It's October 1914 and the war is not going well. The Germans are smashing through Belgium and the allies are in retreat. Hazel Bellamy is on a committee with Lady Prudence Fairfax to find temporary homes for the 5000 or more Belgian refugees that have come to Britain. Feeling an obligation to set an example, Hazel agrees to take in a family and expecting an aristocratic family of 3, receives an extended family of 5 peasant farmers who speak no English. They take residence in the servants' quarters but with the language barrier, it all proves to be a bit much for both sides. The servants find the refugees odd in their tastes and their refusal to take a bath in particular offends them. Rescue of a sort comes from Georgina who returns from a weekend away and having been schooled in Switzerland, is a fluent French speaker. The refugees tell her their horrific tale of death and terror at the hands of the invading Germans creating a greater understanding and a degree of empathy from the ... Written by garykmcd

It's early 1915 and everyone in the household is pleased when James Bellamy returns home on leave for the first time. James is tired and under stress and at dinner that evening, tells his father, Sir Geoffrey Dillon and General Nesfield the true conditions at the front and the incompetence of the War Office, particularly in the provision of munitions. Dillon sees an opportunity to criticize the government and arranges for an anonymous account of the situation to be printed in the newspaper. Combined with the fiasco at Galipoli, the news is having its effect and the Conservative party sees its chances of forming a government improving. The news account doesn't sit well with James' Regimental Colonel who takes him to task for getting involved in politics, something James had no intention to do. To his dread, James finds himself assigned to the General Staff and feels he is abandoning his brother officers at the front. Edward and Daisy decide to get married but Hudson doesn't take the ... Written by garykmcd

Anti-German sentiment is running high with horrific tales of atrocities on the battlefield. Mr. Hudson isn't helping matters much repeating many of the rumors and outright lies being printed in the gutter press and setting the staff on edge. The sinking of the Lusitania leads to outrage in many quarters with mobs attacking businesses with German sounding names and anyone who has a hint of German about him. Hudson lies about his age and tries to enlist but fails the medical exam leading him to join the Specials Constables, auxiliary police who patrol the street and stand guard at power plants and the like. It all becomes more personalized for the servants when the Schoenfeld family, their usual baker, are forced out of their home and the bakery set alight. Hudson proves to be unsympathetic and Hazel takes him to task. Meanwhile the government has agreed to form a coalition with the Opposition parties and Richard Bellamy is named Civil Lord of the Admiralty. Written by garykmcd

Daisy and Edward's happy day has arrived and they are married. They have a party in the servants' hall but there is much sadness as well as Edward is being sent to the front that very evening. Georgina is also seeing her friends off to the front and with the ever-growing list of war casualties, everyone is aware that they are not likely to return. Daisy and Edward have an emotional farewell at the train station but for Georgina, emotion comes after the train has left and she sees the arrival of a hospital train with dozens upon dozens of wounded. She decides to become a nurse and make her own direct contribution to the war effort. Her duties aren't quite what she expected however. Below stairs, everyone is shocked when Ruby gives her notice having taken a job in a munitions factory at an unbelievably high salary. Written by garykmcd

James is still is staff position but yearns to join his Regiment on the front lines. He asks his father to pull strings and have him transferred but Richard won't hear of it. He is completely opposed to the favoritism that seems to be found everywhere and he is concerned at putting his only son in danger. Hazel is equally opposed thinking James is selfish, caring only for himself at her expense. She relents however and unbeknown to him, visits James' Colonel to see what might be done. At the hospital, Georgina is having difficulty adapting to her duties. Young socialites like herself are not well regarded by the professional nursing staff and she finds the hours long and the work demanding. She perseveres and finally gets a patient of her own to care for. Some of her friends have also joined her and Georgina is proving her mettle by comparison. Below stairs, Rose announces that she is to be a conductress on an omnibus, much to Daisy's annoyance as she had hoped to do the same. Written by garykmcd

Rose is shocked when she meets her one-time fiancé, Australian Gregory Wilmot, on the bus where she is working as a conductress. Gregory had already been to Eaton Place and thanks to Daisy knew where to find her. He's in London on leave and is now a Sergeant having fought a Galipoli the previous year. He and Rose once again start seeing each other and have cleared up any misunderstanding from his previous trip to London. Rose is again thinking that this time, she will marry him but Gregory isn't so sure that's what he wants. Hazel meanwhile is upset with Lady Prudence who she feels is taking over the household. After rejecting Prudence's request to host a tea for wounded officers in the Bellamys drawing room as she would not want to overtax the already overworked servants, Prudence goes directly to Hudson to discuss the issue. Hudson assures her the staff could cope and Hazel finds herself trapped into hosting the tea party. Written by garykmcd

Hazel has taken to seeing a young RFC pilot, Jack Dyson, whom she had met at the tea party Lady Prudence had arranged at 165 Eaton Place. She quits likes the young Dyson who is shy and unassuming. He also feels somewhat out of place in Belgravia, something Hazel can easily relate to. What starts out as a friendship however quickly turns to love for both of them. Hudson, who has always admonished the staff to avoid the goings on above stairs, takes note of Mrs. Bellamys frequent outings leading to an argument with Rose. Georgina meanwhile has now been assigned to a field hospital in France is doing excellent work. She gets to spend some time with James, for whom she evidently has great affection. Written by garykmcd

Rose is heartbroken and nearly hysterical when she receives a letter advising her that her fiancé, Sgt. Gregory Wilmot, has been killed in action. Hudson and the other servants try to calm her but to no avail. She now feels that any hope of improving her life and having her own household and family. Hazel Bellamy too is saddened by the news that her friend RFC flying ace Jack Dyson was killed in aerial combat in France. Hazel is very brave in not revealing her own loss and makes some inroad in calming Rose. James has come home on leave, clearly the worse for wear after the battle of the Somme. He questions the very reason they are fighting and now sees it all as futile. He writes out his thoughts and asks Hazel to have them published should he not return alive. In reading them, Hazel sees a new side to James and now has a greater respect for him. Written by garykmcd

As 1917 approaches everyone, both upstairs and downstairs, are hopeful that the new year will be better than the one coming to an end. Richard is shocked when he receives a note from 10 Downing St. offering him a peerage in the King's New Year's Honours List. He accepts and on the advice of Sir Geoffrey Dillon, takes the title Viscount Bellamy of Haversham. He also receives a visit Virginia Graham, a war widow who is hoping to enlist his aid in a fund-raising effort to pay the education fees of children whose fathers have died in the war. Richard is not at his best and dismisses her somewhat curtly, something he later learns to regret. Edward returns on leave but he is not a well man. When Richard finds him sitting on the stairway in tears, he realizes he is suffering from shell-shock and ensures he is well taken care of. After a munitions factory blows up, a familiar face returns to 165 Eaton Place. Written by garykmcd

The Bellamy household is again invaded by Lady Prudence Fairfax and one of her committees who commandeer the drawing room for yet another fund-raiser, this time for the Red Cross. They have co-opted the services of a well-known actor, Gerald Maitland, to stage a series of tableaux on a war-related theme. Georgina is home on leaves and agrees to portray Florence Nightingale and Prudence even recruits one of the staff to be the central character in the finale. At the final rehearsal however, 165 Eaton Place is extensively damaged in an air raid. Hudson proceeds to his duties as a Special Constable but is wounded and requires hospitalization. The final blow is a telegram advising them that James is missing in action in France and believed killed. Written by garykmcd

Despair has set in at 165 Eaton Place with the news that James is missing in action and believed killed. Richard remains optimistic and refuses to accept that he is dead until such time as his body is found, but Hazel is not so confident. James' batman, Trooper Norton, returns his personal effects and for Hazel it's a clear sign that even his Regiment believes he is dead. Imagine the pandemonium when they receive a telegram from Georgina that James is alive and a patient in her hospital in France. Richard's mother-in-law, Lady Southwold, immediately arranges for a private ambulance to return James to England and despite some misgivings on Richard's part, he and Hazel set off to retrieve him. Georgina is dead set against moving James in his condition and confronts Hazel who is forced to remind her that she is James' husband and has the final say. Written by garykmcd

Richard receives another visit from Mrs. Virginia Hamilton, the war widow he had met some months before. She again seeks his assistance but this time on a far more personal matter. Her 17 year-old son, an acting Sub-Lieutenant in the Navy, has been arrested and will face a court-martial charged with cowardice in the face of the enemy. He suggests that Virginia hire the family solicitor, Sir Geoffrey Dillon, to represent him and she quickly agrees. In the end, Richard can only but admire Virginia's strength of character and demeanor. Downstairs meanwhile, Ruby is taken to task for stealing food though she claims she has been using it to feed the animals at the zoo. With Edward away visiting his family, Hudson has also had to put up with Daisy's frequent and lengthy absences. The truth comes tumbling out when Hudson receives a visit from a military policeman to advise that Edward is absent without leave. It seems that Edward's regiment is to return to France and it's up to Hudson to try... Written by garykmcd

James is still recovering at home but is not proving to be a very good patient. The Doctor has ordered at least 10 weeks of bed rest but James is surly with everyone, including the servants. His relationship with Hazel deteriorates even further with his moods and constant criticism frequently driving her to tears. Georgina has returned to England permanently and she and Hazel make up after their argument over James some months before. Richard meanwhile is full of enthusiasm when he hears that Virginia Hamilton and her two children are to arrive in London. Unbeknown to anyone, Richard had written to Virginia to ask her to marry him. At dinner that evening, she accepts. James doesn't take the news very well but comes around slowly. The war is coming to an end and there is talk of an armistice. The hospital wards are filled with patients suffering from the Spanish Flu and soon Hazel takes to her sick bed and dies. She is buried on November 11, 1918 the day the armistice is signed. Written by garykmcd