A Family at War

6Hope Against Hope

Liverpool, May 1941. Margaret is going to live with Michael Armstrong, but when she visits him an aerial bomb hits the house, and sets the whole building on fire. Margaret is seriously hurt and taken to the hospital, where members of her family soon turn up to visit her. She is fourth months pregnant and everybody worries about the baby's survival chances. At the same time Mrs. Porter is on her way to Liverpool. A British soldier has found a letter written by John at the battlefield in France, and has sent it to her. The soldier is back in Liverpool, and now she wants to get more information from him.

7A Time to Be Born

Liverpool, October 1941. The rationing of food has led to the development of a black market. Sefton has a share in a pig, but wants to buy the other half of the pig as well. Harry Jenkins is reluctant to sell his part, but in the end he agrees. The next morning Harry tells Sefton that officers from the Ministry of Food have confiscated the dead pig, and that Sefton will probably be prosecuted for illegal slaughter. At the same time Margaret is taken to the hospital for her delivery, but the child is stillborn. And Freda confides under tears to Sheila that she has a crush on a married man, who doesn't know it and who she never can have.

8A Hero's Welcome

Liverpool, December 1941. Sheila has brought her son Peter home for Christmas, but her daughter Janet didn't want to leave the Thomas family in Wales. Peter hasn't seen his father David since summer, and is now eagerly awaiting his arrival. In Peter's fantasy his father is a war hero, and he anticipates all the marvelous stories he's going to hear. When David finally arrives Peter is disappointed. His father doesn't want to talk about his war experiences, and just says that he and the other pilots are frightened all the time. He also starts criticizing his son for small faults in his behavior. When David leaves Liverpool again at Christmas Eve, Peter says that he hates his father.

9We Could Be a Lot Worse Off

January 1942. Two security officers visit Edwin to gain information about John Porter. Some weeks ago they traced a transmitter in Belgium. When asking for name, rank and number of the person calling, the answer was John Porter followed by some personal details. It could be a trick by the Germans, but it could also be John, locked up by a resistant group, who uses his technical skills for their own purpose. At the same time Robert is crossing the Atlantic Ocean with his ship, who is escorting a tanker with aviation fuel from New York to England. German submarines discover the squadron and blow up several of the ships, including Robert's. After a long time in the cold water and in a lifeboat, Robert dies. His body is thrown into the sea.

10Lend Your Loving Arms

Liverpool, January 1942. Freda has a crush on Michael Armstrong. She cannot reveal her feelings for him, but communicates them in a cryptic way by reciting some poetry. Freda tells Sheila that David has a leave and is coming home today or on Monday. With bitterness Sheila remarks that she probably has to share his leave with another woman as usual. She decides to give tit for tat, and joins Freda and Doris on a pleasure-trip to Southport. They go to a dance-hall with some soldiers, but Sheila doesn't enjoy herself, and leaves after a while. At the railway station she meets a man and they go for a drink. When they return the last train has already left, so they spend the night in the waiting room, talking with each other. When David doesn't find Sheila at home he gets furious. Sheila arrives in the morning, but she doesn't give him a clear picture of where she spent the night.

11Hazard

12Giving and Taking

13Believed Killed

14Into the Dark

15The Straight and Narrow

16Clash by Night

17Salute the Happy Morn

18I Wanted to Be with You

19A Separate Peace

1The Lucky Ones

2For the Duration

3Happy Returns

4The Things You Never Told Me

5You Can Choose Your Friends

6Flesh and Blood

7Spread a Little Happiness

8Take It on Trust

9This Year, Next Year

10The Fundamental Things Apply

11Thicker Than Water

12Breaking Point

13The Lost Ones

14The Sensible Thing

15Under New Management

16Coming Home

17A Faint Refrain

18Two Fathers

19The Old Order Changeth...

20...Yielding Place to New