Foreign Fields Doctors

IMAGINARY GUNFIRE

TANNOY: Passengers are reminded that smoking is not allowed

anywhere inside the airport terminal.

Bellamy.

Sergeant Hugh Wilson Bellamy.

My great grandfather.

'It was France, the Western Front.

'Early in the war, his regiment had been part of a major offensive

'but the Germans had counter-attacked, in force.'

And Hugh deserted his post?

That's the inference from the military association. One line.

"It is believed..." - believed -

"that Hugh Bellamy fled the battlefield."

So who was the witness?

There wasn't any.

Hugh was a career soldier. 20 years he served in the Boer War.

Re-enlisted in 1914, one of the first to the colours.

I just can't believe that he would be the kind of man who would...

that he was a coward.

But he never faced a court-martial?

He went missing in action the same day.

In a way, that's worse - damned by association.

At least in a court martial he would have been able to speak for himself.

Look, I can understand why you'd want to clear his name

but I can't understand what I can do for you.

I've read your books. You've pieced together some fair mysteries.

Rwanda, Srebrenica.

You've allowed those people to tell their stories.

I'm a forensic pathologist.

I wasn't just completing a narrative.

I know. But in finding those people, finding out what happened to them,

you restored them back to history.

That's why I want you to help me find Hugh Bellamy.

Needles and haystacks don't even come into it.

With places like Srebrenica, we had a concentrated search area.

But with the Western Front...

I know.

Over the years, I've always wondered about the location -

the last place where Hugh could have been.

So I did an internet search

based on the location of the regiment when the Germans attacked.

The only reference to him

I could find always came back to the regimental account,

placing him here.

Now if he was fleeing from the Germans, he would have headed west.

So the next thing I did - I tried something different.

Along with "Hugh Bellamy", I cross-referenced buildings,

-churches, prominent features.

-Must have taken some time.

No kidding. But that came up with a blank.

Then I found this name.

La Figalle.

So I typed in "La Figalle", with "Hugh Bellamy".

And in the search results...

I found this had been uploaded.

It's the memoirs of Lieutenant Joshua Wise.

Wise was a Captain in the Indian Corps.

From the memoirs, I think the last people to have seen

Hugh Bellamy alive were Wise and his NCO.

Zulman?

We haven't got a relative called Zulman.

Great-grandfather?

Yeah, sure, send over the e-mail.

TANNOY: 'This is the final call for all passengers

'wishing to travel on flight EF32 to Berlin. Please proceed to gate 17.'

Mr Bellamy?

Zainab?

Great to finally meet you.

See you've brought your copy.

Not that I don't know it by heart already.

Can I get you a coffee?

Thanks, but I'm fasting.

Feel I've really gotten to know him.

-Zulman?

-Joshua Wise.

'France was a shock for the men, not least the weather.

'We'd exchanged the heat of the Punjab

'for a European Winter. Uniforms were inadequate,

'thick serge was needed but these wouldn't reach us for many months.

'Our own rations had yet to reach us and food was home army issue

'and for Indian palettes, almost inedible.

'The combination of climate and diet created illness.

'But with the coming offensive,

'we needed the men to demonstrate determination and fortitude.

'In that, we were fortunate to have outstanding NCOs,

'not least Zulman Choudry.'

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

Lance-daffadar, very good. Carry on.

'We had enjoined the timeless lot of the soldier.

'the wait before the call to battle.'

-You were a soldier?

-My original career.

-Did you fight?

-Active service? Yes.

We had some tough times, but nothing like what they went through.

The weather, the conditions, the casualties.

Isn't it awful how people can just disappear?

When I found out about Zulman that he was 25,

had a wife, children, was well thought of

and that he didn't make it back,

I really wanted to know what happened to him.

Then you got to the missing pages.

Doctor Jukes says you haven't been able to find them.

We've checked and checked online.

Even managed to track down their foreman from the building

-site where the originally memoirs were found.

-No?

Don't shoot!

The Indian Expeditionary Force attacked here, to the south.

That movement was intended as a pincer movement,

to cut off the German salient here.

The northern arm of the pincer were British.

-Including Hugh's regiment?

-The Bradford Fusiliers.

But the Germans counter-attacked

with massive force, pushing them back.

So thousands of men were scattered all over the battlefield?

Yeah, it was chaos.

Formations broken, chain of command gone

and with the Germans advancing all around...

'Of my troop, Zulman and I were among the few survivors.

'I was wounded by shrapnel in the thigh.

'I ordered the men to scatter, but Zulman refused to leave me.

'Many times I have wished I had insisted he go.

'But I know Zulman would have felt obliged to disobey.

'Every moment, we were looking to be caught, overrun, then we saw him.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

-Don't shoot!

-Who are you?

Bellamy, Sergeant Hugh Bellamy, Bradford Fusiliers.

Where are your men?

-They're dead.

-Your officers?

I thought he may have been a deserter.

I had heard of officers being shot by the desperate.

But his story was like our own.

We hadn't thought such losses possible.

But my men and brother officers had died around me.

Stand down.

Sahib.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

He says the barn.

We saw a barn back there. We should go there.

Wouldn't it be better to stay in the open, sir?

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

We've seen men gunned down without question.

If they find us, they'll gun us down in there.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

-He could have run off.

-Who?

-Hugh.

He could have left Wise and Zulman and continued on his own.

But Wise was the officer.

But he didn't give Hugh any direct orders. In fact,

"I told Sergeant Bellamy that I absolved him...'

'...from any consideration of my rank.'

'He could do as he thought fit.'

The barn.

-Bellamy you don't have...

-If you say the barn, sir.

Sahib.

Come on.

Was it the right decision?

To go into the barn?

I was 2IC of an operation in Armagh.

We had intel on a weapons cache, in an old cottage.

As we were going in, somebody opened up on us with an ArmaLite.

But we managed to hold that place for ten hours.

But Wise and Zulman didn't have a cache of ammunition.

And the Germans had reached the farm.

GROANING

They're near.

Sir? Sir?

'Had I taken the decision to make for the barn for my own reasons?

'I was weary - the wound was giving pain.'

Sir - your orders?

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

What's he saying?

The hay.

Hide? Hide?

Hide, yes!

Well, better be quick about it.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

Must have been horrible.

Lying there, hoping that the Germans wouldn't come.

They knew they were coming.

TANNOY: Flight EF174 to Paris now boarding at Gate 3.

That's us.

GUNFIRE

'I prayed.

'And I thought it had been answered.'

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

I know I'm asking a lot.

But I know you're taking your students to excavate here.

-Howard.

-I realise...

The dig is by the archaeology department - we're only just there.

It's not that far.

Hugh and Zulman - we could finish their stories too.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

'It looked as if Zulman's forbearance had saved us.

'In that landscape of desecration and under the heavy stink of fear,

'the hay possessed all the sweetness of summer.

'For a moment, there was beauty in the world.'

So now we know they survived the search of the barn.

We know that Wise was a prisoner of war

in a German military hospital.

So how come Wise was the only survivor?

There's no mention in his memoirs.

He talks about his convalescence, being transferred to a camp,

coming back to England. But whatever happened to Hugh and Zulman

is in these missing pages.

And whatever happened, happened in the vicinity of Figalle.

Zainab.

You look lovely.

Let me.

-How's the menu?

-In French. How's yours?

Also in French.

Bonsoir.

Well, I know I'm safe with steak-frites.

And me with the salad.

It's dark. We should go, sir.

Shouldn't we make sure that the patrol has moved on?

They might come back if they need shelter.

I would imagine that their orders would be to keep advancing.

I would...suggest we wait a little longer.

Sir.

Iftar.

-Eh?

-Zulman is a Mohammedan.

It's Ramadan - when they fast during daylight.

They break the fast at nightfall with the Iftar meal.

It's an honour to be offered first.

Thank you.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

If I get the gist, amen to that!

-Mmm!

-Mmm.

'The sharing of Iftar was a moment of peace, together.

'It felt that there was something benign, some power,

'which had taken us in its hands.'

-That's so thoughtful, merci.

-De rien.

It's Ramadan.

The traditional way to end the day's fast is with a date.

-So are you religious?

-I was brought up that way.

Moved away from it a bit at university and in my twenties.

But I've always celebrated Ramadan.

-Fasted?

-Sneaked the odd latte. How about you?

I'm more of an espresso man myself!

I meant are you religious?

I was christened and confirmed, so I suppose I'm C of E, by default.

But I've never really been religious.

Except...

Except?

Well, they say there's no atheists on a battlefield.

HE SPEAKS HIS OWN LANGUAGE

Do you have a faith?

I attended church as a boy. Lapsed a little as an apprentice.

Church parade?

No choice there.

But the burials, when we CAN bury them...

How about you, sir?

Me?

Do you believe?

Yes.

But my belief...stops short of the Gospels.

I'm a Jew.

So what about you? You've done all right for yourself -

head of IT, international firm.

I originally wanted to go into research.

-Computing?

-Had a place for a PhD in the States.

So why didn't you go?

There was um...something else, at the time. Didn't work out.

Fancy a drink in the bar?

Big day tomorrow.

-Yeah, sorry.

-I know.

My drink would have been a boring orange juice, anyway.

I don't think boring applies.

-Good night.

-Night.

Ready?

Sergeant.

Sir.

Right, close order. Good luck.

Doctor Jukes!

-It's got to be him!

-We've just taken the DNA.

-But the buttons - you said they were Bradford Fusiliers?

-We also found a paybook.

-And?

-It was pretty damaged.

But there was some writing that was legible, including his name.

But there were two of them? Did you find...?

We've already matched the DNA from the great-grandaughter, Zainab.

Thank you. Thank you.

This is where Zulman was found.

And Hugh - we found over there.

They're quite far apart.

I suppose the shelling must have churned up the ground.

Actually, this area was mostly behind the lines later in the war.

That's why the remains were...intact and we were able to locate them.

I had a feeling - I knew they would be near to the barn

but you must have...

-We had an expert witness.

-Are those the missing pages?

Where did you find them?

-Zainab.

-Me?

I contacted the Jewish Military Museum.

They didn't have any records of a Joshua Wise.

Nor did the Imperial War Museum.

Then I remembered you suggesting checking the IP address

for the upload of Wise's memoirs.

Tel Aviv?

Joshua's great-granddaughter, Chava.

She wanted to mark the centenary of the war...

..by putting his memoirs online.

But she didn't have the missing pages?

When the family found out what we were doing,

they searched through everything.

They found them...

..in a box of things from Joshua's desk.

So, what happened to Joshua?

He died in 1971.

So what happened in the end?

'They made some distance from the barn, taking care.

'If they'd known it, Allied troops in their sector had stalled

'the German counter-attack and were only half a mile away.

'But that meant the patrol who had searched the barn

'had been forced back.

'They had bedded down for the night and posted sentries.

'It was one of those that they disturbed.'

GUNSHOT

SENTRY SHOUTS IN GERMAN

HE SPEAKS TO SOLDIER IN SOLDIER'S OWN LANGUAGE

GUNFIRE CONTINUES

GUNSHOT

HE GROANS AND PANTS

'We hadn't sought the engagement

'and it was only by chance and his own inclination

'that Sergeant Bellamy was with us.

'He glanced back...

'..and then he charged.'

GUNSHOTS RING OUT

'It was a charge of naked courage,

'in defiance of greater odds,

'in defence of his comrades.

'He met his end a true soldier...

'..and in my mind...'

..he charges still.

Joshua thought the Germans were going to finish him off.

But they took him prisoner.

He came back here, after the war.

In 1919

and in 1925

and in 1929.

He never stopped trying to find Hugh and Zulman.

Now he has.

They're next to each other.

Do you mind?

No.

I just didn't expect them to be touching.

I mentioned to Zainab that when men were killed together in a trench,

the headstones were often placed touching, to signify their unity.

She thought that as Hugh and Zulman

had spent their last few hours together...

..and fell together...

Good call.

"At the going down of the sun...

"..and in the morning...

ALL: "..we will remember them."

TRUMPET PLAYS LAST POST

Nanny left this behind and I must drop it off.

It's not mine yet, but one day...

It'll be yours just like it was hers and her mothers.

And her grandmother's.

And her grandmother's mother's!

I just always envy people with a strong faith.

There but for the grace of God go I.

I'm just walking down the street and I find myself looking.

The whole world is a top shelf.