0:00:01 > 0:00:04The kindness of strangers in the face of disaster.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06- It just goes to prove that life is so sweet...- Yep.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08..When someone helps you out.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10- You must've had a guardian angel. - Oh, I've got one or two.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13They shaped history together, but lost touch.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16I just don't know what to say. After all these years.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19And unsung heroes meet those they saved.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21If someone needs help, you help them.
0:00:21 > 0:00:22You saved my daughter's life.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25We can never thank them enough for what they did.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29We went through all that, then just lost each other.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Brought together by fate, separated by life...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Real Lives Reunited.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Today, ten lads who became part of royal history
0:00:42 > 0:00:46in 1953 are brought back together after 60 years apart.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47We were a team.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50I'd love to see some of them.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I often wondered whether I ought to try and make contact,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56but I never have. One of life's regrets.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00And a survivor meets the stranger who pulled her from the deadly
0:01:00 > 0:01:05cold North Sea when the Herald Of Free Enterprise capsized.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be alive today.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11When you see someone in trouble, you go help them.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And that's what I did on that night.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21In the early 1950s,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24the shadow of the Second World War hung over Britain.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Meat, sugar and cheese were still rationed,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30and swathes of Blitz damage marked the cities.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36But as the nation began to rebuild itself,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40people started to look forward to a successful and prosperous future.
0:01:40 > 0:01:41And in 1953,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45a small group of young lads from all over the country found themselves
0:01:45 > 0:01:49at the centre of an event that would define modern Great Britain.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52I was a minor celebrity for quite a while.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57It was one of the highlights of my life.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I didn't reflect on the historical side of it until afterwards.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Then I realised, yeah, you've done something pretty remarkable.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Following the death of her father in 1952,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15preparations for Elizabeth II's coronation were soon under way.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20On the 2nd June 1953, the world would witness one of the most epic
0:02:20 > 0:02:22events in modern history.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24And that required precision planning.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29From building 26 miles of spectator stands along the processional
0:02:29 > 0:02:32route, to preparing Westminster Abbey for over 8,000
0:02:32 > 0:02:35dignitaries, no detail was too small.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41As a gift to the new monarch,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45it was decided a 400-strong choir would provide the service music.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50Among them would be 32 of the most talented choirboys in the country.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53A nationwide search was launched to find the best young
0:02:53 > 0:02:54voices in Britain.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57And from all over the country, lads aged between 11
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and 15 were hand-picked for the honour of singing for the Queen.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05I did feel the weight of responsibility resting on me.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I realised that if I mucked this up,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11it could be the most embarrassing incident of my life.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15It was something that very few people in the past have had
0:03:15 > 0:03:17the opportunity to do.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18It was three weeks off school,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22when everybody else was still stuck at school.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25You couldn't beat it with a big stick.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It was a dream come true. I mean, the support I got was fantastic.
0:03:28 > 0:03:29We had a letter
0:03:29 > 0:03:32saying that everyone in the south of Scotland would
0:03:32 > 0:03:35feel part of it because I was there to represent them.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39As the country was gripped by coronation fever,
0:03:39 > 0:03:44the 32 selected choirboys found themselves facing four weeks
0:03:44 > 0:03:47of intensive rehearsals in a mansion just outside London.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53To arrive at Addington Palace... I mean, it took your breath away.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57We felt like country bumpkins really, from down in Kent.
0:03:57 > 0:04:04This was a vast, big place that we could play and run in. Enjoy.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08For many, this was the first time they'd ever left home.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10It wasn't as it is today.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13People didn't move away much from their towns.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17So, when you were talking to someone from Scotland,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19it was like the other side of the world, really.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I don't think I found it difficult to make friends.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27I think there might have been the odd pillow fight at night.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I think we were pretty well-behaved.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33The choirboys spent long and exhausting days rehearsing.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Constantly repeating the hymns and anthems for the coronation.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42And as the weeks passed, the 32 boys started to form close bonds.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44I remember their nicknames.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Bodger was one of them. He came from Armagh.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Edmund Officer is another name I remember.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- He's from Belfast, isn't he? - Belfast, yeah.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57As a teenager, Edmund Officer would sing at St Anne's Cathedral
0:04:57 > 0:05:02in Belfast. Now 75, he's returned to meet two other coronation choirboys.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06But after 60 years, faces are hard to recognise.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I was a member of this choir many years ago.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12- You're Edmund Officer. - That's correct.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Nice to see you again.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Roger Dormer from St Patrick's Cathedral.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- Sam.- Sam!- St Patrick's Cathedral.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22THEY LAUGH
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Did we call you Bodger or something like that?- That's right.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Roger the Dodger.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27THEY LAUGH
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Oh, it's good to see you.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34I knew right away. Edmund Officer. Couldn't be anyone else.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36I was a bit of a tearaway.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Of the older ones, he was the one that kept me in check.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41THEY LAUGH
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I'm still singing, Eddie. What about you?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- I sing now in the choir. - I'm singing in St Mark's in Lisburn.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- Sam's given it up.- That was long ago. - Where did you sing?
0:05:51 > 0:05:52In the pubs.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54THEY LAUGH
0:05:54 > 0:05:56A lot of Elvis numbers. Neil Diamond.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I was always asked to get up,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01but I think they're catching on now not to bother.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02HE LAUGHS
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- It's great to see you again.- You too.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10After 60 years, Eddie, Roger and Sam's memories of their part
0:06:10 > 0:06:14in the coronation choir are as strong as the day they were there.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17But what if they went back to where it all happened?
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Later, at Addington Palace, ten of the choirboys who made
0:06:22 > 0:06:24history are reunited with their old friends.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28- You never see any of these guys? - No.- No.- No?
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I'm happy to say...you don't look too bad.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33THEY LAUGH
0:06:42 > 0:06:44'A British car ferry capsizes tonight off a Belgian... '
0:06:44 > 0:06:46'It had happened without warning.'
0:06:46 > 0:06:47'Everyone was screaming.'
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'People crashed sideways and downwards.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:51'And it took less than a minute.'
0:06:51 > 0:06:54An eyewitness said there was panic and confusion on the scene.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58March 1987, the horror of Britain's worst ever peace-time
0:06:58 > 0:07:00shipping disaster.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02When you see someone in trouble, you go help them.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And no moaning about it. And you help as much as you can.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07And that's what I did on that night.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13193 people lost their lives. Others were saved by complete strangers.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17How do you thank somebody that saved your life?
0:07:17 > 0:07:20If he hadn't been there, I wouldn't be alive today.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Sonia Harwood had been treated to a day-trip to Belgium
0:07:28 > 0:07:31by her husband of eight years, Mick.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Yes, it was my birthday. 6th March.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39He always used to take me over to Zeebrugge.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I'd had a good day out.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Like the rest of the passengers returning from Belgium
0:07:43 > 0:07:46on the Herald of Free Enterprise, Sonia
0:07:46 > 0:07:49and Mick were settling in for the journey home across the Channel.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52My husband went over to the bar and got a pint of beer.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56We sat down, it was all nice and warm, because it was freezing out.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It was a really cold night.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02After a week on the road, 32-year-old truck driver
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Larry O'Brien was eager to get back to his family.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Not a care in the world.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Looking forward to taking my three-week break.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Looking forward to getting home.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Over 400 passengers were preparing to relax
0:08:15 > 0:08:18ahead of the four-and-a-half hour crossing.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19The lights flickered.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22No-one thought anything about it.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25You know, they just carried on as normal.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29But when the ferry set sail, its bow doors had been left open.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33As it picked up speed, waves flooded the car deck.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35The ship's fate was sealed.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The boat started going up.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I said, "Well, this isn't normal."
0:08:41 > 0:08:44This was an unmerciful heave.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Just went left, right...and over.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52When the emergency lights came on,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55you could see the water gushing in at the bottom.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Then all the lights went out completely.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And that's when everyone was panicking.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02PEOPLE SCREAMING
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The worst part for me was the screaming and shouting and roaring.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10I saw Mick. All the tables and chairs were hitting him.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12He went down. He just disappeared.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16And I felt myself going up and up and up.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20You know. I thought, oh, I've had it. I thought I was going to die.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23After that, things just went quiet.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Just dead quiet.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Within just 90 seconds, the ship had capsized.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31As floors became walls and staircases impossible to climb,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34terrified passengers were trapped,
0:09:34 > 0:09:38completely disoriented by the upturned ship.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42The only way out was up. I used an old fire rail to get myself out,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44up the portal window.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47I sat on the side of the ship and said, "Oh, thank God."
0:09:48 > 0:09:53But others were still trapped in the hull of the sinking ship.
0:09:53 > 0:09:5653-year-old Sonia was fighting for her life.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58I started going under the water.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I thought, I've had it.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Although he was safe, Larry could hear others needed help.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I said, there's no point sitting here doing nothing.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10And I went back in to get people out.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Then Larry spotted a woman in the water.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17All of a sudden, I was shocked with this hand coming down
0:10:17 > 0:10:19and pulling me out.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24You pulled out anything you got. It was a hand, a head, hair...
0:10:24 > 0:10:28I mean, people wanted to live. The will to live is a great thing.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31So they didn't mind. Just pull them out.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34He said, "Don't worry. I'm going to get you out."
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Larry pulled Sonia out of sinking vessel
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and onto the side of the ferry.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43It felt like an eternity before tugs came
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and we started helping people down onto these small boats.
0:10:46 > 0:10:48I eventually got her out and she asked me
0:10:48 > 0:10:50would I go back to have a look for her husband.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52I did go back in and her husband was there all right
0:10:52 > 0:10:55but he had passed away. He was dead.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59As Sonia was being pulled to safety, she got one last glimpse of Mick.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04With the helicopter lights, I saw my husband.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06He had... he had his head in the water,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08they couldn't get him out.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12And then I looked back for Larry.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I didn't realise he'd gone back to look for some more people.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20You know. So he just disappeared.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I owe my life to him, really.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27If it happened tomorrow morning, would I do the same?
0:11:27 > 0:11:32I can't tell you. Don't know. But on the night... Human instinct.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34When you see someone in trouble, you go help them.
0:11:34 > 0:11:3926 years later, I want to see Larry and give him
0:11:39 > 0:11:42a big hug for saving my life.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Later, Sonia meets the man who pulled her from the deathly
0:11:47 > 0:11:49cold North Sea.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Without you, I wouldn't be here now.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- It just goes to prove life is so sweet...- Yep.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- ..when someone helps you.- Come here.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11As a country, we pull together, not only at times of disaster,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14but also during days of national celebration.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18After months of planning, one of the biggest days of the 20th century
0:12:18 > 0:12:20was just weeks away.
0:12:20 > 0:12:26In May 1953, London prepared for millions of spectators to line
0:12:26 > 0:12:28the streets, while the entire nation readied
0:12:28 > 0:12:32itself for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37But one group of lads had reserved front-row seats for the service.
0:12:37 > 0:12:4132 choirboys, aged between 11 and 15, had been
0:12:41 > 0:12:45hand-picked from across the country for their note-perfect voices.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Sent to Addington Palace, just outside London,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52they were locked into four weeks of intense training and rehearsal.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'Tomorrow in the Abbey, they will join nearly 400 other choristers.'
0:12:59 > 0:13:01BOYS SING
0:13:01 > 0:13:03You just didn't wander down to breakfast.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07You just didn't wander into lunch or into a rehearsal.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09We had a strict routine.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The training went on every day.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17For an average of five, six hours each day.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18It was hard work.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21We went over it and over it and over it.
0:13:21 > 0:13:22HE LAUGHS
0:13:22 > 0:13:26You were a team and no one member of the team should be
0:13:26 > 0:13:28out of place or sing a bit too loud.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It was a fantastic feeling,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32something like a football team.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35They're all playing for each other.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38This was to be the event of the century
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and everybody wanted to be part of it.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Millions gathered in front of grainy black-and-white televisions
0:13:43 > 0:13:45to watch history being made.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49But the choir boys were at the centre of events.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53We funnelled through all the various crowds,
0:13:53 > 0:13:55as VIPs.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59"They're in the Abbey, come through, let them through."
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And, of course, all the time, the excitement was building.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08And you knowing that, "I mustn't make a mistake,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11"I've got to come in at the right moment."
0:14:11 > 0:14:14And all the time, the heart's pounding.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Their time had come. Weeks of training, hours of rehearsals.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20This was the boys' moment.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24Being actually able to see the Queen, the future Queen,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26was quite overwhelming
0:14:26 > 0:14:30for a little boy from Scotland, you know?
0:14:30 > 0:14:34That was the point at which the music that we had been
0:14:34 > 0:14:35training for began.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37MUSIC: "Zadok the Priest" by Handel
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And, when the great moment came,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44I was found wanting for a few seconds, because, as the organ
0:14:44 > 0:14:48started to play and the Queen had arrived,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I got a lump in my throat. I'm doing it now.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54And I couldn't really sing the first couple of notes.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57But, after that, I was fine.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02# Zadok the Priest... #
0:15:02 > 0:15:07That was the first time that we had really performed that music,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09all 500 in the choir.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13And the noise was tremendous.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17It's awesome to be in a choir of that size.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22The sound was absolutely incredible. Yeah.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30I remember the Queen having been crowned
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and walking down beautifully into a new reign.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36She never put a foot wrong.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Brilliant. The new Elizabethan era.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Four weeks earlier, the young lads didn't know each other,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48yet they pulled together for a performance of a lifetime.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52But, just hours after playing their moment in history,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56the choir was disbanded and the boys lost touch.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Next day, it was down to the station
0:15:59 > 0:16:01at King's Cross and back home,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05having left a fantastic experience behind.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07It was a sad day,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11because we'd grown very close.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I'd love to see some of them
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and often wondered whether I ought to try and make contact,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19but I never have.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22One of life's regrets.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29After 60 years apart, today, they're reunited.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35In 1953, Dennis Whitehead represented Southern Scotland.
0:16:35 > 0:16:36David Bainbridge for London.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Hello!- David Bainbridge!
0:16:38 > 0:16:41All the way from Canterbury, Nick Swain.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Nick Swain.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45David Reeve travelled from Norfolk.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47I had wondered where you'd got to.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48LAUGHTER
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Back after 60 years, from Hampshire, Graham Neal.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55- Have you ever seen any of these guys...- No.- No?- No.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Well, I have to say, you don't look too bad.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00LAUGHTER
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Ken Yates made it from Chesterfield.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05These people are impostors.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I don't recognise any of them.
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Essex boy Clive Plumb,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13and, from Northern Ireland, Eddie, Roger and Sam.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17You're the one that always stood out for me.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And a real good-looking fella, then.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20So, what happened?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23LAUGHTER
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Later, time to reminisce.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28What did you do with that hair, David?
0:17:28 > 0:17:30I grew through it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32LAUGHTER
0:17:40 > 0:17:43The emotion of catching up with long lost friends can be
0:17:43 > 0:17:46overwhelming, but, to be reunited with the stranger who
0:17:46 > 0:17:50saved your life is an experience few of us will ever encounter.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54In March 1987,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58the world watched in shock as news bulletins reported
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Britain's worst civilian loss of life at sea since the Titanic.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05The water burst in and the ship was in darkness
0:18:05 > 0:18:10and it was just a matter of seconds as the ferry lurched onto her side.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13193 people lost their lives that night.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17My daughter and her boyfriend, I just don't know where they are.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20I just don't know where they are.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23The crew member responsible for shutting the bow doors
0:18:23 > 0:18:25of the ship was asleep.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27As the ferry set sail,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29sea water surged in the open doors,
0:18:29 > 0:18:34flooding the car deck, causing the ship to capsize in 90 seconds,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36less than a mile from its dock.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39The 11 British divers now working on the ferry
0:18:39 > 0:18:41face a near-impossible task.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44They say they've already seen three bodies and now they're having
0:18:44 > 0:18:48to decide which areas of the ferry to start cutting into.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51They're hoping to find air pockets and possibly survivors.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53But, as one diver put it to me,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56"If anyone has lived this long, it would be a miracle."
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Triona Holden has vivid memories of being the only journalist who
0:19:01 > 0:19:03managed to report from beside the capsized ferry.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08We got onto one of the search and rescue vessels
0:19:08 > 0:19:09with the divers.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12We went out to the side of the hull.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14We had to be quiet on board,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18because we were listening for anybody knocking who was still alive,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20trapped inside, perhaps, an airlock.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Covering wars, I've seen lots of bodies, but, in a way,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28it's almost more haunting to see the suggestion of a human life.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31All around the boat was the detritus of people's lives.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34I saw people's clothes,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37children's toys,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39handbags, passports.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41It was appalling to see.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Survivor Sonia Harwood lost her husband Mick.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55She lived only because trucker Larry O'Brien hauled her to safety.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58How do you thank somebody that saved your life?
0:19:58 > 0:20:01You can't do any more than that, can you?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Sonia was taken to safety from the ferry by a tug boat,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07before being rushed to hospital in Bruges,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11where she remained unconscious and on a ventilator for two weeks.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Larry returned to Ireland.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'We've a lot to talk about.'
0:20:16 > 0:20:1820 years has passed since I met her last.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'Just can't thank him enough, really.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25'I owe my life to Larry.'
0:20:25 > 0:20:30And, if he hadn't have been there,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33I wouldn't have been alive today.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Sonia.- All this time!
0:20:43 > 0:20:48- How are you? - Fine, thanks.- Excellent.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52- Nice to see you.- Yeah, and you. - You're well?- Yeah, fine.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- Would you like to sit down?- Getting up to all sorts of mischief now.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00- Very good!- Yeah.- Very good. - Especially at my age.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I thought I'd finished with all that, but I've just started.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05I've something to show you here, Sonia.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I put it on the iPad. The Herald of Free Enterprise.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11My God. Where do you reckon we were sitting?
0:21:11 > 0:21:15You were up about here on that height up on the top of the ship.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16You soon got me out of that.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- When I heard you shouting at me. - Oh, you did?
0:21:19 > 0:21:21- Oh, yeah.- I was having a go at you?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- Oh, yeah.- "A woman out of me own heart! I've got to get her up!"
0:21:24 > 0:21:25SHE LAUGHS
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- This is my husband.- Yeah.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30And he said, "I'll die with a pint in my hand." And he did.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32You'll like this one.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34That's what I do now.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Go fishing. I love to fish.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40That's me in America, swimming with the dolphins.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42- You love the water now? - Yeah, I can't keep out.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45You haven't wasted any of your life.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46No, I live for every day.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Every day to the full. I never used to do half the things I do now.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Actually, I was wasting my life, really.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Funny, after an accident like that, your life changes.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Thank you very much.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59After these 26 years,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02saving my life.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03No bother. Come here.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05No bother. Well done.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Without you, I wouldn't be here now.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09It just goes to prove,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12life is so sweet when someone helps you.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15I was really looking forward to seeing you.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I was upset, you know, seeing someone that saved my life...
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Otherwise, I would have drowned that night,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24because I'd have gone to sleep, and that would have been it.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Oh, look, someone was thinking about you.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- Sent me back in to pull you out. Wasn't it?- Yeah!
0:22:31 > 0:22:35The disaster sparked a redesign of roll-on roll-off ferries
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and the introduction of safer operating practices
0:22:37 > 0:22:40for passenger ships.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43But, for Sonia, these lessons carried a terrible cost.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The families of the 193 who died can remember their loved ones
0:22:47 > 0:22:49at St Mary's Church in Dover,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53where a memorial marks the tragedy.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57The 79-year-old lives life to the full,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01but her late husband Mick is never far from her thoughts.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Never be forgotten.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07You're always in my heart.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08I'll never forget you.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10That's what it's all about.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'It's been great to meet Sonia again after all the years.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'She's a fabulous lady and I wish her every success
0:23:18 > 0:23:20'and every happiness in the future.'
0:23:20 > 0:23:21'I can't thank him enough,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'because I've got a different outlook on life now.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28'He's taught me to live it to the full
0:23:28 > 0:23:30'and really enjoy every day.'
0:23:40 > 0:23:43June 2nd 1953 will be for ever remembered as the day
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50Over 20 million watched the pomp and pageantry
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and heard 32 lads sing their hearts out to mark the occasion.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57The day after the coronation, their job done,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01the boys were put on trains and this unique group lost touch.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04But, almost 60 years to the day,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07they've been reunited.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I hadn't been thinking about it for quite a long time,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11but this has brought it all back.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13It's quite exciting to be here,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17meeting all these people whom I had known so long ago.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Having been apart for so long,
0:24:20 > 0:24:21there's a lot to catch up on.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23LAUGHTER
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- Oh, there we go.- Oh, wow.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- That hair.- Was it Brylcreem? - Yeah.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31What did you do with that hair, David?
0:24:31 > 0:24:33I grew through it.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34LAUGHTER
0:24:34 > 0:24:37The old friends each have different memories of the big day.
0:24:37 > 0:24:38Before the Queen arrived,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41and everybody was in place,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45this little old lady went whizzing down the carpet with a Hoover
0:24:45 > 0:24:47to make sure everything was absolutely spotless.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49All the way down and all the way back again.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51That caused a few titters, you know?
0:24:51 > 0:24:56I managed to see all of this, straining forward,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58but anybody behind the second row
0:24:58 > 0:24:59wouldn't see anything.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Well, I drew the lucky straw, then, cos I had a great view.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05We could see Charles and Anne. Do you remember?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07The Queen Mother was looking after them.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Clement Attlee was just below us.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13I think that's afterwards.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- We were troughing in the buffet, weren't we?- Just a bit.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17In the cloisters.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18That's amazing.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25We were sharing the beginning of a new reign
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and, when the Queen had been crowned
0:25:28 > 0:25:30and was walking down underneath,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33I had a very good view. I felt proud.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37Today, the former choirboys have an opportunity to relive
0:25:37 > 0:25:39their 1953 performance.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43In front of an audience of family and friends and with support from
0:25:43 > 0:25:46the Royal School of Church Music's new generation,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49members of the Queen's Coronation Choir will sing together
0:25:49 > 0:25:53an anthem they performed on Coronation Day 60 years ago.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56My thoughts for Coronation Day
0:25:56 > 0:25:58was the camaraderie that
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I felt being in the middle of a choir
0:26:01 > 0:26:04that was the creme de la creme.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07You'll never get it again.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10At least, I don't think so.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12I think we were the best.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14MUSIC: "Zadok the Priest" by Handel
0:26:16 > 0:26:22# Zadok the Priest
0:26:22 > 0:26:29# And Nathan the Prophet
0:26:29 > 0:26:32# Anointed
0:26:32 > 0:26:39# Solomon King
0:26:41 > 0:26:46# And all the people rejoic'd... #
0:26:48 > 0:26:50'I hadn't prepared to choke up
0:26:50 > 0:26:52'when the whole choir got together.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55'That was quite extraordinary.'
0:26:55 > 0:26:59And something, if I live another 60 years, I'll cherish.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Another day I won't forget.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04As good as the first, 60 years ago.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08It was brilliant to sing with those guys there, you know?
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It even felt like we were back in the Abbey,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14because of the resonance of the sound, you know?
0:27:14 > 0:27:16A bit special.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20A bit special. To have these chaps from 60 years ago
0:27:20 > 0:27:25meeting up in this place was really marvellous.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27It really was.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I've heard about this coronation for so many years and to hear it
0:27:31 > 0:27:33sung today with him being a part of it,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35all I can say is it's a thrill.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40A wonderful day for me, as well as him. It's amazing.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41There you go, you see?
0:27:41 > 0:27:43I've got a fan!
0:27:43 > 0:27:45THEY LAUGH
0:27:45 > 0:27:53# Allelujah. #
0:27:55 > 0:27:57APPLAUSE
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Next time, survivors of the only British plane ever to be
0:28:14 > 0:28:16hijacked brought together again.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19The feelings inside that you were going to die.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22And the villagers who survived an underground explosion
0:28:22 > 0:28:25reunited with the heroes who saved them.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27The medical people was brilliant
0:28:27 > 0:28:29and I long to thank them.