Everything about Captain George Mainwaring totally explained
Captain George Mainwaring (pronounced 'Mannering') is a
fictional bank manager and
Home Guard platoon commander portrayed by
Arthur Lowe on the
BBC television
sitcom Dad's Army, set in the
fictional seaside town of
Walmington-on-Sea during
World War II. He has become widely accepted and regarded as a classic British comic character owing to both the popularity of
Dad's Army throughout the years and Lowe's portrayal of him in this show.
Personality
Mainwaring is a pompous, blustering figure filled with a somewhat overdeveloped sense of his own importance, fuelled by both his social status in
Walmington-on-Sea as the local bank manager, and his status as the Captain and commander of the local Home Guard volunteer unit. A very officious man, he believes in following rules and orders to sometimes ludicrous degrees. He is extremely
class conscious and something of a
snob, considering himself to be
upper-middle class and displaying a tendency to look down on anyone whom he considers to be beneath him (this may be attributed to his working class background and the intense struggle he faced to lift himself beyond this). Mainwaring is also somewhat
prudish and repressed, and can be extremely judgemental about people whom he believes don't share his moral outlook.
Unfortunately for Mainwaring, his pomposity and snobbery tend to work against him, as he's frequently dependent on those whom he considers beneath him, and his arrogant and pompous attitude is frequently punctured by circumstance and the people around him, such as
Arthur Wilson, his genuinely upper-class sergeant and chief clerk with whom he shares a curiously antagonistic and long-suffering friendship, and
Private Joe Walker, a
black-marketeer who more often than not interjects during Mainwaring's more pompous or moralistic lectures with either a cheeky quip or a sly revelation that Mainwaring is himself the beneficiary of some rather underhanded deals, despite his righteous outlook and declarations. He is particularly jealous of Wilson (who, as well as being notionally higher in social class than Mainwaring, is also both more relaxed and charming in nature and possesses combat experience that Mainwaring does not), and takes every opportunity to remind his sergeant exactly who is the senior of the two.
As a bank manager, he's shown to be highly efficient (if somewhat ruthless and stingy); as a military commander, however, he's frequently shown to be barely competent at the best of times (for example, he's perennially confused by the
24-hour clock, a standard of military communication and organisation), and his plans and strategy frequently result in chaos. Mainwaring has no prior combat experience, a fact which sometimes caused tension with the other members of the Home Guard, particularly Wilson who, in addition to his Upper class background, the last episode reveals to have been a decorated Captain of World War I, which is a source of bitterness and jealously for Mainwaring. (Ironically in
World War II,
John Le Mesurier who played "Sgt Wilson" had been a Captain while
Arthur Lowe who played "Captain Mainwaring" had served as a
Sergeant Major). He did, however, serve in France, "during the whole of 1919—somebody had to clear up the mess." Despite his numerous shortcomings as a leader, however, he considers himself to be an excellent military tactician and, given his height and background, is frequently demonstrated to possess a
Napoleon Complex, something which is frequently referred to by his nemesis,
ARP Warden Hodges. In one episode, 'A Soldier's Farewell', Mainwairing actually dreams that he's
Napoleon Bonaparte, and is thwarted at
Waterloo by a
Duke of Wellington looking remarkably like Arthur Wilson. His pomposity and conviction of his own organisational prowess see Mainwaring yearn to be in control of any situation, and he's a tendency to behave in an arrogant and high-handed manner to achieve this end; this is clearly demonstrated by the fact that, in the first episode, he himself organised the Home Guard unit, and appointed himself as the commanding officer despite his lack of experience or qualifications (and had to wait until the episode "
Room at the Bottom" before he received his commission). However it's worth noting that in the episode
Command Decision he was prepared to relinquish control so that the platoon could gain rifles arguing that the defence of the country was more important than his own ego. In addition he was prepared to "march in the ranks as Private Mainwaring" when he was briefly de-commissioned. This seems to imply he's more over zealous than a control freak.
Mainwaring is fiercely
patriotic, and this can lead to
xenophobia on his part (he isn't too keen on the
French, the
Russians, the
Americans and, of course, the
Germans). Indeed, Mainwaring often refers to
Hitler and the Germans as if he's leading his own personal war against them, insisting that "In fact I do wish he'd have a go - I'm spoiling for a fight" in the episode
Asleep in the Deep, regarding his desire during an air raid to get out of a bunker and face to face with the attacking Germans (who are, of course, in planes, and thus beyond his reach). Mainwaring's patriotism and eagerness to see combat can also blind him to the follies he's about to engage him or any British failings during the war; whenever Wilson points out a rational and plausible (if somewhat defeatist) outcome to any given scenario, Mainwaring's inevitable response is a dismissive "I don't want to hear any of that sort of talk, Wilson."
However, Mainwaring isn't an entirely unlikeable or unsympathetic character; it's made apparent several times over the series that he devotes his energies to his Home Guard unit for a sense of comradeship and purpose that's lacking in other parts of his life, such as his career and marriage. On one notable occasion when his men spurned a
parade in order to play darts against the
ARP he expressed bewilderment at the men's reluctance, citing that for him coming to the platoon is "the highlight of my day." Most obviously, it's frequently implied that he's trapped in a loveless and unhappy marriage to
Elizabeth, his
unseen wife, who is clearly quite domineering, neurotic and withholding of affection. For example, in the 5th series episode
If the Cap Fits... Mainwaring reveals he's able to play the bagpipes, a skill he learned on his honeymoon in
Scotland because "there was nothing else to do".
Whilst his competence in military matters can be (and frequently is) called into question, his sheer bravery and courage can't be denied; he's frequently willing to put himself in harm's way for the sake of his country and his platoon, and consistently demonstrates over the course of the series that he's more than willing to take the same risks that he'll order his men to undertake.
On one occasion he purposely put himself in a particularly dangerous situation: clearing bricks out of a bombed-out corridor which could fall at any moment. The men had drawn lots in order to decide who would be at the front of the daisy chain clearing the bricks and Mainwaring claimed that he was to be at the front of the chain, though he'd in fact drawn a lot that would place him at the back (
Asleep in the Deep).
Although his leadership isn't always the most competent or efficient, the men serving under him are for the most part extremely loyal and devoted to him. There are also several scenes where Mainwaring is shown as a genuinely kind-hearted man, the most notable example being in his "
brief encounter" with Mrs. Gray in the episode
Mum's Army.
Dad's Army ends with the
Second World War still in progress, Mainwaring giving
Mrs Fox away as she marries
Corporal Jones because her own father is dead. There is little hint provided in the series as to what Mainwaring's fortunes were after the war. However, a proposed
radio sequel,
It Sticks Out Half a Mile, was to have featured Mainwaring returning to England (having spent two years in
Switzerland supervising the manufacture of
cuckoo clocks) intending to renovate a decrepit seaside pier, only to have to negotiate a loan with the local bank manager - Arthur Wilson (Arthur Lowe was to have starred, but only recorded a pilot episode before his death). The first episode of
Dad's Army also shines some light on Mainwaring's future; briefly set in the then-present day (
1968), it features Mainwaring invited as guest-of-honour to the launch of Walmington-on-Sea's 'I'm Backing Britain' campaign, where he's referred to by Wilson as both an
alderman and as chairman of the
Rotary Club.
Catchphrases
"You stupid boy" -
his most famous line, to Pike, on average several times an episode.
"Is that you, Jones?" -
usually uttered when Jones has donned some outlandish disguise.
"I think you're entering the realms of fantasy here, Jones?" -
Often his response to some of Corporal Jones' more fanciful plans or ideas
"Ah, just waiting to see who'd be the first one to spot that" -
whenever a member of the platoon makes a good suggestion that he's missed, or spots an obvious flaw in one of his plans
"Oh, there's no time for that sort of thing" Usually to
Wilson if his deputy is pointing out that permission ought to be obtained first.
"Don't be absurd" - Usually in response to a statement that contradicts Mainwaring's delicate British sensibilities.
"Come away Wilson" - Always in response to one of Hodge's tantrums.
"Let's not have any of that sort of talk here" - Whenever a member of the platoon makes a comment even slightly criticising the British or a positive comment about the Germans.
"Good, good" - When told some bad or distressing news which he, at first, doesn't recognise or comprehend.
Further Information
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