England, 1805. The war with France had dragged on for eight years. The French fleet, imprisoned in port by the powerful British navy (under Lord Horatio Nelson), refused to come out and fight a decisive battle, fearing a British victory.
At home, inspired by the French Revolution, the craftsmen and tradesmen of England had banded together into societies dedicated to political reform and to curbing the power of the small privileged ruling class.
These societies were banned by government decree and forced underground, Their members were labelled as Jacobin revolutionaries.
On the South Coast, youngsters Tom (Nigel Greaves) and Betsy (Lynsey Baxter) discover a young deserter boy on the run from the feared Navy press gangs. Slowly but surely this leads them into a plot to assassinate Admiral Nelson before the HMS Victory can set sail – “Operation Patch” (referring to the famous eyepatch of the intended victim).
The children must learn who the spies are and who the counter-spies are in time to stop the killing.
Betsy’s father is a Master at Arms on the Victory and Tom’s father a liberal Jacobin who is framed for possessing seditious pamphlets.
Operation Patch aired on Sundays in June and July 1976.
Tom Moyes Nigel Greaves Betsy Cosserat
Lynsey Baxter Dick Moyes
Barry Lowe George Cosserat
Michael Robbins Beulah Cosserat
Virginia Balfour Ralph Page
Anthony Pedley Merry
Diane Mercer Matthew Snell
Aubrey Morris Mr Scott
Donald Pickering Lord Horatio Nelson
Tony Calvin
Episodes
The Deserter | The Informers | The Prisoner | The Rebel | The Spies | The Assassin | The Admiral
