In Which We Serve Trivia Quiz

Answer: All of these

In addition to these, Coward also co-directed the film. Known as a playwright, actor and stage director, as well as a Mayfair socialite, Coward was desperate to help the war effort. In his autobiography he wrote of the project, "I knew in my innermost heart that if I were intelligently used by the government, preferably in the field of propaganda, where my creative ability, experience of broadcasting and knowledge of people could be employed, I could probably do something really constructive".

Answer: destroyer

The intimacy of a smaller ship suited Coward's purpose in showing the tightly knit unit that is the crew of a naval warship. A full-scale model destroyer was built on the set, supported on special rockers that would give the vessel a 15-degree list. Powerful wind machines and huge water chutes added to the illusion that HMS Torrin was at sea.

Answer: David Lean

Brought up in a strict Quaker family, David Lean was not allowed to visit the cinema as a child. Despite this, he found work as a clapper boy in the late 1920s and then worked his way up to become a film editor. He was offered a chance to co-direct with Coward on 'In Which We Serve' in 1942 (purportedly on the recommendation of John Mills)and never looked back.

In the event, after three weeks of shooting, Coward handed over full directorial responsibility to Lean.

Answer: The Daily Express

This was Coward's deliberate slight aimed at the 'Daily Express', which had been a strong critic of his project in its early days. The paper had feuded with both Coward and Mountbatten in the past and claimed that, "it is wrong to have a professional actor dressed in the gold braid of a British officer" and led a condemnation of a project that portrayed a British defeat. Ironically, after the film's release, the 'Daily Express' declared it to be, "the finest film yet produced in a British studio".

Answer: John Mills

John Mills was a stalwart of British war films of the 1940s and '50s, as well as other famous films such as 'Great Expectations' (re-united with David Lean) and 'Ryan's Daughter'(for which he was awarded an Oscar). He died in 2005, aged 97. Mills claimed later that the character of 'Shorty' Blake had been written by Coward with him especially in mind for the part.

Answer: true

Coward managed to get the film project going with the enthusiastic support of Lord Mountbatten. He had been inspired by Mountbatten's story of the sinking of his ship, HMS Kelly. Mountbatten used his considerable political and military influence to persuade the Admiralty to back the project, as well as gain the support of HM King George VI. Due probably to Mountbatten's involvement in the project, the Royal Family visited the set on 8 April, 1942.

Answer: The Coldstream Guards

The 5th Battalion of The Coldstream Guards provided the bulk of the men playing the soldiers rescued from the beaches of Dunkirk. Despite their bedraggled appearance, they still managed to drill and march immaculately away from the docks once they arrived in England.

Answer: The Mediterranean Sea

HMS Torrin was sunk by attacking aircraft during the defence against the German invasion of Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean. This was based on the true story of HMS Kelly. The structure of the film was largely a series of flashbacks detailing the backgrounds of the survivors who are clinging to a Carley Float after the sinking before being rescued.

Answer: Celia Johnson

Celia Johnson was a firmly established stage actress who did not have that many film credits to her name. 'In Which We Serve' was her film debut. She earned everlasting cinematic fame, however, from her iconic role as Laura Jesson in 'Brief Encounter'.

In this later film, she was re-united with Noel Coward (producer/writer), David Lean (director) and Joyce Carey (who played Myrtle Bagot who ran the station buffet bar).

Answer: False

Noel Coward had to struggle long and hard to obtain permisssion from the Ministry of Information to back the project. The Ministry of Information (who controlled film projects during the war), sections of the media and the Admiralty were hostile to the project initially.

The main reason for this was that it portrayed a British defeat, at a time when the British were faring badly in the progress of the war. Coward persuaded them of the film's morale-boosting qualities, however, in its portrayal of stoicism, patriotism and bravery in the face of adversity.

Answer: Richard Attenborough

Due to a production oversight, Attenborough's role was uncredited. Nevertheless, his talent was obvious, and he made his name in his early film career by playing equally unsympathetic characters, such as the villainous Pinkie Brown in 'Brighton Rock' (1947).

Answer: Chief Petty Officer Hardy

'Shorty' Blake receives the news in a letter from his own wife. He then bravely tells Walter Hardy who was in the middle of writing a letter to his wife, unaware that she was dead. This is one of several poignant moments that helps to make the drama more than just a standard war film.

Answer: Daniel Massey

Daniel Massey was nine years old in the film in which he played the son of Noel Coward, his real-life godfather. He was the son of actors Raymond Massey and Adrienne Allen, both good friends of Coward's. Decades later he actually played Coward in the film 'Star!' (1968) with Julie Andrews and won a Golden Globe award. He died in 1998, aged 65.

Answer: True

Juliet Mills, who was to become a famous actress in her own right, starred as Shorty Blake's baby. She was about six months old when she played the child of her real-life father.

Answer: All of these

In actual fact, there was so much objection from the British studio that the Hays Office backed down on all of their demands concerning the words above. The studio did agree to remove 'bastard', however.