0:00:02 > 0:00:04Ordinary people who made history together.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06It brought forward the gallantry and the nerve
0:00:06 > 0:00:07of the Royal Air Force, didn't it?
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Bonds forged in adversity and then broken by time.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Nicky became my rock. I don't know what I would have done without her.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18And the everyday heroes who risked everything.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22I was pulling people out and not even putting them behind me -
0:00:22 > 0:00:26I was throwing them, to get on with helping the next one.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29People are nice people. Good people's humanity shone through.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Brought together by fate, separated by life...
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Today, survivors remember one of the darkest moments in British football,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46meeting those who saved them.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49My thoughts were, "Well, if this is happening to me now,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52"I've got literally seconds left."
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57The musicians who played their way into the history books
0:00:57 > 0:01:00join their old band for one last rendition
0:01:00 > 0:01:02of one of the country's favourite tunes.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It's a terrific piece of music, you know,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09and...and it was played by a very good band.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12And a cyclist is reunited with the people
0:01:12 > 0:01:15who saved his life at the side of the road.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19It would be absolutely superb to meet the person that dialled 999,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22because they started the saving of my life.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32It was the decade of big shoulder pads,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34huge mobile phones and vast deals.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38For many, the 1980s was all about success and excess.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42For others, it was all about social struggles,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44strikes and political unrest.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47But one thing that pulled everyone together
0:01:47 > 0:01:49was their local football club.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Every Saturday afternoon, supporters flooded the terraces.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56For fans of Bradford City, the end of the 1985 season
0:01:56 > 0:01:59was the club's best in living memory.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04They'd won the League and their first promotion in over 50 years.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07On the 11th of May, over 11,000 supporters - almost double
0:02:07 > 0:02:11the usual attendance - packed in to the Valley Parade stadium.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Everyone wanted to be part of the celebrations.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Lifelong Bradford fans
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Arnold Whitehead and his son-in-law, Paul Firth,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23watched on as the team paraded their silverware before kick-off.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25There was no way that we were about to miss out
0:02:25 > 0:02:28on the celebration of finally winning something.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32We were quite happy sitting on the back row of the stand
0:02:32 > 0:02:38and thinking everything was going to be hunky-dory.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Further along the stand,
0:02:40 > 0:02:4317-year-old Matthew Wildman was also enjoying the celebrations.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46We couldn't been happier if we'd have been allowed in the ground
0:02:46 > 0:02:48at ten o'clock in the morning -
0:02:48 > 0:02:50to start the celebration, we would have done.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53But just before half-time, spectators sat in Block G
0:02:53 > 0:02:56of the main stand noticed something unusual.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03I had a feeling that I was getting rather hot.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06And so I put my hand under the seat where I was sitting,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and it was red hot.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- COMMENTATOR:- 'We've actually got a fire in the stand
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'on far side of the ground.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:17I said to Paul, "It's time we were going."
0:03:17 > 0:03:19We could see smoke coming from coming from the back.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Other people were moving, starting to be a little bit of panic coming.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It's believed a discarded cigarette or match
0:03:26 > 0:03:31had ignited rubbish beneath the 77-year-old wooden stadium.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34In just 90 seconds, the fire had taken hold.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37TV cameras caught the unfolding terror
0:03:37 > 0:03:39as 3,000 fans tried to escape.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42'And the game has obviously had to stop,
0:03:42 > 0:03:45'but now that fire is beginning to rage.'
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Toxic black smoke engulfed the panicking supporters
0:03:49 > 0:03:50as they fled the flames.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54In the confusion, Arnold was separated from son-in-law Paul.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57There was no oxygen in the air,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and it seemed to have sapped all my strength.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Stranded in the upper tier of the burning stand,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Matthew's situation was desperate.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08The skin on the backs of my hands was starting to bubble.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10My thoughts were, "Well, if this is happening to me now,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13"I've got literally seconds left."
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Arnold managed to scramble to the bottom of the stand,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18but a trench and a five-foot-high wall
0:04:18 > 0:04:20stopped him getting to the pitch.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24I couldn't possibly negotiate it. I couldn't get over it.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27I knew I hadn't a chance.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'And the people at that stand are panicking.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:35In less than three minutes, the entire stand was engulfed in flames.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38In the chaos, Paul was trying to find his father-in-law.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44I have to admit, I thought I'd lost him, and I mean for ever.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Elsewhere in the stand, and seriously burned,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Matthew was determined to fight on.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I felt full of adrenaline,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54full of the need to survive.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57Matthew threw himself from the upper tier of the stand.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Incredibly, he was caught by a fan eight feet below.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04He dragged me over to the last wall, bundled me over the wall
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and dragged me onto the pitch.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Still in the crowd, Bradford City striker John Hawley sprinted through
0:05:11 > 0:05:16a hail of molten bitumen to get to the fans trapped behind the wall.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Literally, I was pulling people and not even putting them behind me -
0:05:19 > 0:05:24I was throwing them to get on with helping the next one as best I could.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25It was horrendous.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Arnold was seconds from death when John appeared in front of him.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31He saw my plight...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36..and, being a big lad,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39he hoisted me physically up
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and threw me onto the pitch.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44It's just what you would do.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47You know, somebody needs help, you help them.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'What I can't tell you is how many people are injured.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54'And I fear there may even have been somebody dead.'
0:05:57 > 0:06:0156 people lost their lives that day.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05But, among the horror, the heroism of strangers stood out.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The footballer we'd come to watch score goals...
0:06:11 > 0:06:13saved our family.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Yeah. A good guy.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Later, Matthew is reunited with the man who helped him
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and over 250 other survivors.
0:06:26 > 0:06:27And, after 28 years,
0:06:27 > 0:06:32Arnold gets to thank the Bradford striker who saved his life.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46At the beginning of the 1950s,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49post-war Britain was bombed out and threadbare.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Meat and cheese were still rationed, and there was a housing shortage.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55If ever there was a time the great British population needed something
0:06:55 > 0:06:59to feel good about, then this was it.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And a film came along that did just that.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04MUSIC: "The Dam Busters March"
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Tonight, you're going to have the chance to hit the enemy harder
0:07:09 > 0:07:14and more destructively than any small force has ever done before.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18The Dam Busters is the story of the RAF's 617 Squadron
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and its daring 1943 raids on German dams
0:07:21 > 0:07:24supplying power to weapons factories.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The film ignited the imagination of the British public.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34It had a royal premiere on the 12th anniversary of the raid.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37- COMMENTATOR:- 'Now her Royal Highness meets the film industry executives
0:07:37 > 0:07:40'who have helped organise the premiere.'
0:07:40 > 0:07:44An essential part of the film's success was its music.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47One of Britain's readers composers, Eric Coates,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50had at first refused to help, but when he heard the movie
0:07:50 > 0:07:53was about the heroism of the bomber crews, he couldn't resist.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00HE HUMS ALONG TO THEME
0:08:02 > 0:08:06# Ta, ta ta ta, ta-ta ta ta... #
0:08:06 > 0:08:10# La, la la, la la-la-la la... #
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Et cetera!
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Ray Northcott, Denzil Stephens and Bryan Millington
0:08:21 > 0:08:25were part of an RAF band that recorded The Dam Busters theme tune
0:08:25 > 0:08:27to coincide with the release of the movie.
0:08:27 > 0:08:33It is amazing how many people recognise The Dam Busters tune.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34Is a great, great tune,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38because he knew how to write tunes for the public.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's better than any other military march.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46They made history by being the first military band to have a top 20 hit.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52It was an honour to be part of the musical ensemble,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56to play that march and to think that it was...
0:08:56 > 0:08:59for all the brave people that had been at war,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02you know, and had given their lives.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Bomber Command had a death rate of nearly 45%.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08There was more chance of returning from the trenches
0:09:08 > 0:09:11in the First World War than surviving as bomber crew.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13It brought forward the gallantry
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and the nerve of the Royal Air Force, didn't it?
0:09:16 > 0:09:18All summed up in that one piece.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21For the members of the RAF Central Band,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24the sense of pride came not from being asked to record a soundtrack,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28but the chance to honour the bravery of their fallen comrades.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31When I hear The Dam Busters even now,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35you know, I can feel my scalp tingle and my...
0:09:35 > 0:09:37You know, the goosebumps.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41It has that effect on me, yeah.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45It's a terrific piece of music, you know. And...
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And it was played by a very good band.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52They were brought together to record music that became history,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55but beyond that music they were also friends.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59More than 50 years since trumpeter Bryan "Ginger" Millington
0:09:59 > 0:10:01originally played The Dam Busters march,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04he's about to meet some of the other band members.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08First up is 83-year-old euphonium player, Denzil Stephens.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Ginger Millington, we knew him as a ginger-haired young man,
0:10:13 > 0:10:15but what is he like now after all this time?
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I just don't know!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- How are you?- Hello!
0:10:24 > 0:10:26It's a long time, isn't it?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- It's like 50 years. - Yeah, that's right!
0:10:29 > 0:10:31How are you keeping?
0:10:31 > 0:10:36- I'm fine. And you?- Well, yes, I'm still conducting and playing.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Are you?- Yes!- Wally!
0:10:39 > 0:10:40THEY LAUGH
0:10:40 > 0:10:4476-year-old percussionist Ray Northcott joins the reunion.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46It's great to see you guys.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Also on percussion was 80-year-old James Holland.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Derek Wilson, now 82, played the French horn.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59And 96-year-old Bob Ponsford played clarinet.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04- When I came to Central Band, Bob looked after me.- That's right.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08And he did quite a lot for me. I've got a lot to thank him for.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10I was 14 years there.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16You had great moments, foolish moments, embarrassing moments,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18and it made you very close.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23They're experienced in everything in the way of life and music.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24That was educational to me
0:11:24 > 0:11:27but the main thing was they were good musicians.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Eric Coates died in 1957,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34but the RAF Central Band remains one of the most
0:11:34 > 0:11:38respected in the world, and the Dam Busters March is the most
0:11:38 > 0:11:40requested peace in their repertoire.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44The six veterans were at the very first rehearsals when Eric Coates
0:11:44 > 0:11:48arrived, picked up the baton and brought his composition to life.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53He altered the speed of the beginning and he made it lively.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55And I thought, gosh, this is great.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59The way he has transformed what we thought was an ordinary
0:11:59 > 0:12:02march beginning into something that was exciting.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05He wasn't very animated, surprisingly.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09It was his facial expression that got it more than anything else.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11He was very good about the percussion.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14He wanted the percussion to make the crescendo rolls.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19And that remained in my memory because of the way
0:12:19 > 0:12:23he brought life to what is really a fairly simple tune, isn't it?
0:12:23 > 0:12:28It's just amazing to see everybody after all these years, isn't it?
0:12:28 > 0:12:30It is amazing, yeah, it is.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Later, one final emotional meeting for the band of 1955.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Brings back a few memories.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Strangers' lives connect for all sorts of reasons, but for many
0:12:48 > 0:12:54it is the 999 emergency call that creates a bond with unknown heroes.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59In 2012, cycling mad Peter Fletcher was planning a sponsored bike ride
0:12:59 > 0:13:03to support his local air ambulance, covering Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Really, without cycling, Pete isn't Pete.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09It's a sense of achievement, it's a freedom.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15But on 8th March during a training ride near Canterbury, Peter's life
0:13:15 > 0:13:20changed for ever when he was struck by a car and hurled into the air.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Sigrid Lydig was among the drivers who pulled over to help.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27As we came out of a dip on the A2, I looked ahead
0:13:27 > 0:13:31and I said to my daughter, my God, there is some the lying in the road.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I said, "Has anybody rung the emergency services?"
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And everyone said, "No, we haven't rung anyone,"
0:13:37 > 0:13:40so I said, "I'll ring the emergency services."
0:13:40 > 0:13:43TELEPHONE RECORDING: 'Hello, we have an emergency on the A2.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Peter suffered multiple injuries, and as he lay close to death
0:13:48 > 0:13:52the very charity he was riding for was scrambled to try and save him.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55We were tasked with a call at a cyclist
0:13:55 > 0:13:58versus car on what was a busy road.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00So, already, you're starting to think this is
0:14:00 > 0:14:03a potentially quite horrific accident.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Jez is a paramedic with 15 years' experience.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11There was a lot of bleeding and he was unconscious.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14He was at the point where his breathing was going to stop.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18It became quite obvious that Peter was going to need life-saving interventions.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Peter's broken ribs had punctured his lung.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25His injuries were so serious Jez had to operate immediately.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28We cut a hole in the side of his chest to release the air
0:14:28 > 0:14:32that was basically suffocating and that allowed Peter to breathe.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35By operating so quickly, Jez saved Peter's life
0:14:35 > 0:14:39and then flew him to the Royal London Hospital within 20 minutes.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41By the time his wife, Suzanne, arrived,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Peter was in a medically induced coma.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Normally, because of his personality,
0:14:46 > 0:14:47he's a larger than life person,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but he just seemed to have shrunk
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and become this small person surrounded by machines.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59I have no memory of three months before
0:14:59 > 0:15:01to two months after.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Peter spent six weeks in a critical condition.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09People many times really didn't think Pete would come out of that.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12He had fractures to his shoulder, back and hip.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Nine of his 12 ribs were broken. Three punctured his lung.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19His kidneys and liver had also stopped working.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The guy who was the paramedic preserved my life
0:15:22 > 0:15:24so intensive care could take care of me.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Today, more than 15 months since the accident,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Peter and his wife are meeting the man who kept him alive.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39- Just fantastic. - It's really good to see you.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Your job has kept my husband alive.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43That speed, or that reduced time
0:15:43 > 0:15:47that increases the chance of survival,
0:15:47 > 0:15:48when you get into intensive care.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52It's fantastic to see that you are up, walking about.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56I didn't know what to expect, because it hit you so hard.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00How can anyone say thank you? But thank you very much to you
0:16:00 > 0:16:03and your colleagues, when you see them.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Jez got to Peter just in time to save his life.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10This was possible thanks to a phone call made by a stranger.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14It would be absolutely superb to meet the person that dialled 999,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18because, in a sense, they started the saving of my life.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20With no memory of the accident,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Peter has no idea who that person is.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Hello, I'm Sigrid, hello. I'm the person who made the 999 call.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- Oh, my God!- It's a pleasure to meet you.- And you!
0:16:31 > 0:16:32What a surprise!
0:16:32 > 0:16:35They talk about this golden hour,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38which is the first hour after an accident.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40So you started that golden hour.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45Just after 1pm on 8th March 2012, Sigrid dialled 999.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52'Oh, hello, we have an emergency on the A2, in the direction of Dover.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- 'Yes?- We have a casualty,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57'a gentleman on a bicycle has been hit by a car,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59'a severe head injury.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01'Right, OK.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04'So it's the A2 at Barham, coastbound, yes?
0:17:04 > 0:17:06'Yes, correct.'
0:17:06 > 0:17:09- 'Police and ambulance are coming, all right?- Thank you very much.'
0:17:09 > 0:17:13That's a really emotional thing to...to hear.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15That's all right.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Yeah, it is hard.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Without you, the whole process would have been extremely different.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26I'm just pleased that I was able to do that one tiny thing
0:17:26 > 0:17:30that sort of got the ball rolling to get Peter back on his bike.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- Right place, right time. - Yes, absolutely.- Yeah.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47May 2013 saw hundreds of people line the banks of Derwentwater
0:17:47 > 0:17:50to honour the 70th anniversary
0:17:50 > 0:17:54of the legendary RAF raids on German dams in World War II.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55A Lancaster bomber flew over
0:17:55 > 0:17:58to remember the people who lost their lives.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05Their story was immortalised in the 1955 movie, The Dam Busters.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Down. Steady, hold it.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Steady...bomb gone!
0:18:18 > 0:18:20It's gone, my God!
0:18:20 > 0:18:21DAM BUSTERS MARCH PLAYS
0:18:24 > 0:18:25To coincide with the film,
0:18:25 > 0:18:29the RAF Central Band released the iconic Dam Busters March.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34The reputation of the Central Band was one of global respect.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Many musicians joined the RAF, not to fly planes, but to play.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42I loved being in the band.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Mainly because of the quality of the people I was sat among.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50There were some world-class musicians in that band.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55Perhaps I was lucky, but the excitement of playing in a top band
0:18:55 > 0:18:57like that takes some beating.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01The current Central Band is based at RAF Northolt in West London.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05For the six former members, the corridors are lined with memories.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09This must have been when we were doing the premiere of Dam Busters.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14But they are about to walk in on a much bigger surprise.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19DAM BUSTERS MARCH
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Speechless!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Brings back a few memories.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Almost 60 years apart,
0:20:43 > 0:20:47but the veterans still have much in common with the current generation.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Where we used to be, the acoustics were pretty bad
0:20:52 > 0:20:54so we all collected egg boxes.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57We pinned them all round and that was the beginning of this.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Up there somewhere!
0:20:59 > 0:21:01LAUGHTER
0:21:03 > 0:21:0658 years since they recorded The Dam Busters March,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09it's now time for one last stirring rendition.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I suppose there is nothing better to bring people together
0:21:17 > 0:21:21than something like Eric Coates' Dam Busters March.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's been a real special day for me.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30I said to them, I'll play the medium notes,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33you play the high notes, and it worked quite well!
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Wonderful to see the band again, you know,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42and it sounds absolutely terrific.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Great to see them once again, brings back wonderful memories
0:21:51 > 0:21:52when I used to sit there.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59It's all been wonderful. It really has been.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07That was really, really special.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11It'll last me the rest of my time, that experience.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12That was just wonderful.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33On 11 May 1985, 11,000 fans had packed Bradford City's ground
0:22:33 > 0:22:36to celebrate promotion to the Second Division.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42But, just before half-time, a fire started under the main stand.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Within minutes, fans were desperately fighting
0:22:45 > 0:22:47to escape the inferno.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49There was a lot of screaming
0:22:49 > 0:22:52and people obviously desperately trying to get out.
0:22:52 > 0:22:57- COMMENTATOR:- 'What a tragic day for Bradford City Football Club.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59'I can hardly believe my eyes!'
0:23:00 > 0:23:03What should have been the highlight of all of our careers
0:23:03 > 0:23:05is completely blighted by it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Within four minutes, 52 people were dead.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The death toll would later rise to 56.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- Your clothes were actually on fire? Is your coat still...- Yes=ah.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Over 250 survivors were rushed to local hospitals.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Bradford Royal Infirmary's burns unit
0:23:24 > 0:23:26was led by Professor David Sharpe.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Many of them were putting their hands on their heads
0:23:30 > 0:23:32to protect against the intense heat.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35And so the backs of their hands and scalps were burnt,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39and this was quite unusual, in that we had at least 80 of these
0:23:39 > 0:23:43severely burnt hand cases, and also scalp cases.
0:23:43 > 0:23:4717-year-old Matthew Wildman was one of the Bradford fans
0:23:47 > 0:23:49to be treated by Professor Sharpe's team.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54I had burns to my face, head, back, legs, arms,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56varying degrees.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59Matthew was in the burns unit for eight weeks.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02After being discharged, he remained an outpatient
0:24:02 > 0:24:05under Professor Sharpe's care for another two years.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Three decades after the fire,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Matthew remains amazed at how his hands have healed.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Today he wants to thank Professor Sharpe.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15- You're looking really good. - Thank you.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Let's have a look at these hands.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21- Wow, that has done well, hasn't it? - Yeah, they're amazing.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Can you straighten them out as much as that?
0:24:24 > 0:24:25Can you do most things with them?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Fiddle with little bits on the computer and that sort of thing?
0:24:28 > 0:24:32All the movement that I had from before the event,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34I was able to get back and I've been able to keep ever since.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Fantastic.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Thanks to the work of Professor Sharpe and his team,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Matthew has lived his life to the full.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44This is me with my wife, Celia.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- When was that? How long ago? - That was nine years after the fire.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49Was it? God.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51That's great.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54This is me signing the register, hands in fully working order.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Fabulous. This is brilliant.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Morale was incredible. They were all football supporters.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05They knew each other and so, as their turn came on the Monday, the Tuesday,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the Wednesday, to go down, everyone said, "You'll be OK, don't worry!"
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I'll never forget, the camaraderie was second to none.
0:25:12 > 0:25:1510% of the country's plastic surgeons were needed
0:25:15 > 0:25:19to help the wounded. Professor Sharpe took charge.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I remember on one particular day you had a team working on both arms,
0:25:23 > 0:25:25both legs, all at the same time.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27This is what we did. The idea was
0:25:27 > 0:25:30if we could get everyone together, not only would it be good
0:25:30 > 0:25:33for morale, and that was fabulous, as you can remember,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36but it also meant we had all the technical expertise.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39So it worked out much better than we dared hope.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43- Thanks again for everything you did. - A pleasure.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46It wasn't me, it was your determination.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48I feel like I'm not just saying thank you for me,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50I'm saying thank you for being there,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53for everyone in Bradford at the time when we really needed him.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59A Government inquiry, headed by Justice Popplewell,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01eventually lead to improvements in safety
0:26:01 > 0:26:03at football grounds across the world.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06In Bradford, a new stand was built,
0:26:06 > 0:26:11and a memorial erected to remember the 56 who perished.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17For nearly 30 years, Arnold has wanted to thank John Hawley,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21the man who pulled him and countless others from the flames.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Today, along with his son-in-law, Paul,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26the 94-year-old has that chance.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- John Hawley?- Hello, how are you? Pleased to meet you.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- Pleased to meet you again. - Again! Do you remember?
0:26:32 > 0:26:37- No.- Because I do, vividly. Cos you saved my ruddy life!
0:26:37 > 0:26:38HE LAUGHS
0:26:38 > 0:26:40I could feel the heat,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43along my back, cos I'd already burnt my head.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49And you came up at that precise moment,
0:26:49 > 0:26:51and I put my hands up like a baby does,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and you got hold of me under the armpits.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58You hoisted me up and threw me on to the pitch.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59And I cracked a couple of ribs.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- Come to tell me off, have you?! - That didn't matter.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- You saved my ruddy life. - Well, I'm sorry about the ribs.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10That's us in the evening, after we'd been to the hospital.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15I mean, we know that that picture, of the two of us,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18on the evening of May 11th,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23is only possible because you kept him alive for us.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28To be fair, I was there in position. I mean, I'm on the pitch.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I would have been less likely to save somebody
0:27:30 > 0:27:33had I been in the well trying to get out.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35But there was nothing to stop you just walking away.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- I never considered myself to be in any danger.- No, you wouldn't.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40For me, it's great to see you again.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45- 28 years on, we've still got him. - Aye, well, thanks to you.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- That's fantastic. - John, thank you. Thank you.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Two simple words that means such a ruddy lot. They do to me.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55For all this ruddy time, eh?
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Next time, survivors of the worst civilian disaster of World War II
0:28:06 > 0:28:09share stories of heroism and extraordinary escape.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13If he hadn't got me from Mum,
0:28:13 > 0:28:15I would probably have died, as well.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And veterans of one of the UK's forgotten wars
0:28:19 > 0:28:22are reunited after 60 years.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24LAUGHTER