Verdun Cerdded y Llinell
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-With Ypres, Arras, Marne -and the Somme behind us... | 0:00:32 | 0:00:37 | |
-..we reach the southernmost point -of our journey... | 0:00:37 | 0:00:39 | |
-..almost on the Swiss border. | 0:00:40 | 0:00:42 | |
-We've travelled along the front line -of the Great War... | 0:00:43 | 0:00:47 | |
-..and have reached the end -of our journey - Verdun... | 0:00:49 | 0:00:51 | |
-..often described as -"the saddest place in France". | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
-The reason for that -is quite simple. | 0:00:55 | 0:00:57 | |
-It was here, in 1916, that one -of the most horrific battles... | 0:00:58 | 0:01:03 | |
-..of World War I was fought. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:05 | |
-The town of Verdun -sits on the river Meuse... | 0:01:07 | 0:01:10 | |
-..68 kilometres west of Metz. | 0:01:11 | 0:01:14 | |
-Before the events of World War I, -the town had a frontier feel. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:19 | |
-The Romans initially -fortified the town... | 0:01:19 | 0:01:22 | |
-..and in the 17th century, engineer -Vauban turned it into a fortress. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:27 | |
-The state of mind was reinforced -during the war against Prussia... | 0:01:28 | 0:01:32 | |
-..from 1870 to 1871. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
-Verdun became the stronghold -of a chain of defences... | 0:01:35 | 0:01:40 | |
-..in the surrounding hills, -defending France. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:43 | |
-Verdun had symbolic significance -to the defence of France... | 0:01:44 | 0:01:50 | |
-..a significance which seeped into -the subconsciousness of France. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:56 | |
-The Germans deliberately set about -exploiting that... | 0:01:56 | 0:02:00 | |
-..with the most chilling -of strategies. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:03 | |
-They knew that the French would -do everything they could... | 0:02:03 | 0:02:08 | |
-..to defend Verdun -right to the last man. | 0:02:08 | 0:02:11 | |
-The tragedy began when -the German Chief of Staff... | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
-..Eric Von Falkenhayn, -sent a letter to the Kaiser... | 0:02:17 | 0:02:20 | |
-..on Christmas Day, 1915. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:22 | |
-In the letter, he outlined -his strategy for 1916. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:28 | |
-He reckoned if France could be -beaten in a major battle... | 0:02:29 | 0:02:33 | |
-..Britain could either be beaten -in turn or would be forced... | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
-..to seek terms with Germany. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:39 | |
-He had good reason to seek an end -to fighting on the Western Front. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:51 | |
-Germany was fighting the war on two -fronts - in the west and the east. | 0:02:51 | 0:02:57 | |
-Britain would soon put more men -on the Western Front... | 0:02:58 | 0:03:03 | |
-..and before long, -British Naval blockades... | 0:03:03 | 0:03:06 | |
-..would undermine the Germans' -ability to fight. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:10 | |
-Britain and France were sure to -attack on the Western Front... | 0:03:10 | 0:03:14 | |
-..at some time in 1916, -so Germany had to strike first... | 0:03:14 | 0:03:19 | |
-..if they wanted to grab -the advantage. | 0:03:19 | 0:03:21 | |
-Falkenhayn intended -to 'bleed France dry'... | 0:03:23 | 0:03:26 | |
-..and the Kaiser agreed with -his intention and reasoning. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:30 | |
-The concept of bleeding France dry -was rather unusual... | 0:03:30 | 0:03:35 | |
-..but yet totally symptomatic of -the way leaders regarded human life. | 0:03:35 | 0:03:41 | |
-Victory at Verdun would be measured -by loss of human life... | 0:03:42 | 0:03:47 | |
-..rather than territory gained. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:50 | |
-Artillery would play a major role - -it would be a gunner's war! | 0:03:54 | 0:03:58 | |
-The Germans would simply blast -the French and their forts apart... | 0:03:59 | 0:04:05 | |
-..just as the British tried to do -to the Germans at the Somme. | 0:04:05 | 0:04:10 | |
-Preparations for the attack -would be vital... | 0:04:11 | 0:04:13 | |
-..and as usual, -the Germans were meticulous. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
-Thousands of experienced soldiers -were moved to the Front every day. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:22 | |
-Railways were built to carry the men -and the arms they would need. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:28 | |
-Wagon after wagon clanked its way -towards Verdun. | 0:04:28 | 0:04:32 | |
-The Germans amassed over -1,200 heavy guns in great secrecy. | 0:04:33 | 0:04:38 | |
-These heavy guns would be needed -to smash the French forts. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
-The German 5th Army would lead -the successful attack... | 0:04:43 | 0:04:48 | |
-..under the command of the Kaiser's -heir - Crown Prince Wilhelm. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:53 | |
-Could 'Little Willie', -as the British called him... | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
-..secure victory on the Western -Front, which had until then... | 0:04:58 | 0:05:02 | |
-..been beyond the reach -of both sides? | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
-The real power and control lay with -the architect of the strategy... | 0:05:05 | 0:05:11 | |
-..namely Eric Von Falkenhayn. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:14 | |
-The series of forts in the hills -around Verdun were superbly sited... | 0:05:14 | 0:05:20 | |
-..with concrete walls -over eight feet thick. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:24 | |
-Thanks to their shell-proof cellars, -each one of the forts... | 0:05:24 | 0:05:29 | |
-..could safely house -a battalion of infantry. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
-Fort Douaumont, the jewel in -the crown of the French defence... | 0:05:32 | 0:05:37 | |
-..was reputedly the strongest fort -in the world. | 0:05:37 | 0:05:39 | |
-Each fort could turn its huge guns -and machine guns... | 0:05:39 | 0:05:41 | |
-..to defend its neighbouring fort. | 0:05:42 | 0:05:44 | |
-In front of each, there were deep -trenches and barbed wire defences. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:50 | |
-The French believed that the forts -would never fall into enemy hands. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:55 | |
-At least that was the theory. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:57 | |
-Since the start of the war, -the French had weakened the forts. | 0:06:01 | 0:06:04 | |
-They had stripped many of the forts' -guns as they were needed elsewhere. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:09 | |
-Defences were in an appalling state -and Verdun had been neglected. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:15 | |
-In a forthright report, -Colonel Emile Driant... | 0:06:16 | 0:06:20 | |
-..warned of the dangers -of weakening defences at Verdun. | 0:06:20 | 0:06:25 | |
-He knew the Germans -were up to something. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:29 | |
-His superiors didn't want to know... | 0:06:29 | 0:06:32 | |
-..and he was told -to mind his own business. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:35 | |
-The decision to ignore Driant's -report nearly cost France the war. | 0:06:36 | 0:06:41 | |
-Just like all other attacks -on the Western Front... | 0:06:42 | 0:06:45 | |
-..this attack began -with a massive bombardment. | 0:06:46 | 0:06:50 | |
-The initial attack should have begun -nine days earlier... | 0:06:51 | 0:06:55 | |
-..but it had been delayed -by appalling weather. | 0:06:56 | 0:07:00 | |
-In actual fact, up until that point, -that was the only delay... | 0:07:01 | 0:07:05 | |
-..that the Germans had suffered. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:07 | |
-At dawn, on the 21st February 1916, -a terrible bombardment began... | 0:07:08 | 0:07:14 | |
-..the likes of which -had never been seen before. | 0:07:14 | 0:07:17 | |
-It lasted for nine hours. | 0:07:17 | 0:07:19 | |
-Then the Germans attacked -on the right flanks of Verdun. | 0:07:21 | 0:07:25 | |
-80,000 shells fell here in -the forest at Bois des Caures... | 0:07:27 | 0:07:32 | |
-..and at 5.00pm, the German infantry -began their attack. | 0:07:33 | 0:07:37 | |
-To their surprise, they found small, -stubborn pockets of resistance... | 0:07:37 | 0:07:43 | |
-..who were ready to defend, -led by Colonel Driant. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
-It's hard to believe that -some French soldiers... | 0:07:53 | 0:07:56 | |
-..survived such an onslaught -and continued to fight. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:00 | |
-The following day, -the main German attack began... | 0:08:09 | 0:08:12 | |
-..and they began to make -slow progress... | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
-..but they underestimated -French tenacity. | 0:08:15 | 0:08:18 | |
-In leading what was left of his men -to a defensive line at Beaumont... | 0:08:19 | 0:08:24 | |
-..Driant was shot through the head -and killed. | 0:08:24 | 0:08:27 | |
-He became France's first hero -at Verdun. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
-Bois des Caures -was eventually captured... | 0:08:35 | 0:08:37 | |
-..and unsurprisingly, the villages -of Haumont, Herbebois... | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
-..and Samogneux followed suit. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:44 | |
-Both sides suffered heavy losses. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:49 | |
-By the 24th February, the French -were in total disarray. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:56 | |
-The damn had burst. | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
-A French division flung into -a piecemeal counter attack broke... | 0:08:59 | 0:09:04 | |
-..and Germans captured the French -Second line in a matter of hours. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:10 | |
-Both sides fully expected Verdun -to fall. | 0:09:11 | 0:09:15 | |
-The Crown Prince crowed, -"the way is open to us"... | 0:09:16 | 0:09:20 | |
-..and even the French admitted that -not even the genius of Napoleon... | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
-..could save them. | 0:09:25 | 0:09:26 | |
-However, a mixture of desperate, -yet sound, French decision making... | 0:09:26 | 0:09:32 | |
-..and a few German mistakes -meant Verdun did not fall. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:38 | |
-But we have to remember -that a chain of forts... | 0:09:38 | 0:09:42 | |
-..like Sauville behind us, lay -between the Germans and Verdun. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
-The greatest and most important -of all was Douaumont. | 0:09:47 | 0:09:51 | |
-888 - -As we've heard, Verdun is known -as the saddest place in France... | 0:10:10 | 0:10:14 | |
-..as the French were determined -not to surrender the forts. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:19 | |
-They would fight to the last man! | 0:10:19 | 0:10:22 | |
-But it was a very small garrison -that defended Fort Douaumont. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:26 | |
-Unfortunately, Douaumont fell under -the strangest of circumstances. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:33 | |
-The strongest fort in the world - -symbol of the defence of France... | 0:10:33 | 0:10:38 | |
-..fell to one German soldier. | 0:10:39 | 0:10:42 | |
-Sergeant Kunze, with a section -of pioneers... | 0:10:43 | 0:10:46 | |
-..found himself caught in -a bloody battle at Fort Douaumont. | 0:10:47 | 0:10:50 | |
-He spotted an open entrance -and ventured in. | 0:10:50 | 0:10:54 | |
-Followed by his men, he made his way -through the dark tunnels... | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
-..towards a huge gun turret. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:13 | |
-He quickly disarmed the few startled -defenders and silenced the gun. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:19 | |
-Kunze found that the fort was -stocked with food and drink... | 0:11:19 | 0:11:23 | |
-..so he and his men tucked in. | 0:11:23 | 0:11:25 | |
-By now, other detachments had made -their way into the fort... | 0:11:26 | 0:11:29 | |
-..led by two officers - -Captain Haupt and Lieutenant Radke. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
-By 4.30pm that afternoon, -Douaumont had fallen. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:38 | |
-Church bells were rung in Germany -after the fall of Douaumont... | 0:11:45 | 0:11:49 | |
-..whilst shock and panic -rocked France. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
-In Verdun itself, soldiers ran -through the streets... | 0:11:52 | 0:11:56 | |
-..shouting, "Sauve qui peut!" - -"Save yourselves!" | 0:11:56 | 0:12:00 | |
-Despite this dreadful setback -for the French... | 0:12:01 | 0:12:03 | |
-..the Germans didn't make -the most of it. | 0:12:04 | 0:12:06 | |
-They were far too cautious. | 0:12:06 | 0:12:08 | |
-The French held fast and started -to reorganise their defences. | 0:12:09 | 0:12:14 | |
-General Petain took command -of the defence of Verdun. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:20 | |
-The same Petain who would, -some years later, control Vichy... | 0:12:20 | 0:12:24 | |
-..on behalf of the Nazis. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:26 | |
-In 1916, he had a great deal -more backbone and spirit... | 0:12:27 | 0:12:33 | |
-..and one simple command - -to defend Verdun at any cost. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:39 | |
-As Falkenhayn had predicted, France -threw every available man... | 0:12:41 | 0:12:45 | |
-..into defending Verdun. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:47 | |
-Men and munitions could only -reach the town... | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
-..via a small road from Bar-le-Duc. | 0:12:51 | 0:12:53 | |
-Thousands of men trudged wearily -along it... | 0:12:53 | 0:12:56 | |
-..taking with them tonnes of -supplies to face the enemy. | 0:12:56 | 0:13:00 | |
-The French sent units out -to grab every available truck... | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
-..and apparently, a truck would -pass by every 14 seconds... | 0:13:07 | 0:13:12 | |
-..at any given point. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:14 | |
-It's no surprise that this road - -France's lifeline... | 0:13:14 | 0:13:18 | |
-..was named 'Voie Sacree' - -the sacred way. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:23 | |
-By the end of February, the Germans -had been halted on the right... | 0:13:24 | 0:13:28 | |
-..so they switched their attack -to the left flank. | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
-On the 6th March 1916, they attacked -the sinisterly named ridge... | 0:13:32 | 0:13:38 | |
-..'Morte Homme'. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:39 | |
-A murderous pattern emerged from -the fighting on this tiny ridge. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:44 | |
-A pattern which typified -all the fighting around Verdun. | 0:13:45 | 0:13:49 | |
-Ferocious bombardments, which left -little or nothing alive... | 0:13:50 | 0:13:54 | |
-..turned the landscape into -a featureless potholed hell. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:58 | |
-No trenches were discernible. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:01 | |
-Men tried to hide in the -clusters of shell holes. | 0:14:01 | 0:14:05 | |
-They lived in them, slept in them -and died in them... | 0:14:05 | 0:14:09 | |
-..as they defended their positions -with rifles, bayonets and grenades. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:14 | |
-Men had been reduced -to unimaginable barbarity. | 0:14:15 | 0:14:20 | |
-Falkenhayn's plan to bleed France -dry became a double-edged sword. | 0:14:21 | 0:14:27 | |
-Germany was beginning to -lose as many men as France. | 0:14:27 | 0:14:31 | |
-The Germans continued to attack, -despite losing men and arms... | 0:14:31 | 0:14:37 | |
-..until, finally, -they captured Morte Homme... | 0:14:37 | 0:14:40 | |
-..then found themselves under attack -from a neighbouring ridge - Cote 34. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:45 | |
-As they fought their way -towards Verdun... | 0:14:46 | 0:14:48 | |
-..they had to make -such great sacrifices... | 0:14:48 | 0:14:51 | |
-..that Crown Prince Wilhelm began to -call for the offensive to be halted. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:56 | |
-Petain was promoted -due to his successes... | 0:14:57 | 0:14:59 | |
-..so the aggressive general, -Robert Nivelle took his place... | 0:15:00 | 0:15:04 | |
-..and made his murderous name. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:07 | |
-The Germans kept advancing -and they attacked Fort Vaux. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
-The fort had been under -constant bombardment... | 0:15:14 | 0:15:16 | |
-..since the battle began -back in February... | 0:15:17 | 0:15:19 | |
-..and its desperate defence took a -huge toll on the attacking Germans. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:23 | |
-Yet, by the start of June, they were -exhausted and desperate for water. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:30 | |
-On the 7th June, -they finally surrendered. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:35 | |
-It was at this point in the battle -that the Germans... | 0:15:36 | 0:15:39 | |
-..almost broke through the French -line and unleashed a new weapon... | 0:15:39 | 0:15:44 | |
-..phosgene gas, which turned -into hydrochloric acid... | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
-..once inhaled into the lungs. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
-The Germans suffered -far greater losses... | 0:15:55 | 0:15:59 | |
-..in their pursuit of victory. | 0:15:59 | 0:16:01 | |
-Even events at the moment of -victory conspired against them. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:05 | |
-German divisions were badly needed -in the East... | 0:16:05 | 0:16:08 | |
-..and the British -attacked the Somme. | 0:16:08 | 0:16:10 | |
-The French recaptured Douaumont -in October... | 0:16:10 | 0:16:14 | |
-..swiftly followed by Fort Vaux, -in attacks... | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
-..which when compared with previous -assaults, were very controlled. | 0:16:18 | 0:16:23 | |
-Falkenhayn's deadly strategy -had failed. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:33 | |
-However close the Germans came -to taking Verdun... | 0:16:34 | 0:16:38 | |
-..and bleeding France dry, -they almost bled Germany dry! | 0:16:38 | 0:16:44 | |
-This is a place which -chills the blood, Hywel. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:49 | |
-The unique building behind us -is the Ossuary at Fort Douaumont. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:54 | |
-It contains the bones of -over 130,000 unidentified... | 0:16:54 | 0:17:00 | |
-..French and German soldiers. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:02 | |
-What an incredible figure. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:04 | |
-What an incredible figure. - -It's astonishing. | 0:17:04 | 0:17:05 | |
-Without doubt, Douaumont casts -a gloomy shadow over Verdun... | 0:17:07 | 0:17:13 | |
-..and the rest of France. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:15 | |
-Just think of the casualties - -some estimated 800,000 of them... | 0:17:15 | 0:17:20 | |
-..and over half of them -were fatalities. | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
-Others belive the figure -is much higher. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:25 | |
-Others belive the figure -is much higher. - -At the end of the day, -God alone knows the exact figure. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:25 | |
-At the end of the day, -God alone knows the exact figure. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:30 | |
-There were nine villages here -before 1916... | 0:17:33 | 0:17:36 | |
-..but they were all destroyed -and never rebuilt. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:42 | |
-Lewis Valentine asked a question -about the deep hell of the Somme. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:46 | |
-He simply asked, "Oh, God, -how long will cruelty thrive?" | 0:17:46 | 0:17:52 | |
-In as beautiful a place as this... | 0:17:53 | 0:17:55 | |
-..that question seems -to demand an answer. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
-It is a beautiful place, but it's -also one of the saddest in France. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:03 | |
-How do you feel about -the story we've tried to tell? | 0:18:28 | 0:18:32 | |
-It's an incredible story, Hywel. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
-We've followed the front line -all the way from Ypres in Belgium... | 0:18:36 | 0:18:39 | |
-..down through the Somme -and ended up here at Verdun. | 0:18:39 | 0:18:43 | |
-Without doubt, we've seen -man's insanity at its worst. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:49 | |
-We've only come here -to see these places... | 0:18:49 | 0:18:53 | |
-..but luckily for us, -we didn't have to live through it. | 0:18:53 | 0:18:58 | |
-It's our honour to be able -to tell the story... | 0:18:58 | 0:19:01 | |
-..as it begs to be passed on -from generation to generation. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:05 | |
-Despite all that, we've also seen -memorable things... | 0:19:05 | 0:19:09 | |
-..such as the incredible monuments -and so forth. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
-They'll stay in my memory -for as long as I live. | 0:19:12 | 0:19:15 | |
-It has been an honour, -I'm sure you'd agree. | 0:19:15 | 0:19:18 | |
-Most certainly. | 0:19:18 | 0:19:20 | |
-The important thing is that -we should never forget... | 0:19:20 | 0:19:24 | |
-..and pass this tragic story -down through the generations. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:29 | |
-This tragic story should continue -to be told, time and time again. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:36 | |
-We should never forget the cost. -How can you measure that? | 0:19:36 | 0:19:40 | |
-Well, let me just throw in -a few statistics. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
-The greatest statistic, of course... | 0:19:45 | 0:19:48 | |
-..is that at least 10 million men -were killed. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:52 | |
-Only God knows the exact figure. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:55 | |
-The most striking statistic for me -is that here in France... | 0:19:56 | 0:20:02 | |
-..they estimate that -27% of France's young men... | 0:20:02 | 0:20:08 | |
-..aged between 18 and 27 -were killed... | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
-..leaving a gaping hole -which was never filled, Hywel. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:17 | |
-It's impossible to measure -that loss. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:22 | |
-Let's just talk about -the trivial material cost. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
-How would you measure that cost? | 0:20:25 | 0:20:27 | |
-A report prepared -for the Carnegie Institute... | 0:20:27 | 0:20:31 | |
-..claimed that the war -had cost 100,000 million... | 0:20:31 | 0:20:37 | |
-..and with that money, every -family in England, Wales... | 0:20:38 | 0:20:44 | |
-..Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the -United States, Belgium, France... | 0:20:44 | 0:20:50 | |
-..Germany and Russia -could have built a house... | 0:20:51 | 0:20:56 | |
-..worth 500 on a plot of land -worth 100... | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
-..and furnish it with 200. | 0:21:00 | 0:21:03 | |
-How do you begin -to make sense of that? | 0:21:03 | 0:21:05 | |
-Without doubt, -it really was hell on earth... | 0:21:05 | 0:21:09 | |
-..the likes of which had never -been seen on this earth... | 0:21:09 | 0:21:13 | |
-..and, hopefully, -will never see again. | 0:21:14 | 0:21:16 | |
-But, for me, there is a light -at the end of the tunnel. | 0:21:16 | 0:21:22 | |
-Firstly, we've seen a lot -of young people... | 0:21:23 | 0:21:26 | |
-..visiting these monuments -and graveyards. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:30 | |
-Also, something I've mentioned -before, is the way... | 0:21:30 | 0:21:36 | |
-..in which nature, by means of -birdsong or beautiful forests... | 0:21:37 | 0:21:43 | |
-..has tried and succeeded to hide -the evidence of man's insanity. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:49 | |
-That's been true of the places -we've visited, including Verdun... | 0:21:49 | 0:21:53 | |
-..which is now -a very beautiful place... | 0:21:53 | 0:21:55 | |
-..although it was once -reduced to rubble. | 0:21:56 | 0:21:58 | |
-We've heard enough of sadness -and suffering. | 0:21:58 | 0:22:01 | |
-In one of his poems, Gwenallt talks -of the 'primitive dust'... | 0:22:01 | 0:22:05 | |
-..in our human fabric. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:07 | |
-Thank heavens, the human character -also possesses that element... | 0:22:08 | 0:22:12 | |
-..which raises it above that -and insists on being resurrected. | 0:22:12 | 0:22:16 | |
-It's also wonderful that -we've seen towns and villages... | 0:22:17 | 0:22:21 | |
-..which were once destroyed -but are now back on their feet... | 0:22:21 | 0:22:24 | |
-..and beautiful once more. | 0:22:24 | 0:22:25 | |
-Sitting here in the sunshine -at Verdun... | 0:22:26 | 0:22:28 | |
-..it feels so good to say that. | 0:22:28 | 0:22:30 | |
-And I hope we never see a war -of this kind again. | 0:22:31 | 0:22:35 | |
| 0:22:35 | 0:22:36 |
