0:00:03 > 0:00:08In the 1950s, the famous newsreel company Pathe
0:00:08 > 0:00:11produced a major historical documentary series for British TV.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Made by the award-winning producer Peter Bayliss
0:00:15 > 0:00:18and narrated by an illustrious line-up of celebrated actors,
0:00:18 > 0:00:24Time to Remember chronicled the social, cultural and political forces
0:00:24 > 0:00:26that shaped the first half of the 20th century.
0:00:27 > 0:00:33In numerous programmes, the series contained reflections on the leisure and pastimes of the era.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39The details of the way people once spent their spare time give a vivid impression
0:00:39 > 0:00:42of an intriguing period.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- GRAMOPHONE RECORD: #- It ain't gonna rain no more, no more...
0:00:51 > 0:00:55- #- All the world and the old folks there, it ain't gonna rain no more
0:00:55 > 0:00:57- #- A peanut sat on the railroad track
0:00:57 > 0:00:59- #- Its heart was all a-flutter
0:00:59 > 0:01:01- #- There's a freight train running by...- #
0:01:01 > 0:01:05PATHE NARRATOR: Things, faces, friends and places.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Years and moments half forgotten.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Laughs, fears, songs and tears,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15memories are made of this.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43In the early years of the 20th century,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46the people of Britain experienced a lifestyle revolution.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51The expansion of the railways and development of public transport services
0:01:51 > 0:01:56enabled millions to indulge in the delights of a new age of leisure,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59with unrestrained revelry at Britain's beaches
0:01:59 > 0:02:01and unbridled thrills at the fair.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Pathe's history series, Time to Remember,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07looked back to the end of the Victorian era,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12when, for the first time, ordinary people could afford to take pleasure in leisure.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17What would the oldest among us recall the best of the last century?
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Children's pleasures, most likely.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Holidays by the seaside.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27The rides along the front on top of one of those new electric tram cars.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Oh, the joyous speed of it!
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The trips on the paddle-wheeled steamers,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38so right for a child in a sailor hat with a whistle on a velvet string.
0:02:38 > 0:02:45So wrong for an Aunt Flo, forced to lift her skirts and display her ankles!
0:02:47 > 0:02:49The beaches, bathing huts on wheels,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51you dare peek her, but you just dare!
0:02:51 > 0:02:56The donkey rides, the sandcastles, just like the Queen's castle at Windsor.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And what did they call them? Rollercoasters or switchback railways.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07"Hold tight to your boaters, ladies and gentlemen!"
0:03:07 > 0:03:11And when the car dropped, how a high collar could bite into the neck!
0:03:19 > 0:03:21The fairgrounds.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26"Oh, Herbert, and mother thinking I'm on the promenade, listening to the band!"
0:03:26 > 0:03:32"Ladies do not at any time swing on swings. On Sunday, too!
0:03:34 > 0:03:39"Aggie Smith, tonight at supper I shall speak to your father.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43"Going to fairs, indeed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48"I pray you didn't let yourself be trapped into entering one of those disgraceful side-shows!
0:03:52 > 0:03:56"Women in tights, doing absolutely unmentionable things!
0:03:56 > 0:03:58"What next?"
0:03:58 > 0:04:02What came next was a new century,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04a new monarch and a new Edwardian age,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09when the whale-boned corsets of Victorian morality and propriety were loosened
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and Britain whole-heartedly embraced the idea of having fun.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23An Edwardian summer.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Leisure, relaxation and play.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29And when Father went out to bat and you watched,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31this is how you looked.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Mother, daughter and son.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42When the match was over,
0:04:42 > 0:04:45this is the way Father had his photograph taken,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48to record for posterity that moustache,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51without which he would have felt undressed.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Edwardian summer.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55And the garden parties.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57And the soirees.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01The exact period that the transformed Eliza Doolittle
0:05:01 > 0:05:06made her debut among the teacups with her, "Not bloody likely!"
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Imagine the shock!
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And this is the way you looked if you could afford it.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Surely there's never been greater competition in elegance?
0:05:32 > 0:05:37For it was a world whose gentleness gave time and opportunity
0:05:37 > 0:05:41to occupy yourself with just looking your best.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45The time for paying calls,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48attending receptions and balls
0:05:48 > 0:05:50and going to the races.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54There was something to put on for every occasion.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58The best for sport, for by now, sport, in small degree,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01was considered acceptable for the ladies.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03That was the way you looked.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Boaters and blazers
0:06:13 > 0:06:15and gleaming flannels.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19The same summer when Three Men in a Boat
0:06:19 > 0:06:22rolled upstream from regatta to regatta.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Now, was it one of those famous three
0:06:26 > 0:06:30who took these ladies for a trip in a punt?
0:06:30 > 0:06:31It might have been.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34And being one of those three,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36he wasn't very good at it!
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Don't forget to pull the pole out!
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Yes, it was pleasant on the river,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51that Edwardian summer.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Nothing to disturb the peace and enjoyment.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Oh, dear, I'm afraid...
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Yes, I was right!
0:07:14 > 0:07:17And this was how you looked at the seaside.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21How rude of the mashers to stare at the pretty ladies!
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And so it continued until 1914.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34With the advent of that first Great War,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38the essence of the British way of life was under threat.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42But being geographically removed from the main event, Britain could try to maintain
0:07:42 > 0:07:45the leisure activities of more peaceful times.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51British, on an island and away from it all.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54British, and enjoying such a beautiful summer.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Grey toppers, smart turn-outs,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00a summer in which to see and be seen.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04At the great English country houses, the hunts met as usual.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08DOGS BAY
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Old habits die hard,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15and the habit of a Britain undisturbed
0:08:15 > 0:08:18was the oldest habit of all.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Our brave boys have always kept her that way.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26At the garden parties, there were complaints about soldiers jostling civilians.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Of course, it's for charity, dear, and it's in a good cause.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37No cricket at London's Oval now, though.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Only the army.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46After but a few months of history's greatest struggle,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Britain was still a country clinging to peace-time ways.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Still the rowing, the racing,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55the preoccupation with the pleasant but superficial.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01And though at every turn of the lane you might be confronted with khaki and metal,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Britons with a landscape unblemished by war.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11For those on the Western Front, in what would be the bloodiest war ever fought,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15there was little time or opportunity for pleasure or play.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18At home, most put their shoulder into the war effort.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22With news of the slaughter in France affecting almost every community,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25few were in the mood for play.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31But when the war came to and end, many were keen to put the horrors of the conflict behind them
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and sought enjoyment once again.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38To the ordinary millions,
0:09:38 > 0:09:44the hot summer of 1919 was a chance to enjoy their first real holiday
0:09:44 > 0:09:47since that equally hot August of 1914,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49when all the horror had started.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53At Royal Ascot in 1919,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57you simply wouldn't have known there'd just been a war on.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Though Britain was still half-in and half-out of khaki,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04the organisers of the social calendar lost little time.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07Pre-war Britain was back,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09to outward appearance anyway.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12So they're on the beaches, the first real crowds,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15the first sandcastles,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17the first Punch and Judy shows,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22since the assassination of an arch-duke at Sarajevo.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28And because it was the first for so long, you enjoyed everything the more.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31As for the bathers, well!
0:10:31 > 0:10:35Some of us remembered what we'd called "ladies" back in 1914!
0:10:35 > 0:10:39These females looked and behaved very differently.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Making shells and running the home front had changed them out of all recognition.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But what of it? After all,
0:10:48 > 0:10:51they had, in their own way, won a war.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59So after four years of battle, it was piers and concert parties
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and "What the butler saw" all over again.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And thank him for it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Astonished children discovered for the first time
0:11:07 > 0:11:11that fish weren't just things to be queued for off a slab,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14but live creatures that actually came out of the sea!
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Many rejoiced in the new informality.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24But traditional British pastimes had become part of the cultural fabric of the nation.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29After the war, they re-established themselves as the mainstay of Britain's social calendar.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33If you were in Britain, you dolled up
0:11:33 > 0:11:36in your best for Royal Ascot or Lord's and the Eton and Harrow.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Toppers and the lot.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40And when you'd stopped looking at each other
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and finished with eating, drinking and meeting your friends,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47maybe you'd find time to watch the cricket.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Then Henley.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01There, too, the racing took second place to other and more important things
0:12:01 > 0:12:04such as doffing your boater to the Prince of Wales.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08If you were lucky, you might shake him by the hand or sit with him in that "holy of holies",
0:12:08 > 0:12:10the umpire's launch.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Picnics on the river, watercress sandwiches,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19wasps,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and tea out of those flask things that keep it hot
0:12:22 > 0:12:24even if sometimes it did taste a bit of the cork.
0:12:26 > 0:12:32Yes, all this was a lot better than Ypres, the Somme or the Argonne even in their better moments.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Better than shells and dug-outs and bully beef.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40And although sometimes it didn't feel quite the same as it had done before the war,
0:12:40 > 0:12:46you know, like a hat you've put aside only to find later it doesn't fit you quite as it did,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48it was all very delightful.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57For the smart set, in the post-war years,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01it was possible to revisit Europe's most glamorous playgrounds.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Exerting a particular pull were the fashionable seaside resorts of France.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09- PATHE WOMAN NARRATOR: - Deauville in the '20s. Pretty smart stuff today,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14but will it ever be again what it was then? Another world, really.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20The races, with the best of France rivalling the best of Europe
0:13:20 > 0:13:25in who could look the smartest and draw the attention of the most millionaires.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28The showplace for all the fashion houses of Paris,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32where to be seen in yesterday's old rags just wasn't done.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Deauville, Le Touquet, Nice, Monte Carlo,
0:14:16 > 0:14:19an even tougher round than the one in London.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Oh, what a bore!
0:14:27 > 0:14:34Battles of flowers, concours d'elegance, oh, so monotonous!
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Barons and baronesses, dukes,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40counts, Gerald du Maurier and Isadora Duncan.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Raffles, Bulldog Drummond, the Savoy Orpheans,
0:14:45 > 0:14:47oh, it was a full life!
0:14:51 > 0:14:55But once Britain's tourists had sampled the delights of the continent,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58there were still plenty of attractions available at home.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Our chorus work was perfect.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Left, right,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06left, right!
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Sometimes you went to the races.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17So long in the legs, now, bless her!
0:15:17 > 0:15:20It's so good for gals to see life. See people
0:15:20 > 0:15:22and learn the value of money.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Look, there's Lord Lonsdale!
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Over there is Princess Mary.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47I expect she's here because her brother is riding.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53Yes, darling, the Prince of Wales himself.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I do hope he doesn't fall off today. He's had such bad luck lately!
0:16:02 > 0:16:05My dear, don't look now, but a woman jockey!
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Courageous, I suppose,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10but I don't quite like it - do you?
0:16:13 > 0:16:17In 1924, King George V opened the British Empire Exhibition.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20This huge spectacle ran for two summers.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23It attracted 27 million visitors.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The official aim of the exhibition was to stimulate trade,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31strengthen bonds that bind mother country to her sister states and daughters,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34to bring into closer contact the one with each other,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag
0:16:37 > 0:16:40to meet on common ground and learn to know each other.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45It was recalled in the episode "A trip to Europe"
0:16:45 > 0:16:48as it would have been viewed by an American visitor of the time.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50AMERICAN NARRATOR: 1924.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57One pavilion was the largest concrete building in the world.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Here was everything from aeroplanes to marine engines and model trains.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11Here, just to show you how it's done, 16 motor cars were put together every day.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Among the locomotives, the famous queen's doll's house,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17complete down to tiny books,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20handwritten by such authors as Rudyard Kipling.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27220 acres of exhibits, lakes
0:17:27 > 0:17:30and toys, on which even a king might ride.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31That was Wembley.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Here was everything you could possibly wish to see
0:17:46 > 0:17:48from Eastern treasures to diamond washing,
0:17:48 > 0:17:53from a model of King Tut's tomb to a life-size figure of the Prince of Wales in butter,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55a railway that never stopped.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Though one visitor claimed 142 visits to Wembley,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Your Majesty only had enough time to finish viewing the pavilion of engineering.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09In the giant sports arena were held circuses, Wild West shows
0:18:09 > 0:18:11staged by Charles B. Cochran,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13military tattoos,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15even a chariot race.
0:18:15 > 0:18:22By July 1924, nearly £250,000 was being spent by visitors to Wembley every day.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24And yet they said it lost money.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29The biggest attraction was the amusement park. Sideshows,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33rollercoasters and every other known device.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39And according to the official guide, surprises are caused by blasts of air coming up out of the floor.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51It's odd of this great tribute to Empire is that what most people recall best
0:18:51 > 0:18:55is something that either span them round or shot them into space!
0:18:55 > 0:18:58But for the British, it was a rare time while it lasted.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06Just two years later, huge numbers of British people would be united for a more sober gathering.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11During the General Strike of 1926,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15millions of union members withdrew their labour for nine days.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Yet though the '20s saw its fair share of hardship,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23if reality was too hard to bear, there was always some form of escape.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30PATHE NARRATOR: But in escape you could make real progress.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Skiing through the streets of Paris on wheels,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37or sitting on a Chicago flag pole for a month or two.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42The means of getting away from it all were endless in their variety.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Dancing on stilts, dance marathons,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04but who are we to criticise with our stock car racing?
0:20:05 > 0:20:09What did it matter as long as you kept up your health and strength?
0:21:26 > 0:21:28WOMEN SCREAM
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Adversity, depression, yet always, thank heaven,
0:21:33 > 0:21:37the same old human faculty of looking to the brighter side,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39looking to the gleam in the merc.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48With the dawn of the 1930s, a new era had arrived.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52New transport technology became available to the mass market
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and new forms of entertainment found a wider audience.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00But low-tech ancient means of getting around experienced a whole new level of popularity.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05Gone the post-war indecisive turmoil of the '20s.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10With the new era, we'd go marching forward in peace and reason
0:22:10 > 0:22:12towards a reasonably rosy future.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18It was as though, after a century of mechanical propulsion,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22walking needed a new slogan, a new gimmick, to sell it.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24But at least it sold all right.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Motoring was becoming cheaper all the time in the '30s,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and on the roads, you certainly began to notice it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35And as far as cycling went, well, it had never gone so far
0:22:35 > 0:22:37since those days at the turn of the century
0:22:37 > 0:22:40when it had first known popularity.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42Yes, the summer of the great treks.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47The summer of get-togethers in the great outdoors.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Mystery hikes. See Britain pursed, but en masse.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56To commune with nature.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01But surely you can't commune with nature or get away from it all
0:23:01 > 0:23:02if you take it all with you!
0:23:13 > 0:23:17Very healthy for those that like it, one supposes.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21But the trouble with the outdoor life is that there's no convenience.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Yet many adore doing things out of doors
0:23:24 > 0:23:28that they could do much more comfortably at home. Look at them!
0:23:28 > 0:23:30No,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33give me decent meals, a good bed and a bath -
0:23:33 > 0:23:36when I want one!
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The summer of rediscovering each other.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43In shorts and shirts.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- #- If I held you on my knee
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- #- Oh, how happy I should be
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- #- Under the spreading chest...
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- #- Under the spreading chest...
0:23:58 > 0:24:02- #- If I held you on my knee
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- #- Oh, how happy I should be
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- #- Under the spreading...- #
0:24:07 > 0:24:11MIME SILENTLY
0:24:12 > 0:24:16At this time, the Great Depression was starting to affect the global economy.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Major steam ship lines saw their passenger lists dwindle.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24To keep their vessels employed, owners offered cruises as an alternative.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Holidaymakers could venture further afield than ever before.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Cruises were one long party,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41with the added attraction of visits to foreign ports
0:24:41 > 0:24:44and places that otherwise you couldn't hope to see.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Some advertised rates at only a pound a day.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53Suddenly, ship's officers found themselves comperes in one endless variety show,
0:24:53 > 0:24:58organising deck games, swimming galas and beauty contests.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02It was enough to make the Ancient Mariner turn in Davy Jones' locker!
0:25:02 > 0:25:05For romance, truly a happy hunting ground.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Not for nothing were shipping bureaux termed Cupid's agents!
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Yes, for a pound a day, it was certainly a full life while it lasted.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21But for millions in Europe and North America,
0:25:21 > 0:25:27the '30s were blighted by the effects of the worst economic depression in modern history.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30As the decade drew to a close, few realised
0:25:30 > 0:25:32that the years of suffering and austerity
0:25:32 > 0:25:35were about to be replaced by the still tougher privations
0:25:35 > 0:25:37of a second world war.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41I remember the theatrical garden party in London, that summer of 1939,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44mainly, I suppose, because it was destined to be the last
0:25:44 > 0:25:48in the warm, dog-day spirit of the pre-war peace.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Show business's last great gathering before the balloon and ENSA went up.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Emlyn Williams and Davy Burnaby.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Ivor Novello, Mary Pickford and Buddy Rogers.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Where did they all go from there?
0:26:05 > 0:26:09For this was the last summer before great and terrible change.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16And yet who would have guessed it that season, at that other garden party at Buckingham Palace
0:26:16 > 0:26:20or amid the colour of Ascot, the glory of Goodwood?
0:26:20 > 0:26:24All such things were to reappear after the grey years that lay ahead.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28But none would emerge quite the same.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35A hot, gorgeous summer,
0:26:35 > 0:26:41as though the gods, knowing what was coming, had decided, in pity, to give us a bonus.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47What do you see through the telescope?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Ships, yes. But beyond, outside your world?
0:26:51 > 0:26:56Yet, though you knew the die was cast, still you clung to peace.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Even in those last few precious minutes,
0:27:00 > 0:27:03before it finally and completely slipped away from you.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10To be lost in the sound of tired yet determined words.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16'I am speaking to you from the cabinet room of 10, Downing Street.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'This morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin
0:27:21 > 0:27:26'handed the German government a final note,
0:27:26 > 0:27:31'stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o'clock
0:27:31 > 0:27:37'that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40'a state of war would exist between us.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'I have to tell you now
0:27:44 > 0:27:47'that no such undertaking has been received
0:27:47 > 0:27:53'and that consequently, this country is at war with Germany.'
0:27:56 > 0:27:59AIR RAID WARNING SOUNDS
0:28:24 > 0:28:28# Somewhere the sun is shining
0:28:28 > 0:28:32# So, honey, don't you cry
0:28:32 > 0:28:36# We'll find a silver lining
0:28:36 > 0:28:40# The clouds will soon roll by. #
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd