Soldier Soldier

Soldier Soldier was truly an excellent drama series for its time. It is a pretty accurate portrayal of Army life. I can say this from certain as I have 13 years of personal experience. At the time Soldier Soldier began showing on ITV and the BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service), my Dad was in the British Army and we were living on camp with him in Germany.

The series really hit home for us as our family was precisely like the families you see in the series. Wifes and Children following the Soldier from posting to posting, sometimes separated for long periods due to exercises or overseas action.

The community spirit and the bonding together to help that the series depicts between the soldiers wife's and offspring is true to life.

The depiction of British life in Germany was spot on. Again, from direct personal experience, I can tell you there was and still is a microcosm of British culture in Germany around Military installations and their surrounding towns. Its different to Mainland UK life, yet recognisable. A new Army wife was able to quickly fit in and I guess its still the same today. Soldier Soldier brought this culture to the TV screen.

Dad would often tell me that every regiment and squadron had characters like Tucker and Garvy. General jokers and mischief makers. There was also always an officer that was a hard ass and thought he knew it all. Then you had the compassionate and the down to earth types. And of course, the people you'd rightly give your right arm for to help them. Soldier Soldier successfully depicted the whole spectrum of these kinds of characters, the bonding that occurs between Soldiers and the way that Squaddie mates will do just about anything to help one of their own. Likewise the families attached to them.

As with any program, there were a few moments where there were differences between reality and what was on the show, but one has to allow for some artistic and dramatic licence, or else you might as well call it a documentary.

I miss Soldier Soldier, above all, I miss the life it depicts, for despite the downs, the ups were far more numerous and the life was good.

It would be very pleasant if people posting comments had actually watched the shows they purport to be commenting on. Sadly this is obviously not the case. None of the officers are portrayed as halfwits, none of the noncoms are portrayed as masochists (or even sadists, which I suspect was meant) and only a handful of the fusiliers are portrayed as drunken or stupid or oafs.

In fact, if you want a sensible portrayal of military life without the sensationalism or over the top flag-waving that's usually attached to such dramas then 'Soldier Soldier' is the one to watch. It was a couple of series too long and it started to get tired towards the end, but the first few series were excellent stuff. And yes, I too speak from experience.

I enjoyed this series very much! It had it all - drama and fun! The character were not at all stupid and the story line were good to very good... It was in fact even more than 'just showing army life' it was about people living together - having their good and bad moments. No character was totally evil and no character was totally good. They were just humans making the best of it for themselves - often dealing with difficult situations.

Although it was about the army (British army) - it was never an over the top and it never made them look bigger than live. It were - as we call them overhere - Tommies soldiering on... all right, sometimes they made a muddle of it. But they did their best and that resulted often in a good outcome! It also didn't shy away of the 'darker side' of army life. It wasn't afraid to deal with issues of soldiers who couldn't deal with the stress of their job. And that made a nice balance. But what I loved most about it was 'it's British-ness' - their so typical sense of humor to tackle difficult things, their great feeling of reality, being able to look at themselves in a realistic way often amiss in other army series/movies. And to be honest about themselves. And this made this series enjoyable to watch - even if you were non-British living on the otherside of the 'pond' as it were! My ancestors lived for four years with the British army - in the mud and dirt of Flanders Fields - and the stories they told us the younger ones co inside with the way this series shows British soldiers. I can understand that the UK is proud of them - despite they are not perfect! Or perhaps just because of that!?! If you ever come across this series on video or DVD - do watch it! I'm sure you will have many hours of pleasure watching them dealing with day to day life in the army...

"Soldier, Soldier" is the story of Company A of the United Kingdom's regiment, the "King's Fusiliers". The story revolves around a small group of men and their wives in the regiment. We have Sgt. Wilton who is married to Joy. Joy has adjusted to Army life and taken on the job of creating activities for the wives and children of the regiment, so they won't feel isolated from their husbands and fathers. Then there is Corporal Garvey, who is lonely for a wife. He develops a relationship with Corporal Nancy Thorpe, who is a member of the military police. The relationship was doomed from the start. Both want to advance in the military, but Garvey wants what Wilton has, a stable family with a wife and children. Nancy would be happy to give these things to Garvey, but not in the middle of her sargents training. The relationship of Fusilier Dave Tucker and his wife Donna is very stormy. Both were born and raised in Newcastle. Both had troubled childhoods. Tucker joined the army to get away from the poverty. In the end, the Army became his only family. Donna, his wife, was a "party girl". When she saw Tucker flash his new Army pay, she set her eyes for him. He fell in love, she didn't. From that point, she hated Army life. Through out his troubled Army life, Tucker fought to stay in, but Donna did everything she could to try to get him out. After finding Donna with another man, Tucker went "Absent Without Leave" and faced a court martial. Donna was ecstatic, but when he was sentenced to 6 months detention instead of being kicked out, she left him. After hitch-hiking several rides back to Newcastle, Donna realized she had no where to go. She returned to the regiment and with the help of Joy Wilton learned to adapt, though it was still a rough road. The entire series is filled with wonderful and diverse characters; some the viewer learn to love, ie: Col. Dan Fortune and Major Tom Cadmean. Others; like Capt. Davison; the viewer will learn to hate.

This is wonderful series and I recommend it to everyone who wants strong acting and great stories.

I liked this programme I used to watch it with my mum and dad I not really sure if he liked it those probably thought it was more amusing then anything being that he was a serving soldier at the time and a S.n.c.o. The soldiers.