0:00:04 > 0:00:07'I'm embarking on a new railway adventure,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10'that will take me across the heart of Europe.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:12I'll be using this,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel
0:00:20 > 0:00:21for the British tourist.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26'It told travellers where to go, what to see
0:00:26 > 0:00:29'and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks
0:00:29 > 0:00:31'criss-crossing the Continent.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'Now, a century later,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37'I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:37 > 0:00:42'where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:47I want to rediscover that lost Europe that, in 1913, couldn't know
0:00:47 > 0:00:51that its way of life would shortly be swept aside
0:00:51 > 0:00:52by the advent of war.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'Steered by my 1913 railway guide,
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'I've completed four illuminating journeys
0:01:14 > 0:01:16'through prosperous pre-war Europe.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21'Today's final leg will take me
0:01:21 > 0:01:25'to where that peaceful world was to be swept away.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29'I'll experience the dazzling cities of the pre-war Low Countries.'
0:01:29 > 0:01:33- £200,000? For one of these? - Absolutely.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35'Sampling the delicacies...'
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Feels like you want to take a bath in it, doesn't it?
0:01:37 > 0:01:38Yes, you would like to take a bath.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40'And meeting today's locals...'
0:01:40 > 0:01:45It's like a bible. It's like a railway bible.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48'..before reaching the French sector of the Western Front...'
0:01:48 > 0:01:49WHISTLE BLOWS
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'..where from 1914,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55the trains carried a new cargo - of artillery shells...'
0:01:55 > 0:01:59That's amazing. In two minutes, we laid five metres.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03'..and the Edwardian tourists were replaced by soldiers,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06'facing the horrors of the trenches.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:12He was one of the 72,000 people who never had a grave.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'This journey starts in Amsterdam,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'then takes me south, via The Hague, to Belgium.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33'I'll witness the decadence of fin de siecle in Brussels,
0:02:33 > 0:02:37'then visit Mons, where British troops first fought in 1914.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39'Then the French front line,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44'finishing in Compiegne, where four years of warfare came to an end.'
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I'm travelling along the first railway line ever built
0:02:50 > 0:02:53in the Netherlands and the view from my window is of
0:02:53 > 0:02:55the characteristically flat Dutch countryside,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59although without the thousands of windmills promised by my Bradshaw's.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01But Bradshaw's does say that,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03"Holland, which was once an extended swamp,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06"alternately covered by, and abandoned by, the sea,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08"presents the picture of a people
0:03:08 > 0:03:11"owing not only their wealth and high commercial position,
0:03:11 > 0:03:16"but even the very land to their own labour and enterprise."
0:03:16 > 0:03:20These were industrious and resourceful people,
0:03:20 > 0:03:22the sort that we British could admire.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35'This nation's achievements were showcased in Amsterdam, described
0:03:35 > 0:03:39'in my 1913 guide as "the commercial capital of Holland"
0:03:39 > 0:03:42'"and one of the great financial centres of Europe."
0:03:42 > 0:03:48'Its vast Centraal Station was the first advertisement to visitors
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'of the city's enterprising spirit.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Amsterdam Centraal Station is clearly built on the grand scale.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01With its enormous roof of glass and cast iron, it reminds me of many
0:04:01 > 0:04:04of the great termini of the United Kingdom.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05But what's different is,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08that whilst I arrived on a train from that direction,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I could leave on a train in that direction.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14'This is not a terminus, but a through route.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19'First opened in 1889, it linked the two main railway lines
0:04:19 > 0:04:22'running out of Amsterdam to the east and the west.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25'The site chosen for this new transport hub was the busy harbour
0:04:25 > 0:04:30'and, for the station's engineers, that posed a massive challenge.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32'Station worker Willem van Heijningen
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'knows how they overcame it.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:37This station is actually built over the sea?
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Yes, we're actually standing in the former harbour of Amsterdam.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43So how do you build on the sea?
0:04:43 > 0:04:45We had to make an island here.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50Fortunately, also, the canal to the sea was made, so a lot of sand
0:04:50 > 0:04:54came here, we put it here, but of course, that wasn't enough
0:04:54 > 0:04:57for the foundations, so they had to make piles into the ground,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01like you see over there.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04These are the piles which are under the station.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08There's more than 8,600 piles of these under the station.
0:05:08 > 0:05:118,600 of these wooden piles into the earth?
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Yes. For the English, it's normal to make railways.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16You founded that.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21For us, it is normal to make piles to foundation for houses and buildings.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25'It's extraordinary to think
0:05:25 > 0:05:29'that this magnificent edifice rested on simple wooden poles.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31'Arriving here in 1913,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'British tourists could enjoy the opulent facilities,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38'including a luxurious restaurant for first-class passengers.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'But I'm tearing myself away, to look for traces of the Amsterdam
0:05:45 > 0:05:46'that they would have seen.'
0:05:49 > 0:05:52My Bradshaw's tells me that - "The canals are very numerous,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56"and of the greatest utility in draining off the waters
0:05:56 > 0:05:59"and in facilitating the internal trade.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00"They are lined with trees,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03"which tend greatly to improve the country.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07"The traveller will find the occasional trip on the canals
0:06:07 > 0:06:09"an interesting experience."
0:06:09 > 0:06:12And it's one that I intend to enjoy, right now.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'Amsterdam's most famous canals date back to
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'the city's 17th-Century golden age,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20'and with over 60 miles of waterways to explore,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'I'm hitching a ride with lifelong local, Franck Hakkert.'
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- Franck.- Michael.- Hello. - Nice meeting you.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- Good to see you.- Come aboard. - Take that, sir.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32- Come aboard.- Very good.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34'Towards the end of the 19th century,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'new water routes linking Amsterdam to the sea
0:06:37 > 0:06:40'were constructed, heralding a fresh boom for the city.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45'In 1913, the grand canal-front houses belonged to rich merchants,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49'trading oil and other commodities from the Dutch East Indies.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'A boat like Franck's, which is 120 years old,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'would have been a familiar sight in the thriving harbour.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:57This sort of boat was used for what?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00This boat was called a parlevinker, in Dutch,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02there's no translation for that in English.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06But it was used to supply bigger sea boats with oil and grease.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10They were selling to the bigger boats. It was a shop on the water.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! That's so pretty.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Franck, Amsterdam is not designed for
0:07:26 > 0:07:28tall people standing in boats, is it?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30These bridges are very low.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Actually, I have hit my head myself once against the bridge.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35I ended up in hospital.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36Oh, my goodness.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39This is very, very low.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Not much headroom there.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- We're there. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53I had a nice trip.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'My boat ride has brought me to the south of the city.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01'When my 1913 railway guide was written,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04'this area was home to a community of artisans,
0:08:04 > 0:08:09'producing a luxury that bedazzled Europe's glamorous elite.'
0:08:09 > 0:08:12In this glittering city, my Bradshaw's points out that -
0:08:12 > 0:08:14"Among the arts or crafts practiced here,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17"that of diamond polishing should be mentioned.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22"The craft is mostly in the hands of Jews, employing several thousands."
0:08:22 > 0:08:26And the story of one particular gem made an Amsterdam name
0:08:26 > 0:08:28famous in Edwardian Britain.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32'Jews in Amsterdam had been cutting diamonds
0:08:32 > 0:08:36'since the 16th century and, in the 1900s, they were kept busy
0:08:36 > 0:08:41'by a flood of jewels from mines recently opened in South Africa.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44'There, in 1905, a stone was found
0:08:44 > 0:08:48'which was to make the Asscher Diamond Company universally famous.'
0:08:51 > 0:08:54- Hello, Michael. Nice to see you. - Hello. How good to see you.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58'Edward Asscher's family have run the firm for five generations.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03'A century ago, his grandfather shone in the story of the legendary
0:09:03 > 0:09:04'Cullinan diamond.'
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The Cullinan is a very famous diamond. Tell me about that.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12It's the biggest rough diamond ever found.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15It was found in the premier mine in South Africa,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and was given to the UK
0:09:19 > 0:09:23as a token of reconciliation after the Boer war.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27This is a copy of the original rough Cullinan.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31How rare is a diamond of this size and this quality?
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Never in history has a bigger diamond been found anywhere in the world.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42Still today, it's the largest rough diamond that we have known.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46'The flamboyant British king, Edward VII, was passionate
0:09:46 > 0:09:52'about diamonds, so the 3,106-carat Cullinan was the perfect gift.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54'But a highly-skilled cutter was needed
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'to transform the rough stone into jewels fit for royalty.'
0:09:59 > 0:10:03We were invited by the King to come to London
0:10:03 > 0:10:05and study the diamond.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09When the King decided we could polish it,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13they published in all the British and Dutch newspapers
0:10:13 > 0:10:16the story that they would send a destroyer
0:10:16 > 0:10:19with this, the biggest diamond in the world.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22But actually, my grandfather put it in his pocket
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and took the boat from Harwich to the Hook of Holland.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'This was the Asschers' biggest task yet.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'There was a tiny flaw at the centre of the diamond
0:10:34 > 0:10:37'and the first challenge was to cut it in two.'
0:10:38 > 0:10:41Here we have the tools of the Cullinan.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46You can see this is a footprint of the real rough Cullinan
0:10:46 > 0:10:48before the cleaving.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Sorry, you mean these tools were actually used to cut the Cullinan?
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- These are historic tools. - Indeed, they are.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01'A crowd gathered to watch Joseph Asscher cut the priceless stone.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:07My grandfather tried to cleave it with this.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10First, the blade broke in two pieces.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14'Having failed first time, Joseph sent away his audience,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16'and gathered his strength once again.'
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And then, with this original one, he held it like that,
0:11:20 > 0:11:26used a hammer to hit the diamond, then it was cleft in two pieces.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27What a responsibility.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31'Nine large and 96 smaller gems were cut from the stone,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'and the two biggest now form part of the British Crown Jewels,
0:11:34 > 0:11:39'set in the Imperial sceptre and the Imperial State Crown.'
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Is this the Cullinan here, is it?
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Yes, this a replica of the Imperial State Crown,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54in which the Cullinan two mounted here.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57All this is made of gold and diamonds,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00except, of course, this little stone.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'Amsterdam's diamond industry was crushed during the Second World War,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07'when the city's Jewish diamond cutters
0:12:07 > 0:12:08'were sent to the concentration camps.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13'Of Asscher's 500 workers, only 15 survived.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17'Among them were Edward's father and uncle,
0:12:17 > 0:12:22'who returned to Amsterdam and rebuilt the business from scratch.'
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Michael, here is a six-carat diamond.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30This shape we call a "brilliant", it's the most popular shape.
0:12:30 > 0:12:36And this six-carat diamond has a value of about £200,000.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- £200,000 for one of these?- Yes.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- Absolutely.- That's amazing.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46What makes it SO valuable?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50The cut, the colour, the clarity and the weight -
0:12:50 > 0:12:54what we call the four Cs - together decides the value of a diamond.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58'Today, the firm's skilled polishers still use techniques
0:12:58 > 0:13:01'that readers of my guidebook would have seen,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05'but some aspects of the business have changed dramatically.'
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Put the diamond in front of lens.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14And then we close it, so we can look at it on the computer.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15This is modern technology.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18If we would do this to the Cullinan,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21it would also show that we could improve on it.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Is it becoming more perfect?
0:13:24 > 0:13:28No, I don't think so. It is more efficient.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32But if you look at old diamonds that fetch a very high price,
0:13:32 > 0:13:38it's the beauty of it, it is the romance, it is the background
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and not only the technology.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50'I'm now leaving behind the bustling commercial centre of Amsterdam
0:13:50 > 0:13:54'to continue my journey in the footsteps of Edwardian tourists.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'To while away the train trip,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03'I'm sampling a traditional Dutch delicacy.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:06It's very important when travelling abroad to immerse yourself
0:14:06 > 0:14:10in the local culture. I'm about to do that big time.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14By eating raw herring.
0:14:14 > 0:14:20In case it's not smelly enough, it has then been dipped in raw onion.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26And then the important thing is to feed into your face this way.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Urgh. Oh!
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Absolutely overpowering.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43I'm hoping my next stop will be rather more to my taste.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47Because I'm bound for the home of Dutch politics, The Hague.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50My Bradshaw's tells me that The Hague -
0:14:50 > 0:14:53"Is a town of broad handsome thoroughfares,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56"with stately public buildings and houses.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58"It's the political capital of Holland,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02"the residence of the queen and the seat of government."
0:15:02 > 0:15:04I can already feel the pull of political power
0:15:04 > 0:15:07attracting me like a magnet.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'The Hague is still where you'll find the Dutch parliament, but
0:15:12 > 0:15:17'internationally, it's better known for its role in global politics.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21'The city rejoices to be the home of international peace and justice,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24'and the iconic symbol of that mission
0:15:24 > 0:15:28'is this majestic structure, which opened its doors in 1913.'
0:15:30 > 0:15:33I'm at the Peace Palace, towards whose cost my Bradshaw's
0:15:33 > 0:15:38tells me "Mr Carnegie gave £300,000."
0:15:38 > 0:15:41I'd like to know more about this multi-millionaire, who devoted
0:15:41 > 0:15:46his philanthropy, and his idealism, to finding alternatives to war.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51'Andrew Carnegie would have been well-known
0:15:51 > 0:15:52'to readers of my 1913 guidebook.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56'A British-born steel magnate, he began his career on the railways
0:15:56 > 0:15:59'and rose to being one of the richest men in the world.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'To learn about his connection with this awe-inspiring building,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07'I'm exploring the archives with
0:16:07 > 0:16:11'General Director of the Carnegie Foundation, Steven van Hoogstraten.'
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Steven, this is absolutely vast. What is in this great archive here?
0:16:16 > 0:16:21This is the collection of the Peace Palace library.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Basically, this is 22km of shelves for books,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29and we occupy something like 15 or 16. It's close to a million books.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32'The palace and its library were borne out of
0:16:32 > 0:16:34'an international peace movement
0:16:34 > 0:16:36'that flowered at the end of the 19th century.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'In that age of both fear and idealism,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41'many hoped that the march of civilisation could one day
0:16:41 > 0:16:46'put a stop to war, with the rule of global law replacing conflict.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48'Peace campaigners lobbied statesmen,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50'and, later, philanthropists,
0:16:50 > 0:16:51'to support their cause.'
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Why did Carnegie think of giving his money to a Peace Palace?
0:16:54 > 0:17:01Andrew Carnegie was a large steel producer, a very rich man,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04who decided at the age of 60 that he wanted to become
0:17:04 > 0:17:06a philanthropist and give his money away.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And he was approached by people who had participated
0:17:10 > 0:17:14in a big peace conference in The Hague in 1899.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17'The conference was an international meeting,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21'attended by heads of state, campaigners and journalists.'
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Here is a cartoon of all the nations
0:17:25 > 0:17:28that participated in the first conference.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33And this, the American president, a Turkish high representative,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35they don't give all the names here,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38but it is a rather funny get-together.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40And here I recognise, I think, Queen Victoria,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43- because this was just before her death.- Yeah.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46'At the conference, it was decided to create an
0:17:46 > 0:17:50'international court of arbitration to resolve disputes between nations.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54'Such an important institution required a suitably imposing home,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57'and Carnegie was rich enough to fund it.'
0:18:00 > 0:18:02This, Michael, is a copy of the cheque
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and it says that there is 1.5m
0:18:06 > 0:18:11that he makes available for the creation of the Peace Palace.
0:18:11 > 0:18:151.5m. My guidebook tells me £300,000,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18so the exchange rate was a great deal more favourable
0:18:18 > 0:18:19to the pound in those days.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24'Work began on the grand building in 1907.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26'It was completed six years later,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31'but by then, the storm clouds of war were gathering.'
0:18:31 > 0:18:33That is very poignant, isn't it?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Less than one year before WWI, the Peace Palace opened.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40That was one of the great disappointments of the people
0:18:40 > 0:18:41who worked in the Peace Palace
0:18:41 > 0:18:45and notably, Andrew Carnegie, was very depressed about that.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50'The Peace Palace is still home
0:18:50 > 0:18:52'to the 1899 Permanent Court of Arbitration.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57'With the International Criminal Court based nearby,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00'The Hague is uniquely a centre for global justice.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'But touring the Peace Palace gardens,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07'with my 1913 guidebook in hand,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12'it's poignant to recall how its founders' hopes, expressed
0:19:12 > 0:19:15'in this monumental architecture, were soon to be dashed.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36'A new day, and time to continue my voyage through the Low Countries,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38'guided by my railway handbook.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44'For me, this next leg carries a whiff of nostalgia.'
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Do you remember corridor trains like this?
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Where would the writers of romantic novels or murder mysteries
0:19:55 > 0:19:58have been without corridor trains?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00How I miss them.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02'I'm settling in for a two hour ride
0:20:02 > 0:20:05'which will take me across an international frontier.'
0:20:08 > 0:20:12This nice old-fashioned train is carrying me into Belgium.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15My Bradshaw's notes - "With narrow limits, easily travelled,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18"Belgium offers great attractions of
0:20:18 > 0:20:21"a wonderful, modern, industrial development.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26"Railways - 2,915 miles open, mostly belonging to the state."
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Belgium followed Britain in developing its railways,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34but here, the state planned the network, in sharp contrast
0:20:34 > 0:20:38to Britain's topsy-turvy, hell-for-leather,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40free market railway mania.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'When Belgium opened its first line in 1835,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'it was the pioneer in continental Europe.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53'With no local railway industry, the locomotives were imported -
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'built in Britain at the Stephenson Works.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02'As with us, the earliest lines were built for industry
0:21:02 > 0:21:04'but soon carried people, too.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08'In 1913, a journey on these tracks held the promise
0:21:08 > 0:21:11'of chance encounters and impromptu friendships,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14'and the same is true today.'
0:21:14 > 0:21:18Excuse me. The terrible thing about these trains with compartments
0:21:18 > 0:21:21is that the person next to you thinks they can talk to you.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23Have you noticed that?
0:21:23 > 0:21:24A little bit.
0:21:24 > 0:21:25THEY LAUGH
0:21:25 > 0:21:28In Britain, we no longer have these trains.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32We used to have them, but they make people more sociable.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35You know, when you've got the door and...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- It's a bit cosy.- A bit cosy, yeah.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41People used to share food. You haven't got any food, have you?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- I have chewing gum, if you'd like some.- No, no.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45THEY LAUGH
0:21:45 > 0:21:47No, thank you. Thank you.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49You have an interesting book.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54Ah, this is my 1913 guidebook,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57so this very nearly 100 years old.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- Very old! - You may hold it if you like.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05It looks a bit like a bible, like a railway bible.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09That's exactly what it is, it is a railway bible.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18'And my railway bible has brought me to Brussels, the Belgian capital.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21'I'm surprised to find that the city
0:22:21 > 0:22:25'gets a somewhat muted entry in my 1913 guide.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27'It says, "Consequent upon improvements,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'"very little of historic Brussels remains,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34'"nor are the local industries of great importance."
0:22:34 > 0:22:35'But more recently,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'the city's position and excellent transport links
0:22:38 > 0:22:42'have helped place it at the heart of European politics.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:46Bradshaw's comments that Brussels lacks a claim to fame,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49but that was before the European Union came to town.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53When I was a minister, I used to attend meetings in this building,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56but I was always unpopular, because I was the Eurosceptic.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So, after years of isolation and ostracism,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02it's good to visit Brussels today
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and sample what the tourists enjoy.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09'By 1913, like Britain, Europe's industrialised nations
0:23:09 > 0:23:13'had experienced an unprecedented period of peace and prosperity.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17'Belgium had grown rich on the profits of its African colony,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'the Congo, and the Brussels bourgeoisie enjoyed a privileged
0:23:21 > 0:23:26'lifestyle, shopping for luxury goods in the city's grand arcades.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'A century ago, in the glamorous Galerie de la Reine,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33'an enterprising businessman created a new delicacy.'
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Hello.- This is the most beautiful shop.- Thank you.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41- The smell of chocolate is amazing, isn't it?- Yes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Why are the Belgians famous for chocolate?
0:23:43 > 0:23:48Because we invented the bite-sized filled chocolate.
0:23:48 > 0:23:53The real first one was invented in 1912, exactly in this very shop.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59'Owner Jean Neuhaus had created the very first praline
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'a hard chocolate shell, with a soft creamy filling.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05'And a few years later, with his wife,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08'he invented the first special packaging.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10'The modern box of chocolates was born.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12So what are the most popular today?
0:24:12 > 0:24:16The most popular are the "les irresistible".
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Les irresistible, as we say in French. Those five here.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24"The irresistibles". Could I try one irresitible?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Of course! Which one?
0:24:26 > 0:24:30- I'll have a dark chocolate one. - Dark chocolate?- Yes, please.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- There you go. - Thank you very much, indeed.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Dear, oh, dear. Goodbye diet.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Fantastic.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45So creamy and crunchy at the same time.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50And dark chocolate. Wow. Irresistible indeed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'Soon the railways were helping to spread the fame
0:24:54 > 0:24:56'of Belgian chocolates across the world
0:24:56 > 0:25:00'and today, the country produces 320,000 tonnes a year.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05'It takes two years to qualify as a chocolatier, but I'm taking
0:25:05 > 0:25:09'a crash course, with the Brussels chocolate museum's Helene Verbeyst.'
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- Hello, Helene.- Hello, Michael.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14So, what are we going to do today?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Well, I will try to teach you a little bit about chocolate.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Splendid!
0:25:19 > 0:25:22'Helene demonstrates praline-making to tourists,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25'so I have an audience for my initiation.'
0:25:25 > 0:25:27You feel the consistency of the chocolate.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28It feels lovely.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Feels like you want to take a bath in it, doesn't it?
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Yes, you would like to take a bath.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36'The first step is to make the crisp chocolate shells,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39'by filling a mould with melted chocolate...'
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- Voila!- Voila!
0:25:41 > 0:25:44'..Then knocking out any air bubbles.'
0:25:44 > 0:25:47You can make more noise if you want.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Thank you, Helene.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Helene, the bubbles are coming out.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54'The perfect praline has a glossy, delicate shell,
0:25:54 > 0:25:55'and only the thinnest layer of chocolate
0:25:55 > 0:25:57'should be left in the mould.'
0:25:57 > 0:26:00You have to have a lot of trust for this. Here goes.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Whoa.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Voila. You need...
0:26:05 > 0:26:10- It's coming. - It's coming out. It's coming out.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Oh, you people of little faith.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16'After filling the shells with chocolate ganache,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19'the pralines are closed off with a final chocolate layer.'
0:26:19 > 0:26:23- And now scra-a-a-ape it off! - Very good.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27And scra-a-a-ape it off.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30They seem to have some holes in them.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32This is my signature.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35This is how people will know that it's a Portillo chocolate.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Voila! You did a very good job.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42'Despite the flaws, I'm pretty proud of my first attempt,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'but the proof of the praline is in the eating.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48'I've come to the Grand Place, which my guidebook tells me is,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'"The great historic spot of Brussels,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55'"often described as the finest medieval square in existence."
0:26:55 > 0:26:59'In 1913, as today, this was the tourist hotspot -
0:26:59 > 0:27:04'the perfect place to find some guinea pigs for my chocolates.'
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I wonder if you would like to try one of my chocolates.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08HE LAUGHS
0:27:08 > 0:27:09No, no. There's no catch.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13You've got the Portillo characteristic hole in the back.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15You think that hole's going to make a difference in the taste?
0:27:15 > 0:27:16I hope not.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18- Very nice, yeah.- Oh, good.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Something inside.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23Mmm.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25- Nice.- They're- OK? Hazelnut.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Really?
0:27:27 > 0:27:28HE LAUGHS
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I don't think that's what I put in it.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I didn't realise there was stuffing inside.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37- Oh, yeah.- It was good.- Would I give you a chocolate that wasn't stuffed?
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Did you notice any difference between that
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and a professional chocolate?
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Is there something wrong in it?
0:27:42 > 0:27:44No! I...I'm not very good at it, you see.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I don't believe you.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48THEY LAUGH
0:27:48 > 0:27:51You're a fine man. Thank you so much, sir. Thank you.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59'It's now time to consult my guidebook,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02'because I'm in need of a hotel for the night.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08'Edwardian readers could pick from 12 listed in my 1913 Bradshaw's,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11'and I've found one which is still going today.'
0:28:12 > 0:28:15My Bradshaw's is very helpful to the tourist.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18It recommends the Metropole Hotel
0:28:18 > 0:28:21because it has a lift and electric light.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23And an advertisement tells me that,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27"the rooms have telephone to foreign countries."
0:28:27 > 0:28:30What's more, my Bradshaw's has a handy list of phrases
0:28:30 > 0:28:34to help one out in hotels and I'm going to try them out now.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41'The palatial Metropole opened in 1894 and, stepping inside,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45'you can see why it was advertised as "the leading hotel in Belgium".
0:28:45 > 0:28:49'But while the fin de siecle atmosphere has survived intact,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53'travellers' needs have changed somewhat since 1913 -
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'so I'm not sure how Bradshaw's travellers' vocabulary
0:28:57 > 0:28:58'is going to go down.'
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- Bon soir, mademoiselle.- Bon soir.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32You weren't very surprised that I asked you for a footbath?
0:29:32 > 0:29:34I understood.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37We don't give this kind of service to the client,
0:29:37 > 0:29:38but everything is possible.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41We are trained to do our best for the clients!
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Thank you so much. You've been very helpful.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- I'm looking forward to staying here. - You're always welcome.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05After a night of five-star comfort,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09my 1913 Bradshaw's guide is leading me back to the tracks.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Mons, please.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14- Nine euros, please. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16And your tickets, there you are.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21I'm heading for a city with a special place in British hearts.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Ever since I was a boy at school, Mons has meant one thing -
0:30:26 > 0:30:31the First World War battle where the British were first engaged.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34And it seems weird, almost irreverent,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38that I can buy a railway ticket to such an epic place.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42For followers of my 1913 guidebook,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Mons was famous for a different reason.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49They would have known it as the country's economic powerhouse.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52During the 19th century, with the spread of its railways,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Belgium enjoyed enormous industrial growth,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57and my Bradshaw's notes that
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Mons is the centre of the Belgian coalfields,
0:31:00 > 0:31:03but just the year after my guidebook was written,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07the town was to acquire a fame and notoriety in world history
0:31:07 > 0:31:09that has not left it since.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- Bonjour, Monsieur.- Merci.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15'On the 4th of August 1914, Germany invaded neutral Belgium
0:31:15 > 0:31:18'and, the very same day, Britain declared war.'
0:31:20 > 0:31:22Within weeks, British troops were sent to Mons
0:31:22 > 0:31:25to try and help to hold back the Germans.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29The battle that ensued saw the first British casualties,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31and also the first acts of heroism.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Major Maurice French is the nephew of the officer
0:31:36 > 0:31:38who won the war's first Victoria Cross.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41- Maurice.- Morning, Michael.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44Your uncle Lieutenant Dease won his Victoria Cross
0:31:44 > 0:31:46at this very spot on this bridge?
0:31:46 > 0:31:48That is absolutely true, yes.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52Lieutenant Maurice Dease was just 24 when he was sent to fight.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54His regiment, the Royal Fusiliers,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58formed part of the British Expeditionary Force -
0:31:58 > 0:32:00100,000 regular soldiers
0:32:00 > 0:32:03who travelled on chartered trains and ships.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Tell me about his journey out to Belgium.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10They mobilised in the Isle of Wight, and they came by sea, of course,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13and then, they got in a train,
0:32:13 > 0:32:18and then, they arrived here on the evening of the 22nd of August,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21having detrained and then marched 20 miles.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25The German strategy was to sweep through Belgium at lightning speed,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28then move through France to capture Paris.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31In a bid to stop them, Lieutenant Dease and his comrades
0:32:31 > 0:32:34were ordered to defend the Mons-Conde Canal,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38placing their two machine guns on a railway bridge that crosses it.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40So what did your uncle do?
0:32:40 > 0:32:42My uncle Maurice was in a trench,
0:32:42 > 0:32:4550 yards, maybe, behind the two machine guns,
0:32:45 > 0:32:48and then he saw that one of the guns had stopped
0:32:48 > 0:32:52and so, he got out of his trench and he went forward,
0:32:52 > 0:32:57and he was hit, then. I think that was in the side or the shoulder.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01Soon after, Lieutenant Dease was called to the gun
0:33:01 > 0:33:03and wounded a second time.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06But, impressively, his bravery sustained him.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10As the battle continued and casualties mounted,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13Dease moved to control one of the guns himself.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18And I think he was about to do that when he was hit a third time
0:33:18 > 0:33:22and he, then, actually, died soon afterwards, after the third wound,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26but he had gone on for, maybe, two or three hours, although wounded,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30controlling his machine guns and doing everything he could.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35They believe that he died at about eleven o'clock that morning.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40Despite the courage of Lieutenant Dease and his men,
0:33:40 > 0:33:42the British were forced to withdraw.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47But not before the war's second Victoria Cross
0:33:47 > 0:33:50had been won by Dease's comrade, Private Godley,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54who, at the end, single-handedly defended the bridge.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Godley survived to tell the tale, but Dease's family was left with
0:33:58 > 0:34:02only the medal to commemorate his sacrifice.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07This is a replica which, in fact, looks exactly like the original.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10It's a wonderful thing, how do you feel about your uncle?
0:34:10 > 0:34:14Well, the family feel tremendous pride,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and I've got six children and 14 grandchildren.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22Really very proud to be part of the family
0:34:22 > 0:34:25whose ancestor got a Victoria Cross.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27The first of World War One.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29The very first of World War One, yeah.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Those first British soldiers had no clue
0:34:37 > 0:34:41how long the conflict would last and how much it was to change.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Having followed my 1913 guide through
0:34:49 > 0:34:51the glamorous pre-war Low Countries,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53I'm now continuing my journey
0:34:53 > 0:34:56to chart the course of that transformation.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59First, I'll explore the battlefields of the Somme,
0:34:59 > 0:35:01before heading west to Amiens,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03where the war turned in the Allies' favour,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06finishing at Compiegne, where the armistice was signed.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- Bonjour, monsieur.- Bonjour, merci.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12When do we reach France?
0:35:12 > 0:35:15- Quand est-ce qu'on arrive en France? - Tout de suite.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18- Midi six.- Midi six. C'est formidable, merci.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20- Merci.- Merci, bon voyage.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25We'll be in Lille in...12 minutes.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I've now crossed the border into France,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37and I'm changing trains in Lille.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48My 1913 Bradshaw's describes the city as,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51"an important manufacturing centre,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55"with a vast trade in linen, woollens, cotton, machinery, etc."
0:35:55 > 0:35:58Back then, this station was busy with freight trains bound for Paris,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01but they shared the line with British travellers
0:36:01 > 0:36:03exploring northern France.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I'm joining historian Heather Jones
0:36:06 > 0:36:08on board a local service to find out more.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10- Hello, Heather.- Hi, Michael.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Good to see you. I've been looking at my Bradshaw's guide and it says,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18"A special interest attaches to those parts nearest to England."
0:36:18 > 0:36:22"There's no wonderful scenery, but a country very like Kent or Surrey,
0:36:22 > 0:36:24"with constant suggestions of a common history."
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Were British travellers through northern France
0:36:27 > 0:36:29quite common already by 1913?
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Yes, they were. There'd been a massive increase in travel,
0:36:32 > 0:36:34so there were around 700,000 passengers,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36travelling either from Paris to London
0:36:36 > 0:36:38or from London to Paris by 1913.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40So, a huge volume of trade and tourism.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43What sort of comfort were they travelling in?
0:36:43 > 0:36:45It depended what class you were travelling in.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48For example, they had heated carriages, so it was quite warm,
0:36:48 > 0:36:50there was good suspension.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52However, the Baedeker guides warned passengers
0:36:52 > 0:36:54from the upper and middle classes
0:36:54 > 0:36:57not to travel third class on local French trains,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00as there were no cushions in the third-class carriages.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Edwardian tourists came for Picardy's beaches,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06peaceful countryside and historic towns,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09but soon the world they fell in love with
0:37:09 > 0:37:12would be rendered unrecognisable.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Edith Wharton travelled through this region before the war and wrote very movingly
0:37:16 > 0:37:20of the beautiful medieval villages that had been there for centuries,
0:37:20 > 0:37:24the old farmhouses that had been there for centuries. All of that's destroyed
0:37:24 > 0:37:26and, in fact, many of the First World War maps describe locations
0:37:26 > 0:37:29as 'such and such a farm' because that's what was there,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33and had been there for centuries, and it's obliterated by shellfire.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34By the end of 1914,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38the railway line itself had become a casualty of conflict.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42When the war came, it obviously destroyed this particular line that
0:37:42 > 0:37:44we're travelling on, which was the main line from Paris
0:37:44 > 0:37:48up through Arras and going on either to the French coast or to Lille,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52and, in fact, the old Western Front went right across this line and many
0:37:52 > 0:37:56of the areas of this line were shelled and badly damaged in the war.
0:37:56 > 0:37:57After the Battle of Mons,
0:37:57 > 0:38:02British and French troops were forced to retreat 200 miles south,
0:38:02 > 0:38:03but they soon fought back,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07and the battle lines gradually moved north towards the Channel.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11Soon, the two sides faced each other across no-man's-land
0:38:11 > 0:38:14in a line of trenches that stretched 400 miles,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16from the Flanders coast to the Swiss border.
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- Bye-bye, Heather.- It's great to meet you.- Thank you so much. Bye-bye.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24I'm leaving the train at Albert,
0:38:24 > 0:38:28a small town which found itself on the Allied side of the front line.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35When we think of the Western Front,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38of this landscape transformed by war,
0:38:38 > 0:38:42we think of barbed wire and trenches and mud and annihilation.
0:38:42 > 0:38:48But another novelty in the landscape was railways, the tracks of war.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54The First World War saw railways
0:38:54 > 0:38:57play a bigger role in battle than ever before.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Millions of troops were moved by train
0:38:59 > 0:39:03and temporary lines were built, to supply the trenches.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06The fields around Albert were criss-crossed with
0:39:06 > 0:39:11miles of narrow gauge tracks and, remarkably, one line has survived.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17This is the P'tit train de la Haute Somme,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20which is now run as a heritage service,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23complete with an authentic 1916 steam locomotive.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29I'm taking a ride with curator David Blondin.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37David, who was it who built this railway?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40So this railway was built by the French and British army,
0:39:40 > 0:39:44just before the Battle of the Somme.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46Were there a lot of these railways built?
0:39:46 > 0:39:52Yes. In this area, just between February and June 1916,
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- they built about 300km of line. - That's a lot of railway.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58They were obviously building very, very quickly.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02Along the Western Front,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06light railways like this were used extensively, by both sides.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08With bad roads and a shortage of motor vehicles,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11they were an essential connection
0:40:11 > 0:40:14between the permanent railway network and the front line.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19Was the purpose of the railway to carry munitions or men?
0:40:19 > 0:40:21It was to carry munitions.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26On this line, they carried up to 1,500 tonnes of ammunition in a day,
0:40:26 > 0:40:32so they need all the trains to carry ammunition and not to carry troops.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35They go by foot.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Once the war was over, most of the tracks were removed,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41but one line was kept in use by a local sugar factory.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45In the 1970s, the factory switched to road transport,
0:40:45 > 0:40:48but a short stretch was saved by local enthusiasts.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Do you feel sad that of all the hundreds of kilometres that there
0:40:52 > 0:40:56used to be, only a couple of kilometres are preserved?
0:40:56 > 0:40:58No. I can say I'm happy.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Of course, it's not a lot, if you compare it to several hundred
0:41:01 > 0:41:03that were built during the war.
0:41:03 > 0:41:06We wish to preserve two kilometres and we need to keep it.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Well, congratulations, because it is a very historic railway.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13The advantage of the lightweight 60cm gauge
0:41:13 > 0:41:18used for the trench trains was the phenomenal speed at which new lines
0:41:18 > 0:41:23could be built, thanks to the simple system of pre-fabricated tracks.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26So, David, these are the sorts of instant railway
0:41:26 > 0:41:29that they used in the First World War, are they?
0:41:29 > 0:41:34Yes. They used this piece of track to build railways during the war.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38And how quickly could they build railways with these instant kits?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40So, before the Battle of the Somme,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43they can built about one kilometre per day with a team.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47That's pretty good progress, isn't it? Shall we have a go?
0:41:47 > 0:41:48- Yes.- OK.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07Well, that's amazing.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11In, what, about two minutes, we laid five metres.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Shall we see if we can be quicker next time?
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Yes, we can try.
0:42:15 > 0:42:16Allez!
0:42:18 > 0:42:22So doing this for five minutes, with four strong friends,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26on a pleasant summer's afternoon has been tough enough,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30but just imagine doing this hour after hour in all weathers,
0:42:30 > 0:42:32as the soldiers did in 1916,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36and then preparing for going over the top, for battle.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43The soldiers who built these tracks
0:42:43 > 0:42:47were preparing for one of the war's most famous battles.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50Launched in 1916, the Somme offensive was a bid
0:42:50 > 0:42:53to break the stalemate of trench warfare.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59And in these fields, hundreds of thousands of troops
0:42:59 > 0:43:02confronted death on an industrial scale.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11Just up the road from Albert stands a towering testament
0:43:11 > 0:43:13to the magnitude of that loss.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Nothing prepares you for the size of the Thiepval monument.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25And yet, its enormity is not in any way triumphalist.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29It is, in a strange way, humble.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Its scale is entirely to do with
0:43:31 > 0:43:34the massive sacrifice that was made here.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40Thiepval is the biggest of all the First World War memorials
0:43:40 > 0:43:42on the Western Front.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens,
0:43:44 > 0:43:48it commemorates the names of over 72,000 men,
0:43:48 > 0:43:51whose bodies were never recovered.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Ever since it opened in 1932,
0:43:54 > 0:43:57families have come here to remember their dead.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59I'm meeting David Locker,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02whose uncle's name is engraved on its walls.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- David, hello. - Michael, good morning to you.
0:44:07 > 0:44:10So, it's your uncle who was killed at the Battle of the Somme.
0:44:10 > 0:44:11What was his name?
0:44:11 > 0:44:14It is, indeed. It's my uncle, Bernard Locker.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18There's no-one in the family knew much about Uncle Bernard, at all.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21I knew very little until, perhaps, 12 years ago.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26David's grandmother shared little of the pain of losing her son.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30It wasn't until David was clearing out his aunt's home
0:44:30 > 0:44:32that he discovered the story.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37At the back of the garage was an old Victorian sideboard.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41Knowing that the Victorians used to put things in, like, secret drawers,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45we managed to get the whole front of the sideboard open,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47which turned out to be a huge drawer.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51Inside it was a large, brown paper parcel and a box.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55We didn't know at first whether we'd come across the crown jewels
0:44:55 > 0:44:57or what we'd come across!
0:44:57 > 0:45:01But it turned out to be a whole pile of information on Uncle Bernard.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06Uncle Bernard's entire life had been kept in a secret drawer?
0:45:06 > 0:45:09It was Grandma's own little memory box.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16What do you know about Bernard now?
0:45:16 > 0:45:22Well, Bernard was 19. He actually joined the army when he was 18.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25He was a bandsman and he was put into the battalion band.
0:45:25 > 0:45:30And, eventually, of course, they were brought to the front line.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33He was actually in France for a period of three weeks.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38Eleven days of that, he actually spent at the front.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42Bernard had arrived just as the Battle of the Somme
0:45:42 > 0:45:44was drawing to a close.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47His personal letters document the experience shared by
0:45:47 > 0:45:51many novice soldiers, of reaching the front and preparing to fight.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55Letters from his training camp.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58That's the letter that he wrote on the train
0:45:58 > 0:46:01travelling from Blythe down to Folkestone.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04This is a letter once he got into France
0:46:04 > 0:46:09and was then travelling down by train from the French coast,
0:46:09 > 0:46:11down to his base camp here.
0:46:11 > 0:46:15This is his last letter prior to going down to the line.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Just a week before the battle ended,
0:46:18 > 0:46:21Bernard was sent out to occupy a German trench.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23Battalion records reveal that,
0:46:23 > 0:46:27whilst the mission was initially successful,
0:46:27 > 0:46:28the Germans soon returned.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Bernard was never seen again.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Do you know how your grandmother took the death?
0:46:34 > 0:46:36She, quite honestly, didn't believe it.
0:46:36 > 0:46:38He'd, literally, just been reported as missing.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42No-one knew whether he'd been taken prisoner or whether he was dead.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46She eventually received notification from the British Red Cross.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52Bernard was one of over 400,000 British casualties of the Somme -
0:46:52 > 0:46:57some 60,000 having been killed, injured or taken prisoner
0:46:57 > 0:46:59on the first day alone.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03Bernard's mother never saw his name on this extraordinary memorial,
0:47:03 > 0:47:08but for his family, it remains an important connection with the past.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12Bernard Locker, under the East Yorkshire Regiment.
0:47:13 > 0:47:14- Yep.- Halfway down.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Killed in the High Wood area,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19which was round about five miles due east of here.
0:47:21 > 0:47:22He was one of the...
0:47:24 > 0:47:29..72,000 people who never had a grave.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35"I now conclude with sending my love to all.
0:47:35 > 0:47:40"Don't worry, I'm all right, and now I'll tell you all goodnight.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43"Your loving son, Bernard."
0:47:43 > 0:47:45And he signs off with 22 kisses.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49- The last letter.- The last letter.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08It's now time for me to explore further this region's past.
0:48:15 > 0:48:16My next stop is Amiens,
0:48:16 > 0:48:19whose cathedral, my Bradshaw's tells me,
0:48:19 > 0:48:22"is one of the magnificent gothic monuments of France,
0:48:22 > 0:48:25"the facade being especially admired,"
0:48:25 > 0:48:28and it attracted British soldiers on recreational breaks,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31perhaps wanting to feast their eyes on beauty
0:48:31 > 0:48:33and to renew their spirits,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36before returning to the mud and gore of the trenches.
0:48:38 > 0:48:43My 1913 guidebook describes Amiens as the chief town of the departmente
0:48:43 > 0:48:45de la Somme, the ancient capital of Picardy,
0:48:45 > 0:48:50and for Edwardian tourists, its rich history was a huge draw.
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Item one on their itinerary was the 800-year-old cathedral,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57whose lofty spire still dominates the skyline.
0:48:57 > 0:49:02I'm taking a tour with Xavier Bailly from the local heritage service.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- Xavier, lovely to see you. - Glad to meet you.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13Xavier, this is the most spectacular cathedral.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15My guidebook tells me that it's one of the great
0:49:15 > 0:49:18Gothic monuments of France. Is that so?
0:49:18 > 0:49:22That's true. We are in the largest Gothic cathedral
0:49:22 > 0:49:27built during the medieval ages, built during the 13th century.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30And the guidebook also talks about the loftiness, that is to say
0:49:30 > 0:49:34the height of the nave, that's very remarkable here.
0:49:34 > 0:49:40Yes. Yes, we have the vault at 42 metres high.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43The nave is the highest in the world.
0:49:46 > 0:49:50But with the advent of war, Amiens became a target.
0:49:50 > 0:49:51It was a key railway junction,
0:49:51 > 0:49:55of vital strategic importance to the Allied forces,
0:49:55 > 0:50:01and its citizens went to extreme lengths to defend their cathedral.
0:50:01 > 0:50:08We protected, outside and inside, the treasures with sandbags,
0:50:08 > 0:50:11something like 22,000 sandbags -
0:50:11 > 0:50:1716,000 outside, and the rest inside.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Who was putting out these sandbags?
0:50:20 > 0:50:24Local companies worked to protect the cathedral,
0:50:24 > 0:50:28but it was a general enterprise for everybody,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31probably the local inhabitants,
0:50:31 > 0:50:36and probably British soldiers included in that works.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40Amiens faced its greatest test in the summer of 1918.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43German forces had launched a big offensive,
0:50:43 > 0:50:47bringing the front line right to the city's edge
0:50:47 > 0:50:49and, in August of that year,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Britain joined France in a major counterattack.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55At the end of World War One, there's a big battle for Amiens
0:50:55 > 0:50:59as the Allies begin their advance towards Germany.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01The cathedral survives that, as well?
0:51:01 > 0:51:07Yes, because everything was made to protect Amiens, especially with
0:51:07 > 0:51:13the help of the British troops and the British commonwealth armies.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17The tide had finally turned in the Allies' favour.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19After four years of conflict,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22the end was in sight for the thousands of soldiers
0:51:22 > 0:51:26who'd sought solace in this magnificent cathedral.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31I have to show you the weeping angel.
0:51:31 > 0:51:37It's a symbol of the pain of the war for British soldiers.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39They used to come here and see this?
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Yes. Postcards were produced during the war
0:51:43 > 0:51:48and, especially, this one with the weeping angel,
0:51:48 > 0:51:54and soldiers sent home all over the world
0:51:54 > 0:51:59these postcards showing a crying baby.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02Symbolising the suffering of the war?
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Yes. So much pain.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15The role that British Empire troops played in protecting Amiens
0:52:15 > 0:52:19is commemorated in the cathedral and tourists come here
0:52:19 > 0:52:22to contemplate the suffering of their forebears.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27Excuse me. I noticed you admiring the weeping angel.
0:52:27 > 0:52:28What does it do for you?
0:52:28 > 0:52:30I think the face is very sad.
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Of course, if you go and look at all the things in the Somme,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36it's quite an amazing place to visit,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39but it's also quite sad, very traumatic.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41This is an amazing cathedral.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43It is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45I'll leave you to your contemplation.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47- Thank you.- Thank you. - Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- Merci, madame.- Merci.
0:53:00 > 0:53:0240 centimes, s'il vous plait.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05- Voila.- Merci.- Merci.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08I'm taking my own souvenir of the weeping angel with me
0:53:08 > 0:53:10as I say goodbye to Amiens.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12With my 1913 Bradshaw's in hand,
0:53:12 > 0:53:17I'm embarking on the last leg of my extensive European journey.
0:53:18 > 0:53:22Bonjour. Compiegne, deuxieme classe, aller simple, s'il vous plait.
0:53:22 > 0:53:26- Pour le prochain depart, monsieur? - Le prochain depart, oui.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27- Je vous remercie.- Merci.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30- Voila, monsieur.- Au revoir. - Bonne journee, au revoir.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33The battle of Amiens,
0:53:33 > 0:53:37from which the cathedral was so mercifully spared,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40came shortly before the end of the First World War.
0:53:40 > 0:53:41I'm now bound for the place
0:53:41 > 0:53:44where the conflict was officially terminated.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48I'm attracted by the fact that the armistice had
0:53:48 > 0:53:51a bizarre railway connection,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54one that my Bradshaw's could not have foreseen,
0:53:54 > 0:53:57when it pointed travellers towards the forest of Compiegne.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03In 1913, Compiegne was known as a spa town,
0:54:03 > 0:54:05surrounded by peaceful woodland.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08But five years later, it was to make history.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13By November 1918, the Allied offensive
0:54:13 > 0:54:16had delivered a series of blows to the German forces.
0:54:16 > 0:54:21The Allies had held secret talks to decide the terms of an armistice.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24All that remained was to get the Germans to sign.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28The venue chosen for that fateful meeting was a train carriage,
0:54:28 > 0:54:31in a remote glade in the Compiegne forest.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35Battlefield tour guide Robert Gallagher knows the story.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38- Robert, hello. - Good afternoon, Michael.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Robert, how did it come to be
0:54:40 > 0:54:42that the armistice at the end of World War One
0:54:42 > 0:54:46was signed in a railway carriage at this very spot?
0:54:46 > 0:54:50Well, the railway carriage was mobile headquarters that belonged to the
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Allied Commander in Chief, the French general, Marshal Foch.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56And was this wagon part of a train?
0:54:56 > 0:55:01Yes. The carriage was actually a dining car-come-office,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04but there were sleeping arrangements - sleeping cars -
0:55:04 > 0:55:08and other offices for the vast staff that a general would be entitled to,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12so I believe there were about seven cars, in total.
0:55:16 > 0:55:17Far from prying eyes
0:55:17 > 0:55:22and with easy railway access, thanks to lines built to supply the front,
0:55:22 > 0:55:26the Compiegne forest was the perfect place for the rendezvous.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30On the 8th of November 1918, the German delegation
0:55:30 > 0:55:33was invited into the carriage to discuss the terms.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35So eventually, the Germans had to sign?
0:55:35 > 0:55:40Yes. At ten past five on the morning of the 11th of November,
0:55:40 > 0:55:45they signed the armistice, which was to last for 36 days.
0:55:45 > 0:55:49- And it came into effect? - It came into effect six hours later,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53at eleven o'clock on the 11th day of the 11th month.
0:55:53 > 0:55:58Although few expected it at the time, that temporary ceasefire held
0:55:58 > 0:56:01and the armistice wagon was, in 1927,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04returned to the forest as a permanent memorial.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08But that wasn't the end of its role in world history.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13On the 22nd of June 1940,
0:56:13 > 0:56:17Adolf Hitler personally arrived in this very place,
0:56:17 > 0:56:22and he had his troops drag the carriage out of the halt
0:56:22 > 0:56:27to the same spot where the armistice had taken place in 1918,
0:56:27 > 0:56:32and there, he took the surrender of the French army.
0:56:32 > 0:56:38He then had his army cut down all the trees, rip up all the landscaping,
0:56:38 > 0:56:42and he left the statue of Foch still standing,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45to oversee a scene of desolation.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47And the railway carriage, then?
0:56:47 > 0:56:50The railway carriage was taken back to Berlin
0:56:50 > 0:56:52where it was put on exhibition
0:56:52 > 0:56:55and, then, in 1945, it was destroyed,
0:56:55 > 0:56:59either during a bombing raid or deliberately, by the SS.
0:56:59 > 0:57:00The stories differ.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Today, this clearing is a place of pilgrimage,
0:57:03 > 0:57:08where people come to commemorate the seismic events that culminated here.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11What had happened by the armistice of 1918
0:57:11 > 0:57:15to the Europe of my Bradshaw's guide of 1913?
0:57:15 > 0:57:19Well, all the kingdoms, all the Tsardoms,
0:57:19 > 0:57:22all the empires, had disappeared.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27The Austrian-Hungarian had signed an armistice the month before.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31Now, we have the Kaiser, the German emperor, Wilhelm,
0:57:31 > 0:57:35who had abdicated the day before the signing of the armistice
0:57:35 > 0:57:38and had fled to the Netherlands.
0:57:38 > 0:57:40- All gone?- All gone.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51My 1913 Bradshaw's has shown me the Continent
0:57:51 > 0:57:54through the eyes of the Edwardian traveller,
0:57:54 > 0:57:58gliding through the glamorous cities of Paris, Berlin or Vienna,
0:57:58 > 0:58:01or drinking up the natural beauties
0:58:01 > 0:58:03of the Swiss mountains or the French Riviera.
0:58:03 > 0:58:08The readers of my guidebook inhabited a charmed universe,
0:58:08 > 0:58:12whose progress and comforts seemed unassailable.
0:58:12 > 0:58:17Yet, just a year later, Bradshaw's Europe was derailed by war.
0:58:17 > 0:58:21That conflict was brought to an end in a railway carriage,
0:58:21 > 0:58:23for whether, in peace or war,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26railways shaped the destiny of the world.
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Subt2itles by Red Bee Media Ltd