The following day, Sunday, gave us no hope of filming. It bucketed down. I caught the 7.30 p.m. to Liverpool. I had been tempted to visit the Admiral in my filming uniform, a Cornish fisherman's jersey. I'd bought it at Mousehole whilst being first assistant to Harry Watt, filming The Savings of Bill Blewett. Anyway, fond of my jersey as I was, it was hardly Savile Row. Neither was my ‘One and Only’. But it was the best I could do. As a mark of respect, out it had to come for, perhaps, its last appearance.

It was a lonely journey, and so was the Adelphi with its vast and cavernous reception rooms and half-empty dining room. I escaped to my old H.Q., The Angel, and spent a jolly evening with my loyal friend Bill Anderson, and mighty good company he was, too.

At 10.30 the following morning I left the Adelphi and started out for Derby House. Was I about to ask for the moon? The remarks of Tyella's skipper unhappily came to mind: ‘A swept mine can save a ship. Unfortunately, the brutal fact is your filming operations can't. Saving life must be more important than filming, however good yours turns out to be.’ Once more I had to concur. All I could do was ask for help. If I didn't get it, there was nothing more to be done except face the fact that in carrying on under the existing conditions we'd be old age pensioners before we finished the film.

Two ‘blue jackets’ with green gaiters stood with their fixed bayonets outside their sandbagged sentry boxes either side of the steps leading up to Derby House. I wondered whether they'd say ‘Halt. Who goes there?’ and point a point at my belly or ask for a password. But no. My innocence proclaimed itself loud and clear. They didn't even have the courtesy of altering their eye line as I walked between them and climbed the steps into Derby House. I entered and was immediately challenged. ‘Your pass, Sir, please.’

‘I'm sorry. I haven't a pass.’

‘Nobody can enter without a pass, Sir.’

‘As I said, I haven't a pass, but I have an appointment with the C. in C. at eleven hundred hours and I have no intention of being late for it.’