Major Stringer: All right, Thompson, let's clear the air a little. Ever since I came here, you've been giving me a hard time. Now just what the hell has been eating you?
Captain Thompson: It's just that I'm a professional Marine. I don't like temporary officers. I don't like volunteers for hazardous service. I don't like musical-comedy operations designed to win the Victoria Cross for somebody. I suppose I just don't like your ears.


--Trevor Howard (as ) in The Cockleshell Heroes

Major Stringer: Well, now, it's time for me to listen to you for a change.
Captain Thompson: What do you mean by that?
Major Stringer: I mean, let me have it. What did I do wrong?
Captain Thompson: You did everything wrong.


--Trevor Howard (as ) in The Cockleshell Heroes

Lieutenant Stebbings RAN: Mother Goose is requesting a chaplain.
Commander Frank Houghton RAN: A chaplain? Good heavens, he's killed her.
Lieutenant Stebbings RAN: No, sir. They want to get married.
Commander Frank Houghton RAN: Married? Goody Two-Shoes and the Filthy Beast?


--Trevor Howard (as Commander Frank Houghton) in Father Goose

Lieutenant Stebbings RAN: We could have transferred George Dickens from the interior if he hadn't gotten himself eaten that way.
Commander Frank Houghton RAN: You needn't make him sound such a shirker, Stebbings.


--Trevor Howard (as Commander Frank Houghton) in Father Goose

Air Vice Marshal Evill: [ACM Dowding is sitting at his desk reading reports. The phone buzzes. AVM Evill picks up the phone] Yes?
[listens]
Air Vice Marshal Evill: Yes, one moment
[turns to ACM Dowding]
Air Vice Marshal Evill: The Air Minister, sir. on the scrambler.
Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding: [picks up green scrambler phone] Yes?
Minister: Ah, Dowding. Er. Look. Our people in Washington are having trouble with the American Press. It's about today's figures. German sources there are saying that our claims are wildly exaggerated.
Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding: [listens, but says nothing]
Minister: Hello? Are you there Dowding?
Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding: I'm here Minister.
Minister: Well I mean, can you verify the figures?
Air Chief Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding: [clears throat] I'm not very interested in propaganda. If we're right, they'll give up. If we are wrong, they'll be in London in a week!.
[pauses then hangs up]


--Trevor Howard (as ) in Battle of Britain

Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: [during the raids on September 15th] Is everything up?
Wing Cmdr. Willoughby: The lot, Sir!
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: Reserves?
Wing Cmdr. Willoughby: None!
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: That's what I've just told the Prime Minister!
[walks back into office with Winston Churchill watching the progress]


--Trevor Howard (as ) in Battle of Britain

Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: [on being told that the radar stations are out of action due to German bombing] So we're blind, so now we've only got the Observer Corps!


--Trevor Howard (as ) in Battle of Britain

Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory: [protesting to Dowding] We were up, sir, trying to knock out the enemy air mass. It takes time to assemble forty or fifty aircraft at...
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: [interrupting] It takes far too long! By the time your "Big Wing" is up, the enemies have already hit their targets and are on their way home.
Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory: All that matters is to shoot them down in large numbers. I'd rather destroy fifty after they've hit their targets than ten before.
Air Vice Marshal Keith Park: Don't forget, the targets are my airfields, Leigh-Mallory. And you're not getting fifty. You're not even getting ten!


--Trevor Howard (as ) in Battle of Britain

Captain Thompson: Corporal Stevens.
[Stevens steps forward and salutes, and Thompson returns the salute]
Captain Thompson: Do you usually let your men slouch about in that fashion?
Marine Stevens: No, sir. We've just finished an exercise, and...
Captain Thompson: I'm not interested in what you've finished.


--Trevor Howard (as ) in The Cockleshell Heroes

Captain Thompson: I've never seen such an appalling exhibition in my life.


--Trevor Howard (as ) in The Cockleshell Heroes