All the King's Men

On the outbreak of World War I, the male staff at the royal residence of Sandringham are swept along by the tide of jingoism and all enlist including fourteen-year-old George Dacre (Danny Worters), who lied about his age, the recently-married Ted Grimes (William Ash) and the elderly estate manager, veteran soldier Captain Frank Beck (David Jason). Blissfully ignorant of the horrors in store, they arrive at the Dardanelles, where Beck is shocked by the lack of supplies and organization. Camped on a beach to await orders, they are easy prey to Turkish snipers. Ultimately, they go into action at Gallipoli where they are apparently swallowed up by a cloud of mist and never seen again. Only Ted, wounded by a sniper and a prisoner of the Germans, returns to Sandringham. Although Queen Alexandra (Dame Maggie Smith) sends men to try and discover the soldiers' whereabouts, only Beck's watch is ever found.