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Drinkstone Mills >
The platoon are asked to participate in an exercise to capture and pretend to blow up a windmill. Drinkstone Mill in Suffolk with its small river and surrounding farmland made a perfect setting for Jones to dress up as a log and for Fraser to put on his diving suit to push the log down the stream towards the windmill and surprise the occupants. Despite Jones' log suit he scales the hill also at the mercy of a dog who mistakes him for a real tree and relieves himself against him! Whilst Jones achieves his objective he somehow manages to get himself hooked onto a sail with rather unfortunate consequences.
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Kilverstone, Thetford >
In 'A Soldier's Farewell' Kilverstone formed the backdrop for the Waterloo scene where Mainwaring dreams he is Napoleon.
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King's Lynn >
In 'Two and a Half Feathers' a new platoon member, questions Jones' service record in the Sudan. Jones recounts exactly what happened to clear his name transporting the platoon back in time to a desert scene shot on location in large sand pits on the outskirts of Kings Lynn.
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Lynford Hall >
Opening scenes for 'Wake Up Walmington' were shot at Lynford Hall which acted as a splendid backdrop for the platoon's shooting practice. The butler asks them to stop shooting as his Lordship is trying to have a nap. After all he says the Home Guard are not real soldiers. Mainwaring is most definitely put out!
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Mill Lane, Thetford >
The platoon are asked by GHQ to collect a captured U-Boat captain and his crew. Unfortunately a turn of events results in them being captured themselves and marched down Mill Lane by the captain. The Colonel (Robert Raglan) meets them in the street by accident and Wilson saves the day.
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Nether Row, Thetford >
The charming cottages in Nether Row appeared in a number of episodes. 'The Big Parade' features the platoon marching down what was referred to as Percy Street in the series looking very worse for wear, and in 'Time on My Hands', Nether Row is used for the crowd scenes when the German pilot's parachute gets tangled up in the Town Hall Clock and the platoon make several hilarious attempts at a rescue. 'Man Hunt' finds the Mainwaring, Walker (James Beck) and Wilson knocking on doors to find out and rather unsuccessfully and which of the town's women folk have bought a pair of silk knickers made out of the parachute to see if it was German or British silk! In 'The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones', Jones' van is converted into the platoon's transporter. As a result they participate in an exercise shot in Nether Row where the van becomes an ambulance troop carrier but unfortunately the exercise does not go as Hodges planned.
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Newton Street, Thetford >
In an early black and white episode the houses in Newtown were used in the show reel for the opening scenes where the platoon are seen digging for Victory (No 59). The church wall facing Newtown was used in another opening show reel screened in 'Shooting Pains' where Walker (James Beck) slips away to see his latest lady friend. 'The Lion Has Phones' is also shot on location in Newton. One scene shows the platoon disguised as dust bins and trying to stand to attention.
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Oxburgh Hall >
In an early black and white episode entitled 'The Museum Piece' the platoon find themselves in need of weapons and decide to requisition what they can from the local Peabody Museum. The National Trust's Oxburgh Hall formed the perfect backdrop but all was not easy as Jones' father (Eric Woodburn) is the caretaker and was not keen to let them in.
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Sheringham Train Station, North Norfolk Railway >
In 'The Royal Train' the platoon are asked to march to the station. On arrival they discover the Royal Train is to pass through the station and they are to act as the Guard of Honour. Meanwhile another train arrives, the crew become in capacitated and it is down to Mainwaring and his men to move the train. Unfortunately they leave without the break wheel and therefore cannot stop. The train goes hurtling through the Norfolk countryside with the verger (Edward Sinclair), the Mayor (Fred McNaughton), the vicar (Frank Williams) and Hodges in hot pursuit using the handcar or pump trolley armed with the break wheel. Pike then puts the train into reverse. It is now heading back towards the handcar and in potential collision with the Royal Train.
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Six Bells Inn, Bardwell >
In 'Wake Up Walmington' the platoon go on an exercise where they have to act suspiciously so as not to be recognised. Arriving in the back of Jones' van they enter the Six Bells Pub whilst Mainwaring is distracted and pretend to be desperados. The platoon are then chased out of town in Jones' van and pursued to their hideout. 'Ring Dern Bells' sees the platoon dressed up again this time they pretend to be Germans and stop outside the pub so Mainwaring can make a telephone call. Despite being told to stay in the van they pile into the pub. The staff subsequently alert the villages with Mr Mainwaring having to make yet another quick exit. Unfortunately the village decide to alert England to the invasion!
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Stanford Training Ground, West Tofts >
Whilst not accessible to the public, the MOD allowed a large nearby training area to be used for many exterior scenes which included the closing credits where the platoon march through the countryside. 'All is Safely Gathered In' used open farmland for a hilarious series of scenes where the platoon help Mrs Prentice (Brenda Cowling) bring in the harvest including the operation of the thresher which may have been filmed here. Unsurprisingly their efforts do not go to plan and result in a drunken episode during the Vicar's blessing of the harvest. The area may also have been used in 'Man Hunt' given the platoon and Hodges find themselves chasing after a dog who they think has the scent of a German parachutist and but does it? 'The Day the Balloon Went Up' used the area for a number of scenes involving the platoon chasing a runaway barrage balloon which culminates in Mainwaring sky bound on a log heading initially for the trees, then through a haystack and a washing line only to find himself dangling over the railway line with an approaching train.
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The Anchor, Thetford >
The very first scene from the first episode 'The Man and the Hour' was filmed inside the Anchor Hotel, in the 'Norvic Room'. The cast and crew would come to Thetford for six weeks at a time and stay in The Anchor Hotel and the nearby Bell Hotel.
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The Bell Hotel, Thetford >
Whilst this location did not appear on the screen, it is where the cast and crew used to stay when filming and also at nearby Anchor Hotel.
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The Guildhall, Thetford >
In 'Time of My Hands' the Guildhall features as the backdrop for Walmington Town Hall when a German pilot finds himself tangled up by his parachute on the Town Hall Clock. The hilarity that follows in this episode finds the platoon stuck in the tower attempting to rescue the pilot whilst the crowd gathers in the street below (Nether Row). Another hilarious episode entitled 'The Captain's Car' features Lady Angela Maltby (Mavis Punch) offering Mainwaring the use of her Rolls Royce for the duration of the war which he decides should be camouflaged. Glossip (Donald Morley), Lady Angela's driver, runs out of petrol outside the Town Hall so Pike (Ian Lavender) and Wilson (John Le Mesurier) come to the rescue by requisitioning Air Raid Warden Hodges (Bill Pertwee) petrol from his bike. They then drive to the garage where the car is to be repainted. Meanwhile the Mayor (Fred McNaughton) arrives at the Town Hall in his Rolls Royce which is exactly the same as Lady Angela's. Having parked the car and entered the building Jones (Clive Dune) arrives with his van. Fraser (John Laurie) then suggests that he does the paint job as it will be cheaper resulting in two camouflaged cars, one of which has to be used at the French General's visit to the Town Hall later that day. Fraser takes charge and re-paints the Mayor's car yet again but will it dry in time?
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The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads >
In 'Sons of the Sea' Mainwaring becomes aware of a disused boat and decides to requisition it for river patrols. The platoon practice on the river (shot on location in the Norfolk Broads) but the fog comes in and they find themselves at sea and facing more than they bargained for.
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Thetford >
'The Face on the Poster' has a scene shot in Old Bury Road where Pike and Jones walk past the Almshouses. Outside a house that is transformed into the Polish Club for this episode, Jones sees himself on a wanted poster. He is subsequently recognised and pursued down the road by a polish officer (Gabor Vernon) who arrests him and takes him away for an uncomfortable interrogation.
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Wacton >
'Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel' used Wacton as the setting for the bulk of this episode which finds the platoon participating in the testing of the War Office's latest secret weapon, Hedpuhf (High Explosive Device Propelled by Ultra High Frequency). Unfortunately Pike's radio which he had brought with him in the back of Jones' van disrupts the radio frequency resulting in the bomb tracking their every move them!
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Weybourne Station >
At this time we have no information on what scene was filmed at this location other than the location appearing in the episode 'The Royal Train'.
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Winterton Beach >
In ‘Boots, Boots, Boots’ Mainwaring introduces a series of marches to achieve ‘fast, functional, fit feet’ … the 3 Fs as he calls it! This takes the platoon first to a football match on a pitch likely to be close to Thetford where they have to play with no boots and then onto a race on the beach. Winterton was the perfect backdrop with its mixture of sand and pebbles for Mainwaring to march his unfortunate platoon bare foot only to come to a rather soggy end himself much to the amusement of Hodges.
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