The Warrior Strain

Young Lord Billy sniffs out sneaky German marauders in this flag-waving war drama - thrills for British boys, 1919-style.

Lonely young Lord Billy, who misses his dear departed mother, has nothing to do but lounge about the castle all day while his father, the Earl, attends to important affairs of state - until the noble lad joins the Army Cadets. Rising through the ranks to become the Lance Corporal of his squad, patrolling undefended points along the English coast, he's soon on the trail of German marauders.

This resolutely patriotic British thriller from prolific American-born director and screenwriter Floyd Martin Thornton didn't see release until 1919 - by which time WWI was over. Its cheery, fanciful glorification of youthful involvement in the war effort stands in stark contrast to a reality that had seen millions of young servicemen massacred in a bloody conflict.