Ally's husband, Frazer, is much older than his wife and is having a mid-life crisis which leads to him joining a Civil War re-enactment society. The group is due to stage a battle at the Roker Vale Show, where the TA is organising a recruitment caravan. Hodge is not attending the show, telling Eric that he is taking Laura to Blackpool. Meanwhile, Polson is enjoying the fact that in real life he is now Rundle's boss.

While the TA are away on an exercise in Germany, Laura is preparing to sing at a conference being organised by Jeanetta. However, she doesn't know that this is down to Hodge's influence. A number of metaphorical landmines are about to explode...