1 9 7 9 (UK)
5 x 50 minute episodes
Cheryl Campbell starred in this enriching and award-winning adaptation of the autobiography of Vera Brittain (mother of ex-Labour MP Shirley Williams) charting her life as a young woman and nurse between 1913 and 1925.
At the outbreak of the First World War, a young Vera finds herself torn between her studies at Oxford and the decision she will take to enrol as a volunteer nurse, caring for casualties from the Front.
Little does she realise that the faces passing before her will include those closest to her.
Devastating in its portrayal of the impact of war on a whole generation, Testament of Youth was a passionate, powerful and personal record of Vera Brittain’s experiences during World War I and served as a moving memorial to a lost generation.
Snatches of archive film resonated with Elaine Morgan’s scripts and Geoffrey Burgon’s score to produce a compelling, evocative and emotional TV experience.
Four BAFTA’s were bestowed upon the series.
Vera Brittain
Cheryl Campbell
Roland Leighton
Peter Woodward