History Literature / TheMachineGunners

''The Machine Gunners'' was adapted by the BBC for television in 1983 and again for radio in 2002. A stage play by Westall also exists and has recently had a run at the Polka Theatre in London, commissioned by the Imperial War Museum (no, not [[Franchise/StarWars that Empire]]). The book won the UsefulNotes/CarnegieMedal in 1975 and was voted in 2007 as one of the ten most important children's novels of the last seven decades by the Carnegie Medal panel.

''The Machine Gunners'', published in 1975, was the first novel written by English childrens and Young Adult author, Creator/RobertWestall. Based on his own experiences as a child in Tynemouth during TheBlitz, the book is the story of Charles "Chas" [=McGill=], a young schoolboy who collects 'war souvenirs'; pieces of fallen bomb, shrapnel from Anti-Aircraft fire, and other detritus of the bombings.

* TheBlitz: Set in a fictional North East town in England during 1941; bombs, blackouts, Air Raid Wardens, the Home Guard all get a look in, unsurprisingly.

''The Machine Gunners'' was adapted by the BBC for television in 1983 and again for radio in 2002. A stage play by Westall also exists and has recently had a run at the Polka Theatre in London, commissioned by the Imperial War Museum (no, not [[StarWars that Empire]]). The book won the CarnegieMedal in 1975 and was voted in 2007 as one of the ten most important children's novels of the last seven decades by the Carnegie Medal panel.

'''''The Machine Gunners''''', published in 1975, was the first novel written by English childrens and Young Adult author, Creator/RobertWestall. Based on his own experiences as a child in Tynemouth during TheBlitz, the book is the story of Charles "Chas" [=McGill=], a young schoolboy who collects 'war souvenirs'; pieces of fallen bomb, shrapnel from Anti-Aircraft fire, and other detritus of the bombings.

* BritishAccents: "Aah divvn't knaa, like, but ah reckon thars some Geordie bein' used in this book." (I'm not sure chaps, but I believe someone may be employing the local dialect of the North East of England, in particular the Tyne and Wear area and it's inhabitants and rendering it phonetically, within this literary work.)
** The 1983 TV adaptation is 3 hours of genuine Geordie accents.

* ShellShockedVeteran: Chas' grandad is a WorldWarI veteran who, if he hears the rattle of kettle lid whilst it's boiling, will lapse into remembering his days in the trenches (the noise reminds him of the rattle of machine gun fire).

* FriendOrFoe: The Home Guard averts this trope with the [[PolesWithPoleaxes Polish]] force after realizing that there was no enemy invasion and that the Poles were merely acting on their own to the rumors. [[spoiler: This is later played straight when the Poles, having failed to find any Germans, aid the police in searching for the children, who assume they are German by their language and fire upon them, causing both sides to believe they are German invaders.]]

-->-- '''Sergeant Green''', ''Literature/TheMachineGunners''

'''''The Machine Gunners''''', published in 1975 was the first novel written by English childrens and Young Adult author, Creator/RobertWestall. Based on his own experiences as a child in Tynemouth during TheBlitz, the book is the story of Charles "Chas" [=McGill=], a young schoolboy who collects 'war souvenirs'; pieces of fallen bomb, shrapnel from Anti-Aircraft fire, and other detritus of the bombings.

The Machine Gunners, published in 1975 was the first novel written by English childrens and Young Adult author, Creator/RobertWestall. Based on his own experiences as a child in Tynemouth during TheBlitz, the book is the story of Charles "Chas" [=McGill=], a young schoolboy who collects 'war souvenirs'; pieces of fallen bomb, shrapnel from Anti-Aircraft fire, and other detritus of the bombings.

** The novel treats this rather cynically, however, by the sheer fact that [[spoiler: Boddser would have beaten Chas to a pulp had Chas not used his weapon]], and the self-righteousness of the adults is undercut with an element of hypocrisy in that there are rather a lot of British boys fighting a war with guns at that very moment.

During one air raid, a German Heinkel bomber is shot down and crashes in the woods near to [=McGill=]'s home. He finds it one morning and discovers that it's rear turret machine gun is still in place, intact and in full working condition. This, he decides, will be the finest war souvenir he's ever collected. With the help of a group of his school friends, he steals the gun and hides it, eventually building a secret hiding place for them to keep the weapon away from the prying eyes of grown-ups.

But the police and his teachers know someone at the school stole the machine gun from the wreck, and [=McGill=] is one of the prime suspects. How long can they keep the gun and its hiding place a secret, from both the adults ''and'' [=McGill=]'s collection rival, school bully Boddser Brown. Things are further complicated when the gang almost shoots down a Me 110, causing it to ''actually'' be shot down by a trio of three Spitfires. The rear-gunner bails out and manages to blunder into the children's secret fort and be captured by them. They can't let him go; in case he tells the authorities about them. What to do with a captured German airman and a stolen machine gun, especially when the signal of a German invasion comes.

-->-- '''"Clogger" Duncan''', ''The Machine Gunners''

* GangOfBullies: Boddser has his little club of followers to go with his "official bully" status.

* DumbMuscle: Played somewhat literally in the form of John Barrowlee, a disabled adult with the mental age of a young child. Chas and friends recruit John to help them build their fort because he's so much stronger than any of them.

-->-- '''Sergeant Green''', ''TheMachineGunners''

* BritishAccents: "Aah divvn't knaa, like, but ah reckon thars some Geordie bein' used in this book." (I'm not sure chaps, but I believe someone may be employing the local dialect of the North East of England, in particular the Tyne and Wear area and it's inhabitants and rendering it phonetically, within this literary work.)