Freddie, Bill and Irving

Freddie, Bill and Irving are triplets. They were born in the mid 1950's in a south coast seaside town, and are looked after by their Mum; Lil. Dad had run away shortly after their birth and he has set up home with a young waitress from a local tea shop. Mum has an undisclosed job working on the local pier, although it is clear that she is regularly visited, in the course of her work, by older, rather refined, and well attired gentlemen, of the 'old school' type. The triplets spend their summer holiday time selling bric a brac and remaindered items from a stall near the pier. This particular summer, in 1967, they encounter an old rival from school, called Marcia Stellings. Insults are exchanged and the boys decide that Marcia and her family are going to be shown up for the snobs that they are. The plans go wrong and the Stellings' home is nearly demolished. The boys are sent off up to Scotland to stay with an aunt for the remainder of the summer. However, Trouble, with a capital 'T,' goes hand in hand with the triplets and the journey to Scotland becomes a series of catastrophes for all those who cross their path. Worse is to follow, as the boys settle into the aunts' home they go on to ruin the lives of local traders; the areas highland games and a local Naval base. Despite all the upsets, the boys are invited to see test firings of new torpedoes on Loch Long. When one of the missiles goes astray the boys save the day by alerting all the guests at a local hotel which is going to be struck. Needless to say, the problems with the torpedo were not completely unexpected.