Walmington-on-Sea
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Walmington-on-Sea is a fictional seaside resort where the BBC Television sitcom, BBC radio series and film Dad's Army was based. Located on the channel coast of England, the notional "front line" following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during World War II, it would have been either in Kent or Sussex (The members of the Walmington-on-Sea platoon are seen to wear cap badges of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, thus suggesting the town is in Kent). In the film Dad's Army the police station has Kent Constabulary on the board outside.
The series followed the adventures and misadventures of members of a platoon of the Home Guard, a volunteer army formed from those ineligible for conscription through age or occupation to defend the United Kingdom from German invasion following the defeat of France.
Walmington-on-Sea had a pleasure pier, but now with a twenty foot wide gap blown in the middle to prevent it from being used as a landing stage by invading forces (according to Captain Mainwaring at least!), and the beach is covered with barbed wire and other defences including mines, pill boxes and anti-tank blocks.
There was also a sweet shop, The "Novelty Rock Emporium", at least one bank (the fictional Swallow Bank, which was in early episodes, the real Martins Bank), the Marigold tea-rooms, Anne's Pantry, the Dutch Oven, a butcher's shop, greengrocer's, undertaker's and numerous pubs including the Red Lion, which all suggest it was a reasonably-sized place. Like most British towns, it also had a church, Saint Aldhelm's, with a hall next door used for community acts such as putting on a Christmas pantomime and a place for the sea scouts to parade.
There are several references to Hastings, Eastbourne and Dover which suggests that it could be based on Bexhill-on-sea, although Bexhill has no pier.
At least one episode of Hi-de-Hi! which, like Dad's Army, was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, also mentions Walmington-on-Sea as being the site of a Maplin's holiday camp.
In reality, outdoor TV scenes were filmed at Thetford, an inland town in Norfolk, thus giving no clue as to the scriptwriters' preferences. The 1971 film moved location to Chalfont St Giles, even further from the coast.
