I saw this film when it first came out just after the war started and enjoyed it for what it was - a schoolboy adventure story (I was then thirteen). I next found it in Singapore showing at the Cathey cinema in 1945; it was reputed to have been found on the premises after the Japanese surrendered, having survived the occupation in the manager's custody.
Since I sensibly recorded it one afternoon I have found it a "once a year" nostalgic one-off. The scenes of the RNC Dartmouth are absolutely genuine and the local settings a good historical record. The Dartmouth Railway station is still there today: it never had a railway line, passengers had to cross to Kingswear on the ferry to catch a train. Finally - the police sergeant's role was played by my actor uncle, but IMDb was no record!
Since I sensibly recorded it one afternoon I have found it a "once a year" nostalgic one-off. The scenes of the RNC Dartmouth are absolutely genuine and the local settings a good historical record. The Dartmouth Railway station is still there today: it never had a railway line, passengers had to cross to Kingswear on the ferry to catch a train. Finally - the police sergeant's role was played by my actor uncle, but IMDb was no record!
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