The Passing Bells (2014) s01e05 Episode Script
Episode 5
All this time, we won't have moved.
You got away from the British? ~ How many of you? ~ Just me.
Leave them.
What?! Get off me! You'll get us both killed! How do we know ~ .
.
it will end? ~ It will.
It has to.
Maybe when there's no-one left to fight any more? One big push.
Please please, you're nearly there.
It's a boy.
I'm sorry, that's all I've got.
Tommy! It's a boy! They called him Thomas! It's a boy! Move back, dig in, move back, dig in.
We've done nothing but go backwards for a month.
All I'm saying is, why don't we just keep going back? All the way home? Just throw down our guns and go? D'you think I want to be here?! D'you think any of us want to be here?! But we are! I haven't spent four years of my life watching people that I love die all around me just to drop my rifle and go home! Sorry.
Sorry! I've watched my friends die too.
I'm sick of it.
I suppose I can smell the end of it.
And I'm just as frightened by that, as I am of fighting.
We keep moving forward, but how come we haven't seen any Germans? We will.
Can't think what else we're doing here.
We're pushing them back, that's all.
They're saying the Germans might have had enough now the Americans have joined us.
A bloke from the Irish Guards said that he heard some of them were giving up and heading back home.
Don't tell me This'll all be over by Christmas.
~ That's what they're saying.
~ Yeah and they said that in 1914, 1915, and '16 and '17 All right, but what if they're right what they're saying this time? And we can go home? Then I'll kiss everyone I see from here to Blighty Well, maybe not everyone.
It's got to be over soon.
I don't know if I can do much more You'll be all right.
No, I mean it, Tommy, I think I'll go mad.
Just stick with me, all right? We'll go home together.
There's an article about Poland.
"As revolution grows across Europe "and the armistice gets closer, it is thought there could be "a new People's Republic of Poland within weeks!" Can I keep it? To show my father? Right, they've dug in 200 yards ahead and put wire down, so artillery's going to let them know we're here! Stretcher Bearers! ~ Coming, Sir! ~ Move yourselves.
Come on! Move yourselves! We've got injured.
Come on, move! "With Hungary and now Austria out of the war, "the Germans are becoming isolated "and the armistice grows nearer by the day.
" Excuse me.
Joanna Brown.
Joanna.
"It is thought that German terms will soon be presented "to the Allied and Associated Governments and finally ".
.
the war will be over.
" Her dad's been killed.
I'm not sure if we'll get any more leave, son, not while top brass thinks we've got them on the run.
~ All we're hearing is push forward.
~ I've got a baby, Sergeant.
Yeah.
Well, if this armistice happens, we'll all be home for good soon.
~ Do you really think so? ~ It'll happen, just don't ask me when.
Hopefully before that nipper of yours starts school.
I'll ask.
All right? Sergeant? Is there any chance of moving Derek back to supply trenches? He's not right.
Go out there and find me a man who is.
Wasn't much use today, was I? We've marched miles in the past few weeks, you're just tired, that's all.
We all are.
But you're doing brilliantly.
Head down, push on till the job's done, remember? I'll try, Tommy.
But every time a shell goes off, I jump out of my skin.
My hands are always shaking .
.
my nerves are shot.
I don't want to die.
Just stay close to me, you'll be all right.
D'you think I'm a coward? No! Don't ever say that.
We're all scared every single one of us.
Maybe you're more used to it than I am.
Sometimes my hands are shaking so much, I have to wedge my arm into the sandbags just to fire me rifle.
There's nothing wrong with being scared, it just means you're human.
Being scared will keep you alive.
You get some sleep.
Thanks, Tommy.
Why are you always reading that? It reminds me of home, I suppose.
It's the first book I ever got.
Must have been about six.
I mark off the ones I've seen, sketch them sometimes too.
It's funny .
.
I don't think people realise how beautiful birds are.
You know, you see them out here.
They even land on the barbed wire.
Something so beautiful .
.
in the middle of something so ugly.
D'you think it's true what people are saying? That the fighting will stop soon? We'll see.
It's funny, innit? 100 years from now, none of us'll be here .
.
and all this .
.
will be ancient history.
I wonder what people will make of it.
Doesn't seem that long since I was putting his dad to bed in the same room.
I'm sorry.
My father died for something he believed in, so I'm sad, but I'm proud too.
Just like little Thomas will be when his dad comes home.
All the officers have been called back to the command centre.
~ You think this is it? ~ Something's happening.
~ I can't believe he's coming home.
~ Nothing's been announced yet.
The papers say it's over! Well, the fighting doesn't just stop, they have to agree terms.
The price may be more than we're willing to pay.
But we have no choice.
Choice or not, they're politicians, so it's going to take time.
They won't keep fighting, will they? Not while they're talking?! ~ Probably.
~ But that's stupid! If everyone knows it's over, why let more boys die?! ~ That's not the way they see it.
~ Why not? Don't they have children? Writing home? Maybe if the rumours are true, I won't have to post it, I can take it myself.
But who knows what we'll be going back to.
Does it matter? As long as we're home.
It won't be the home we left if we lose this war.
There's no food, no jobs My wife will be there.
Everything else we can just re-build in time.
Right now, I'd settle for sitting in front of a warm fire.
Kaiser Bill's chucked the towel in, boys, we've got 'em on the run! What's that mean, Sergeant? Means he's abdicated, they'll be like headless chickens now.
~ Be home by Christmas! ~ Ah! Heard that one before! Did you hear? I heard.
So that's it then? Well, they haven't told us to start packing up to go home yet.
Yeah, but they will do, won't they? If the Kaiser's gone, that's good, isn't it? Yeah, it's good.
It won't be long now.
All we need now is for someone to tell that lot! Place is agreed.
Railway siding, Compiegne Forest.
Come on.
Monday morning Eh? Looked in my diary this morning and saw it was Monday.
Damn.
Missed Sunday roast again yesterday.
Beef and Yorkshire pudding, swimming in gravy.
Just think, back at home .
.
everyone going back to work after the weekend.
Another week starting.
It's quiet.
They were shelling us this time yesterday.
Maybe they're having a lie-in.
~ Morning, boys.
~ Sergeant.
Looks like a shell's taken out a section of the wire.
It's your turn, Del.
It's all right, Sergeant, I'll do it.
Dead in line with the next elbow, you should be able to pull it back together and tie it.
It's all quiet over there, but keep your head down, in case they've got a sniper on watch.
Don't worry about that.
You didn't have to do that, it's my turn.
You'd only get tangled up in the wire and I'd have to come and get you anyway.
Thanks, Tommy.
Give me a shout when dinner's ready.
Gentlemen Take this.
Go! The war is over! Germany's surrendered! It's over!
You got away from the British? ~ How many of you? ~ Just me.
Leave them.
What?! Get off me! You'll get us both killed! How do we know ~ .
.
it will end? ~ It will.
It has to.
Maybe when there's no-one left to fight any more? One big push.
Please please, you're nearly there.
It's a boy.
I'm sorry, that's all I've got.
Tommy! It's a boy! They called him Thomas! It's a boy! Move back, dig in, move back, dig in.
We've done nothing but go backwards for a month.
All I'm saying is, why don't we just keep going back? All the way home? Just throw down our guns and go? D'you think I want to be here?! D'you think any of us want to be here?! But we are! I haven't spent four years of my life watching people that I love die all around me just to drop my rifle and go home! Sorry.
Sorry! I've watched my friends die too.
I'm sick of it.
I suppose I can smell the end of it.
And I'm just as frightened by that, as I am of fighting.
We keep moving forward, but how come we haven't seen any Germans? We will.
Can't think what else we're doing here.
We're pushing them back, that's all.
They're saying the Germans might have had enough now the Americans have joined us.
A bloke from the Irish Guards said that he heard some of them were giving up and heading back home.
Don't tell me This'll all be over by Christmas.
~ That's what they're saying.
~ Yeah and they said that in 1914, 1915, and '16 and '17 All right, but what if they're right what they're saying this time? And we can go home? Then I'll kiss everyone I see from here to Blighty Well, maybe not everyone.
It's got to be over soon.
I don't know if I can do much more You'll be all right.
No, I mean it, Tommy, I think I'll go mad.
Just stick with me, all right? We'll go home together.
There's an article about Poland.
"As revolution grows across Europe "and the armistice gets closer, it is thought there could be "a new People's Republic of Poland within weeks!" Can I keep it? To show my father? Right, they've dug in 200 yards ahead and put wire down, so artillery's going to let them know we're here! Stretcher Bearers! ~ Coming, Sir! ~ Move yourselves.
Come on! Move yourselves! We've got injured.
Come on, move! "With Hungary and now Austria out of the war, "the Germans are becoming isolated "and the armistice grows nearer by the day.
" Excuse me.
Joanna Brown.
Joanna.
"It is thought that German terms will soon be presented "to the Allied and Associated Governments and finally ".
.
the war will be over.
" Her dad's been killed.
I'm not sure if we'll get any more leave, son, not while top brass thinks we've got them on the run.
~ All we're hearing is push forward.
~ I've got a baby, Sergeant.
Yeah.
Well, if this armistice happens, we'll all be home for good soon.
~ Do you really think so? ~ It'll happen, just don't ask me when.
Hopefully before that nipper of yours starts school.
I'll ask.
All right? Sergeant? Is there any chance of moving Derek back to supply trenches? He's not right.
Go out there and find me a man who is.
Wasn't much use today, was I? We've marched miles in the past few weeks, you're just tired, that's all.
We all are.
But you're doing brilliantly.
Head down, push on till the job's done, remember? I'll try, Tommy.
But every time a shell goes off, I jump out of my skin.
My hands are always shaking .
.
my nerves are shot.
I don't want to die.
Just stay close to me, you'll be all right.
D'you think I'm a coward? No! Don't ever say that.
We're all scared every single one of us.
Maybe you're more used to it than I am.
Sometimes my hands are shaking so much, I have to wedge my arm into the sandbags just to fire me rifle.
There's nothing wrong with being scared, it just means you're human.
Being scared will keep you alive.
You get some sleep.
Thanks, Tommy.
Why are you always reading that? It reminds me of home, I suppose.
It's the first book I ever got.
Must have been about six.
I mark off the ones I've seen, sketch them sometimes too.
It's funny .
.
I don't think people realise how beautiful birds are.
You know, you see them out here.
They even land on the barbed wire.
Something so beautiful .
.
in the middle of something so ugly.
D'you think it's true what people are saying? That the fighting will stop soon? We'll see.
It's funny, innit? 100 years from now, none of us'll be here .
.
and all this .
.
will be ancient history.
I wonder what people will make of it.
Doesn't seem that long since I was putting his dad to bed in the same room.
I'm sorry.
My father died for something he believed in, so I'm sad, but I'm proud too.
Just like little Thomas will be when his dad comes home.
All the officers have been called back to the command centre.
~ You think this is it? ~ Something's happening.
~ I can't believe he's coming home.
~ Nothing's been announced yet.
The papers say it's over! Well, the fighting doesn't just stop, they have to agree terms.
The price may be more than we're willing to pay.
But we have no choice.
Choice or not, they're politicians, so it's going to take time.
They won't keep fighting, will they? Not while they're talking?! ~ Probably.
~ But that's stupid! If everyone knows it's over, why let more boys die?! ~ That's not the way they see it.
~ Why not? Don't they have children? Writing home? Maybe if the rumours are true, I won't have to post it, I can take it myself.
But who knows what we'll be going back to.
Does it matter? As long as we're home.
It won't be the home we left if we lose this war.
There's no food, no jobs My wife will be there.
Everything else we can just re-build in time.
Right now, I'd settle for sitting in front of a warm fire.
Kaiser Bill's chucked the towel in, boys, we've got 'em on the run! What's that mean, Sergeant? Means he's abdicated, they'll be like headless chickens now.
~ Be home by Christmas! ~ Ah! Heard that one before! Did you hear? I heard.
So that's it then? Well, they haven't told us to start packing up to go home yet.
Yeah, but they will do, won't they? If the Kaiser's gone, that's good, isn't it? Yeah, it's good.
It won't be long now.
All we need now is for someone to tell that lot! Place is agreed.
Railway siding, Compiegne Forest.
Come on.
Monday morning Eh? Looked in my diary this morning and saw it was Monday.
Damn.
Missed Sunday roast again yesterday.
Beef and Yorkshire pudding, swimming in gravy.
Just think, back at home .
.
everyone going back to work after the weekend.
Another week starting.
It's quiet.
They were shelling us this time yesterday.
Maybe they're having a lie-in.
~ Morning, boys.
~ Sergeant.
Looks like a shell's taken out a section of the wire.
It's your turn, Del.
It's all right, Sergeant, I'll do it.
Dead in line with the next elbow, you should be able to pull it back together and tie it.
It's all quiet over there, but keep your head down, in case they've got a sniper on watch.
Don't worry about that.
You didn't have to do that, it's my turn.
You'd only get tangled up in the wire and I'd have to come and get you anyway.
Thanks, Tommy.
Give me a shout when dinner's ready.
Gentlemen Take this.
Go! The war is over! Germany's surrendered! It's over!