Dad's Army (TV Series)

No Spring for Frazer (1969)

Arthur Lowe: Capt. George Mainwaring

Photos 

Quotes 

• Mainwaring : Well, let this be a vital lesson for us all. For the want of a nail, a shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe, a horse was lost. For the want of a horse, the battle was lost.

  Jones : Hence the expression: 'Keep your hair on'.

• [last lines] 

  Mainwaring : [on the phone]  Captain Rogers? Ah. I've got something rather serious to report. One of my men is miss...

  [He trails off as he notices the missing butterfly spring that Frazer is holding up in front of him. He takes it, and hands the phone to Wilson] 

  Mainwaring : Deal with that, Wilson.

  [Wilson passes the phone to Godfrey] 

  Pte. Charles Godfrey : [on the phone]  What? I don't... I don't quite understand. Have you an account with us, sir?

• Frazer : I won't have to clean that thing for three weeks.

  Mainwaring : That is not the right attitude to adopt Frazer. You should consider it an honour and a privilege to use this Lewis gun.

  Frazer : I think it's a privilege us ever getting a look in with you and the Sergeant using it all the time.

  Mainwaring : That'll do. That'll do. The butterfly spring seems to be missing from here Frazer.

  Frazer : What? Oh aye. So it is. I must have left it in me workshop.

  Mainwaring : Your workshop?

  Frazer : Aye. I took the gun home to be cleaned.

  Mainwaring : Look. For a start you've got no right to take that gun off these premises. Most of all that gun is totally useless without it's butterfly spring. If a Nazi Storm Trooper came rushing in from the sky you could do nothing with that but hit him with it.

  Jones : Permission to speak sir. If Frazer hit him with it, it wouldn't half make his eyes water.

• Mainwaring : Just let it be a lesson for all of us.

  Pte. Frank Pike : Yeah. For the want of a battle, a horse was nailed.

• Pte. Joe Walker : [Mainwaring and Wilson are blowing on their hands]  Cor blimey if you two are cold I can sell you a pair of gloves, twelve and six a pair. Virgin wool, that's a sheep that can run faster...

  Mainwaring : All right, all right