During the darkest days of the war Captain S Melly is put in charge of the experimental 1313 Anti-Aircraft Battery along with the bellowing, ball-squeezing Sergeant Major “Tiger” Bloomer.

Determined to get the battery up to standard Melly and Tiger put the men, and women, through vigorous retraining, violent exercise and 12 mile long route marches.

Determined to reunite with their beloveds, the battery digs secret tunnels under the barbed wire for easy access, making life bearable again.

When a real air raid arrives both battery and officers pull together to defend England, successfully shooting down all enemy planes and with only one casualty: Captain Melly’s two sprained fingers, which go on to inspire one of the most famous symbols of victory for the entire war.

The role of the Brigadier was written for series regular Kenneth Williams, and the role of Private Easy was written for series regular Barbara Windsor, but Williams was unavailable due to appearing in the stage play Signed and Sealed, and Windsor was unavailable due to appearing in Twelfth Night at the Chichester Festival Theatre.

On the opening night of the play at Sunderland Empire Theatre on 26 April 1976, James suffered a heart attack on stage and died, at the age of 62.