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 in the county of Kent, the national "front line" following the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during the Second World War.
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.
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Over the nine series, the action was set in various locations in the fictional Walmington-on-Sea, the interiors of which were built in the television studios, while the exteriors were filmed at various locations[1]. These included a pleasure pier (filmed at the pier in Great Yarmouth)[2] with a 20-foot-wide gap (6.1 m) blown in the middle to prevent it from being used as a landing stage by invading forces. The beach is lined with barbed wire and other defences, including mines, pill boxes and anti-tank blocks.
Other fictional locations, typical of a seaside town during World War II, included a sweet shop, The "Novelty Rock Emporium", at least one bank (the fictional Swallow Bank, (which appeared in early episodes), the real Martins Bank), the Marigold tea-rooms, Anne's Pantry, the Dutch Oven, Corporal Jones's butcher's shop, Hodges greengrocers, Frazer's undertakers, a cinema and numerous pubs including the Red Lion, which all suggest it was a reasonably-sized place. In common with most real British towns, Walmington-on-Sea is given a church, Saint Aldhelm's, with a hall next door which is the setting for various community acts in the episodes such as the Christmas pantomime and a place for the Sea Scouts to parade. It is also where the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon muster on parade nights.
Thetford's Guildhall and railway station became Walmington-on-Sea's Town Hall and railway station. The Guildhall featured in the 1972 episode Time On My Hands,in which a German Luftwaffe pilot dangled from the clock tower when his parachute became caught in the clock's hands. The Guildhall was also used in the 1974 episode The Captain's Car. The distinctive flint cottages in Thetford's 'Nether Row' appeared in four episodes: Man Hunt, The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones, The Big Parade and Time on My Hands. Thetford's real-life 'Palace Cinema' doubled as Walmington-on-Sea's 'Empire Cinema' in two episodes - The Big Parade (1970) and A Soldier's Farewell (1972).[1]
Although it is never specified where the town is, 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 and is not in Kent. Deal in Kent has been suggested since it has a pier and is next to Walmer: possibly the inspiration for the name "Walmington". Another suggestion is the town of Wilmington in Kent.
In reality, many outdoor TV scenes were filmed at Thetford, an inland town in Norfolk, thus giving no clue as to the scriptwriters' preferences.[1] The 1971 film moved location to Chalfont St Giles, even further from the coast.
| Character | Job |
|---|---|
| Captain George Mainwaring | Bank Manager |
| Sergeant Arthur Wilson | Bank Clerk |
| Lance Corporal Jack Jones | Butcher |
| Private Frank Pike | Bank Clerk |
| Private Joe Walker | Spiv |
| Private James Frazer | Undertaker |
| Private Charles Godfrey | Retired |
| ARP Warden William Hodges | Greengrocer |
| Reverend Timothy Farthing | Vicar |
| Maurice Yeatman | Verger |