Lille - Cambrai Cerdded y Llinell
Similar Content
Browse content similar to Lille - Cambrai. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Transcript
| Line | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
-888 | 0:00:00 | 0:00:00 | |
-888 - -888 | 0:00:00 | 0:00:02 | |
-888 | 0:00:05 | 0:00:07 | |
-888 | 0:00:15 | 0:00:17 | |
-888 | 0:00:27 | 0:00:29 | |
-The journey and the battles continue -as we leave Ypres in Belgium... | 0:00:38 | 0:00:43 | |
-..and cross the border into France. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:45 | |
-By the second year -of the Great War... | 0:00:45 | 0:00:47 | |
-..the western front was a long -line of barbed wire and trenches... | 0:00:47 | 0:00:52 | |
-..stretching from the channel, -to the Swiss border. | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
-There was also another battle -raging in Gallipoli. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:58 | |
-On the Front, Neuve Chapelle near -Lille was the scene of bloodshed. | 0:00:58 | 0:01:03 | |
-The linchpins of the British Army -still believed... | 0:01:03 | 0:01:06 | |
-..that the cavalry could storm -through German lines. | 0:01:06 | 0:01:11 | |
-It was time the Generals realised -they should bury the sword... | 0:01:11 | 0:01:15 | |
-..and bring in the machine guns. | 0:01:16 | 0:01:18 | |
-Barbed wire and artillery -would now rule the battlefield. | 0:01:20 | 0:01:23 | |
-The Germans were fighting on two -fronts - in the west and the east. | 0:01:36 | 0:01:40 | |
-Having failed to break through -in the west... | 0:01:41 | 0:01:44 | |
-..they decided to build very solid -defences in Flanders... | 0:01:44 | 0:01:49 | |
-..but the British -had very different ideas. | 0:01:49 | 0:01:52 | |
-Lille was very important. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:55 | |
-The city of Lille sat at the heart -of an industrial area... | 0:01:55 | 0:02:00 | |
-..in the north east of France, -and lay in German hands. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
-By the summer of 1915, France -was putting enormous pressure... | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
-..on their British Allies to launch -a fierce attack... | 0:02:08 | 0:02:10 | |
-..to stretch German reserves -and manpower. | 0:02:11 | 0:02:13 | |
-The French Commander-in-Chief, -General Joffre... | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
-..asked Haig to attack -the German line near Loos. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:23 | |
-While they did that, the French -would launch a fierce attack... | 0:02:23 | 0:02:27 | |
-..in the Champagne region. | 0:02:27 | 0:02:29 | |
-The aim was to break through, -re-capture Lille... | 0:02:29 | 0:02:33 | |
-..and force the enemy to retreat. | 0:02:34 | 0:02:35 | |
-There may have been widespread -condemnation... | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
-..of Germany's use of gas, but the -British weren't slow to follow suit. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:52 | |
-This is Loos - a small town in the -industrial north east of France. | 0:02:52 | 0:02:58 | |
-During the Great War, this was -a wasteland of mines and tips. | 0:02:58 | 0:03:03 | |
-It's likely that many Welsh soldiers -would have felt at home. | 0:03:03 | 0:03:07 | |
-British commanders were reluctant -to fight on such difficult terrain. | 0:03:09 | 0:03:14 | |
-It was difficult to plan -battles on this land. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:16 | |
-The French leaders -were keen to attack... | 0:03:17 | 0:03:21 | |
-..for the sake of morale, -if nothing else. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
-To make matters worse, Haig and -Sir John French hated each other... | 0:03:24 | 0:03:30 | |
-..and could not agree -on a strategy or tactics. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:35 | |
-Where to attack, -when to use the reserves... | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
-..and how many of them to use. | 0:03:39 | 0:03:42 | |
-In addition to all that, -they were short of artillery... | 0:03:42 | 0:03:46 | |
-..and too many soldiers -were inexperienced... | 0:03:46 | 0:03:49 | |
-..having never fought -in battle before. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:51 | |
-As with most attacks, British -guns bombarded the Germans... | 0:03:53 | 0:03:59 | |
-..for four days, -firing over 250,000 shells. | 0:04:00 | 0:04:05 | |
-But the Germans had dug in well -over the summer months... | 0:04:05 | 0:04:09 | |
-..and created solid defences -for themselves. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:12 | |
-On the morning of September 25th, -1915... | 0:04:12 | 0:04:15 | |
-..the British launched a gas attack. | 0:04:16 | 0:04:18 | |
-Having checked that the wind was -blowing in the right direction... | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
-..officers issued the command -to open the poisonous gas cylinders. | 0:04:22 | 0:04:27 | |
-The gas created havoc -amongst the Germans... | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
-..and with the Scottish soldiers -leading the way,... | 0:04:37 | 0:04:40 | |
-..the British broke through -the first line near Loos. | 0:04:40 | 0:04:44 | |
-By mid-day, there were 10,000 men -attacking the second German line... | 0:04:44 | 0:04:49 | |
-..calling for more support -to press on with the attack. | 0:04:49 | 0:04:53 | |
-But the reserves had been delayed. | 0:04:54 | 0:04:56 | |
-The order to advance into position -came far too late. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
-The communication system -had been a complete failure. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:04 | |
-The reserves joined the battle -the following morning... | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
-..in the fields and forests -around Loos. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:10 | |
-German machine guns sliced through -the British troops... | 0:05:11 | 0:05:15 | |
-..like a scythe. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:18 | |
-British dead littered -the battlefield... | 0:05:19 | 0:05:23 | |
-..and hung on barbed wire -like rags on a line! | 0:05:23 | 0:05:27 | |
-Over 8,000 men were lost -in less than an hour. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
-Even the Germans were horrified -by the effects of the battle. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
-They named it 'lichenfeld von Loos' -- the Loos field of corpses. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:43 | |
-Just two months earlier, Haig had -told the British War Council... | 0:05:44 | 0:05:48 | |
-..that "the machine gun -is highly overrated". | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
-One of the 8,000 men slaughtered -in this horrific battle... | 0:05:57 | 0:06:01 | |
-..was the son of English poet, -Rudyard Kipling - John Kipling. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:07 | |
-He's remembered here -in the sad Loos graveyard. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:13 | |
-Further north, towards La Basse, -the poisonous gas drifted... | 0:06:18 | 0:06:23 | |
-..between the two armies, -until the wind changed... | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
-..and blew it back -towards the attackers. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
-What happened next was -recorded in horrific detail... | 0:06:29 | 0:06:33 | |
-..by English poet Robert Graves, -a Royal Welch Fusilier. | 0:06:33 | 0:06:38 | |
-In his biography, -"Goodbye To All That"... | 0:06:38 | 0:06:41 | |
-..Graves describes how 2,000 British -soldiers lost their lives... | 0:06:41 | 0:06:46 | |
-..to the toxic gas. | 0:06:47 | 0:06:48 | |
-"It was a bloody balls-up." | 0:06:49 | 0:06:52 | |
-"Among the wounded were a number of -men, yellow-faced and choking... | 0:06:52 | 0:06:57 | |
-"..their buttons tarnished green - -gas cases!" | 0:06:57 | 0:07:01 | |
-Loos was a complete disaster -for Britain. | 0:07:07 | 0:07:10 | |
-Young, inexperienced men took -the first line of German trenches... | 0:07:10 | 0:07:14 | |
-..then came up against a network -of barbed wire, machine guns... | 0:07:14 | 0:07:19 | |
-..and experienced soldiers. | 0:07:19 | 0:07:20 | |
-75,000 British men were sent in -against 11,000 Germans. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:27 | |
-Within two days, Britain had lost -60,000 men - but for what? | 0:07:29 | 0:07:34 | |
-Hywel, there was no choice but -to bring the attacks to an end. | 0:07:35 | 0:07:39 | |
-It's just another horror story. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:42 | |
-It seems that the doubters' fears -were all realised. | 0:07:42 | 0:07:46 | |
-There was an initial leap forward... | 0:07:47 | 0:07:50 | |
-..but thanks to a total lack -of communication... | 0:07:50 | 0:07:54 | |
-..the reserves didn't get to the -battle to clinch the advantage... | 0:07:54 | 0:07:58 | |
-..after our boys secured the first -line of enemy trenches. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
-Battalions of young, -inexperienced soldiers... | 0:08:03 | 0:08:07 | |
-..all racing to battle were killed. | 0:08:08 | 0:08:11 | |
-What lessons did the British -High Command learn? | 0:08:12 | 0:08:17 | |
-How quickly did they learn them? | 0:08:17 | 0:08:20 | |
-888 | 0:08:28 | 0:08:28 | |
-888 - -888 | 0:08:28 | 0:08:30 | |
-A twenty-minute drive from Loos -brings us to Arras. | 0:08:46 | 0:08:50 | |
-Many of the buildings -in this pretty little town... | 0:08:50 | 0:08:53 | |
-..were built by the Flemish during -the 17th and 18th centuries. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:58 | |
-In 1914 and 1915, the Germans -relentlessly shelled the town. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:05 | |
-The attacks then seemed to ease off, -and during that time... | 0:09:08 | 0:09:11 | |
-..some of the town's inhabitants -were brave enough to return. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:16 | |
-But, in April 1917, another great -battle was fought at Arras. | 0:09:16 | 0:09:21 | |
-It was a bloody battle, -far too similar to that at Loos. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:26 | |
-The aim was to support the French -offensive near the river Aisne... | 0:09:26 | 0:09:32 | |
-..by keeping the German reserve -soldiers occupied. | 0:09:33 | 0:09:37 | |
-Once again, it was a complete -waste of lives. | 0:09:38 | 0:09:43 | |
-There's fine drizzle falling -in Arras today... | 0:09:46 | 0:09:48 | |
-..but in April 1917, -the British Army had to attack... | 0:09:48 | 0:09:52 | |
-..in dreadful conditions, as sleet -and snow mercilessly lashed down. | 0:09:52 | 0:09:56 | |
-They also intended to use -a new attacking technique. | 0:09:56 | 0:10:00 | |
-The heavy artillery would fire -a barrage of shells... | 0:10:00 | 0:10:05 | |
-..and creep slowly forward -towards the enemy. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:08 | |
-The British soldiers would follow -and take control of the land. | 0:10:09 | 0:10:13 | |
-Naturally, there would be -an accident or two... | 0:10:14 | 0:10:16 | |
-..and a few would lose -their lives.... | 0:10:16 | 0:10:19 | |
-..in what's known today -as 'friendly fire'. | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
-But, in First World War terms, what -were a few losses among friends? | 0:10:22 | 0:10:27 | |
-This is the village of Gavrelle, -just a few miles north of Arras. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:37 | |
-It's difficult to imagine the scenes -of slaughter and destruction here. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:41 | |
-Words like destruction -and demolition... | 0:10:42 | 0:10:44 | |
-..barely resemble the reality. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:46 | |
-If you spoke of beastliness in -terms of the bear and the wolf... | 0:10:47 | 0:10:50 | |
-..you would only be doing -those animals an injustice. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:53 | |
-Gavrelle was the cornerstone -of the German defence. | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
-If the British could take the -village and the high ground... | 0:11:00 | 0:11:04 | |
-..to the north of Gavrelle, -they would have the opportunity... | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
-..to hurtle down the hill and -attack the plains near Douai... | 0:11:07 | 0:11:09 | |
-..destroying the German front. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
-They did succeed in taking -what remained of the village... | 0:11:13 | 0:11:16 | |
-..but at a huge cost. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
-Thousands of lives were lost - -and all for nothing... | 0:11:19 | 0:11:23 | |
-..since the British -failed to break through. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:26 | |
-British and German pilots fought -constant battles... | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
-..in the wide, blue skies -above Arras. | 0:11:31 | 0:11:35 | |
-High above the trenches, the losses -were just as devastating. | 0:11:35 | 0:11:39 | |
-This is Vimy Ridge. | 0:11:44 | 0:11:47 | |
-The Germans had held this -high ground since October 1914... | 0:11:47 | 0:11:51 | |
-..and had turned it into a fortress. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:53 | |
-The French bravely tried to capture -the ridge in 1915, without success. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:58 | |
-They suffered 150,000 casualties. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:01 | |
-At 5.30am on Easter Monday, -9th April 1917... | 0:12:02 | 0:12:07 | |
-..as part of the Arras offensive... | 0:12:07 | 0:12:09 | |
-..four Canadian Infantry -Divisions attacked. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:12 | |
-It was one of the most successful -assaults of the war. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
-The Canadians made careful -preparations prior to the attack. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:34 | |
-They targeted the exact -locations of German defences. | 0:12:35 | 0:12:38 | |
-Every soldier was fully aware -of the task he faced. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:43 | |
-Fifteen mines were dug -under German positions. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:50 | |
-The Germans sheltered deep -in their dug-outs... | 0:12:52 | 0:12:56 | |
-..similar to this one, knowing -that an attack was imminent... | 0:12:57 | 0:13:02 | |
-..but not knowing when it would -come or the strength of the attack. | 0:13:02 | 0:13:06 | |
-They were confident they would be -able to defend the ridge. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:11 | |
-By 4.00am on the 9th April 1917, -tens of thousands of soldiers... | 0:13:12 | 0:13:18 | |
-..has assembled along -the front at Vimy. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
-Sleet and snow fell, -covering the attackers... | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
-..who were already -frozen to the bone. | 0:13:25 | 0:13:28 | |
-The forming up of the leading -attack companies... | 0:13:29 | 0:13:32 | |
-..was undertaken with -great care and precision. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:34 | |
-In some places, they were within -100 yards of the German lines... | 0:13:34 | 0:13:37 | |
-..without them noticing a thing. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:40 | |
-Then at 5.00am, all hell -broke loose on the German lines. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:45 | |
-Two huge mines exploded beneath -the German front line... | 0:13:45 | 0:13:48 | |
-..as heavy guns blasted -their defences. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:51 | |
-They were paralysed by shock -and the Canadians were upon them... | 0:13:52 | 0:13:56 | |
-..before they could escape -from the trenches. | 0:13:56 | 0:13:58 | |
-Here on Hill 145, the highest -part of the Vimy ridge... | 0:14:06 | 0:14:10 | |
-..they encountered the strongest -German positions. | 0:14:10 | 0:14:12 | |
-But the Canadians were unstoppable -and the ridge was captured. | 0:14:12 | 0:14:16 | |
-Further attacks were made -along the ridge... | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
-..by British and Canadian soldiers -in the following days. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
-A German withdrawal -became inevitable. | 0:14:24 | 0:14:27 | |
-Only some 11,000 Canadian lives -were lost during the attack. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:33 | |
-Perhaps 'only' is not -the term to use... | 0:14:35 | 0:14:37 | |
-..but compared with other losses -during the First World War... | 0:14:38 | 0:14:41 | |
-..it was a comparatively light blow. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:44 | |
-The monument here is spectacular - -as the Canadian Government... | 0:14:45 | 0:14:50 | |
-..pays a fitting tribute -to their brave soldiers. | 0:14:50 | 0:14:52 | |
-This place is incredible, Hywel. | 0:14:58 | 0:15:00 | |
-It's almost terrifying - the way -the tenches have been preserved. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:06 | |
-The scarring on the landscape -is the thing that struck me most. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:11 | |
-Shells must have poured down here. | 0:15:11 | 0:15:14 | |
-Shells must have poured down here. - -Exactly. | 0:15:14 | 0:15:15 | |
-They've used electric fences -to cordon off areas everywhere. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
-That means there are still live -shells lying in the ground... | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
-..and that, almost 90 years on, -it's still too dangerous... | 0:15:24 | 0:15:28 | |
-..to walk in those areas. | 0:15:29 | 0:15:31 | |
-For me, the most frightening legacy -are these tunnels. | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
-They dug fifteen of them, -filled them with explosives... | 0:15:35 | 0:15:38 | |
-..and fired nine of them. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:40 | |
-They've found and diffused -a further two since then... | 0:15:41 | 0:15:44 | |
-..but that means there -are four more here, somewhere. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
-They suspect that one of them -might lie beneath our feet here... | 0:15:49 | 0:15:53 | |
-..near the area -where the visitors flock. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:57 | |
-There's talk that they might -have to prevent the coaches... | 0:15:57 | 0:16:00 | |
-..from driving over this part -of the ridge. | 0:16:00 | 0:16:02 | |
-Some researchers suspect -that one of these mines... | 0:16:02 | 0:16:06 | |
-..lies beneath the motorway -which runs alongside the ridge. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:10 | |
-Time to move, I think. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:13 | |
-Time to move, I think. - -I think so. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:15 | |
-We're barely a mile away -from the General's post... | 0:16:30 | 0:16:34 | |
-..mentioned in Cynan's poem, -'Mab y Bwthyn'... | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
-..but for these soldiers, -it was mile back. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:39 | |
-No matter how hard -the British attacked... | 0:16:40 | 0:16:43 | |
-..the Germans held on -to their land... | 0:16:44 | 0:16:46 | |
-..and chose their moment -to strike back. | 0:16:46 | 0:16:48 | |
-The French attack near the river -Aisne was a failure. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:53 | |
-Conditions were brutal for -British soldiers in Arras. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:59 | |
-The scale of the losses would break -the hearts of even the bravest men. | 0:16:59 | 0:17:02 | |
-They lost almost 4,000 men -every day for 40 days. | 0:17:02 | 0:17:07 | |
-That's a total of over -150,000 men... | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
-..enough bodies to fill -67 enormous cemeteries. | 0:17:10 | 0:17:14 | |
-Just a few miles down the road -from Arras, we reach Cambrai... | 0:17:29 | 0:17:34 | |
-..a relatively large town -with an enormous cobbled square. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
-A reflection of past wealth from the -textile and agricultural industries. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:43 | |
-There was an effective -rail system here... | 0:17:43 | 0:17:46 | |
-..and in 1917, it became an -important German headquarters. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:51 | |
-The mighty Hindenburg line -lay in front of the town. | 0:17:54 | 0:17:59 | |
-Belts of barbed wire, deep trenches -and concrete emplacements. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:05 | |
-These fortifications were so strong -that the decimated German units... | 0:18:05 | 0:18:11 | |
-..from the battles of Passchendaele -were sent here to recuperate. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
-The British planned to attack -and take Cambrai. | 0:18:14 | 0:18:18 | |
-This attack was going -to be different. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
-At 6.20am on 20th November 1917... | 0:18:33 | 0:18:38 | |
-..the Germans heard -unfamiliar rumblings... | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
-..approaching in the distance. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
-The tanks were attacking. | 0:18:44 | 0:18:46 | |
-450 tanks arrived to smash -their way through the barbed wire. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:51 | |
-Many German defenders fled -in terror! | 0:18:51 | 0:18:54 | |
-As usual, the attack was -supported by artillery guns. | 0:18:55 | 0:18:59 | |
-At last, an opportunity -for the British to break through! | 0:18:59 | 0:19:03 | |
-They had a few setbacks, -such as failing to capture... | 0:19:04 | 0:19:07 | |
-..this village - Flesquieres. | 0:19:08 | 0:19:10 | |
-The Royal Flying Corps failed to -spot German artillery positions... | 0:19:10 | 0:19:16 | |
-..on the outskirts of the village. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:18 | |
-As a result, 39 tanks were destroyed -and seven of them by one man... | 0:19:19 | 0:19:24 | |
-..Unteroffizer Kruger, who fired his -gun relentlessly until he was shot. | 0:19:24 | 0:19:29 | |
-Did you know that Kruger -was the only German soldier... | 0:19:29 | 0:19:33 | |
-..of the First World War to be -named in British military reports? | 0:19:33 | 0:19:39 | |
-He was quite a soldier, -no doubt about it. | 0:19:39 | 0:19:41 | |
-But the British won the day. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:44 | |
-They captured around 8,000 prisoners -and 100 artillery guns. | 0:19:45 | 0:19:49 | |
-Victory bells were rung in London -since winning any battle... | 0:19:49 | 0:19:55 | |
-..along the Western front was -such a difficult thing to do. | 0:19:55 | 0:19:58 | |
-But the story soon changed. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:01 | |
-The fierce battle raged on -during the following wintry days. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:06 | |
-The majority of the tanks were lost, -many completely destroyed. | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
-The battle for Bourlon Wood -near Cambrai was devastating. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:15 | |
-Since its high ground location -was so advantageous... | 0:20:16 | 0:20:18 | |
-..the woods had to be captured -at any cost. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
-Welsh units of the 119th Brigade -fought viciously through the wood... | 0:20:22 | 0:20:26 | |
-..and the thick undergrowth. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:29 | |
-Supported by many other divisions, -the wood was finally captured. | 0:20:29 | 0:20:34 | |
-But the retreating Germans bombarded -the captured wood with such force... | 0:20:35 | 0:20:39 | |
-..that most of the British units -holding the wood were annihilated. | 0:20:40 | 0:20:44 | |
-At the end of November, -the Germans counter-attacked... | 0:20:45 | 0:20:48 | |
-..and, quite literally, caught -the British troops napping. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:53 | |
-The Germans even used captured -British tanks. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:57 | |
-By the 5th December, the Germans had -regained most of what was lost... | 0:20:58 | 0:21:03 | |
-..and even gained ground -to the south of Cambrai. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:08 | |
-Losses on both sides -were horrendous... | 0:21:08 | 0:21:11 | |
-..a total of around 40,000 men. | 0:21:11 | 0:21:13 | |
-Another wasteful outcome. | 0:21:13 | 0:21:16 | |
-Well, Iolo, there's a rather -special 'what if' story... | 0:21:22 | 0:21:27 | |
-..about the village of Marcoing, -south of Cambrai. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
-It was the scene of much fighting. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:32 | |
-In 1918, Private Henry Tandy won -a Victoria Cross from bravery. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:39 | |
-He captured and knocked out an enemy -machine gun emplacement... | 0:21:39 | 0:21:43 | |
-..then led a successful bayonet -attack, despite being outnumbered. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:49 | |
-As the fighting wound down, -Tandy found himself faced... | 0:21:49 | 0:21:55 | |
-..with a German soldier -on his knees... | 0:21:55 | 0:21:59 | |
-..and was about to shoot him. | 0:21:59 | 0:22:01 | |
-He decided to show some mercy -and let him go. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:06 | |
-As he crawled away, -the German bent his head... | 0:22:06 | 0:22:11 | |
-..in gesture of thanks. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:14 | |
-It was customary -to paint portraits... | 0:22:14 | 0:22:18 | |
-..of the brave men who won VCs. | 0:22:18 | 0:22:22 | |
-An Italian artist, by the -name of Fortunino Matania... | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
-..painted Henry Tandy's portrait -when he won the VC. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:32 | |
-But that's just the beginning -of the story... | 0:22:32 | 0:22:35 | |
-..because in 1938, Prime Minister -Neville Chamberlain... | 0:22:35 | 0:22:39 | |
-..made a futile journey -to meet Adolf Hitler in Germany. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:44 | |
-He was astounded to see, amongst the -German paraphernalia on the wall... | 0:22:44 | 0:22:50 | |
-..Matania's portrait of Henry Tandy. | 0:22:51 | 0:22:55 | |
-He asked Hitler about the -significance of the portrait... | 0:22:55 | 0:22:58 | |
-..and Hitler replied, "That man -came so close to killing me... | 0:22:59 | 0:23:04 | |
-"..I thought I'd never see -my beloved Germany again." | 0:23:05 | 0:23:09 | |
-Adolf Hitler was that -beleaguered soldier. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:13 | |
-For me, that's one of -the worst examples... | 0:23:13 | 0:23:17 | |
-..of the devil -looking after his own. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:20 | |
| 0:23:20 | 0:23:21 |