Introduction

At the outbreak of war, two teenage boys – one German and one British – defy their parents to sign up, but their enthusiasm is tested when they get their first taste of battle.

Outline

1914:- In Germany young Michael learns from his father William that events at Sarajevo could lead to full-scale war whilst in England, another teenager, nature-loving Tommy is also made aware of events by his father David. Both boys are anxious to join up and fight, despite their mothers’ trepidation, and both lie about their age in order to enlist. Tommy and his friend Cyril are sent to Maidstone barracks, meeting other volunteers Anthony, Ben and Kevin, all eager to fight the ‘Bosch’ and placing bets on who will get shot first. On arrival in France and preparing to…

The Passing Bells Series

You can find a full index of The Passing Bells here.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Brendan Maher.
• Producer(s): Zbigniew Adamkiewicz, Andrew Boswell, Belinda Campbell, Andrew Chapman, Den Donald, Peter Hampden, Dariusz Jablonski, Betham Jones, Tony Jordan, Violetta Kaminska, Norman Merry, Nick Pitt, and Izabela Wojcik.
• Writer(s): Tony Jordan.
• Music: John Lunn.
• Cinematography: Tomasz Naumiuk and Jacek Petrycki.
• Editor(s): Celia Haining.
• Production: Red Planet Pictures.
• Distributor(s): BBC Worldwide and TVP (Poland).
• Original Network: BBC One and TVP 1 (Poland).
• Release Date: 03 November 2014.
• Running Time: 30 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.