0:00:02 > 0:00:04Ordinary people, extraordinary moments.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I shouldn't have survived, to be honest,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09but for whatever reason, I fought back.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Strangers thrown together by disaster,
0:00:12 > 0:00:13never to see each other again.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17They would not be alive if it wasn't for my husband.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And the everyday heroes who risked everything.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Such a brave man, he went back in three or four times.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28People are nice, people are good.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30People's humanity shone though.
0:00:30 > 0:00:36Brought together by fate, separated by life - Real Lives Reunited.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Today, survivors of one of the country's worst rail disasters
0:00:42 > 0:00:45meet for the first time in over a decade.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50The devastation is something you can't describe.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53You survived and others didn't.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59A community honours the hero who risked his life to save them.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Reis Leming single-handedly managed to rescue
0:01:02 > 0:01:0427 people from the flood waters.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09And a footballer whose heart stopped on the pitch
0:01:09 > 0:01:12thanks those who brought him back from the brink.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19I couldn't believe how good, you know, they were.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It brought everyone together.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35In 1999, Britain prepared itself for the beginning of a new millennium.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37The internet was in its infancy
0:01:37 > 0:01:41and despite fears of the millennium bug, London was booming.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45But on 5th October,
0:01:45 > 0:01:49as commuters made their regular journeys to and from the capital,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52thousands of lives were about to be changed forever.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Two commuter trains crashed and burst into flames.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58It ignited an inferno of flames...
0:01:58 > 0:02:01..Turning out to be far worse than anybody had feared.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Tonight, it is clear the death toll here has risen dramatically.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10It was just this mass of raw, roaring red and orange flames.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12That's when I honestly thought, "I'm dead."
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Philip Scotcher was a 24-year-old design consultant
0:02:18 > 0:02:23travelling on the busy 6:03am train from Cheltenham to Paddington.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It felt like it was a, generally speaking, a bit of a quiet day
0:02:26 > 0:02:29and I would normally do one of two things,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31which was either read a book
0:02:31 > 0:02:33or generally catch up on some sleep,
0:02:33 > 0:02:34if I could.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36Travelling on the same train
0:02:36 > 0:02:39was 37-year-old procurement manager Janette Orr.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It was a normal day, autumn day, it was in October,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44quite a nice sunny day, a little bit chilly.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Actually managed to get a seat, which is good.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Towards the front of the train
0:02:50 > 0:02:53was 46-year-old financial advisor Pam Warren.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I sat in the first-class carriage
0:02:56 > 0:02:58and we trundled off towards Paddington.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But their commute was about to be shattered.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04As Philip and Janette's train approached London,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08a series of catastrophic safety failures meant the 8:06 Thames train
0:03:08 > 0:03:13departing Paddington was set on a collision course with theirs.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Out of absolutely nowhere, the most almighty bang.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25It was just quiet.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27It was very, very quiet.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30And that's when I looked over my shoulder
0:03:30 > 0:03:34and saw the fireball coming down the carriage straight at us
0:03:34 > 0:03:38and that's when I honestly thought, "I'm dead. I'm going to die."
0:03:38 > 0:03:44There was just this mass of raw, roaring red and orange flame
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and then I absolutely started panicking.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The packed commuter trains collided head-on at a combined speed
0:03:51 > 0:03:56of over 120 miles per hour and immediately burst into flames.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Pam, sat in first class, was close to the point of impact.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02To begin with, I wasn't sure whether I was dead or alive,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I couldn't work it out. I could hear my hair crackling
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and I could feel my clothes crisping and...
0:04:08 > 0:04:10So all I want to do is get out of the carriage.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Coach H was actually tipped on its side,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16so I just swivelled myself, using my hands,
0:04:16 > 0:04:21swivelled my legs over the lip of the window and jumped.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22When I stood up,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25that's when I realised there was something wrong with me.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27My legs wouldn't work.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30Where I jumped out, I was actually in the middle of the crash,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33so the two trains were on either side.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Unable to walk and badly burned, Pam was stranded.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Philip was luckier and managed to get out of his carriage
0:04:39 > 0:04:41on the right side of the tracks.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Instantly turned to my right, at the time it was unrecognisable,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48but it would have been the front of the Thames train,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50which had obviously had the head-on collision
0:04:50 > 0:04:51with the First Great Western,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54come up over on its side and it'd landed probably what was
0:04:54 > 0:04:58still a couple of carriages' distance away from where I got off.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04The passengers in Janette's carriage were in a state of complete shock.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06So I started trying to gather people around,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09obviously people were injured, trying to help them up.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12My fear was that there was another train coming along
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and was that just going to crash into the back of us?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17That was what I was worried about.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18With no thought for his own safety,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Philip started to help those around him.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The first thing I saw was a lady lying asking for help
0:05:25 > 0:05:27who looked very badly burned.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31She had little, she had little patches of fire on her body
0:05:31 > 0:05:33where her clothing were on fire.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37I remember just quickly putting that fire out, as quickly as I could.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Philip and Janette pulled some of the injured
0:05:40 > 0:05:43away from the devastation as emergency teams raced to the scene.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Police officer Bill Foster arrived minutes after the crash.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50The devastation is something you can't describe.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53You just don't imagine these things will just
0:05:53 > 0:05:55fold like a pack of playing cards.
0:05:55 > 0:05:5831 people were killed that day.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02The aftermath affected survivors and rescuers alike.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Bill worked for 12 hours to help the severely injured off the tracks
0:06:06 > 0:06:07and on to hospital.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Myself and another of my colleagues,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14we volunteered to go back into the search phase,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18so from the next day, seven o'clock in the morning,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20we were on site.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22And I remained there right up until the end,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26when it was handed back to the railway. I've never got over it.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Um... It lives with me.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32To be faced with the carnage that you have
0:06:32 > 0:06:36and literally seeing body bags lining up,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40that's something that hits you.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44I do feel lucky, but you also feel guilty as well.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47You survived and others didn't.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Survivors and rescuers have all struggled to deal
0:06:51 > 0:06:54with the disaster in the years that followed,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56but for former police officer Bill,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59today is an opportunity to ask a question
0:06:59 > 0:07:01that's haunted him for over 13 years -
0:07:01 > 0:07:02did he do enough?
0:07:02 > 0:07:05'I'm looking forward to meeting the survivors,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10'because do they really think that we helped them?'
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Could we have done better?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Could I have done better?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18You are the first two people I've ever met from that train
0:07:18 > 0:07:20after the event.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23I always wonder how we could have done things differently
0:07:23 > 0:07:26and could we have done it better?
0:07:26 > 0:07:27I think you and all your colleagues
0:07:27 > 0:07:29can be incredibly proud of what you did.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I think you did a superb job
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and you probably haven't been told that enough, so...
0:07:34 > 0:07:36It could have been so much worse.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I think so many more people could have lost their lives or been
0:07:40 > 0:07:42more seriously injured.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44But it's thanks to the efforts
0:07:44 > 0:07:46of the professional services on that day.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49From my perspective, they were superb.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52I definitely concur that, definitely.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53That's very kind.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56We all say we were doing our job and I say as well, it was our job,
0:07:56 > 0:08:00we had to do it. You had no choice, you were there. So...
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Thank goodness. - Yeah.- Thank goodness.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05The police, they've obviously got a job to do,
0:08:05 > 0:08:09for them to show their human side, to say, "Yes, whilst this is my job
0:08:09 > 0:08:13"and I know I've got to do that, actually it impacted me this way."
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And it would be really nice to understand that.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17It's lovely to hear your comments,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and I know that there will be a lot of officers out there who will
0:08:20 > 0:08:24take a lot of pride in what you said, myself included.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27And I know the memories will haunt you and they'll be there,
0:08:27 > 0:08:28they're here for everyone,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32but it's lovely to see you and it's nice to hear you.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- It's nice to meet you.- ..moving on.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I think it'll be with us all of our lives
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and it's...by meeting more people, it's a way of helping
0:08:40 > 0:08:41to understand it that little bit more,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44which is only a good thing, only a good thing.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Later, the incredible story of Pam Warren,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50trapped and horrifically burned by the side of the tracks.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52But there's nothing you can do, I mean,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55you just resign yourself to the fact that you're going to die.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58I must admit, I didn't think Pam was going to make it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The chaos of a man-made disaster can be horrific,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12but nothing compares to the unpredictable and deadly power of nature.
0:09:14 > 0:09:20On 31st January 1953, a huge storm was brewing in the North Sea.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23That night, it swept the length of the UK
0:09:23 > 0:09:25bringing death and destruction.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27'307 people killed.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31'32,000 made homeless.'
0:09:31 > 0:09:34But it would also create heroes in its wake.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Reis Leming single-handedly managed to rescue
0:09:37 > 0:09:4027 people from the flood waters.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43We can never thank them enough for what they did.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50'An intense depression near north east Scotland is moving south east
0:09:50 > 0:09:52'into Northern Ireland and England.'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Depression off the west coast of Scotland deepened
0:09:55 > 0:09:56as it moved down the North Sea.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And then, it was coupled by hurricane-force winds
0:09:59 > 0:10:03which ended up driving the equivalent to a tsunami.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The huge surge of water was headed straight
0:10:06 > 0:10:09for the seaside town of Hunstanton, in Norfolk.
0:10:09 > 0:10:1287-year-old Neil Quincey is a lifelong resident
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and was living on the seafront with his young family
0:10:14 > 0:10:16at the time of the storm.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20You get enough days when the wind is probably blowing
0:10:20 > 0:10:21nearly up to gale force,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24but that's normal for people that live on the coast.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28But on the evening of 31st January 1953,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Hunstanton residents would be stunned
0:10:30 > 0:10:33by the speed and brutality of the storm.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35There was an area called the Hunstanton Gap
0:10:35 > 0:10:38where the sea defences were little or nothing at all.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And it gushed through there
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and in line with the bungalows facing it, just took them away.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47In the space of, what, less than an hour,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49they were just, no longer existed.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52The storm surge forced Neil
0:10:52 > 0:10:55and his terrified family to the second floor of their home,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58but with winds of over 100 miles per hour and the tide rising,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00they were trapped by the deadly storm.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02It was absolutely pitch dark.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05It was just like if someone was throwing
0:11:05 > 0:11:08a handful of stones into your face or...
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It was so violent.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12All around them, lives were lost.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Neil and the other marooned residents could only hope
0:11:15 > 0:11:17someone would rescue them.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20The emergency services didn't know how to react to this,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22they'd never encountered anything like it before.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Like for the Fire Brigade, my father happened to be driving the fire engine,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29but when he realised the headlights were shining underwater,
0:11:29 > 0:11:32he realised that the fire engine was going to be inadequate.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36Luckily, there was a large American military base only a few miles away.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40The Americans at Sculthorpe, there were several squadrons based there
0:11:40 > 0:11:43but amongst them, fortunately for Hunstanton,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45was the 67th Air Rescue Squadron.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'I was in the barracks when the call came in for volunteers
0:11:48 > 0:11:50'to go out to the disaster area.'
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Reis Leming was a 22-year-old
0:11:52 > 0:11:55attached to a search and rescue unit of the US Air Force.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57'And when we got out to the scene,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'we launched our first A3 boat and found that,
0:12:00 > 0:12:04'due to the terrific wind and the debris pulling around the area
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'and so forth, we were having a lot of trouble in actually accomplishing
0:12:08 > 0:12:10'any sort of mission at all.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:13With complete disregard for his own safety,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Reis abandoned his cumbersome boat and waded out alone
0:12:16 > 0:12:18into the ferocious, freezing waves.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Reis Leming donned an anti-exposure suit,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24grabbed a rubber life raft, waded into the water.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26He couldn't swim, and even if he could have done,
0:12:26 > 0:12:30it wouldn't have been any good to him on that night, he'd have been blown away.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35And single-handedly managed to rescue 27 people from the floodwaters.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I noticed that I was getting colder and colder and I found
0:12:38 > 0:12:42actually I'd gone down too far, I shouldn't have gone that far.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46You might say I was praying all the way down that I would make it.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51Reis suddenly appeared pushing a dinghy, and that's how he got to us.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Neil and his family owe their lives to Reis.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59We were the only complete family along the road that survived
0:12:59 > 0:13:01and got out in one piece.
0:13:01 > 0:13:0531 were killed by the storm in Hunstanton that night.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09The community was left shattered, but it has never forgotten
0:13:09 > 0:13:12the brave American who risked his life to save so many.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15We can never thank them enough for what they did.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Later, the memory of Reis's heroic rescue is honoured
0:13:20 > 0:13:22by Hunstanton, 60 years on.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Disasters can forge friendships across nations, but sometimes
0:13:34 > 0:13:38it takes an emergency to appreciate your nearest and dearest.
0:13:38 > 0:13:4027-year-old Mark Moore was the star player
0:13:40 > 0:13:43for Gloucester football club Longlevens.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45And on 21 August 2012,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49he was playing in a grudge match against local rivals Southmead FC.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53But, as Mark was celebrating a goal, he suddenly collapsed.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59I knew something was up and all I can remember was going,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02"Ref, Ref." And sort of...
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Down and out. That is it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07That is all I can remember.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11His friend Shayne Bradley saw Mark hit the deck.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Just the way he went down, with his arms by his side,
0:14:14 > 0:14:15he just fell motionless.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Straightaway I thought this was something bad,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20so I rang the ambulance immediately.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- 'Ambulance service.' - There's a player on the pitch, he's just collapsed.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It looks like he's possibly had a fit.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Team physio Tim Hall sprinted to Mark's side,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34but couldn't find a pulse. Mark's heart had stopped.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38I've never heard noises like it,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40it was long, drawn-out breaths.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41Almost a rattle.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44I just sort of started CPR.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49As I was looking down at Mark's face, I could just see his life ebbing away.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52All I could really do was just... I held Mark's head in my hands.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Mark was close to death, but incredibly,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00a team of off-duty paramedics were playing football on the next pitch.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04We saw the physio doing CPR. At that point, we started running
0:15:04 > 0:15:06because we thought, "We need to get there as soon as possible."
0:15:06 > 0:15:08When we got there, it was obvious
0:15:08 > 0:15:10he wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So we went into paramedic mode and began to treat him
0:15:13 > 0:15:15with the kit we had available.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17But without a defibrillator,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20the paramedics couldn't restart Mark's heart.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Shayne's call was to prove crucial.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26A first responder arrived in minutes with one in their car.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Got the defibrillator, popped the paddles onto his chest
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and then you charge it up and deliver the shock.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34I could hear the paramedic saying,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36"It's not working, it's not working."
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It was as if he was rising four or five foot off the ground and back down.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44The longer it went on, the more you felt he's gone.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47It was on the ninth shock that Mark's heart started to beat again.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52Mark was rushed to intensive care at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Seven days later, I was running on the treadmill, a week after it happened.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Ringing the emergency services to save a friend's life
0:16:01 > 0:16:04is something you don't want to be doing too often in your life,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and hopefully I won't have to do it again like that.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Today, for the first time, Mark is listening to the call which saved his life.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15'Ambulance Service, what's the address of the emergency?'
0:16:15 > 0:16:17'Southmead Football Club.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'There's a player collapsed and possibly had a fit.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- 'Is he conscious?' - 'No, he's not 100% conscious, no.'
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Reliving the event has brought home to Mark
0:16:27 > 0:16:29just how much he owes his friends.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I couldn't believe how good, you know...they were.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It brought everyone together.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43I couldn't ask for any better mates.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Mark also knows he's in debt to the paramedics who saved his life.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52I really shouldn't even have the opportunity to say, you know,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56what a brilliant job they'd done and sort of just say thanks.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- Hiya, Mark.- Hi. - All right?- Yeah, brilliant.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Today is the first time everyone involved has met
0:17:04 > 0:17:06since Mark collapsed.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08All the guys said it was like a military operation.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11They said they'd never seen anything like it before -
0:17:11 > 0:17:13one minute playing football,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15the next minute guys running backwards and forwards.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Normally, there's maybe three, possibly four of us,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23at a cardiac arrest. And we had 12 running around you.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And it just went swimmingly, absolutely perfect.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Thanks for saving my life. I wouldn't be here if you guys weren't here.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- It was an absolute pleasure. - Thanks a lot.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Mark not only managed to survive a near-fatal heart attack,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41he came back to finish the football season with style.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I managed to play the last ten minutes of the game
0:17:45 > 0:17:48for the league we won, and pick up the trophy.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Brilliant, what a season!
0:18:00 > 0:18:05On January 31, 1953, a deadly storm assaulted
0:18:05 > 0:18:08the east coast of Britain, taking the public by surprise.
0:18:08 > 0:18:14NEWSREEL: 307 people killed. 32,000 made homeless.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18And human misery that cannot be estimated.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Directly in the path of the storm, Hunstanton was battered
0:18:22 > 0:18:27by ferocious waves and winds as the town was swamped by the icy sea.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31The brave action of a 22-year-old American, Reis Leming,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33rescued 27 locals from certain death,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36including Neil Quincey and his young family.
0:18:36 > 0:18:42You get flashbacks. Almost, after 60 years, on a daily basis.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It never goes away. You never forget it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Reis spent five hours in the freezing deadly sea,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50saving as many as he could
0:18:50 > 0:18:54until he collapsed from exhaustion and hypothermia.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56He received the George Medal for his bravery,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58the first American to do so.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Reis was to be the guest of honour
0:19:00 > 0:19:03as Hunstanton marked the 60th anniversary of the floods.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07But a day before his 82nd birthday, he died at home in the US.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10He was an amazing man and I feel
0:19:10 > 0:19:12very proud that my husband did that.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I feel honoured that I married this wonderful man.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Reis's family have travelled thousands of miles to meet
0:19:19 > 0:19:23the people of Hunstanton and discover how much he is still loved by the town.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28It's pretty exciting to meet someone who... Reis saved his family.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33- Cathy?- Yes.- I'm Neil.- Neil, hello. So nice to meet you.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- Yes.- My God!
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- I'm ever so pleased to meet you. - I'm so pleased to meet you.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43- I'm so sorry Reis isn't here for you. - Yes, I know.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45That was most unfortunate, dreadful.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- Yes, well, so are you here with your family, your kids?- Yes, that's right.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54It was William, he was nine months old and I have two daughters,
0:19:54 > 0:19:59Jane was three and Susan was seven.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05- OK. So it was your wife and your three kids then?- Yes, that's right.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08To think that that man wouldn't have his family.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14You know, and he has three children and six great-grandchildren.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19It's just astounding that that's a group of people
0:20:19 > 0:20:24that would not be alive if it wasn't for my husband.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26So I'm very proud.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- You know, he has three children too. - Yes, I do.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- I've never met any of them. - Oh, now you will.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36- Because Michael is his son, he's the youngest.- Hello, Michael.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And Deborah is here, that's the oldest.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42It's pretty amazing that both Mike and Deborah got to come.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45- Yes, it certainly is. - Reis would love to have met you.
0:20:49 > 0:20:5260 years on, the Hunstanton community still remember
0:20:52 > 0:20:54those who were lost.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56The sadness is still felt.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59These reunions bring people together,
0:20:59 > 0:21:04but 60 years on, when you are reading out the names of the victims,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06you see those faces in front of you
0:21:06 > 0:21:09as if it was yesterday, and the loss is still there.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17It's kind of been overwhelming.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I just thought long and hard about what was going through his mind
0:21:21 > 0:21:25to walk into the water when everybody was fleeing.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27I think it haunted him a bit.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I think he remembers some of those cries
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and some of those people he didn't save.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35He got very emotional about the whole thing.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38He didn't realise how much they thought of him.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41He got the George Medal and everything, and that was huge,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43but to have these people remember him
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and honour him the way they have has been tremendous.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49He wanted to come really badly.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53You know, it was something that he planned
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and he really wanted to be here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It means the world to Reis's family
0:21:57 > 0:22:01to see that the people of Hunstanton still cherish his memory.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I'm just amazed, I'm amazed. I'm so proud of my husband.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11And the honouring that he's getting, it's just...
0:22:11 > 0:22:13It's just amazing.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18So kind. Thank you.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32On 5 October 1999, two trains crashed
0:22:32 > 0:22:36with a combined speed of 120 miles an hour.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39Just after eight this morning, two packed commuter trains
0:22:39 > 0:22:42collided near Paddington Station in west London.
0:22:43 > 0:22:4731 people were killed and more than 200 injured
0:22:47 > 0:22:50in the worst rail disaster in the last 80 years.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52The police officers Ian Pledger
0:22:52 > 0:22:56and Mike McKee are still haunted by that day more than 13 years on.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I remember going back to Mick.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01He found somebody and he was giving him CPR.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04If you start CPR, you can't stop.
0:23:04 > 0:23:11And he was obviously dead. And he found it very, very hard to stop.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I didn't want to leave him.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I remember thinking that he shouldn't be left on his own.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Someone should stay with him.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I didn't feel very good at that moment.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Devastated, Mike had to move on with Ian to help the injured.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Stranded in the chaos and clinging to life was Pam Warren.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Luckily, even though the fire had gone down my throat,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37my vocal cords hadn't shut down then.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39So I just remember going, "Help!"
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Because that's all I could think of doing.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44When Ian and Mike found her, they feared the worst.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Her face was black,
0:23:46 > 0:23:52her hair was just a black blob on her head where it had melted.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57She had the seat armrest melted to her clothing.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59So I said, "I'm Ian."
0:23:59 > 0:24:02She said, "I'm Pam." That's all she could really say.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Once Ian was there with that calm, humane "I want to help you" voice,
0:24:07 > 0:24:08you felt, OK, great,
0:24:08 > 0:24:12the authorities are coming, the police are there.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14You know, everything will now get sorted.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Ian stayed with Pam until the ambulance teams managed to get through.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21I must admit, I didn't think Pam was going to make it.
0:24:21 > 0:24:27The fireball that engulfed carriage H had left Pam with serious burns.
0:24:27 > 0:24:28Along with the most severe cases,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31she was taken to Charing Cross Hospital.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36We were the no-hopers, we were the ones...the next people to die.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Ian and Mike stayed at the scene for hours,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42trying to help as many casualties as possible.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Tragically, 31 died in the crash.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Many more would have perished had it not been for commuters
0:24:48 > 0:24:49helping each other to safety
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and the bravery of the emergency services
0:24:52 > 0:24:54who went beyond the call of duty.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57The thing that I take away from it all is...
0:25:00 > 0:25:04..how people are nice to each other. People are good.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08People's humanity shone through.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12I think it's in us all and it comes out at dramatic times like this.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15Ian and Pam have remained in touch,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17but Mike hasn't seen his former colleague for ten years.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21He's a good bloke. He looked after me.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24He looked after me at the rail crash as well.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29We were all struggling and he was a bit of a rock.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Mickey. How are you, man? It's really nice to see you.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40A long time. Long time, no see. This is Pam.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42This is Mick...
0:25:42 > 0:25:47The last time Mike spoke to Pam was track-side, more than 13 years ago.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48I'm speechless.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55I'm having to compose myself a little bit.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- A bit of a shock.- It is.
0:25:57 > 0:25:58When I saw you, you were...
0:26:00 > 0:26:05- A shrivelled little old lady?- You would not... You were in a bad way.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09I've never ever come across anybody so badly burnt.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It's amazing, isn't it?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I shouldn't have survived, to be honest,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19- but...for whatever reason, I fought back.- You're a fighter.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22The human spirit is a wonderful thing.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27How she's come through, how she kept that human spark,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31because I know it's a bad thing that happened,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34but the human spark did conquer that day.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36After more than three months in hospital
0:26:36 > 0:26:38and over 20 skin graft operations,
0:26:38 > 0:26:43Pam pulled through to lead a campaign for improved rail safety.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46The safety requirements expected of the rail operators
0:26:46 > 0:26:50should be as rigorous as those demanded of airline operators.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Pam became instantly recognisable as the face of the disaster.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02An inquiry into the crash highlighted several failings
0:27:02 > 0:27:06and it was discovered one train had gone through a red signal.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08Network Rail was fined £4 million
0:27:08 > 0:27:11for systemic and unacceptable safety failures.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Thames Trains was also fined £2 million
0:27:14 > 0:27:16after admitting their responsibility.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Pam, Ian and Mike are joining Bill, Jeanette and Philip
0:27:24 > 0:27:26at the crash site memorial
0:27:26 > 0:27:29to pay respects to those who died on that terrible day.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31The memory doesn't fade.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36And when you come back to the site, the pain is still there.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Out of adversity, they always say triumph comes out.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43And in things like this, I really do think that is true.
0:27:43 > 0:27:49But we are all looking forward to the future, and yes,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51it's also bought a sense of closure as well.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Next time, air crash survivors reunite
0:28:01 > 0:28:04to share their incredible stories of cheating death.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07And then you realise that...
0:28:07 > 0:28:09whoa, I'm alive!
0:28:09 > 0:28:13And the women of Doncaster who made footballing history
0:28:13 > 0:28:17come together for the first time in over 40 years.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Seeing everybody together, it's not tears of sadness, it's tears of joy.