Private’s Progress

In the early days of WWII, Stanley Windrush is conscripted into the British Army. He endures grueling training at Gravestone Barracks under Sgt. Sutton, where his reluctance to conform is evident in every drill. The experience hardens his resolve to question command and wartime duty.

Windrush fails his officer selection board and is posted to a holding unit commanded by Major Hitchcock. The unit is filled with malingerers and drop-outs, making the assignment feel like a dead end. Windrush's status as a potential officer seems permanently sidelined.

Within the holding unit, Windrush befriends Private Cox, who mentors him in dodging work details and riding the railway without a ticket. Their illicit camaraderie offers relief from the tedium of service but hints at the moral compromises ahead. The arrangement foreshadows Windrush’s deeper entanglements.

Windrush is reassigned to train as a Japanese interpreter, a surprising fit given his background. He quickly becomes the prize pupil thanks to quick study and discipline. This specialized path opens the door to the secret operation known as Hatrack.

An urgent summons from Brigadier Tracepurcel, Windrush's uncle, pulls him into a clandestine operation. Tracepurcel commissions Windrush into Hatrack, a scheme he claims will protect art while serving the war effort. The gravitational pull of family ambition complicates Windrush's loyalties.

Hatrack is framed as a mission to recover looted artworks from the Germans, but the true aim is to steal the pieces and sell them to crooked art dealers. Windrush becomes an unwitting participant, valued for his language skills despite the deception surrounding him. The operation exposes a web of corruption that reaches into command structures.

During the operation, Windrush survives the dangers but is captured by British forces while wearing a German uniform. His strange appearance and story cause disbelief about his true identity among his captors. He is taken to a POW camp, where a chance encounter with Major Hitchcock begins to unravel the mystery of his allegiance.

Back at the camp, Windrush unexpectedly meets Major Hitchcock, who had previously supervised him in the holding unit. Hitchcock's recognition and skepticism drive the investigation into Windrush's past. After the encounter, Windrush is hospitalised for alleged mental illness.

Windrush is discharged from the army after medical treatment for mental health concerns. The discharge ends his formal military career for the time being, sending him back to civilian life and academia. The transition is uneasy as the war's shadows linger.

Tracepurcel and Cox fake their deaths to cover their tracks and continue their frauds from the shadows. Windrush remains unaware of the full scale of the conspiracy as the war ends. The ruse sets the stage for postwar pursuit and exposure.

With the war over, Windrush returns to his university life, hoping to resume normal studies. He begins to settle into a routine, but the past refuses to stay buried. He remains a potential target for those who want to use him again.

Cox visits the university and presents an attaché case, drawing Windrush into a new moment of risk. As he leaves, Sergeant Sutton, now a Royal Military Policeman, arrests Cox, signaling that the investigation is far from over. Windrush and Tracepurcel are soon seen as sources of a counterfeit artwork.

Under pressure, Windrush betrays the contents of the attaché case—the large sum of money used in the forgery scheme. The disclosure leads to Windrush's arrest on suspicion of complicity and closes in around Tracepurcel and Cox. The case exposes the illicit network tied to the earlier operation.

The closing epilogue dedicates the film to those who got away with it, framing Windrush's journey as a cautionary tale about wartime deception. The dedication acknowledges the moral ambiguity of war and the costs borne by those who survive. It leaves the audience contemplating truth, loyalty, and the price of illusion.