British Film Institute

The character Lt Rose was introduced by the Clarendon Film Company in 1910. A dashing naval lieutenant played by a variety of actors, he became a huge success, appearing in 17 films. In previous films he had already wrestled with a Moorish spy in Lt Rose and the Foreign Spy (1910), and saved a British submarine (an act he was to repeat in 1912's Lt Rose and the Stolen Battleship).

In this film Lt Rose is persuaded by a woman to give her a tour of his battleship. She enlists the support of her fellow spies, one of whom dresses as woman, who tour the ship and steal the code book. Such is the Royal Navy's determination to retrieve the book that they open fire on the spies in their rowing boat. When that fails, they pursue them on land, and finally open fire on the escaping enemy battleship. As in other films, the spy's country of origin is not identified, however their hats resemble those that feature in The Invaders (1909).

Simon Baker

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