Joe Maddison, a ship-builder from Tyneside, lost his faith in the trenches during World War I. Now in World War II, he's too old to enlist and joins the Home Guard with his friends, including Marxist Eddie and cynical Harry. After Harry's expulsion, Joe leads a strike, but is later reinstated and promoted to Corporal after heroically dealing with an unexploded bomb. He also meets Selina, a widow who helps him open up, but his wife Polly returns with the sailor's child, causing a family rift.
Joe Maddison's War
A ship-builder's faith is shaken by the horrors of World War I, and he struggles to come to terms with the loss of his wife. As World War II looms, he's deemed too old to fight and is left to pick up the pieces of his shattered life.
