Foyle's War - Episode Two: The White Feather

Set in May 1940 in Sussex, Foyle's War, Disc Two - The White Feather delves into some of the darker aspects of the time period. A time when cowardice came in many forms and being a traitor carried with it the death penalty.

The White Feather is the setting for this episode and although the term also refers to cowardice in this case it is also the name of the hotel where much of the action takes place. Originally the idea of white feather came from cock fighting, as it was believed that a cockerel sporting a white feather in its tail was likely to be a poor fighter. This later became a well known and popular symbol handed to a coward. The feather was used throughout the British army and in countries associated with the British Empire since the 18^th Century. Today many readers and movie goers know of the meaning behind the feather due to the book The Four Feathers, written by A. E. W. Mason, and the movies that have been based on his work.

In this episode of Foyle's War, Foyle's assistant Detective Sergeant Paul Milner, played by Anthony Howell, is still recovering from losing his leg at Trondheim. He, like many returning from the war with injuries, has trouble understanding why it happened to him. This isn't helped by the often cold reactions from his wife. Unfortunately this uncertainty leaves him open to the approaches of Guy Spencer, played by Charles Dance, the charismatic leader of the pro- Nazi organization, the Friday Club. During this time there were several small organizations that pushed forth the idea that the Nazi's were right in their treatment of the Jews, and they often cultivated the sympathy of those who had either been injured in the war, or had lost friends and family members. Though they preferred to target the wealthy and influential, it wasn't unheard of for them to also use other members of society in their attempts to further the Nazi movement in Great Britain during the war.