Good Old Anna

In the quiet English town of Witanbury, the outbreak of war in August 1914 throws a domestic routine into sharp relief. Mrs. Otway, a warm‑hearted philanthropist, has relied on Anna, her German maid of eighteen years, for everything from childcare to comforting companionship. Their relationship is presented as a gentle portrait of loyalty that has endured through decades of peace.

When the news of conflict reaches the drawing‑room, the sharp‑tongued Miss Forsyth raises a practical yet unsettling question: should Anna be sent back to a now‑hostile Germany? The conversation quickly exposes the clash between personal gratitude and the rising tide of national suspicion, as working‑class resentment toward German immigrants begins to surface. Listeners are drawn into the delicate balance of affection, duty, and the uneasy moral choices that wartime forces upon ordinary lives.