Captain Mainwaring
Mainwaring attempted to join up as soon as World War I broke out, but his poor eyesight kept him away from the frontline until two days after the Armistice. This was mirrored in real life, for Arthur Lowe (Mainwaring) tried to join the Merchant Navy, but was turned down because of his poor vision.

Sergeant Wilson
Sergeant Wilson was in the Army during World War I, but an incident with a chorus girl prevented him from being commissioned. However, John Le Mesurier (Wilson) served as a Captain on the North West Indian Frontier after World War II.

Private Frazer
John Laurie (Frazer) was a useful boxer in his younger days, and had trained to be an architect before taking up acting. He was a friend of the legendary Laurence Olivier, and appeared in Olivier's film versions of Shakespeare's Henry V, Hamlet and Richard III.

Lance Corporal Jones
Clive Dunn (Jones) served in the Fourth Hussars in World War II, and spent four years as a PoW. With time on his hands during captivity, he discovered he had a talent for art, drawing sketches of other prisoners.

Private Godfrey
Though a conscientious objector, gentle soul Godfrey won the military medal as a stretcher-bearer in France during War World I. In reality, Arnold Ridley (Godfrey) saw active service in that war, but was wounded at the Somme.

Private Walker
The promising acting career of James Beck (Walker) was cut short by his tragic early death at 44 from an ulcer complaint. One of his lesser-known roles was in a remake, never shown, of a Hancock's Half Hour show - in which he co-starred with Arthur Lowe.

Private Pike
Ian Lavender (Pike) proved he wasn't such a 'stupid boy' after all when he won a celebrity edition of The Weakest Link. He donated his winnings of over £14,000 to the Addenbrooke's Hospital, where he had been successfully treated for bladder cancer.

ARP Warden Hodges
Bill Pertwee (Hodges) had a varied career before entering showbusiness. His many jobs included making parts for Spitfires. Following the Second World War, he was assistant baggage boy for the Indian cricket team on their tour of England in 1946.