Issue 64 - The Pilgrim - September 2017 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

Editorial
The Pilgrim September 2017
I was lucky
to be robbed
By Greg Watts
The appeal of Dad’s Army
By Bishop Paul Hendricks
When I visit my family, we often round off
the day by watching a little television, and
Dad’s Army is a favourite that we keep
coming back to. It’s a series that seems to
have lost nothing of its popularity, during
the nearly fifty years since it was first
aired.
It’s a remarkable achievement, with the
quality only falling off occasionally,
towards the end of the 80-episode run.
Great scripts and an excellent cast are
certainly major factors in its success — but
there is something about the whole style
and feel of the series, that also help to
make it both endearing and enduring in its
appeal.
To begin with, there’s a fair measure of
irony in the whole concept. Even at the
time, the Home Guard was seen as rather
ridiculous — hence the nickname, “Dad’s
Army” — and yet, they were responding in
the only way open to them, and trying to
‘do their bit’ for the war effort.
In other words, they were trying to live
up to an ideal and, even in failing, there is
something admirable about the effort. All
sorts of things get in the way — even apart
from the obvious things such as physical
infirmity and lack of equipment.
In a gentle way, the writers make fun of
the preoccupation with class and status —
points scoring between the Home Guard
and the Air Raid Warden, for instance.
Captain Mainwaring is senior to Sergeant
Wilson, both at work and in the Home
Guard, but Wilson is indefinably more
upper class and this causes Mainwaring to
struggle at times.
It’s more amusing because Mainwaring
himself is painfully conscious of status and
anxious to preserve it in front of others.
I’ve always liked the way that so many
things are left unsaid, or at most only
suggested. Years ago, a friend pointed out
that Mrs Mainwaring is never seen. This
surprised me, because such a strong image
is given of her as a character — but it’s all
indirect and each of us is left to form our
own idea.
So much more effective than if we’d
actually seen her on the screen. Then of
course there’s the relationship between
Wilson and Mrs Pike. We get the general
idea, but it’s never made explicit. We find
out at some stage that Wilson is indeed the
father of young Pike, but he’s always
called “Uncle Arthur” for what you might
call diplomatic reasons!
Godfrey’s sister Dolly and her upsidedown
cakes are often mentioned, but
only seen briefly in a later episode.
Similarly, we learn in later episodes that
Wilson also has a daughter and Pike has a
girlfriend.
There’s a sort of double perspective
involved in the series. We are looking back
on the wartime story itself, but in a sense
we’re also seeing it through the eyes of
the program-makers of the sixties and
seventies, as well as our own.
There are two levels of nostalgia
involved, so to speak. This isn’t something
that could be imitated in a modern remake,
which is perhaps one reason why
the recent film wasn’t very popular.
In the words of the British Comedy
Guide website, “Dad’s Army says much
about how the British see themselves. The
main characters are generally unmilitaristic,
gentle, courteous, and
bumbling ... To admit openly that actually
we are rather good at fighting wars goes
against what many felt (and feel) are the
essential elements of being British.”
Though I am quite sceptical about much
of the talk about British values, I think
there might well be something in this
particular idea.
I noticed the three men in shorts and t-shirts larking
about on the platform, but didn’t think much of it.
It was about 11pm and I thought they might have
been enjoying themselves in one of the nearby bars
around Urquinaona.
When the train arrived, my wife and son got on
ahead of me. As I tried to enter the carriage, one of
the three men edged in front of me, dropping his
sunglasses on the floor by the doors. I stood there
and waited for him to pick them up. He started
fumbling around, so I stepped to the side. As I did,
he moved across, making it difficult for me to get
on the train.
Then he got up and I moved into the carriage. The
next thing, a second man motioned to me to move
further down, and then a third man tugged at the
neck of my shirt and pointed to a space by one of
the windows. Feeling slightly disorientated, I
obediently shuffled along, wondering what was
happening.
Just before the doors closed the three men
jumped off. Instinctively I patted the pocket on my
shorts where my wallet was. ‘They’ve nicked my
wallet!’ I said to my wife.
I had become another victim of the gangs who
prowl busy Metro stations and crowded streets in
the centre of Barcelona seeking tourists to target.
My initial feeling of shock at what had happened
was quickly replaced by one of anger.
I have always considered myself very street wise
when in a foreign city. I do my best to be low key
and not seem like a tourist. But on this occasion I
fell for a common distraction technique.
When we reached our hotel, I immediately
phoned my bank and cancelled my debit card. The
only other items in my wallet were my Oyster card
and Sainsbury’s and Tesco club cards. The crime
carried out by the gang had netted them 60 euros
and a £10 note.
Two days before this, as I was travelling on a bus
with my wife and son to the centre of the city to
meet some friends in a restaurant in a street off Las
Ramblas, a friend texted to ask what had happened
in Barcelona. He had read reports of a serious
incident involving a van.
Had we caught the bus half an hour earlier and
not gone to the cafe opposite the hotel for a snack
we too might have been among victims of that
horrific terrorist attack which left 14 people dead
and dozens more injured.
I was robbed, but that is trivial when compared to
what happened in Las Ramblas. I was lucky. Others
were not.
The Pilgrim is now online, making it possible to read all the editions since it was launched in 2011.
To view it, visit the diocesan website and click on a lick on the left hand side of the page.
The Archdiocese of Southwark
Archbishop Peter Smith
020 7928-2495
archbishop@rcsouthwark.co.uk
www.rcsouthwark.co.uk
Area bishops
Episcopal vicar for Kent
Bishop Paul Mason
01732 845486
bishoppaulmason@gmail.com
bishop.hendricks@gmail.com
South-East London
Bishop Patrick Lynch
020 8297 9219
bishoplynch7@btinternet.com
The Pilgrim,
Archbishop’s House
150 St George’s Road
London SE1 6HX
the
2012Pilgrim
50p
December 2011/ January The newspaper of the Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark, covering s
Advertising: Carol Malpass
0161 908 5301
carol.malpass@thecatholicuniverse.com
Distribution: Andrea Black
0161 908 5327
andrea.black@@thecatholicuniverse.com
South-West London
Bishop Paul Hendricks
020 8643 8007
Editor: Greg Watts
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
0208 776 9250
Print management, design and
distribution by The Universe
Media Group Ltd
We want your news! Email your stories to
pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk
or telephone 0208 776 9250.
Page 2