0:00:01 > 0:00:04Ordinary people who've shared extraordinary moments...
0:00:04 > 0:00:06When you've been coping with life and death,
0:00:06 > 0:00:08it does mark you for the rest of your life.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12..thrown together by disaster, never to see each other again.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15If he hadn't have got me from Mum...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17I would've probably died as well.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And strangers who became heroes...
0:00:20 > 0:00:23My purpose in this life was to save Sam, so...
0:00:23 > 0:00:24I done it.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29We went through all that and then just lost each other.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32..brought together by fate, separated by life...
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Today, survivors of the worst civilian disaster
0:00:40 > 0:00:44of World War II meet to share stories of heroism and escape.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Just don't know what to say, after all these years.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53The Air Ambulance crew meet the baby they risked their lives to save.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56This is what I've been waiting for.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01And veterans of one of the UK's forgotten wars
0:01:01 > 0:01:03are reunited after 60 years.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05It is old Ted!
0:01:14 > 0:01:19During World War II, German plans to smash British morale
0:01:19 > 0:01:21led to the Blitz.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25- ARCHIVE NEWSREADER:- Bombs fell alike on the homes of the East End poor
0:01:25 > 0:01:26and the Mayfair rich.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31On shops, hospitals, churches.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Nazi bombs killed almost 20,000 civilians
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and left 1.4 million people homeless.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41But nothing could prepare the country for the tragedy
0:01:41 > 0:01:43of March 3rd, 1943,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46on the steps of an East London bomb shelter.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51And I thought I was going to die.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55The actual stairway was covered
0:01:55 > 0:01:59in two, three, to four bodies high.
0:02:03 > 0:02:04During the war,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08the East End of London was a densely populated, working-class area.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11It was a very, very close community.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16We all knew the people opposite
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and we'd all look after one another.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Everybody was friendly.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26We lived upstairs and me gran and granddad lived downstairs.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30But the area's factories made it a major target during the Blitz,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and many East Enders looked to Bethnal Green Underground for shelter.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36As one of the few deep-level stations in the area,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39it could hold up to 7,000 people.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43For 13-year-old Alf Morris, it was a part of life.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45We'd come home from school,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and our parents or mother would say,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51"Go and line up at the Tube to get a place."
0:02:51 > 0:02:55So you run down the escalators, into the platform,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and wherever you threw the blanket,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59that's where you slept that night.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Once you got down there, you felt safe.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07By 1941, the London Blitz had petered out.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11But Londoners still lived in fear of surprise German bombing raids.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16So, after news of a massive Allied raid on Berlin in early March, 1943,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18London held its breath,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21fearing a retaliatory strike by the Germans.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25On the evening of March 3rd, that fear seemed to become a reality.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29At around about five to eight, the radio just went dead. Boom.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32So we knew then that there was going to be an air raid.
0:03:32 > 0:03:3620 minutes later, sirens rang out across the capital.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40My mother, my aunt, her two children,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44myself and my sister run towards the Tube.
0:03:44 > 0:03:51Me and my aunt run through Victoria Park Square,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55and we got to the top of the Tube and we started to go down.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57There was loads of bangs,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and my mother and aunt thought they were bombs.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03So we three run on in front.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07And all of a sudden, got to the middle of the staircase
0:04:07 > 0:04:09and there was a terrific noise.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The sound of an anti-aircraft gun was mistaken for bombs.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16"Get down, get down! There's bombs, there's bombs, there's bombs!"
0:04:16 > 0:04:19At that moment, hundreds of people trying to get into the shelter
0:04:19 > 0:04:22surged towards the wet and poorly lit stairs.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26My aunt got pushed to the right and I got pushed to the left.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And the people were all falling round me.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Official accounts claim a woman and child slipped on the bottom step,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35causing those behind to fall.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37You couldn't move. You couldn't go down and you couldn't go out.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39I was pressed against the wall.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41I felt myself being crushed.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44The two young boys were trapped.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49I was 13 and I was screaming for my mother, screaming, screaming hard.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52I put my hands in front of me and I slithered down.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55And I don't know how long I stayed like that.
0:04:55 > 0:04:5917-year-old Home Guard recruit Bob Saxton was passing the Tube
0:04:59 > 0:05:01on his way to work.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03People were crying and screaming
0:05:03 > 0:05:05because the actual stairway
0:05:05 > 0:05:10was covered in two, three, to four bodies high.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16And as I walked down, I was actually saying sorry
0:05:16 > 0:05:19to everyone I stepped on.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Bob wasn't alone in his bravery.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25All around him, ordinary people risked their lives to help.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It was an air raid warden who reached Alf just in time.
0:05:28 > 0:05:33She put her arms underneath my arms and just laid back
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and just kept pulling, pulling and pulling.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40And they started moving all the bodies round me.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41I didn't know they were dead.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46As I was on the floor, a policeman grabbed hold of me,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48took me upstairs.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50They was laying all the bodies along the pavement.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56173 people had been killed in the crush.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Joan Martin was a 26-year-old junior doctor at the local hospital,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02where the dead and injured were taken.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06But when they did pull the bodies out, they laid them
0:06:06 > 0:06:09on the pavement and threw water on them
0:06:09 > 0:06:11in hoping to revive them.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And we had to go through every one of them
0:06:13 > 0:06:16to see whether they were still alive or not.
0:06:19 > 0:06:2262 of those who died were children.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But not a single bomb fell on Bethnal Green that night.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31For months I couldn't go to sleep
0:06:31 > 0:06:34because all the time I was seeing people being trampled on.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39It was the worst civilian disaster of World War II.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42But in the days that followed there was a conspiracy of silence.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Officials feared the news would damage the country's morale.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50The fact that one was told not to tell anybody was the serious thing.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Those days, you did as you were told.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58Today, survivors Peter and Alf are meeting rescuer Bob Saxon
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and Dr Joan Martin, to share their memories of loss.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I didn't talk about this for 50 years.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06- JOAN:- Nor did I.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08We were told by the elder people to say nothing,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and you kept yourself quiet.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Never forget it. Alf was one of the last to be saved.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Had it on your mind all these years.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25I didn't attempt to tell people about it, not even my own family,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28because the next day at the hospital
0:07:28 > 0:07:31they told us that we were to remain completely silent.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34In fact, we were sworn to secrecy.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37That's the one who died with me, Barbara.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39She was seven.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I was 12 and a half.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And that's me sister. She was 17.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Both died standing in front of me.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49- Dreadful.- Dreadful night.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51- It's good to talk about it.- Yeah.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56In 2013, after almost 70 years,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58a permanent memorial was laid
0:07:58 > 0:08:01to the victims of the Bethnal Green Tube disaster.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Bob, Alf, Joan and Peter finally have somewhere to pay their respects
0:08:05 > 0:08:08to those who died in the terrible tragedy.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10'I was looking at every one of them
0:08:10 > 0:08:13'and I could see some of my friends
0:08:13 > 0:08:15'and their mums and little kids.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17'It was soul-destroying.'
0:08:19 > 0:08:20'When me mother died,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24'in her wardrobe was the coat me sister was wearing
0:08:24 > 0:08:25'when she lost her life.'
0:08:27 > 0:08:31'It's something that, in my life, I shall never, ever forget.'
0:08:35 > 0:08:40Later, two people whose lives are connected by a Bethnal Green hero
0:08:40 > 0:08:41meet for the first time.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I always wanted to thank PC Penn,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47but I was never able to.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58To see a child in danger is every parent's worst nightmare,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01and it can happen in the most unlikely of places.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Watchet is a picturesque fishing village in Somerset.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08When Kate Cooper and Martin Stephens' first child, Sam,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11was born, it was the perfect place to bring him up.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12It's a great town.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16It's just the best community ever here. You know everyone.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Everyone looks out for each other.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Just a good old-fashioned Somerset town, I reckon.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28On a cold, blustery Sunday morning in January, 2013,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Kate was out with Sam for a stroll by the sea.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36You know, usual get-up, sort the dogs out, put Sam in his buggy...
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Pottering along here with the dogs.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44One of them unfortunately went to the loo, so I turned round to pick it up.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I'd put the brake on.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48And the next thing I know is
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Sam's buggy is skidding across the harbour wall.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53A sudden gust of wind caught Sam's buggy
0:09:53 > 0:09:57and flicked it into the freezing waters of the harbour.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Kate had to make an instant decision -
0:09:59 > 0:10:02dive in after her baby or try to raise the alarm.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03I was going to jump in.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I was stripping off, taking my coat, my boots off.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And then I could see his body was upside down.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Something said, "Don't, you won't be able to do anything."
0:10:12 > 0:10:15So I just carried on screaming as much as I could.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Horror.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Just this complete horror.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Tanya Allen lives right next to the harbour wall.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25'I was in bed.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:27It was about 8.30 in the morning
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and I suddenly heard a lot of shouting, a lot of screaming.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34It sounded like somebody was really, really distressed.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36As Tanya around towards the screams,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40she shouted to her husband, Ben, to call 999.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Whoever was on the line who I spoke to realised it was very serious,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49because I'm begging them, "Please, come quick, this is a baby."
0:10:50 > 0:10:55Dock master George Reeder was at work on the other side of the harbour.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I could hear them as plain as can be, someone shouting, "My baby, my baby!"
0:10:59 > 0:11:02So I got on my bike, cycled over quickly,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05just dumped my bike down and ran over
0:11:05 > 0:11:08and I could see the upturned buggy starting to go over,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10and literally just jumped in.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12With no thought for his own safety,
0:11:12 > 0:11:1663-year-old George dived into the deadly cold water.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17I had my big rigger boots on
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and they're like a couple of sea anchors.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22It's taking me back slowly.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25George managed to reach out and grab Sam's buggy
0:11:25 > 0:11:28seconds before it disappeared beneath the waves.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32I could see the buggy was sort of on its side and starting to go over.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36So I paddled out to it quickly turned it over,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38brought it back into the quayside,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and by that time somebody had thrown down a rope.
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Tied the rope on quickly.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Locals rushed to the harbour wall
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and pulled the sodden buggy from the water.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Ben actually pulled the baby over the edge
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and then we saw little Sam come out.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58But six-month-old Sam had spent ten minutes face-down in icy sea water.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59His mother was terrified.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03He looked dead. He was pale, floppy.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So I just got him out and Tanya said, "Put him on the floor,"
0:12:06 > 0:12:09and she straightaway started doing CPR.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Tanya had been taught first aid at work.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14I'd never been trained to do it on a baby,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16but it was an automatic reaction.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19We were both sort of saying, "Come on, Sam, come on, Sam,"
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and he just took this amazing breath in.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25COUGHING
0:12:25 > 0:12:29And he started making a really low, horrible moan.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34But it was like, kind of, he's making a noise, that's brilliant.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Locals had immediately pulled together,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39and, without a word, became a team.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41I'm proud of my wife for what she done,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44but I'm proud of everyone who was there that day.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Yeah, it's sort of teamwork.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50When the community comes together... Fred Bacon, he went and got a rope.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54The fisherman here helped lift it up, somebody helped shouting.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But the people of Watchet could only do so much.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Ten minutes in freezing water can kill an adult.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Baby Sam needed urgent medical treatment.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06But the nearest hospital was 40 minutes away.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Ben's 999 call would prove crucial.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Later, we meet the team who risked their lives in the continuing fight
0:13:13 > 0:13:14to save Sam's life.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I could see the waves were crashing against the wall on the other side,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and I was concerned they were going to engulf us over the top.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31When strangers are forced to come together,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33they can perform amazing feats,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37and millions of young men after World War II had to do just that.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41From 1945, new battle lines were drawn in the Cold War,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43and the British government needed more troops.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45National Service was born.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Over two million young men were brought into the army.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52Fred Mullender and Derrick Thompson were among the raw recruits
0:13:52 > 0:13:55drafted into the Suffolk Regiment.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00In 1951, I was called up to do my National Service.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I went into the Army.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07We were just friends who were taken away from our normal lives
0:14:07 > 0:14:11and put in a situation where we had to make the best of it.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Left, right! Left, right! Left. Turn!
0:14:16 > 0:14:18After six weeks' basic training,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21many were then sent to front lines across the world.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25And they said, "Yes, you're staying in the Suffolk Regiment, you're going to Malaya."
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And then we said, "Malaya, where's that?"
0:14:28 > 0:14:30Malaya was a British colony in south-east Asia
0:14:30 > 0:14:33torn apart by a growing Communist insurgency.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The British Army sent its national servicemen
0:14:36 > 0:14:39deep into the jungle to root out the armed rebels.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Robin Farmer was an 18-year-old officer
0:14:42 > 0:14:45sent to command a platoon of Suffolks.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49You had 90% local Suffolk, mainly farmer kids,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51who hadn't got the faintest idea about military activities.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55When I went out there, I said, "I've never carried a gun,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57"I've never been in a jungle,"
0:14:57 > 0:15:00and then we were put into a duty company
0:15:00 > 0:15:03to go jungle-bashing to sort these bandits out.
0:15:03 > 0:15:09It was a hard life, really, for a young bloke like me.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11And all the lads were young.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16And you were up to your waist in mucky water,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19you were covered with leeches, all over your body.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22The teenage soldiers found themselves in the middle
0:15:22 > 0:15:23of an escalating conflict.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27We did see atrocities, we did find the rubber plantations being
0:15:27 > 0:15:30burnt down, we did see lots of innocent people being killed.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34So we knew what we were doing was for the benefit of the Malayan
0:15:34 > 0:15:35people as a whole.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38But there was a terrible price.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42The death of a comrade brought the realities of war crashing down.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46To see this young chap, I mean, he's no more age than me,
0:15:46 > 0:15:4818, 19...
0:15:48 > 0:15:52I mean, what the hell was he doing out there?
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Eh?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55You know, I...
0:15:55 > 0:15:57That was... That was cruel.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Really cruel.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04When you've been coping with life and death at that stage,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07it does mark you for the rest of your life, really.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10The young soldiers rapidly forged strong bonds together,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12in the face of adversity.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15You quickly made friends. You were all the same,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19everybody would sort of welcome you in and you were accepted.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21The men in my platoon were fantastic.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I took to them immediately. They made me very welcome.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29I could trust them anywhere and they were just terrific guys.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Fred Mullender has particularly fond memories of one of his brothers in
0:16:32 > 0:16:36arms, Ted Phillips, who later went on to play professional football.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40We got on very well. I know he loved his football.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45I remember him... He played against these Malayans.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48He played in bare feet.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51And, by God, could he hit a ball!
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Fred has stayed in touch with Derrick,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56but hasn't seen Ted in over 50 years.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59And while the bonds they formed in the jungle remain strong,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02memories of faces can fade.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Ha-ha! It is old Ted!
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Ha-ha-ha!
0:17:11 > 0:17:15Ah, good to see you, Ted. It really is. Really nice to se you.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18I used to come and watch you play with old Crawford.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Cos I used to say, "That's old Ted Phillips there!
0:17:21 > 0:17:25"I was in the army with him!" I would say, "Go on, Ted!"
0:17:27 > 0:17:31Well, do I recognise that person over there?
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Must be Derrick Thompson sitting over there.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37And this is Lieutenant Robin...
0:17:37 > 0:17:39- Last time I saw you. After Malaya. - Yeah.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Well, it's great to see you again, by gosh! Brings back some memories.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Robin has brought his old notebook with comments
0:17:46 > 0:17:49he wrote 60 years ago about the men he commanded,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51including his former Corporal, Derrick.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55"An average NCO who, with a little training, would be very good.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59"Very willing, very popular in the platoon, capable and reliable.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01"He's a very good type and should do well."
0:18:01 > 0:18:04- What do you think about that, then? - I've got a fan club after all!
0:18:04 > 0:18:06LAUGHTER
0:18:06 > 0:18:11After all these years, I mean, good God, we were all young boys,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14or young men in them days, all handsome.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Now, we're all old and grey, decrepit.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22And it's just nice to see him and say, "You're looking well!"
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Yeah!
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I've met somebody I never thought I was ever see in my life again.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Brilliant! Brilliant! There's only two words for it.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Who could believe that guys like us,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37aged 18, with hardly any training, doing so well.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39So I really, really am proud of them.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41The whole country should be proud of what they did.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Being in the same platoon together...
0:18:44 > 0:18:47After all these years, fantastic!
0:18:55 > 0:18:58In January 2013, in the sleepy village of Watchet,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01a freak accident made heroes of neighbours and friends.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The six-month-old boy was being pushed along the harbour
0:19:04 > 0:19:07at Watchet in Somerset when his pushchair fell into
0:19:07 > 0:19:10the freezing waters for up to ten minutes.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Ordinary people pulled together to save baby Sam.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Dockmaster George Reeder risked his life to pluck
0:19:16 > 0:19:20the six-month-old from the icy water and Tanya Allen gave him CPR.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25But he still needed urgent medical attention if he wasn't to die.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30He looked dead. He was pale, floppy...
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Devon's Air Ambulance was scrambled within minutes,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37but even seasoned paramedic Mark Hawley feared the worst.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40A young child, in the sea. What are his chances?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Slim.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Speed was everything and the crew knew they needed to land
0:19:45 > 0:19:49as close as possible to the harbour wall in order to save the child.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53But with gusts of up to 50mph pounding the helicopter,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Mark thought they had no hope of getting close.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59You could feel the wind buffeting us about.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I could see the waves were crashing against the wall on the other
0:20:02 > 0:20:07side and I was concerned that they were going to engulf us over the top.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11But pilot Dan Smith had 20 years' experience flying military
0:20:11 > 0:20:14helicopters, and could execute a very difficult manoeuvre.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19We decided that we would have a go at landing on the harbour wall.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22We made our approach, he said, "We can make one attempt at this,"
0:20:22 > 0:20:25and we knew how critical it was to get there as close as possible
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and get there as quickly as possible.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31I think you had to see it to believe, to really appreciate
0:20:31 > 0:20:32what went on when he landed that thing.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Against the odds, Dan landed the helicopter on the six-metre
0:20:36 > 0:20:38strip of harbour wall in dangerous winds.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42But as paramedics Mark and Glenn rushed to Sam's side,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45it was quickly apparent the fight wasn't over yet.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48He was profoundly hypothermic.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54And, er...that was a huge concern to us all.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The paramedics were gravely worried about Sam.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00During flight, he was absolutely freezing cold,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03so we'd wrapped him up, we were supporting him with oxygen,
0:21:03 > 0:21:04that's really all we could do for Sam.
0:21:04 > 0:21:10I struggled to leave Mum and say anything positive to her
0:21:10 > 0:21:15as I left, cos I didn't believe that the outcome would be as it is.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20The Air Ambulance got Sam to the hospital in ten minutes,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22and things immediately started to look brighter.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26The speed with which everyone reacted gave Sam the seconds
0:21:26 > 0:21:27crucial to his life.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30When he woke up in the hospital,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33the first thing he did was just to look round,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36and it is that... It is nearly that same feeling you get
0:21:36 > 0:21:38when they get put in your arms when they're first born.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42For him to make, you know, such a quick recovery
0:21:42 > 0:21:46and a full recovery, and your heart is just filled with joy.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48You know, it was a miracle.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53Since Sam's miraculous rescue, parents Kate and Martyn
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and rescuers George, Tanya and Ben have become firm friends,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00but they haven't been able to say thank you to the Air Ambulance crew,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03who played such a vital part in Sam's survival.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It'd just be nice to say thank you to them in person,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10and nice for them because they get to see Sam all right.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14For paramedic Mark it's an incredible moment to see Sam again.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's been more than once that I've gone home,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20when I've attended a child, and it's not been such a happy ending.
0:22:20 > 0:22:26I've gone home and shed a tear with my wife and hugged my daughter.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29So I'm really looking forward to seeing him.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33I kind of feel that when I see him I want to give him a big hug, really.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Kate and Martyn have travelled to the Devon Air Ambulance base
0:22:38 > 0:22:42to meet the heroic team who risked their lives to save their baby son.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44And the crew have a souvenir for Sam
0:22:44 > 0:22:47so he can remember his first ever helicopter ride.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52- You get to keep him because you came with us.- That's for you, Sammy.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I haven't got words, really, to say thank you enough, so...
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Oh, give me a hug. Thank you very much!
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- You're welcome.- Nice to see you. - Cuddle?- You going for a cuddle?
0:23:04 > 0:23:06D'you think he might? There will be tears.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Hello, rascal! Hey! This is what I've been waiting for.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But for the professionals,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18it's the heroic teamwork of strangers which stands out.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21George and Tanya arrive to meet the other half of the team.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25George, absolutely tremendous, amazing bravery,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27going straight in there, mate.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29We'd all like to hope that we could do the same thing.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32And you, Tanya, you know, out of your comfort zone,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35doing something you've never done before, you know,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39reacting like you did, in your nightie, amazing.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42I wouldn't have done it in my nightie!
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- You made the difference, you did. - You really genuinely did. It feels good, don't it?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51You know, if somebody's up there watching,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54they've been watching me for all me life cos I...
0:23:54 > 0:23:59My purpose in this life was to save Sam, so...I've done it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10The East End of London took the brunt of German bombing
0:24:10 > 0:24:11during World War II,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16and its population sought safety in the deep underground Tube stations.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21But on 3rd March, 1943, 173 people rushing to take shelter
0:24:21 > 0:24:25in Bethnal Green Tube Station were crushed to death on its steps.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Thomas Penn was an off-duty policeman
0:24:27 > 0:24:30escorting his heavily pregnant wife to the shelter.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Doreen Freeman is their daughter.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37He saw something going on at the entrance, so he took my mother across
0:24:37 > 0:24:39the road to stand her under a railway bridge,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44went over to the entrance and saw a crush of people there.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Then went down and started pulling people out.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Got overcome with the heat, he climbed back up, recovered,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56went back down, carried on pulling people out
0:24:56 > 0:25:01until the other services came and then other people went and helped.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Margaret McKay was six months old
0:25:03 > 0:25:06and was taken by her mother to the Tube shelter that evening.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Why she went to the shelter no-one knows, because she never, ever went
0:25:11 > 0:25:14to that shelter, she always went to one opposite where they lived.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Margaret's mother died in the crush. Margaret survived.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24But it was 20 years before she learned exactly what happened to
0:25:24 > 0:25:28them that night, and that PC Thomas Penn was the man who saved her.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33As the disaster was happening, he saw Mum holding me up,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37and he said, "If you're going to die, lady, pass me your baby."
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And she passed me to him,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43and he passed me out to the entrance.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49If he hadn't have got me from Mum, I would've probably died as well.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I mean, he could've lost his life also.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59I mean, such a brave man, he went back in three or four times.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06To see women and children dead and dying must've been horrific.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Especially, he was a young man then.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11You know, he had one child and I was on the way.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16I always wanted to thank PC Penn, but I was never able to
0:26:16 > 0:26:19because I didn't know till later...
0:26:20 > 0:26:22..what he did.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Today, Margaret and Doreen are meeting to celebrate
0:26:26 > 0:26:28PC Penn's heroism,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32and bring Margaret one step closer to the man who saved her life.
0:26:32 > 0:26:33I was told...
0:26:34 > 0:26:36..that his wife was outside,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and she was heavily pregnant, and that was with you.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42- And he put her under the railway arch, Bethnal Green?- Yeah.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- And there she stood.- Oh, bless her.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- And there you are.- Yeah. 70 years.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52- Yeah, 70 years.- Oh, crikey. Oh, dear, oh, Lord.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57I wished I could've met your dad but it wasn't to be.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Cos you were, what, six months?- Yeah.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And I was born three weeks afterwards,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- so there's not a lot of difference between us.- No, there isn't.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11- I'm so thrilled to meet you.- You've never seen a picture of my father.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12That's my father.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- That's him when he first joined the police.- He was so young.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24And that's him later on as an older man.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28- And they're a present for you to keep.- Oh, my goodness!
0:27:30 > 0:27:34I don't know what to say! Thank you so much, Doreen.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- You're very welcome. - Thank you so much.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39You don't know what it means to me.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44And he deserved a lot more recognition than he got.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Bless him. Bless him.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- Thank you, Dad. - Yeah. Thank you, PC Penn.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Next time, survivors of one of the country's worst rail
0:27:59 > 0:28:02disasters meet for the first time in over a decade.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05I think you and all your pollies can be incredibly proud of what
0:28:05 > 0:28:08you did, and you probably haven't been told that enough.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12And a footballer whose heart stopped on the pitch thanks those
0:28:12 > 0:28:14who brought him back from the brink.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I couldn't believe how good they were.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20It brought everyone together.