Episode 6 Real Lives Reunited

Ordinary people who made history together.

It brought forward the gallantry and the nerve

of the Royal Air Force, didn't it?

Bonds forged in adversity and then broken by time.

Nicky became my rock. I don't know what I would have done without her.

And the everyday heroes who risked everything.

I was pulling people out and not even putting them behind me -

I was throwing them, to get on with helping the next one.

People are nice people. Good people's humanity shone through.

Brought together by fate, separated by life...

Today, survivors remember one of the darkest moments in British football,

meeting those who saved them.

My thoughts were, "Well, if this is happening to me now,

"I've got literally seconds left."

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.

The musicians who played their way into the history books

join their old band for one last rendition

of one of the country's favourite tunes.

It's a terrific piece of music, you know,

and...and it was played by a very good band.

And a cyclist is reunited with the people

who saved his life at the side of the road.

It would be absolutely superb to meet the person that dialled 999,

because they started the saving of my life.

It was the decade of big shoulder pads,

huge mobile phones and vast deals.

For many, the 1980s was all about success and excess.

For others, it was all about social struggles,

strikes and political unrest.

But one thing that pulled everyone together

was their local football club.

Every Saturday afternoon, supporters flooded the terraces.

For fans of Bradford City, the end of the 1985 season

was the club's best in living memory.

They'd won the League and their first promotion in over 50 years.

On the 11th of May, over 11,000 supporters - almost double

the usual attendance - packed in to the Valley Parade stadium.

Everyone wanted to be part of the celebrations.

Lifelong Bradford fans

Arnold Whitehead and his son-in-law, Paul Firth,

watched on as the team paraded their silverware before kick-off.

There was no way that we were about to miss out

on the celebration of finally winning something.

We were quite happy sitting on the back row of the stand

and thinking everything was going to be hunky-dory.

Further along the stand,

17-year-old Matthew Wildman was also enjoying the celebrations.

We couldn't been happier if we'd have been allowed in the ground

at ten o'clock in the morning -

to start the celebration, we would have done.

But just before half-time, spectators sat in Block G

of the main stand noticed something unusual.

I had a feeling that I was getting rather hot.

And so I put my hand under the seat where I was sitting,

and it was red hot.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'We've actually got a fire in the stand

'on far side of the ground.'

I said to Paul, "It's time we were going."

We could see smoke coming from coming from the back.

Other people were moving, starting to be a little bit of panic coming.

It's believed a discarded cigarette or match

had ignited rubbish beneath the 77-year-old wooden stadium.

In just 90 seconds, the fire had taken hold.

TV cameras caught the unfolding terror

as 3,000 fans tried to escape.

'And the game has obviously had to stop,

'but now that fire is beginning to rage.'

Toxic black smoke engulfed the panicking supporters

as they fled the flames.

In the confusion, Arnold was separated from son-in-law Paul.

There was no oxygen in the air,

and it seemed to have sapped all my strength.

Stranded in the upper tier of the burning stand,

Matthew's situation was desperate.

The skin on the backs of my hands was starting to bubble.

My thoughts were, "Well, if this is happening to me now,

"I've got literally seconds left."

Arnold managed to scramble to the bottom of the stand,

but a trench and a five-foot-high wall

stopped him getting to the pitch.

I couldn't possibly negotiate it. I couldn't get over it.

I knew I hadn't a chance.

'And the people at that stand are panicking.'

In less than three minutes, the entire stand was engulfed in flames.

In the chaos, Paul was trying to find his father-in-law.

I have to admit, I thought I'd lost him, and I mean for ever.

Elsewhere in the stand, and seriously burned,

Matthew was determined to fight on.

I felt full of adrenaline,

full of the need to survive.

Matthew threw himself from the upper tier of the stand.

Incredibly, he was caught by a fan eight feet below.

He dragged me over to the last wall, bundled me over the wall

and dragged me onto the pitch.

Still in the crowd, Bradford City striker John Hawley sprinted through

a hail of molten bitumen to get to the fans trapped behind the wall.

Literally, I was pulling people and not even putting them behind me -

I was throwing them to get on with helping the next one as best I could.

It was horrendous.

Arnold was seconds from death when John appeared in front of him.

He saw my plight...

..and, being a big lad,

he hoisted me physically up

and threw me onto the pitch.

It's just what you would do.

You know, somebody needs help, you help them.

'What I can't tell you is how many people are injured.

'And I fear there may even have been somebody dead.'

56 people lost their lives that day.

But, among the horror, the heroism of strangers stood out.

The footballer we'd come to watch score goals...

saved our family.

Yeah. A good guy.

Later, Matthew is reunited with the man who helped him

and over 250 other survivors.

And, after 28 years,

Arnold gets to thank the Bradford striker who saved his life.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him.

At the beginning of the 1950s,

post-war Britain was bombed out and threadbare.

Meat and cheese were still rationed, and there was a housing shortage.

If ever there was a time the great British population needed something

to feel good about, then this was it.

And a film came along that did just that.

MUSIC: "The Dam Busters March"

Tonight, you're going to have the chance to hit the enemy harder

and more destructively than any small force has ever done before.

The Dam Busters is the story of the RAF's 617 Squadron

and its daring 1943 raids on German dams

supplying power to weapons factories.

The film ignited the imagination of the British public.

It had a royal premiere on the 12th anniversary of the raid.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'Now her Royal Highness meets the film industry executives

'who have helped organise the premiere.'

An essential part of the film's success was its music.

One of Britain's readers composers, Eric Coates,

had at first refused to help, but when he heard the movie

was about the heroism of the bomber crews, he couldn't resist.

HE HUMS ALONG TO THEME

# Ta, ta ta ta, ta-ta ta ta... #

# La, la la, la la-la-la la... #

Et cetera!

Ray Northcott, Denzil Stephens and Bryan Millington

were part of an RAF band that recorded The Dam Busters theme tune

to coincide with the release of the movie.

It is amazing how many people recognise The Dam Busters tune.

Is a great, great tune,

because he knew how to write tunes for the public.

It's better than any other military march.

They made history by being the first military band to have a top 20 hit.

It was an honour to be part of the musical ensemble,

to play that march and to think that it was...

for all the brave people that had been at war,

you know, and had given their lives.

Bomber Command had a death rate of nearly 45%.

There was more chance of returning from the trenches

in the First World War than surviving as bomber crew.

It brought forward the gallantry

and the nerve of the Royal Air Force, didn't it?

All summed up in that one piece.

For the members of the RAF Central Band,

the sense of pride came not from being asked to record a soundtrack,

but the chance to honour the bravery of their fallen comrades.

When I hear The Dam Busters even now,

you know, I can feel my scalp tingle and my...

You know, the goosebumps.

It has that effect on me, yeah.

It's a terrific piece of music, you know. And...

And it was played by a very good band.

They were brought together to record music that became history,

but beyond that music they were also friends.

More than 50 years since trumpeter Bryan "Ginger" Millington

originally played The Dam Busters march,

he's about to meet some of the other band members.

First up is 83-year-old euphonium player, Denzil Stephens.

Ginger Millington, we knew him as a ginger-haired young man,

but what is he like now after all this time?

I just don't know!

-How are you?

-Hello!

It's a long time, isn't it?

-It's like 50 years.

-Yeah, that's right!

How are you keeping?

-I'm fine. And you?

-Well, yes, I'm still conducting and playing.

-Are you?

-Yes!

-Wally!

THEY LAUGH

76-year-old percussionist Ray Northcott joins the reunion.

It's great to see you guys.

Also on percussion was 80-year-old James Holland.

Derek Wilson, now 82, played the French horn.

And 96-year-old Bob Ponsford played clarinet.

-When I came to Central Band, Bob looked after me.

-That's right.

And he did quite a lot for me. I've got a lot to thank him for.

I was 14 years there.

You had great moments, foolish moments, embarrassing moments,

and it made you very close.

They're experienced in everything in the way of life and music.

That was educational to me

but the main thing was they were good musicians.

Eric Coates died in 1957,

but the RAF Central Band remains one of the most

respected in the world, and the Dam Busters March is the most

requested peace in their repertoire.

The six veterans were at the very first rehearsals when Eric Coates

arrived, picked up the baton and brought his composition to life.

He altered the speed of the beginning and he made it lively.

And I thought, gosh, this is great.

The way he has transformed what we thought was an ordinary

march beginning into something that was exciting.

He wasn't very animated, surprisingly.

It was his facial expression that got it more than anything else.

He was very good about the percussion.

He wanted the percussion to make the crescendo rolls.

And that remained in my memory because of the way

he brought life to what is really a fairly simple tune, isn't it?

It's just amazing to see everybody after all these years, isn't it?

It is amazing, yeah, it is.

Later, one final emotional meeting for the band of 1955.

Brings back a few memories.

Strangers' lives connect for all sorts of reasons, but for many

it is the 999 emergency call that creates a bond with unknown heroes.

In 2012, cycling mad Peter Fletcher was planning a sponsored bike ride

to support his local air ambulance, covering Kent, Surrey and Sussex.

Really, without cycling, Pete isn't Pete.

It's a sense of achievement, it's a freedom.

But on 8th March during a training ride near Canterbury, Peter's life

changed for ever when he was struck by a car and hurled into the air.

Sigrid Lydig was among the drivers who pulled over to help.

As we came out of a dip on the A2, I looked ahead

and I said to my daughter, my God, there is some the lying in the road.

I said, "Has anybody rung the emergency services?"

And everyone said, "No, we haven't rung anyone,"

so I said, "I'll ring the emergency services."

TELEPHONE RECORDING: 'Hello, we have an emergency on the A2.'

Peter suffered multiple injuries, and as he lay close to death

the very charity he was riding for was scrambled to try and save him.

We were tasked with a call at a cyclist

versus car on what was a busy road.

So, already, you're starting to think this is

a potentially quite horrific accident.

Jez is a paramedic with 15 years' experience.

There was a lot of bleeding and he was unconscious.

He was at the point where his breathing was going to stop.

It became quite obvious that Peter was going to need life-saving interventions.

Peter's broken ribs had punctured his lung.

His injuries were so serious Jez had to operate immediately.

We cut a hole in the side of his chest to release the air

that was basically suffocating and that allowed Peter to breathe.

By operating so quickly, Jez saved Peter's life

and then flew him to the Royal London Hospital within 20 minutes.

By the time his wife, Suzanne, arrived,

Peter was in a medically induced coma.

Normally, because of his personality,

he's a larger than life person,

but he just seemed to have shrunk

and become this small person surrounded by machines.

I have no memory of three months before

to two months after.

Peter spent six weeks in a critical condition.

People many times really didn't think Pete would come out of that.

He had fractures to his shoulder, back and hip.

Nine of his 12 ribs were broken. Three punctured his lung.

His kidneys and liver had also stopped working.

The guy who was the paramedic preserved my life

so intensive care could take care of me.

Today, more than 15 months since the accident,

Peter and his wife are meeting the man who kept him alive.

-Just fantastic.

-It's really good to see you.

Your job has kept my husband alive.

That speed, or that reduced time

that increases the chance of survival,

when you get into intensive care.

It's fantastic to see that you are up, walking about.

I didn't know what to expect, because it hit you so hard.

How can anyone say thank you? But thank you very much to you

and your colleagues, when you see them.

Jez got to Peter just in time to save his life.

This was possible thanks to a phone call made by a stranger.

It would be absolutely superb to meet the person that dialled 999,

because, in a sense, they started the saving of my life.

With no memory of the accident,

Peter has no idea who that person is.

Hello, I'm Sigrid, hello. I'm the person who made the 999 call.

-Oh, my God!

-It's a pleasure to meet you.

-And you!

What a surprise!

They talk about this golden hour,

which is the first hour after an accident.

So you started that golden hour.

Just after 1pm on 8th March 2012, Sigrid dialled 999.

'Oh, hello, we have an emergency on the A2, in the direction of Dover.

-'Yes?

-We have a casualty,

'a gentleman on a bicycle has been hit by a car,

'a severe head injury.

'Right, OK.

'So it's the A2 at Barham, coastbound, yes?

'Yes, correct.'

-'Police and ambulance are coming, all right?

-Thank you very much.'

That's a really emotional thing to...to hear.

That's all right.

Yeah, it is hard.

Without you, the whole process would have been extremely different.

I'm just pleased that I was able to do that one tiny thing

that sort of got the ball rolling to get Peter back on his bike.

-Right place, right time.

-Yes, absolutely.

-Yeah.

May 2013 saw hundreds of people line the banks of Derwentwater

to honour the 70th anniversary

of the legendary RAF raids on German dams in World War II.

A Lancaster bomber flew over

to remember the people who lost their lives.

Their story was immortalised in the 1955 movie, The Dam Busters.

Down. Steady, hold it.

Steady...bomb gone!

It's gone, my God!

DAM BUSTERS MARCH PLAYS

To coincide with the film,

the RAF Central Band released the iconic Dam Busters March.

The reputation of the Central Band was one of global respect.

Many musicians joined the RAF, not to fly planes, but to play.

I loved being in the band.

Mainly because of the quality of the people I was sat among.

There were some world-class musicians in that band.

Perhaps I was lucky, but the excitement of playing in a top band

like that takes some beating.

The current Central Band is based at RAF Northolt in West London.

For the six former members, the corridors are lined with memories.

This must have been when we were doing the premiere of Dam Busters.

But they are about to walk in on a much bigger surprise.

DAM BUSTERS MARCH

Speechless!

Brings back a few memories.

Almost 60 years apart,

but the veterans still have much in common with the current generation.

Where we used to be, the acoustics were pretty bad

so we all collected egg boxes.

We pinned them all round and that was the beginning of this.

Up there somewhere!

LAUGHTER

58 years since they recorded The Dam Busters March,

it's now time for one last stirring rendition.

I suppose there is nothing better to bring people together

than something like Eric Coates' Dam Busters March.

It's been a real special day for me.

I said to them, I'll play the medium notes,

you play the high notes, and it worked quite well!

Wonderful to see the band again, you know,

and it sounds absolutely terrific.

Great to see them once again, brings back wonderful memories

when I used to sit there.

It's all been wonderful. It really has been.

That was really, really special.

It'll last me the rest of my time, that experience.

That was just wonderful.

On 11 May 1985, 11,000 fans had packed Bradford City's ground

to celebrate promotion to the Second Division.

But, just before half-time, a fire started under the main stand.

Within minutes, fans were desperately fighting

to escape the inferno.

There was a lot of screaming

and people obviously desperately trying to get out.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'What a tragic day for Bradford City Football Club.

'I can hardly believe my eyes!'

What should have been the highlight of all of our careers

is completely blighted by it.

Within four minutes, 52 people were dead.

The death toll would later rise to 56.

-Your clothes were actually on fire? Is your coat still...

-Yes=ah.

Over 250 survivors were rushed to local hospitals.

Bradford Royal Infirmary's burns unit

was led by Professor David Sharpe.

Many of them were putting their hands on their heads

to protect against the intense heat.

And so the backs of their hands and scalps were burnt,

and this was quite unusual, in that we had at least 80 of these

severely burnt hand cases, and also scalp cases.

17-year-old Matthew Wildman was one of the Bradford fans

to be treated by Professor Sharpe's team.

I had burns to my face, head, back, legs, arms,

varying degrees.

Matthew was in the burns unit for eight weeks.

After being discharged, he remained an outpatient

under Professor Sharpe's care for another two years.

Three decades after the fire,

Matthew remains amazed at how his hands have healed.

Today he wants to thank Professor Sharpe.

-You're looking really good.

-Thank you.

Let's have a look at these hands.

-Wow, that has done well, hasn't it?

-Yeah, they're amazing.

Can you straighten them out as much as that?

Can you do most things with them?

Fiddle with little bits on the computer and that sort of thing?

All the movement that I had from before the event,

I was able to get back and I've been able to keep ever since.

Fantastic.

Thanks to the work of Professor Sharpe and his team,

Matthew has lived his life to the full.

This is me with my wife, Celia.

-When was that? How long ago?

-That was nine years after the fire.

Was it? God.

That's great.

This is me signing the register, hands in fully working order.

Fabulous. This is brilliant.

Morale was incredible. They were all football supporters.

They knew each other and so, as their turn came on the Monday, the Tuesday,

the Wednesday, to go down, everyone said, "You'll be OK, don't worry!"

I'll never forget, the camaraderie was second to none.

10% of the country's plastic surgeons were needed

to help the wounded. Professor Sharpe took charge.

I remember on one particular day you had a team working on both arms,

both legs, all at the same time.

This is what we did. The idea was

if we could get everyone together, not only would it be good

for morale, and that was fabulous, as you can remember,

but it also meant we had all the technical expertise.

So it worked out much better than we dared hope.

-Thanks again for everything you did.

-A pleasure.

It wasn't me, it was your determination.

I feel like I'm not just saying thank you for me,

I'm saying thank you for being there,

for everyone in Bradford at the time when we really needed him.

A Government inquiry, headed by Justice Popplewell,

eventually lead to improvements in safety

at football grounds across the world.

In Bradford, a new stand was built,

and a memorial erected to remember the 56 who perished.

For nearly 30 years, Arnold has wanted to thank John Hawley,

the man who pulled him and countless others from the flames.

Today, along with his son-in-law, Paul,

the 94-year-old has that chance.

-John Hawley?

-Hello, how are you? Pleased to meet you.

-Pleased to meet you again.

-Again! Do you remember?

-No.

-Because I do, vividly. Cos you saved my ruddy life!

HE LAUGHS

I could feel the heat,

along my back, cos I'd already burnt my head.

And you came up at that precise moment,

and I put my hands up like a baby does,

and you got hold of me under the armpits.

You hoisted me up and threw me on to the pitch.

And I cracked a couple of ribs.

-Come to tell me off, have you?!

-That didn't matter.

-You saved my ruddy life.

-Well, I'm sorry about the ribs.

That's us in the evening, after we'd been to the hospital.

I mean, we know that that picture, of the two of us,

on the evening of May 11th,

is only possible because you kept him alive for us.

To be fair, I was there in position. I mean, I'm on the pitch.

I would have been less likely to save somebody

had I been in the well trying to get out.

But there was nothing to stop you just walking away.

-I never considered myself to be in any danger.

-No, you wouldn't.

For me, it's great to see you again.

-28 years on, we've still got him.

-Aye, well, thanks to you.

-That's fantastic.

-John, thank you. Thank you.

Two simple words that means such a ruddy lot. They do to me.

For all this ruddy time, eh?

Next time, survivors of the worst civilian disaster of World War II

share stories of heroism and extraordinary escape.

If he hadn't got me from Mum,

I would probably have died, as well.

And veterans of one of the UK's forgotten wars

are reunited after 60 years.

LAUGHTER