The Railway Children

In 1944, Britain endures a new wave of bombings as Lily, Pattie and Ted Watts are evacuated from Manchester to Oakworth. They are welcomed by Bobbie Waterbury, her schoolmistress daughter Annie, and her 13-year-old son Thomas, who hope to find them a safe home. Officials insist siblings not be split, but when no other family volunteers, Bobbie offers shelter and a place in their lives.

Shortly after arrival, the Watts children befriend Thomas and begin to settle into village life. Thomas takes them into his world, including a hideout in an old brake van by the railway station where they can play and plan. A sense of belonging grows as they form a makeshift wartime family.

One day they explore the station's brake van and discover Abe McCarthy, an African-American soldier with a wounded leg, claiming to be on a secret mission. He begs to stay hidden from others, insisting he must complete his task. Lily is cautious but compassionate, sensing there is more to Abe than a simple deserter.

That evening a lone enemy aircraft bombs the town cemetery, and Lily is injured while delivering a first aid kit to Abe. Abe carries Lily to safety and reveals he joined the Army to avenge his brother killed in combat. His story leaves Lily suspicious of his full background.

The next day, White US Military Police arrive at the school searching for Abe. Lily learns that Abe is a deserter, and he confesses that he is the same age as Lily and trying to return home after witnessing how Black soldiers are treated. Lily agrees to help him escape.

Thomas initially wants to tell the grown-ups, but Lily challenges him about exposing the truth and recalling that their father was killed in action. Thomas relents and allows Abe to stay in a large storeroom next to his bedroom. The arrangement tests the family's limits but also deepens their resolve to protect Abe.

That evening, Walter, the widowed husband of Bobbie's sister Phyllis, visits the household. His presence adds weight to the wartime family dynamics and foreshadows the difficult choices to come. The children continue their games and bond with the locals despite the tension.

Lily escorts Abe to the station to catch a train to Liverpool, while Thomas creates a distraction to help them slip aboard unseen. They are stopped by local police, who notify the US MPs; Abe and Lily are handcuffed and taken to a US base, then put aboard a supply train carrying senior officers. The stakes are high as the children challenge the authority.

Thomas confronts Annie, who reveals that his father was shot down but is alive in a POW camp. After sharing this with Walter, his uncle informs him about the American supply train. Thomas rallies Pattie, Ted, and other evacuees to create banners warning the train to stop.

The children manage to stop the train and Abe explains the truth to a senior African-American general aboard. The general admits that he enlisted underage and orders Abe's release. The moment shifts the town's view of the US presence and the war in their favor.

Abe stays with the family for a few days after the incident before returning home, building a quiet trust with Lily and the others. He promises to write to Lily before he goes, leaving a bittersweet memory of the wartime bond formed. The parting underscores the human costs of the conflict.

Three months later, the Watts siblings return to their mother in Manchester, reuniting with their family after the upheaval of evacuation. The return marks a cautious but hopeful reassembly of the Fralton family in the aftermath of war. The community continues to rebuild as ordinary life resumes.

Thomas's father returns home following VE Day, bringing a sense of closure to a chapter marked by loss and separation. The homecoming reinforces themes of resilience, memory, and reconciliation that run through the village. Place: Oakworth vicinity; Time: after VE Day.