The Cockleshell Heroes is a 1955 British Technicolor war film with Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, Christopher Lee, David Lodge and José Ferrer, who also directed.

[3] The film depicts a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton, the December 1942 raid on German cargo shipping by British Royal Marines Commandos, who infiltrated Bordeaux Harbour using folding kayaks.

In the Second World War, newly promoted Major Stringer of the Royal Marines devises a novel idea for a raid.

By using collapsible canoes, he believes it is possible for commandos to reach an enemy-held harbour undetected and blow up ships with limpet mines.

Thompson, an embittered middle-aged regular captain who has been repeatedly passed over for promotion after failing to take an objective in the First World War, represents the old guard of traditional ship's detachments.

As the submarine carrying the canoeists arrives off the Gironde estuary, a depth charge attack by a passing German patrol boat knocks out Ruddock's partner.

The commandos are inserted into the sea close to the mouth of the Gironde river in their Cockle Mk II collapsible canoes as Greaves resubmerges and HMS Tuna disappears.

After moving by night and hiding by day, only four men reach the target, where they plant limpet mines on a number of German cargo ships.

[4] In 1953, it was reported that the Australian author Hugh Hastings was working on a script called "Cockleshell Heroes" for the star Gregory Peck and the director Lewis Milestone.

Warwick's first film had been The Red Beret, based on a real-life British commando raid in the Second World War, with an American star in the lead role.

Forbes had been writing a lot of short stories and journalistic pieces, and had done some uncredited work on the screenplay for Warwick's The Black Knight.

Lieutenant Colonel Herbert "Blondie" Hasler, RM, the leader of the real-life raid, was seconded to Warwick Films as a technical advisor.

As he cycles south, Ferrer has to wait for a passing northbound train (a van hauled by LSWR T9 class locomotive 30729) so he takes the opportunity to abandon his bicycle in favour of a ride in the rear of a fish lorry.

In another sequence, David Lodge ducks out of sight into a brick bus shelter alongside the North Woolwich Branch.

David Lodge is also filmed running over the road bridge adjacent to Chertsey railway station where a Southern electric train can be seen drawing into the Up platform.

The film location where Marine Cooney leaps off a road bridge into a coal wagon (within a Southampton-bound goods train hauled by an LSWR S15 class locomotive) is Chertsey Road, Addlestone, with Egham Hill and Chertsey in the background as well as Addlestone Cemetery beyond the two fields to the left of the railway line.

[20] The then-famous British singer, Yana (Pamela Guard), is shown in a cameo role as a sweetly-singing blonde Wren (Women's Royal Naval Service member) in a pub scene, shortly before a brawl erupts.

After the film was completed, Broccoli claimed that the Duke of Edinburgh and Lord Mountbatten told him the contents of the cargo were radar equipment bound for Japan.