The Cockleshell Heroes
Encyclopedia
The Cockleshell Heroes is a 1955 film
with Trevor Howard
, Anthony Newley
, David Lodge
and José Ferrer
, who also directed. Set during the Second World War
, it is a fictionalised account of Operation Frankton
, the December 1942 raid by canoe-borne British commando
s on shipping in Bordeaux
Harbour. It was the first Warwick Film to be filmed in CinemaScope
.
, who comes up with a novel idea for a raid. By using collapsible canoes
, he believes it is possible for commandos
to reach an enemy-held harbour undetected and blow up ships with limpet mine
s. He is given command of a small group of volunteers.
However, he clashes with his veteran second-in-command, cynical, by-the-book Captain
Hugh Thompson (Trevor Howard
). The two officers represent the clash of cultures in the Royal Marines in World War II and postwar. Stringer is the enthusiastic promoter of commando operations requiring daring and initiative, but has no experience leading men or operations. Thompson represents the old guard of traditional ship's detachments. Sergeant
Craig (Victor Maddern
) trains the men following Stringer's directions, but Thompson strongly disapproves of his commander's lax methods. When a test mission ends disastrously, Stringer admits his mistake and turns to Thompson, who soon whips the marines into shape.
Ruddock (David Lodge
), one of the men, goes AWOL
due to marital problems. Thompson gets to Ruddock's wife first and finds her with her civilian lover, but leaves when they both insult him. He goes to the local pub for a drink and finds the missing Marine. Thompson gives Ruddock enough time to beat up his wife's paramour, then drives him back to camp. The raid is launched soon afterwards.
Ten miles off the mouth of the Gironde estuary
, the two-man canoes are dropped off a British submarine
. An attack with depth charge
s from a passing German patrol boat
knocks out Ruddock's partner; Thompson, who was not supposed to go on the raid, volunteers to take his place.
The team face seventy miles of paddling upriver in their Cockle Mk II canoes
. After travelling by night and hiding by day, only four men reach the target, where they plant limpet mine
s on a number of ships.
The raid is successful, but only Stringer and one marine, manage to escape. The rest are captured. When Thompson and the other prisoners refuse to divulge what their mission was, they are shot by firing squad, but not before hearing the mines explode.
decided Maibaum's script didn't have enough comedy, so he had Forbes rewrite Maibaum's revision and direct some sequences without telling Ferrer. When Ferrer found out, he left the film.
The movie was filmed in Portugal
and several Royal Marine establishments with the Commandant-General Royal Marines ensuring the actors were trained in proper drill and canoe handling. The training camp scenes in the film were shot at Eastney Barracks
in Southsea
, Hampshire
. Eastney Barracks is now the home of the Royal Marines Museum
. The Royal Navy
ships, and Leeds Castle (K384)
, were used to portray a German anti-submarine vessel dropping depth charge
s.
Lieutenant Colonel Herbert "Blondie" Hasler
, the leader of the real-life raid, was seconded to Warwick Films as technical advisor
. Ex-Corporal Bill Sparks
, the other survivor of the raid, was also an advisor.
The film briefly uses several railway locations including the level crossing at Fort Brockhurst on the (by then freight-only) Gosport branch in Hampshire. As he cycles south, José Ferrer has to wait for a passing train (a van hauled by T9 class locomotive 30729) so takes the opportunity to abandon his bicycle in favour of a ride in the rear of a fish lorry. Later Ferrer steals the fish lorry only to abandon it at Shepperton Station (Surrey) in order to catch a just-departing train.
In another sequence David Lodge ducks out of sight into a WC alongside the North Woolwich Branch. This was possibly at the footbridge opposite Fernhill Street on Albert Road, west of North Woolwich station. David Lodge is also filmed running over the road bridge adjacent to Chertsey station where a Southern electric train can be seen.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
with Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
, Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
, David Lodge
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
and José Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
, who also directed. Set during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, it is a fictionalised account of Operation Frankton
Operation Frankton
Operation Frankton was a commando raid on shipping in the German occupied French port of Bordeaux in the Bay of Biscay during the Second World War. The raid was carried out by a small unit of Royal Marines known as the Royal Marines Boom Patrol Detachment , part of Combined Operations.The plan was...
, the December 1942 raid by canoe-borne British commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s on shipping in Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
Harbour. It was the first Warwick Film to be filmed in CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
.
Plot
Ferrer plays newly-promoted Major Stringer of the Royal MarinesRoyal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
, who comes up with a novel idea for a raid. By using collapsible canoes
Folding kayak
A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin made of a tough fabric with a waterproof coating...
, he believes it is possible for commandos
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
to reach an enemy-held harbour undetected and blow up ships with limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s. He is given command of a small group of volunteers.
However, he clashes with his veteran second-in-command, cynical, by-the-book Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
Hugh Thompson (Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard
Trevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
). The two officers represent the clash of cultures in the Royal Marines in World War II and postwar. Stringer is the enthusiastic promoter of commando operations requiring daring and initiative, but has no experience leading men or operations. Thompson represents the old guard of traditional ship's detachments. Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Craig (Victor Maddern
Victor Maddern
Victor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
) trains the men following Stringer's directions, but Thompson strongly disapproves of his commander's lax methods. When a test mission ends disastrously, Stringer admits his mistake and turns to Thompson, who soon whips the marines into shape.
Ruddock (David Lodge
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
), one of the men, goes AWOL
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
due to marital problems. Thompson gets to Ruddock's wife first and finds her with her civilian lover, but leaves when they both insult him. He goes to the local pub for a drink and finds the missing Marine. Thompson gives Ruddock enough time to beat up his wife's paramour, then drives him back to camp. The raid is launched soon afterwards.
Gironde estuary
The Gironde is a navigable estuary , in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just below the centre of Bordeaux...
, the two-man canoes are dropped off a British submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. An attack with depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s from a passing German patrol boat
R boat
The R boats were a group of small minesweepers but used for several purposes during the Second World War.A total of 424 boats were built for the Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. The German Navy used them in every theatre including the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
knocks out Ruddock's partner; Thompson, who was not supposed to go on the raid, volunteers to take his place.
The team face seventy miles of paddling upriver in their Cockle Mk II canoes
Folding kayak
A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. A modern folder has a collapsible frame made of some combination of wood, aluminium and plastic, and a skin made of a tough fabric with a waterproof coating...
. After travelling by night and hiding by day, only four men reach the target, where they plant limpet mine
Limpet mine
A limpet mine is a type of naval mine attached to a target by magnets; they are so named because of their superficial similarity to the limpet, a type of mollusk....
s on a number of ships.
The raid is successful, but only Stringer and one marine, manage to escape. The rest are captured. When Thompson and the other prisoners refuse to divulge what their mission was, they are shot by firing squad, but not before hearing the mines explode.
Cast
- José FerrerJosé FerrerJosé Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
as Major Stringer - Trevor HowardTrevor HowardTrevor Howard , born Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith, was an English film, stage and television actor.-Early life:...
as Captain Hugh Thompson - Dora BryanDora BryanDora May Bryan OBE is an English actress of stage, film and television.-Early life:Bryan was born as Dora May Broadbent in Southport, Lancashire, England. Her father was a salesman and she attended Hathershaw County Primary School in Oldham, Lancashire...
as Myrtie - Victor MaddernVictor MaddernVictor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as Sergeant Craig - Anthony NewleyAnthony NewleyAnthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
as Marine Clarke - David LodgeDavid Lodge (actor)David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
as Marine Ruddock - Peter ArnePeter ArnePeter Arne was a British character actor best known for various performances in British film and television, including supporting roles in the television series The Avengers, Danger Man, as well as villains in Blake Edwards' Pink Panther series, in a career that spanned 40 years...
as Marine Stevens - Percy HerbertPercy Herbert (actor)Percy Herbert was an English character actor who often played soldiers, most notably in The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Geese and Tunes of Glory. However, he was equally at home in comedies and science fiction...
as Marine Lomas - Graham Stewart as Marine Booth
- John Fabian as Marine Cooney
- John Van EyssenJohn Van EyssenJohn Van Eyssen was a South African born actor, agent and executive...
as Marine Bradley - Robert Desmond as Marine Todd
- Walter FitzgeraldWalter FitzgeraldWalter Fitzgerald was an English character actor.Born Walter Fitzgerald Bond in Keyham, Devon. Married 1st Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924.1s .2nd Angela Kirk in 1938. 3 sons 1 daughter....
as the Gestapo commandant - Karel StepanekKarel ŠtěpánekKarel Štěpánek was a Czech actor who spent many years in Austria and generally played German roles onscreen. In 1940 he fled to Britain and spent much of the rest of his career acting there.-Selected filmography:...
as Assistant Gestapo Officer - Beatrice CampbellBeatrice CampbellBeatrice Campbell was a British stage and film actress. She was born in County Down, Northern Ireland.-Career:After a distinguished London stage career, Campbell entered film in the mid-1940s...
as Mrs. Ruddock - Sydney TaflerSydney TaflerSydney Tafler , was a British film and television actor, first appearing in London's West End in 1936, after two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes....
as Policeman - Gladys HensonGladys HensonGladys Henson was a British actress whose career lasted from 1932 to 1976 and included roles on stage, radio, films and television series...
as Barmaid - Jacques B. BruniusJacques B. BruniusJacques B. Brunius, French actor, director and writer, was born Jacques Henri Cottance in Paris on September 16, 1906, died Exeter, Devon , on April 24, 1967. He was cremated in Sidmouth, with a tribute by Mesens....
as French Fisherman - Andreas MalandrinosAndreas MalandrinosAndreas Malandrinos was a Greek-born actor who started appearing in British films from 1930, until his death 40 years later in Surrey, England...
as French Fisherman - Judith FurseJudith Furse-Career:A member of the noted Furse family, her father was Lieutenant-General Sir William Furse. Her brother, Roger, became a celebrated stage designer and painter who occasionally worked in films....
as W.V.S. Woman Motorist - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
had a small role as the submarine commander - Patric DoonanPatric DoonanPatric Doonan was a British stage and screen actor. He featured in films of the time as The Blue Lamp, Train of Events and The Cockleshell Heroes but never played the leads...
as Marine Claridge
Production notes
José Ferrer had Bryan Forbes's script rewritten by Richard Maibaum, but Irving AllenIrving Allen
Irving Allen was a theatrical and cinematic producer and director. He won an Academy Award in 1948 for producing the short movie Climbing the Matterhorn. In the early 1950s he formed Warwick Films with partner Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and relocated to England to leverage film making against a...
decided Maibaum's script didn't have enough comedy, so he had Forbes rewrite Maibaum's revision and direct some sequences without telling Ferrer. When Ferrer found out, he left the film.
The movie was filmed in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and several Royal Marine establishments with the Commandant-General Royal Marines ensuring the actors were trained in proper drill and canoe handling. The training camp scenes in the film were shot at Eastney Barracks
Eastney
Eastney is a district located in the south east corner of Portsmouth, England on Portsea Island.Eastney started out as a small hamlet. In 1867 a barracks for the Royal Marines was built in the hamlet...
in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. Eastney Barracks is now the home of the Royal Marines Museum
Royal Marines Museum
The Royal Marines Museum is located in Eastney , England, and is open to the public every day of the week throughout the year apart from Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day...
. The Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships, and Leeds Castle (K384)
HMS Leeds Castle (K384)
HMS Leeds Castle was a Castle-class corvette of the Royal Navy, originally with pennant number K384.She was built by William Pickersgill & Sons Ltd. in Sunderland, launched on 12 October 1943 and completed in February 1944....
, were used to portray a German anti-submarine vessel dropping depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s.
Lieutenant Colonel Herbert "Blondie" Hasler
Herbert Hasler
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert George "Blondie" Hasler, DSO, OBE was a distinguished Royal Marines officer in World War II, responsible for many of the concepts which ultimately led to the post-war formation of the Special Boat Service...
, the leader of the real-life raid, was seconded to Warwick Films as technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
. Ex-Corporal Bill Sparks
Bill Sparks
William Edward "Bill" Sparks DSM was a British Royal Marine in World War II. He was the last survivor of the "Cockleshell Heroes", commandos who paddled 85 miles into German-occupied France to blow up merchant shipping in the Bay of Biscay port of Bordeaux.He was born in East Ham in the East End...
, the other survivor of the raid, was also an advisor.
The film briefly uses several railway locations including the level crossing at Fort Brockhurst on the (by then freight-only) Gosport branch in Hampshire. As he cycles south, José Ferrer has to wait for a passing train (a van hauled by T9 class locomotive 30729) so takes the opportunity to abandon his bicycle in favour of a ride in the rear of a fish lorry. Later Ferrer steals the fish lorry only to abandon it at Shepperton Station (Surrey) in order to catch a just-departing train.
In another sequence David Lodge ducks out of sight into a WC alongside the North Woolwich Branch. This was possibly at the footbridge opposite Fernhill Street on Albert Road, west of North Woolwich station. David Lodge is also filmed running over the road bridge adjacent to Chertsey station where a Southern electric train can be seen.