04/08/2014 Look East - West

Events across the region to mark the beginning of the First World War:

It still means a lot. It is important for us to respect it.

Here in Colchester, we recall the role

They couldn't get them all on the wards, they put them in the gym and

on the school floor. The region's ambulance chief is

under fire tonight for what one minister calls

his "obscene" pay package. And drivers are being warned of

diversions on the A11 as engineers Colchester has strong links with the

military, but during the First World War the population was 2000, but

while the soldiers came herd to train the population doubled by

20,000. We will hear about the history of Colchester Garrison and

looking at the vigil. There is, let's have a look at what h`s been

happening across the region. At the memorial in Huntington,

they lined up to lay flowers. More than 200 gathered here,

all ages. I am a childminder so for md

bringing all the children I have, it is important for them to relember

and find out history as well. I think it still means a lot and it

is something we learn about and it is important for us to respdct

the people who lost their lhves It is a very good turnout

for Huntington. I thought there would be half a

dozen people here and the alount of Dozens of flowers laid to m`rk

the outbreak of World War I. And for the 120 people

from Huntington lost their lives Respectfully remembering those

who went to war a century ago. Doctor Marsh is the chief Executive

It is a part of our history. of two ambulance trusts.

It is part of what makes us who we are today.

The three days a week and the West Midlands for

The past as part of our present our own identity, so remembering our two

days. He identity as human beings together,

but then as fellow citizens. earns that's more than the head and

?90,000 more Yesterday, pipers paraded through

Bedford, passed than the Prhme Minister. One local health linister

the final resting place of the 42, killed fighting in the Great War.

At Stadium MK, 100 balloons were released, one for every year since.

It is incredibly important that we remember the sacrifice made it's at

the same time even though hd's doing half

by quite literally millions of people 100 years ago tod`y.

It was the most horrific war that mankind has seen, a job.

and it must never happen ag`in. Over ?9,000 travel costs, ?17,000 a

In Norwich, messages posted for the men and women who didn't cole home.

year to take him by taxi A chance

for people to tell their falily from and even when he is here, hhs hotel

bill story in a city that saw sacrifice.

amounts to We lost over 3000 men in total

from the city, so this is street more for the East of England

Ambulance Service since he `rrived he saved over ?8 million in back

after street, areas of the city like King Street. office and BBC

look East last week he defended look East last week he defended his

pay. We had a real sense of commtnity. My

salary is not set by me, These are men who marched toward

together it is set by others. and often they fell together. I m

absolutely focused and determined... In Cromer, and amongst the flowers,

a group read the names You could turn it down. I'm absolutelx

determined and of those who didn't come hole.

focused to turn this organisation around into being one of

Who fought and died in a war meant to end all w`rs.

focused to turn this organisation around into being one of thd

Who fought and died in a war meant to end all w`rs. best

Ambulance Services being drhven from his home to his base here in the

East of England his home to his base here in the

East of England means Charles Humphrey. that we gdt at

least an extra seven hours ` week out of him and he can deal with a

number of issues around correspondence, e`mails,

Ernest Baxter. wouldn't be `ble to do

George Beck. that if he to his base here in the East of England the

matter is now being I am delighted to say the local MP

is here, Bob Rossall. Part of this vigil here. Tell us about what we

have got here. The whole thhng was We'll be back a little bit later on

looking at the history of the garrison but

Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter has described the pay of the region s

The Suffolk MP and Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter has

described the pay of the region s ambulance boss as "obscene".

It comes after details emerged about the expenses paid to Dr

It comes after details emerged about the expenses paid to Dr Anthony

Anthony Marsh, the chief exdcutive of the East of England Ambulance

Marsh, the chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Sdrvice.

Dr Marsh is the Chief Executive of two ambulance trusts.

The East of England three days a week

Doctor Marsh is the Chief Executive of two ambulance trusts.

Doctor Marsh is the Chief Executive of two ambulance trusts. Thd East of

England three days a week and the West Midlands had two days. He ends

?230,000 a year. That is Dr Marsh is the Chief Executive

of two ambulance trusts. The East

of England three days a week That's more than the head

of the whole of the NHS and ?90 000 One local health minister

is not impressed. It's sending

a very bad message out to albulance staff whose issue is he is being

paid to salaries at the samd time even though he's doing half

the job for each ambulance service. His expenses are also

causing concern. Over ?9000 a year for his r`nge

Rover travel costs, ?17,000 a year to take him by taxi from

Shropshire to Cambridgeshird and even when he is here, his hotel bill

amounts to more than ?7000 ` year. For the East of England ambtlance

service, it says since he arrived he saved over ?8 million in back

office and management costs. Speaking on BBC look East l`st

week he defended his pay. My salary is not set by me,

it is set by others. I'm absolutely focused

and determined... I'm absolutely determined and

focused to turn this organisation around into being one of thd best

ambulance services in our country. Being driven from his home to his

base here in the East of England means that we get at least `n extra

seven hours a week out of hhm and he can deal with a number of issues

around correspondence, e`mahls, meetings,

telephone calls and he wouldn't be able to do that if he was driving

himself across to his base here in the East of England.

The matter is now being looked A man has been jailed

for three years after the Peterborough theatre companx he was

running lost ?1 million while he was Paul Coxwell's company reopdned

the Broadway Theatre in 2010 after a huge fire at the venue but it

closed just five months latdr after Louise Hubball was in court

for today's hearing. when he spoke in court, it hs barely

more than a whisper and he had from our TV cameras when he arrived. The

timings of this relate to the massive fire at the Broadwax Theatre

in 2009. He had just finishdd a prison sentence for fraud and was

disqualified from being a company director. But he changed his name

and went on to set up three more companies, essentially with the aim

of reopening the theatre. That finally happened in 2011, btt with a

financial disaster and it closed a few months later. Sentencing him,

the judge told him, you havd no effective financial control over

money. The immediate impact of the closure was that 30 people lost

their jobs, the public were left out of pocket and queueing on the

streets outside the theatre. There were government lawyers in court

today and they told me that this is an important case.

A lot of people lost a conshderable amount of money, over ?1 million.

The local council and the t`xpayer who lost a considerable amotnt of

Paul Coxwell will begin at that prison sentence of more than three

years tonight. Louise, thank you very much indeed.

A young woman pulled from a lake in Milton Keynes last week has died.

The emergency services were called to the Blue Lagoon in

The woman, believed to be in her 20s, was airlifted to

It's the second death at thd site in a fortnight.

Two teenage boys have also drowned in separate incidents near Luton and

Peterborough is already the fastest`growing city in England

but it's predicted to still be in that top spot in ten years time.

Its population is growing bx around 1.6% a year,

The city has had the second highest rise in private sector jobs

and employment, house`buildhng and house prices are all up more

So how is the city managing to thrive

A bird's eye view of Peterborough's latest multi`million pound

A new stand for Peterborough United ground

and a new skill centre to hdlp train people for the years `head.

We, as a city, have got to give everybody the opportunity, perfectly

those people who are young or are unemployed, to retrain into a more

modern world using a more modern technology and to be in a dhfferent

sector, so the skills centrd will help some people do th`t.

But it's not the only development. On the outskirts Gateway

is becoming home to a number of businesses using the citx's

At 240 acres, the logistics part here is one

It's got its own electricitx substation, enough to power

a small town, because they think a lot of the businesses here will be

to do with chilled food production, food produced in the Fens, `nd

The parcel delivery company had taken another five acres.

It is those market leading companies making that investment,

those are the kinds of people we are speaking to and the bushnesses

we are expecting to take th`t proactive step in to this location.

But while there is developmdnt in the city, more needs to be done.

What we need to do is develop the businesses even more strongly and

attract new companies in and we re getting interest, not just national

companies, but from international companies, so that really bodes well

for Peterborough's economy and the prosperity

The council hopes the skills centre will be fhnished

by the end of the year to hdlp train a workforce for the city's future.

Chris and Gabby Adcock, the first husband and wife badminton pair to

win a Commonwealth gold med`l, returned to Milton Keynes today

Gabby Adcock finished as the tournament's most successful

player, adding to her silver in the team event and bronzd

But we continue now with our commemorations

Welcome back. We have come hnto the castle gardens. Until 1934 there was

an old tank year, before it was taken away. They have made for this

year a tank hours of flowers. 1 ,000 flowers. This was a tank whhch was

using the First World War. They bought that would help to end the

war quickly. `` thought. Let's continue our coverage now

of the centenary of the outbreak The story of the English at war has

involved the garrison town And on 4th August 1914 the town was

galvanised into action to mdet They still enjoy a game of tennis

at the Colchester officers club but 100 summers ago, a dist`nt

bugle call heralded a sudden end to the officers' afternoon tea party

and a prelude to the Great War. In a weeks to come where chhldren

play in Abbeyfield, tens of thousands of men will be tr`ined to

join the kitcheners voluntedr army. They may never have seen a gun

in their lives. They certainly never

learned to drill. Andrew Phillips brings

history to life. Colchester, he says,

wasn't just another garrison town. Its role

in the Great War was critic`l. It was a head of the Eastern

command. It had good rail links with London,

with the East Coast. It was close to the continent,

so that not only could you ship troops out but you brought loads

of wounded in. First in ones and twos, eventually

a train load of wounded soldiers. And train loads more recruits will

arrive to be fed into the Great War In the end, Colchester was handling

tens of thousands of wounded over this period. The artillery were

based year, the cavalry werd based here. Small businesses are based in

converted army barracks. We are keen to keep the feel of the arthllery

barracks as it was, and you can see these columns. Each one indhcating a

large horse. Do you still gdt a sense of the feel of the buhlding?

Everyday. You feel what it lust have been like the war. Colchestdr is now

home to 16 brigades. 3000 troops, compared up to 40,100 years ago The

town is a focus to show respect for the fallen. `` 40,000, 100 xears

ago. They burst through the police cordon and rushed towards us

memorial. They need closure. They needed to touch that war melorial

because we know the gravestones lined Flanders but they don't line

Colchester. There is a visu`l starting here at 7pm to mark the

centenary of the great War `nd there are lots of people here alrdady

waiting to come. Lots of people coming with photographs. Let's talk

to the commander of the Colchester Garrison. What does this me`n to you

as a modern soldier? It is hmportant to mark what was a no significant

commitment by men, women and children in Colchester for the great

War. To be part of that as ` commemoration is special. W`rfare

was different then but from time to time men from Colchester wotld be in

similar situations, hiding hn dangerous positions. That is right.

Despite the changes since the First World War, technological ch`nges,

there are engineering qualities for example Basic soldering, cotrage and

commitment in the face of the enemy are no difference. Operations in

Iraq and Afghanistan are thd same as 100 years ago. We heard the

reference the fact that the soldiers who died in the First World War are

not buried here. How import`nt is that two soldiers? The scald of the

First World War was clearly why that had to happen. You will see in

modern complex men and women being flown back. It is important today

that fact is accepted. To m`rk the occasion today, what does it mean

for them? A significant amotnt. We are all comrades in arms, whether

you are in the Army in 2014, whether you were in the Army in 1914.

There's a common bond betwedn soldiers because despite thd

technology, warfare is an a business which involves warfare. Colchester

has made a significant contribution to all of them. The people have

turned out to support you. @nother engineering quality is not only the

nature of warfare, but also the importance of the home front. They

played a significant role dtring World War II one. It also played an

important role recently `` World War I. Thank you for being with us this

evening. We hope your men s`ve where they are. This isn't the only place

where there are events this evening. Ben Bland is indeed beta brdath

There has been a whole day of events. `` is in Peterborough. There

is a converted fish and chip van as part of the occasion. One of the

highlights is a big meal whhch will happen in the tent behind md. People

whose relatives died in the war had been invited to attend. One is

Janet. Tell me who you are remembering. I am commemorating my

uncle Harry he was killed in the Somme in 1916. He was aged 27 and

this is his memory card. Thhs is one of the beautiful postcards he sent

his sister, my grandmother, saying happy Christmas. They are precious

mementos and have been admired by my grandson who is learning about the

First World War. Have a really enjoyable evening. Everyone who has

attended has been asked to bring photos of their relatives. One of

the other big highlights will be the big lights out events here hn Peter

breath. The cathedral will be marking that. `` Peterborough.

I'm delighted to say Stephen Cotterell is here. Across your

dioceses yet had ceremonies to mark the 100 years? I don't think there

is a church in Essex where there is not something like this happening.

It has been moving to see how many people want to see how many people

wanted him, just to stop and remember. People will say what does

the church have to do with war. What does it have to do with war?

Nothing. It has a lot to do with peace. The reason we are relembering

is the horrors of war. If you look at any memorial there are htndreds

of names etched into it. We are remembering the sacrifice of those

young men who were cut down in their prime. Our intentions are primarily

pastoral. We provide a spacd where people can bring their sorrows and

Hertz, their confusions and anger at all of this. `` hurt. Do yot ever

wonder why this happens? Thd God I believe in doesn't start thdse

things. I'm afraid warfare begins in the human heart and it is God who

ministers that. The role of the Church in all of this is to support

those who are caught up in war and witness to a better way, thdir way

up please. There would have been before the war all of those young

men going after two war frightened and the church would have bden

praying over them. The same thing when I been happening on thd other

side. Its word. The church hs not on any side. Our role is pastoral. It

is to speak out against the injustices of the world, to speak

out against the horrors of war, but to support those caught up hn it. We

have heard in recent months of clerics in this region who went off

to war and killed in war. Yds. The church does believe there is such

thing as a just war and just cause. There are sometimes last resort

where we have to fight. Thex should be a last resort. It is hard with

the retrospect of 100 years. It is hard to see how the First World

War... When the war ended wd were still on the same patch of ground it

happened on. It was a tragedy. The war to end all wars didn't. People

bought, believing what they were doing was right, fighting for their

country `` fought. Sometimes religion is at the heart of wars.

How does that make you feel? Religion is a use for banner. War

starts in the human hearts. People use all sorts of things as `

rallying cry to gather people to their cause. But the role of

religion has always been to bring peace. And the turnout is a

phenomenal tonight? It is. Today is not a date to discuss the politics.

It is a day to remember those lives are lost and is a really important

instinct to say, let's remelber Bishop, thank you. Let's catch up

with the weather. We have changes this week. Lots of sunshine across

the region this morning. Yot can see the cloud developing through the

day. One to isolated showers but most places end on a drying out Any

showers will quickly fade away and we are with a lot of dry we`ther and

after midnight it will be l`rgely dry. One or two showers and mist

patches, and the winds light tonight. Quite a chilly night, 0

degrees. Comfortable sleeping. Lots of sunshine tomorrow. Like today, we

will get some patches of cloud developing. I can't rule out one or

two showers. The east should stay dry and in the sunshine, fedling

warm, 25 degrees. That south`westerly breeze will tend to

pick up as we head through the afternoon. Changes will happen on

Wednesday. Some heavy rain spreading northwards. It could be quite a wet

morning. That should clear northwards, so by Wednesday

afternoon something a bit brighter. The risk of a shower but a breezy

day as well. By Thursday all this bad weather has pulled away. So

Thursday will be a much better day. Many places staying dry, but the

risk of one or two showers. As we go into Friday and the weekend, a lot

of uncertainty but a risk of wet weather. Some rain showers `t time,

not all the time. There will be some sunshine in the week but do prepare

for wet weather. So the outlook is heavy rain on Wednesday, showers in

the afternoon. Thursday is lainly dry with one or two showers. An

increasing risk of wet weather on Friday and Friday night. Sttart

Dan, thank you. There is a very dark cloud of others. A World War I

producer, Sean Peel, is herd. This is not the end, is it? Know,

everybody is being invited to switch off their lights and burn one candle

countdown to the declaration of war countdown to the declaration of war

by Sir Edward Grey, the Fordign Secretary, who said in his private

moments that the lambs are going out across Europe and will never be let

again. `` lamps. We are being asked to light a candle and switch the

lights of. There are also lots of events across the region. I will be

at the Norwich War Memorial. They are also switching off stredtlights?

Yes. That is it from us in Colchester. The vigil is about to

begin, but from us, good night.