to shock me.

But I burned it. I didn't show it to anyone else.

PIANO PLAYS

Thank you.

CONGREGATION: # Who would true valour see... #

You're right, of course. I did volunteer to escape.

# One here will constant be... #

So did I.

# Come wind, come weather

# There's no discouragement

# Shall make him once relent

# His first avowed intent

# To be a pilgrim... #

She has not helped me escape.

I'm not at large. I'm here.

SHE MOANS

No! No!

SHE SOBS

What are they doing to him?

You're hurt.

I fell over, it's...it's nothing.

What's happening? What are they doing to you?

Can I go and stand with her?

No, you bloody can't.

An arrangement has been offered.

You would go home. You would be monitored, but you would go home.

And you'd be spying for them?

That's the arrangement.

Do you think I'm going to let you agree to that?

Joan, I'm no longer an escaped prisoner.

You will not be shot, but you will go to prison.

Hard labour. For the duration, at least.

I really don't want you to go to prison.

If you get caught spying for them, they'll have you up against a wall.

And you would get caught...

..because you're a hopeless liar.

I don't care about prison.

I don't care if the duration is 20 years.

I want you to tell them no.

If you think anything of me at all, if you love me at all,

then you'll tell them no.

Then, liebchen... this is what I will tell them.

Are you going to marry me?

SHE LAUGHS

Yes.

THEY BOTH LAUGH

It's only the duration.

It can't last for ever.

Done them serious bloody damage.

She can disappear off, but the damage to our reputation stays

and we have to weather it.

All because of one bloody stupid woman.

Well, she had YOU on the ropes at one point.

And this attitude is your whole damn problem. You're soft.

Lucky for you that Sister Quayle wore her medal.

That sort of thing carries a lot of weight.

For Christ's sake, toughen up.

Stop trying to be a father to everyone.

-I, um...

-HE CLEARS THROAT

I meant to ask before, but... didn't seem like the right time.

Which of your boys was it?

Freddie, the eldest. Alexander's still at school.

Does Hetty know?

I would imagine so, yes.

Hmm. Tough for the mothers.

But some comfort in knowing that it wasn't a wasted death.

It meant something.

-The nurse, Miss Cavell...

-Yes, it went very hard for her.

Was there no diplomatic intervention?

The Americans tried, as Americans do.

Maybe now they'll finally see what we're up against.

But what about us? Was there nothing from us?

As I understand it, no-one wanted to make it any worse for her.

She was going to be shot! How the hell could it get any worse?!

Control yourself!

Let me give you my assessment of the situation.

-I think you should shut up.

-We're going into a second winter

when we weren't supposed to have the first, and there's no end in sight.

But nothing gets the shoulder to the wheel like an executed nurse.

That'll reignite the fervour,

everyone behind the war effort, no matter what.

So, not a wasted death, then.

It meant something.

The shock of your recent bereavement

means that I will ignore that comment.

FOOTSTEPS APPROACH

Hm.

The Blighty ticket.

Of course I kept it.

Why would I get rid of something so invaluably damning?

And now I give it to you...

..as a lesson in the true value and meaning of loyalty.

Colonel Brett is very lucky to have you.

And you're very lucky to have me.

I meant what I said. I will not challenge you again.

I want my share when you sell it.

The Intelligence Officers.

You thought I was bringing them straight for you, didn't you?

Yes.

You actually believed I'd deliver you up and watch them drag you away?

Why would you think that?

You drive me mad, but...

..I'd never hurt you.

-I came here for a reason.

-I know. You've said. It's understood.

No. It's not. But I want you to understand.

The reason I came is because in England,

I have a daughter who I'm not allowed to see.

Why not?

Because I made a terrible, terrible mess of things.

I really made such a mess.

What's she like?

Her name is Sylvie.

She's six.

She likes climbing trees.

She hates wearing shoes.

She wants a dragon for Christmas.

She's beautiful...

..and utterly fearless.

She really is such a fierce, spiky little thing.

Can't think where she would get that from.

SHE LAUGHS

DOOR OPENS

Meet me. The place you said before. In an hour. I'll be there.

I'll understand if you're not, but I'll be there.

He was born with a cord around his neck.

He shouldn't be on his own.

He's a lamb. I should never have left him.

Why did you?

Is it because people found out what you are?

What's the matter with you?

Is it because you're a girl that you think

everyone wants their life laid out?

They don't.

You know we're supposed to be 23?

-Mmm?

-I'm not.

-I worked that out.

-I'm nearly 19.

Well, if there can be boy soldiers,

I don't see why there can't be a girl nurse.

All I had to do was lock myself in my room for two days

and they all decided to lie for me.

Obviously I'm completely spoiled, but I do always use it for good.

It's my secret, so you know I'll keep yours.

You like men, but you do have to be careful.

Where's the fun in that?

For Christ's sake!

Put them in the trucks.

-ENGINE STARTS

-Put them in the trucks!

-In.

I thought I'd tidy them up for you.

Have we met?

No.

Are you sure? I feel certain I know you.

We're only just meeting now.

Parry. Greville.

Berwick. Rosalie.

HE PUFFS