Into Battle streaming online in support of the Royal British Legion

In remembrance of Armistice Day, a play set during the First World War will be available to stream online, with money from each ticket donated to the Royal British Legion.

Into Battle, which was on at Greenwich Theatre until the end of last month, tells the true story of a bitter feud at Oxford University set against the backdrop of the war.

In the early years of the 20th century, Balliol College established a Boys Club in the worst slum in Oxford, where a group of undergraduates dedicated their lives to helping those less privileged than themselves – and a totally contrasting set of values to the wealthy, aristocratic Etonians.

The social divisions are brought to life in Into Battle through characters as diverse as the noted war poets Julian Grenfell and Patrick Shaw-Stewart, the aristocratic society heiress Lady ‘Ettie’ Desborough, future bishop Revd. Neville Talbot and the captain of the England rugby team Ronald Poulton-Palmer.

Hugh Salmon, the writer of the play, said: “The more I researched the Balliol Feud, and the people involved, the more I realised that I was uncovering and piecing together a story that has been buried in history but that I could bring back to life for today’s audiences.

“The issues exposed by Into Battle, and the fact that they are still prevalent today, beg the question as to whether, with a small increase in taxation and a few cabinet changes, the unfairness in society will still be here in 100 years time as much as they were 100 years ago.”

The play Into Battle can be watched on demand at www.stream.theatre

Picture: Into Battle. Photo by Mark Douet