'Adventure' film and indirect recruiting appeal for the British Army.

Two soldiers, Jeff Woodley and Kip Dormer, relax with their girlfriends on Silver Sands beach, Mombasa. To refute the girls' belief that the Army offers an easy life, Woodley relates the story of the previous weekend spent on Mt Kenya - the rest of the film is flashback with voice-over and live action dialogue. An Army patrol is just about to strike camp after completing an exercise in the foothills around Mt Kenya, when their corporal is recalled - his mother is gravely ill and he is to be flown home. Lance Corporal Woodley is told to assume command and lead the section to a prearranged rendezvous. Woodley's first orders are met with some derision by his companions, but this crisis is immediately overtaken by the reception of a radioed SOS - a light aircraft has crashed 15,000 ft up Mount Kenya, and anyone in the area is requested to give assistance. Woodley dismisses four men to the rendezvous, and leads five others, including Dormer the radio man, in a rescue attempt. The party successfully overcomes difficult terrain, wild animals and hostile ivory poachers to effect a rescue. Food and medical supplies are dropped to them from the air. A stretcher is improvised and the injured pilot is removed to a nearby village, where the natives clear a small airstrip for a rescue plane to land. This successful conclusion justifies Woodley's original "snap decision" to act without higher authority and vindicates his leadership and judgement of men - each of those chosen for the rescue team - strongman, naturalist, ex-medic, etc - has contributed some element to the ultimate success of the mission.

Notes

Remarks: the distance separating the crashed aircraft from the soldiers' encampment is strangely elastic - at various times it is 8,000, 9,000 and 10,000 ft, and the film publicity makes it 12,000.