Thames Television - The Life and Times of Lord Mountbatten (1969) Part 1 The King's Ships Were at Sea

Relieve the 20th Century through the eyes and words of Lord Mountbatten - a member of the Royal Family and one of Britain's most highly decorated naval officers. Here, Lord Mountbatten narrates his life story using a wealth of historical material from the archives of the world - including much from his own personal collection. This extraordinary 12 episode series spans 70 years of triumph, conflict and glory in the life of this remarkable man who rose to worldwide recognition as both statesman and military hero, yet was tragically assassinated in 1979. It is this tremendous sweep of international events and changes that has been recaptured in ths unique series. Unique because it is not only about, but with the man concerned. The production team, including Lord Mountbatten, revisited many of the locales in which his career was formed - Malta, Burma, Ceylon, Singapore, India. Excerpts have been incuded from many of those whose lives and duties infuenced those of Lord Mountbatten, or were influenced by him. They include the Duke of Windsor, Prince Philip, six former Prime Ministers, General Eisenhower and other key figures in world history.

Part 1: The King's Ships Were at Sea
The introductory episode of the series, dealing with the years 1900-1917.

Setting the tone for the series of personal reminiscences (related by Mountbatten) against a more general history of the times (narrated by Mango), this episode charts Mountbatten's early years (from his birth in 1900 to the beginning of his naval career serving as midshipman under Beatty on HMS Queen Elizabeth) and his family's position in relation to the Great War and its origins. The Dreadnoughts, Gallipoli, the Battle of Jutland, U-boats, conscription, form the background to the resignation of Mountbatten's father, Prince Louis of Battenburg, as First Sea Lord, and the Battenburgs' change of name (to Mountbatten) as the result of anti-German feeling, at which point “the Mountbatten story can be said to begin.”