Carry On Sergeant

Newly married Mary Sage, Shirley Eaton, is distraught when her husband Charlie Sage, Bob Monkhouse, receives his call-up papers during their wedding breakfast. Charlie travels to Heathercrest National Service Depot, where he meets Horace Strong, Kenneth Connor, a chronic hypochondriac who is devastated at having been passed as fit.

The new recruits are assigned to Sergeant Grimshaw, [William Hartnell], who is nearing retirement and makes a £50 bet with Sergeant Paddy O’Brien, [Terry Scott], that this batch will be his best platoon. With beady-eyed inspection from Captain Potts, [Eric Barker], and disgruntled support from Corporal Copping, [Bill Owen], Grimshaw decides to use some psychology and treat his charges kindly rather than simply shouting at them. But basic training does not start well and he struggles to take his platoon through it. They include Herbert Brown, [Norman Rossington], a failure; Miles Heywood, [Terence Longdon], an upper-class cad; Andy Galloway, [Gerald Campion], a rock ‘n’ roller; Peter Golightly, [Charles Hawtrey], a delicate flower; and James Bailey, [Kenneth Williams], a supercilious university graduate. His attempts seem doomed.

Mary is determined to spend her wedding night with her husband and smuggles herself into the depot to get a job in the NAAFI, a situation Charlie is eventually able to legitimise. Strong spends most of his time complaining to the Medical Officer, Captain Clark, [Hattie Jacques]. It is only the adoration of doe-eyed NAAFI girl Norah, [Leigh Madison], which he initially rejects, that makes him realise his potential and inspires him to become a real soldier.

On the eve of the final tests, Grimshaw is in despair, but his squad overhears him bemoaning his lot to Copping. The squad decides to win the best platoon prize at all costs. On the day, they indeed beat the other platoons at all tasks and Grimshaw is awarded the cup for best platoon. On Grimshaw’s last day, the men present him with a cigarette lighter as a retirement present and to say thank you.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 10:51