A Family at War

- Season 3

(1971)

Edwin finds adjusting to life without Jean difficult. Howevever, without a matriarch, the women in the family begin to develop their own independence.

July 1943. The men find it difficult to readjust to life away from combat, provoked by various situations. Jean's bequest of shares in her family firm to her five children and not to her widower Edwin, concerns her brother Sefton.

November 1943. Sheila and David reunite at the Welsh farm where their children have been evacuated, and try to evaluate what remains of their relationship.

January 1944. Margaret and her father-in-law, open with each other, bond at her home. Meanwhile her husband John has an awkward meeting with his difficult mother at a station cafe and her spite exposes a secret. When the four meet, relationships change irrevocably.

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May/ June 1944. Anticipation of the invasion of France grows and at a seaside town, Tony finds that his girlfriend has her own wartime secrets. Coming to find him, Sefton and Edwin are forced by circumstances to make a very odd couple.

June 1944. The V-rocket bombings on London seem very far from Liverpool and people remark how things are almost normal. However, Sefton's vulgar lady-friend upsets his household, and the more relaxed general morality surprises everybody at a garden fundraiser.

July 1944. The family assess the future possibilities of the Welfare State, but there are problems from the past that need to be addressed by Ian and Harry.

August 1944. Unsure after her wedding proposal, Freda takes advice from her elders. Margaret has other concerns.

September 1944. Various problems dog the family as it makes last-minute preparations for Freda and Ian's wedding.

February 1945. With everybody's encouragement, Sheila tries to move forward with her life and her divorce, but David is determined to stand in her way.

March 1945. As David prepares for his final flight of this tour of duty, he observes tensions between the other couples on the base.

April 1945. The prospect of changed roles in life makes the men contemplate their lives and they vent their frustrations on the women.

May 1945. As anticipation of victory in Europe grows, Sefton divides the family by urging them to accept his proposal to sell the print works.

June 1945. The family adjusts with difficulty to post-war life and the impending General Election divides opinion.

August 1945. Sheila and David can finally bring their children home from evacuation in Wales, and Freda attempts to help an old friend. But neither plan runs smoothly. However, Edwin finally sees possibilities in the post-war world.

October 1945. The unexpected return of conscientious objector Michael Armstrong reawakens suppressed feelings and animosities.

November 1945. Edwin makes a difficult journey to Germany to uncover the details surrounding Philip's last days before his death in an explosion. However he finds the occupying British Army uncooperative, and conditions for the Germans shocking.

December 1945. Looking to the future, the family contemplate moving homes, with some needing more space and some less. And Sefton's schemes finally catch up with him.

December 1945. The family's preparations for their first Christmas in peacetime cause Edwin to reflect on past events, and how best he can assist them all for the future.