04/08/2014 BBC News at Six

A day of commemoration to mark one hundred years since Britain

In Glasgow Cathedral, politicians and the Prince of Wales

remember the start of a conflict that engulfed Britain

and its Empire for four long years.

In Belgium, where the first troops were killed - the Duke and Duchess

of Cambridge remembered those lost and reflected on their legacy.

In his war between us and thinkable but former adverse arrays have

worked together for three generations to spread democracy,

prosperity and the rule of law across Europe.

The war engulfed many nations beyond Europe too, represented

Tonight, people across the UK are being asked to join a mass act

of remembrance - turning lights out in the final hour before war was

A temporary ceasefire in most of Gaza - but Palestinian officials say

an Israeli air strike hit a refugee camp minutes after it began.

A new drive to cut the number of people waiting more than a year

for NHS surgery - but what impact will it have on other patients?

And the do-it-yourself solution to roadworks - the man who built

The capital remembers - tributes to the thousands of Londoners who lost

And cracking down on the legal high being sold

Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six from Westminster Abbey,

on a day of commemoration to mark one hundred years since Britain

On this day in 1914, German troops invaded Belgium

Britain responded by declaring war on Germany.

Today, the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family

have been taking part in ceremonies in the UK and in Belgium, and

tonight there will be a candlelit vigil here at Westminster Abbey.

Our Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell,

It was a summers day much like today, said the minister at Glasgow

Cathedral, when the world changed. It was 100 years ago today, the day

Britain went to war. From every continent, the leaders of countries

that had once been part of the British Empire, now linked by the

Commonwealth, came to remember and pay their respects. Most of the

fighting, most of the casualties, occurred on the battlefields of

Europe. Belgium was the first point of impact, invaded by German forces

on this day 100 years ago. To the city of Liege, stoically defended by

Belgian forces in 1914, came many of Europe's present-day leaders, among

them, Germany's head of state. TRANSLATION: I'm thankful for the

invitation. There was contrition for Germany's unjustifiable invasion of

Belgium, as he put it, and the conduct of German troops. President

Hollande of France spoke about present-day rewards, what he called

a murderous conflict in Gaza. Prince William said recent events in

Ukraine showed that instability continued to stock Europe. But he

said something better was possible. The fact that the presidents of

Germany and Austria are here today and that other nations then enemies

are here, too, hears testimony to the power of reconciliation. In

Liege, balloons were released as a symbol of European peace. In

Glasgow, the Prince of Wales laid a wreath in tribute to those from

Britain and the Commonwealth who gave their lives in the Great War.

And in the south coast port of Folkestone, from which hundreds of

thousands of soldiers in bark for the Western front, and Harry opened

a memorial in their remembrance. Tonight, Britain's attention will

centre on Westminster Abbey with a vigil which will be shared across

the country is lights are dimmed. A moment of reflection inspired by the

remark by Britain's Foreign Secretary on this night a century

ago that the lamps were going out all over Europe. It is the solemn

commemoration of a catastrophic moment, represented at the Tower of

London by nearly 1 million Saronic poppies are placed there to signify

the bloodshed and the sacrifice of war.

Hundreds of thousands of British troops were killed

in the four year war - the first, Private John Parr, was 17

This is the Middlesex Circle. In one corner of the shady cemetery, David

and his daughter have reached the end of the journey. Around them, the

men of the Middlesex Regiment, lost in fighting at Mons, the last

resting place of David's great-uncle. This is a special day.

The whole nation is remembering the carnage of the First World War, so

that really adds to the emotion of the moment. Many of the 90 families

attending the ceremony are here for the first time. Among them, the

descendants of Corporal Walter last. His son never knew his father. Was

only a baby when he was killed. It was important for us to come and pay

our respects. This evening, Europe will remember Private John Parr, 17

years old and the first British soldier to be killed as German

forces advanced. I have heard from Berlin to say that my son was shot

down at Mons. His great niece has a copy of the letter in which his

mother pleaded for information. Tonight, Iris Hunt Wilshere it with

a global audience. I have a photograph of me holding the hands

of his mother. I'd like to think that I am now taking her by the

hand, to her son's race, perhaps. As dusk falls on a day of remembrance,

the most powerful message till comes from those who were there. Over the

top we go. As soon as you get over the top, fear has left you. Just

terror. Your nose is filled with fumes and death. I was tired of

seeing infantry sinking back never to come out alive again. I was tired

of all the carnage, all the sacrifice to gain 25 yards. These

soldiers stabbed each other, strangled each other, went for each

other like mad dogs. What was it that we who had nothing against them

personally, fought with them to the very end? Former enemies, resting

together. Where better to reflect on the futility of conflict and the

strength gained by friendship. Hundreds of the fallen were laid

to rest in the St Symphorien In just over an hour's time,

there'll be a service to mark those battle. Sophie Raworth is

there this evening. This is very much the focus of the

International, narration is tonight. It is a military cell to -- military

cemetery on a couple of miles outside of the Belgian city of Mons

and this is where 500 German soldiers and Commonwealth soldiers

are buried together in equal numbers. It is an unusual cemetery,

a woodland cemetery. It was the idea of a German officer who decided in

1916 that he wanted to be able to bury the dead from the Battle of

Mons in one place and so he approached a Belgian landowner who

decided to get in the land on the basis that the debt would be treated

with equal dignity and respect. And that is why it is such a fitting

place for the common orations. -- commemorations. The president of

Germany will be arriving shortly as Will David Cameron and the Duke and

Duchess of Cambridge. They have been here for a couple of hours to meet

some of the 100 descendants of the men are each year, British and

German. Later on this evening, there will be music, poetry, readings,

extracts from diaries, read at the cemetery in English and German. A

true spirit of reconciliation 100 years later.

I'll have more from Westminster Abbey later

in the programme - including the way commemorations here will be

But now, Reeta Chakrabarti has the rest of the day's news.

An eight year old girl was killed in an air strike

on a refugee camp in Gaza just minutes into a unilateral pause

in Israel's military operations, according to Palestinian officials.

The Israeli army says it's looking into the incident.

The partial seven-hour Israeli truce came into effect in parts of Gaza

It didn't apply in the southern town of Rafah.

So far over 1800 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis have been

Orla Guerin begins her report at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.

You may find some of the images, which include children in distress,

Fresh casualties arrive in al-Shifa Hospital on the day of an Israeli

cease-fire. Survivors told us that missiles hit their homes. An attack

that came without warning. 3-year-old Ali, the latest innocent

victim. Too shocked to even try. This is not a war, it is a war

against children and families. They should fight soldiers, not children.

Casualties are still arriving here at the hospital. It is absolutely

chaotic. There is no room to put all the people who are arriving. About

two dozen have been brought insofar as they say that this attack

happened after the monetary and cease-fire was supposed to have

begun. This is 5-year-old Bilal. His house came down on top of them,

killing one of his relatives, and a Gerald Durrell. -- and nature old

girl. His grandmother said, we will stand firm and have more children to

fight the Israelis. Some took advantage of the cease-fire, which

held in most areas, to salvage what they could from homes. In this front

line area, next to the Israeli border, there was heavy fighting.

This is my house. Or it was my house. This is where I've built my

dreams, my memories, everything. This man brought us back to the

ruins of the house where he lived with his wife and children. There

was a kitchen here. He says he will bring his infant son and daughter

back here to live in a tent and he will teach them about the Israelis.

They have to learn how to live with those people. They have to know that

they are our enemies. That is what he will be telling your children?

Yes, yes. They destroyed my house. How can we live together? Is no way.

His losses include his family's farmland and factory. And his

precious library. He loves check off and Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.

But this man of books is now left with sadness and hate.

International pressure has been mounting on Israel over

President Hollande of France described yesterday's air strike

near a UN-run school as a 'violation of international law.'

In Jerusalem, an Israeli died when a mechanical

These pictures show the first James Reynolds reports.

These pictures show the first in Jerusalem. A man hijacks a yellow

digger. Here, he tries to ramp a bus in a Jewish neighbourhood. Police

officers rushed towards him. We will freeze the video here. Police fire

at the driver, a Palestinian, killing him. Afterwards, a crowd

gathers. Many here are students at a religious school just across the

road. TRANSLATION: I think we should be able to live in peace with our

Arab neighbours. We should stop the radicals from escalating things.

This is the most significant attack on Israelis in Jerusalem for three

years. My message is that Israel will not be deterred from developing

the city of Jerusalem and, of course, our life in Israel. The

terrorists will understand. It does not pay to try to kill Israelis. We

will toughen up and we will go back to our lives and move on. Then we

get word of another attack. A drive-by shooting which injures a

soldier near the Hebrew University. Right now, there is a sense of fear

and uncertainty here in Jerusalem. In the space of a few hours, there

have been two separate attacks and they have hit the heart of the city.

The attacks put pressure on Israel's Prime Minister. Here, he is

visiting injured soldiers in hospital. He insists that Israel's

offensive will continue. Until quite is restored for a lengthy period.

That may take some time. One of the casualties is reportedly a British

man. What can you tell us? Unconfirmed reports that a British

man has been killed in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister

has said he is extremely concerned about these reports. He said the

government was doing everything it could to check and get to the bottom

of this and he did not want to comment further until the situation

was clear but he said this underlined the need for an immediate

unconditional cease-fire which should be properly observed by both

sides. He said this killing has got to stop. We have been told by the

British Consulate they are investigating the unconfirmed media

reports that the man came from London, others saying he came from

Rochdale, but we should emphasise nothing is confirmed. Officials are

still investigating these reports that a British man was one of the

casualties yesterday in the south of Gaza.

Our top story this evening: Commemorations have been held across

the UK to mark 100 years since Britain entered the First World War.

Still to come: A mass act of remembrance.

People are being urged to turn out their lights at 10pm tonight.

The five-year-old with type one diabetes who can finally go to

school after her mother's battle with the council.

Preserving the 5,000 war memorials of the Great War across the capital.

The government is launching a new drive to cut the number

of patients in England waiting more than a year for NHS surgery.

It's set aside ?250 million to clear the backlog.

There are currently 574 people who have been left waiting for an

operation for more than a year, a delay ministers say is unacceptable.

But they've admitted that making those who've waited the longest

a priority may now mean other patients waiting longer for surgery,

at least in the short term. The human cost

of long waiting times. Russell has

a debilitating bone condition and last year needed a hip replacement

but it was delayed several times and he was never told why.

The seven-month wait left him frustrated with the NHS.

Very poor communicators. If I had been given reasons why I

had been bumped I would have been much happier.

If they had contacted me rather than me chasing them

that would have been better. The government wants to reduce

numbers waiting a long time for surgery with

the priority being those who have been held up more than a year.

I do not think that is acceptable and what we are saying is that even

when the NHS is under great pressure we are able to make progress to

bring down waiting times. This should help patients who have

had a long wait but that still leaves many others

who were expecting surgery. The Secretary of State has admitted

that the key waiting time target that is that at least 90% of

patients should be treated within 18 weeks of being referred by a GP will

be missed over the next few months. There has been an increase over

the last year in the numbers waiting more than 18

weeks for treatment in England. In May 2013

the total was just under 148,000. In the same month this

year it was nearly 194,000. The fact that this money is

needed shows that there is enormous pressure on the NHS.

We are running at capacity. There's a funding gap

because investment is not keeping up with rising demand.

Labour claims that having promised to protect patient care the

Prime Minister has lost control of waiting times.

A businessman from Bath has found a novel way to get round the delays

caused by roadworks near his home. Mike Watts has built

his own toll road, and he's hoping to recoup the building cost

by charging drivers ?2 a time. Drivers heading into the bath facing

a fee. To take a short cut through a farmer's field. It saves me 40

minutes a day so it is worth every penny for me. To be able to save

that time in my day. They will need a lot more cars to come through. A

local businessman has spent more than ?100,000 of his own money

building at after coming up with the idea on a trip to the pub. We have

to get 150,000 cars in five months. That is 30,000 a month, 1000 cars a

day. The route between Bristol and Bath was blocked in February when a

landslide crashed through the surface turning a short trip into an

hour-long 14 mile ordeal. I have paid my ?2 and rather than go on a

40 mile diversion I can go round the toll road. You have to get in first

gear because it is very steep, the surface is just gravel. The local

council is cautiously supportive and says rules and regulations stopped

them from building the bypass first. The process of building a new road

is not a quick fix. The council cannot build a quick fix, they would

have to build proper roads. The main route will not reopen until

Christmas. Until then, this rough and ready road could save motorists

from months of misery. by charging drivers ?2 a time.

We return now to our main story, which is that events have been

taking place in Belgium and across the UK to mark 100 years since

Britain entered the First World War. Our reporter is at

Westminster Abbey. People across the UK have been asked

to leave a single light on between 10pm and 11pm.

Westminster Abbey. 137 names.

137 lives lost. Many of the men who left Cornwall

were the same age as these cadets when they were killed

in battle far away from home. 100 years after war was cleared they

are remembered in a service by the lighting of a candle.

are remembered in a service At 10pm people across the country

will light their own flame to be extinguished at 11pm, the moment

Britain entered the Great War. The important part to commemorate is

that we do not forget exactly how horrific the whole

of the war was and the important thing is to remember that we never

engage in such an activity again. Many communities are marking this

milestone and young people have been taught about the sacrifices made.

I think it is important to remember them because they gave up

their lives for us. The trenches were horrible.

The most disastrous form of warfare. On the eve of war being declared one

man had a deep sense of foreboding of the horror that was to come.

The Foreign Secretary looked out at the gas lamps of London.

The words he spoke as he gazed through the window are the

inspiration for this commemoration. They are voiced by the actor

Simon Russell Beale. The lamps are going

out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again

in our lifetime. I think the more that you young

people remember what we have told you about grandad...yes,

grandad won his Victoria Cross, but it cost him his life.

great-great-grandfather. Frederick Dancox was awarded

the Victoria Cross for capturing 40 of the enemy.

He was killed on for capturing 40 of the enemy.

They had lined the railway stations at Worcester to

welcome him home and sing his praises but he never arrived.

The congregation at this synagogue lost 39 members

in the First World War. They are remembering

all those who died. It would be really a tragedy

if we did not teach our children and grandchildren about what

happened so that they never forget. When the lights do go out at 11pm

it will mark the beginning of what is described as one of

the darkest periods in our history. I'm joined now by the Dean

of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall.

We are looking back at the events of a century ago. What is the right

tone to strike? We are looking to reflect and commemorate, but the

events just before we declared war, how do we feel? What is our

expectation? We have to repent of the failure diplomatically to solve

issues without having to go to war. That is of direct relevance

universally but also today elsewhere. I hope it will be a

beautiful service. It will be a reflective moment. The lights will

gradually go out. The Duchess of Cornwall will extinguish the final

lap and at the end we will think about the lights of the world that

cannot be extinguished and God's presence through Christ.

The showers in the process fading away. We had one or two back

downpours and if you got one it was the exception rather than the rule.

The showers will fade away so for many of us it is going to be a clear

night, however one or two heading towards western extremities as we go

through the course of the night. Temperatures around 14 or 15

degrees. It will be cooler in rural spots. Tomorrow starts sunny for the

vast majority of the UK but the showers that would have crept closer

during the night are in place across western areas through the course of

jersey so be prepared for the odd downpour, at the very least there

will be cloud in the west. The brightest weather will be across

eastern areas. Fresher in Glasgow and Newcastle. A very big change on

the way for the middle part of the week. Be prepared for some wet

weather. This area of low pressure is going to upset our weather

through the course of Wednesday for the next few days. It is going to go

downhill. On Wednesday afternoon to improve is across the south of the

country after a spell of wet weather but there will be showers around.

The change comes on Thursday and by the time we get to Friday it is

downhill. The service and candlelit vigil here

at Westminster Abbey begin at 10pm, but special coverage gets underway

on BBC Two in a moment, starting with a service at Mons in

Belgium where the first significant battle of the war took place.

We'll leave you now with images of a poignant day.

Goodbye.