Angels One Five – 1952 | 98 mins | War, Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Honest documentary-style depiction of the WWII air war during ‘Britain’s finest hour’, with a heavy emphasis on life at an RAF fighter station from the perspective of the men and women on the ground. TV pioneer George More O’Ferrall draws on his first-hand knowledge and personal experiences as a Royal Artillery staff officer at Fighter Command HQ to depict an anxious, uncertain Battle of Britain. His slice-of-life realism reveals a world where heroism, pragmatism and fear are inextricably linked, and stiff-upper-lip conservatism is a necessary defence against panic and despair. Filmed mainly at RAF Kenleyat the real ’11 Group’ operations block at RAF Uxbridge.

Based around events at a RAF fighter station in the summer of 1940, young volunteer reservist T.B. ‘Septic’ Baird (John Gregson) arrives in a heap by landing his Hurricane on its nose in a garden at the end on the runway.  He has troubles getting to be one of the boys and is initially grounded and transferred to the operations centre until he recovers from a neck strain. He tugs it out with bullishGroup Captain ‘Tiger’ Small (Jack Hawkins) to get airborne and finally gets hisway.