Y Somme Cerdded y Llinell
Similar Content
Browse content similar to Y Somme. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
Transcript
| Line | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|
-888 | 0:00:00 | 0:00:00 | |
-888 | 0:00:00 | 0:00:02 | |
-888 | 0:00:07 | 0:00:09 | |
-888 | 0:00:14 | 0:00:16 | |
-888 | 0:00:19 | 0:00:21 | |
-The 1st July 1916 - -a day of slaughter... | 0:00:33 | 0:00:37 | |
-..and a truly tragic one -for the British Army at the Somme. | 0:00:38 | 0:00:41 | |
-100,000 men went over the top - -20,000 were killed... | 0:00:42 | 0:00:47 | |
-..and a further 40,000 injured. | 0:00:47 | 0:00:49 | |
-But the horrors of the first day's -fighting at the Somme... | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
-..overshadow the real tragedy, as -the battle raged on for five months. | 0:00:54 | 0:01:00 | |
-The scale of the disaster -was slow to reach GHQ and Haig. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:05 | |
-Some reports had been -over-optimistic... | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
-..regarding aspects of the attack -and what had been achieved. | 0:01:08 | 0:01:11 | |
-Despite the information -slowly trickling back... | 0:01:12 | 0:01:14 | |
-..not even the most optimistic -reports could hide the fact... | 0:01:14 | 0:01:18 | |
-..that the first day's objectives -had failed and casualties were high. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:23 | |
-But Haig and Rawlinson were stubborn -men and the attacks would continue. | 0:01:24 | 0:01:29 | |
-There had been some gains to the -south of the line on the first day. | 0:01:30 | 0:01:34 | |
-This is where Rawlinson tried -to press on. | 0:01:35 | 0:01:38 | |
-By 3rd July, the British had reached -the southern edge of Mametz Wood... | 0:01:41 | 0:01:48 | |
-..and had already claimed -Bernafay Wood. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:51 | |
-If further attacks were to be made -on the second German line... | 0:01:52 | 0:01:57 | |
-..then Mametz Wood had to be taken. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:00 | |
-The task fell -to the new Army's 38th Division. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
-They were, of course, -the Welsh division. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:08 | |
-Mametz Wood, the biggest wood -on the Somme front line... | 0:02:08 | 0:02:13 | |
-..is nearly a mile wide -and a mile deep. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
-The wood was thick with undergrowth -and was heavily fortified... | 0:02:16 | 0:02:21 | |
-..with the machine guns of one -of the most feared regiments... | 0:02:21 | 0:02:26 | |
-..of the German Army - the Lehr -regiment of the Prussian Guard. | 0:02:26 | 0:02:30 | |
-The Welsh division chosen -to capture the woods... | 0:02:34 | 0:02:38 | |
-..was made up of members -of the South Wales Borderers... | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
-..and Royal Welch Fusiliers. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:44 | |
-Men from all over Wales - Bangor, -Caernarfon, Mid-Wales, Swansea... | 0:02:45 | 0:02:49 | |
-..Cardiff, Rhondda and Newport. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:52 | |
-Just like most men of this new army, -the men in the division... | 0:02:53 | 0:02:58 | |
-..including their leader, -Major-General Ivor Phillips... | 0:02:58 | 0:03:01 | |
-..were brave and enthusiastic -but inexperienced. | 0:03:02 | 0:03:05 | |
-The Welsh division was given -the honour of leading the attack... | 0:03:06 | 0:03:09 | |
-..and capturing the wood. | 0:03:09 | 0:03:11 | |
-I'm walking through a field -of ripe wheat... | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
-..the only thing that now separates -the old German defences... | 0:03:17 | 0:03:20 | |
-..up in the trees behind me, -from the British front line... | 0:03:21 | 0:03:23 | |
-..a few yards in front of me. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:25 | |
-The Welsh soldiers -had received thorough training... | 0:03:26 | 0:03:29 | |
-..on how to cope with what they -would face on the battlefield. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:34 | |
-That did not include -training or advice... | 0:03:34 | 0:03:37 | |
-..on how to capture a dense wood -by means of a frontal attack... | 0:03:37 | 0:03:43 | |
-..against an enemy hidden deep -in the undergrowth... | 0:03:43 | 0:03:46 | |
-..with enough machine guns -to withstand any attack. | 0:03:46 | 0:03:50 | |
-The tragedy is that this carnage -would not have been happened... | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
-..had Rawlinson taken the decision -to press on and take Mametz Wood... | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
-..when the nearby village was -captured on that very first day. | 0:03:59 | 0:04:04 | |
-Delaying the attacks for one week -gave the Germans the opportunity... | 0:04:04 | 0:04:09 | |
-..to reinforce their defences and -set up concealed machine gun posts. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:13 | |
-After a long march, -20,000 men of the 38th Division... | 0:04:14 | 0:04:18 | |
-..had begun to assemble -on the front line. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:21 | |
-On the morning of 7th July, a pincer -attack was made on the wood. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:26 | |
-The 115th Brigade led the assault. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:29 | |
-The attack was a disaster -from the outset. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:32 | |
-A smokescreen failed -to provide cover... | 0:04:33 | 0:04:35 | |
-..and as they left the confines -of Caterpillar Wood... | 0:04:36 | 0:04:38 | |
-..and headed for open land, -all hell was unleashed. | 0:04:38 | 0:04:42 | |
-Concealed German machine guns -opened up on the Welshmen. | 0:04:42 | 0:04:47 | |
-There were dreadful casualties. | 0:04:50 | 0:04:51 | |
-Communication lines were cut. | 0:04:52 | 0:04:54 | |
-From behind the Welsh soldiers, -at the front of the attack... | 0:04:55 | 0:04:58 | |
-..British artillery was trying -to destroy German machine guns. | 0:04:58 | 0:05:03 | |
-Unbeknown to them, -the shells were falling short... | 0:05:04 | 0:05:07 | |
-..and blowing the brave Welshmen -to pieces. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:11 | |
-In bald military terms, -the attacks were a costly failure. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:25 | |
-Unsurprisingly, the division -didn't reach the wood... | 0:05:26 | 0:05:28 | |
-..let alone capture it. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:30 | |
-Major-General Ivor Phillips -was relieved of his post... | 0:05:31 | 0:05:34 | |
-..and was deemed "ignorant -and woefully inexperienced... | 0:05:34 | 0:05:40 | |
-..who failed to inspire confidence -in his men." | 0:05:40 | 0:05:42 | |
-Three days later, -in the early hours of July 10th... | 0:05:45 | 0:05:49 | |
-..the Welsh were to attack again. | 0:05:49 | 0:05:51 | |
-It was to be a frontal assault -this time. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:54 | |
-The leading battalions were -men from Swansea and Rhondda. | 0:05:54 | 0:05:58 | |
-Following a creeping barrage... | 0:05:59 | 0:06:01 | |
-..they reached the southern part -of the wood... | 0:06:01 | 0:06:03 | |
-..where a fierce battle was fought -in the undergrowth. | 0:06:04 | 0:06:06 | |
-By 6.30pm, seven battalions of -Welshmen had lost five officers... | 0:06:08 | 0:06:15 | |
-..and suffered terrible casualties. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:18 | |
-As darkness fell, -the men were exhausted. | 0:06:21 | 0:06:24 | |
-Their nerves -were as taut as bow strings... | 0:06:24 | 0:06:26 | |
-..and they were short of water. | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
-They dug in as best as they could -for the night. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:32 | |
-The division was unaware -of how close they came to success. | 0:06:32 | 0:06:38 | |
-Demoralised by the fierce Welsh -attacks and artillery bombardment... | 0:06:38 | 0:06:43 | |
-..the Germans were close -to withdrawing from the wood. | 0:06:44 | 0:06:49 | |
-But somehow, they managed -to hang on to the wood... | 0:06:49 | 0:06:53 | |
-..and reorganised their defences -in the northern part of the wood. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:57 | |
-Captain Wyn Griffith -describes the desolation... | 0:06:59 | 0:07:01 | |
-..and unimaginable horrors of the -woods in his book, 'Up To Mametz'. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:06 | |
-"There were more corpses than men -but there were worse sights... | 0:07:06 | 0:07:10 | |
-"..than the corpses. | 0:07:10 | 0:07:12 | |
-"Limbs and mutilated trunks, -here and there a detached head... | 0:07:12 | 0:07:17 | |
-"..forming splashes of red -against the green leaves... | 0:07:18 | 0:07:20 | |
-"..as an advertisement of the horror -of our way of life and death... | 0:07:21 | 0:07:25 | |
-"..and of our crucifixion -of our youth." | 0:07:25 | 0:07:27 | |
-Further attacks were made -on the 11th July... | 0:07:33 | 0:07:36 | |
-..as fresh Welsh battalions -pushed the Germans out... | 0:07:38 | 0:07:41 | |
-..to the outer edges of the wood. | 0:07:41 | 0:07:43 | |
-Loss of life had been considerable -but the fighting continued. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
-At one stage, friendly fire rained -down on the Welshmen. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:54 | |
-Captain Wyn Griffith sent runners -to put a stop to the barrage. | 0:07:54 | 0:08:01 | |
-One of the runners was his -younger brother, Watcyn. | 0:08:01 | 0:08:05 | |
-Although the message got through -safely, Watcyn was killed... | 0:08:05 | 0:08:08 | |
-..as he tried to return. | 0:08:09 | 0:08:10 | |
-Captain Wyn Griffith sent -his brother to his death... | 0:08:11 | 0:08:14 | |
-..in order to save his men. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
-The official records note the -losses of the 38th Welsh division... | 0:08:16 | 0:08:21 | |
-..as 4,000 officers and men, -either killed, wounded or missing. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:27 | |
-The gruesome task of clearing the -woods began in the ensuing days. | 0:08:28 | 0:08:32 | |
-In his famous book, -'Goodbye To All That'... | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
-..Robert Graves describes -one horrific scene. | 0:08:36 | 0:08:39 | |
-I came across -two unforgettable corpses. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:44 | |
-A man of the South Wales Borderers -and one of the Lehr regiment... | 0:08:44 | 0:08:48 | |
-..had succeeded in bayoneting -each other simultaneously. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:52 | |
-Today, the area around Mametz Wood -is a peaceful place... | 0:08:54 | 0:08:59 | |
-..with birdsong filling the air. | 0:08:59 | 0:09:01 | |
-The land itself is very fertile, -agricultural land. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:04 | |
-Fields of wheat, barley -and sweetcorn. | 0:09:04 | 0:09:08 | |
-It's very good land. | 0:09:09 | 0:09:10 | |
-But when the farmer ploughs -his fields... | 0:09:11 | 0:09:13 | |
-..he has no idea -what he might come across. | 0:09:13 | 0:09:15 | |
-In just 15 minutes, -I've found pieces of shells... | 0:09:16 | 0:09:20 | |
-..a piece of an old bayonet -and even some bullets. | 0:09:21 | 0:09:27 | |
-One still has the powder inside. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
-This is all still here, -90 years later. | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
-The land is still unsafe today. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:39 | |
-Agricultural land is still -dangerous to plough. | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
-Iolo, did you know -there's been controversy... | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
-..about the battle at Mametz... | 0:10:00 | 0:10:01 | |
-..and the conduct of the men -who fought there? | 0:10:02 | 0:10:04 | |
-The Welsh division -withdrew from the line... | 0:10:05 | 0:10:09 | |
-..but there was no recognition -of their bravery or sacrifice. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:13 | |
-There were even whispers -of cowardice and panic. | 0:10:14 | 0:10:18 | |
-At the end of the war -it was suggested... | 0:10:19 | 0:10:21 | |
-..that Welsh indecision -was to blame... | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
-..for taking five days -to clear the woods. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
-That prevented the 4th Army -from making significant advances... | 0:10:29 | 0:10:33 | |
-..on the Somme. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:34 | |
-As a Welshman, -that makes my blood boil. | 0:10:35 | 0:10:37 | |
-It's totally unjust -and a dreadful stigma. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:41 | |
-Just imagine coming here -to start the attack. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
-These men were met -by a hailstorm of bullets. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:51 | |
-I can't imagine that any other -division in the British Army... | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
-..could have captured the biggest -woods on the Somme front line... | 0:10:56 | 0:11:00 | |
-..not to mention -one that was so strongly defended. | 0:11:00 | 0:11:03 | |
-That's so unfair. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:06 | |
-I think it's easy for us -to look back now, Hywel... | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
-..but if they'd done as the -soldiers asked and pushed forward... | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
-..on that very first day, I'm sure -they would have captured the woods. | 0:11:14 | 0:11:18 | |
-There were very few German soldiers -with machine guns left... | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
-..but they had time -to bring in more men. | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
-That's why the attack failed. | 0:11:25 | 0:11:27 | |
-I think we agree that they were -poorly led at the very outset... | 0:11:28 | 0:11:33 | |
-..but even that should not diminish -the soldiers' and officers' bravery. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:38 | |
-They were asked to perform -a suicidal mission. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:42 | |
-Blame must be laid squarely -at the feet of GHQ... | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
-..for giving them such -an impossible task... | 0:11:47 | 0:11:49 | |
-..and expecting them to achieve it -within an impossible time scale. | 0:11:49 | 0:11:52 | |
-I think it's a miracle -that the Welsh division... | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
-..did manage to clear those woods -in five days. | 0:11:57 | 0:12:01 | |
-I think it's a testament -to their bravery. | 0:12:01 | 0:12:07 | |
-Yes, and another testimony -is the striking memorial... | 0:12:07 | 0:12:12 | |
-..that was built 70 years later, -in 1987. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
-Many other divisions may have -had a memorial immediately... | 0:12:15 | 0:12:19 | |
-..but it took a long time -to get this one. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:22 | |
-I think it's very important -to remember. | 0:12:22 | 0:12:24 | |
-It's especially important -for us as Welsh people. | 0:12:24 | 0:12:27 | |
-Today, Mametz Wood itself -is never visited. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
-It's a very dark, silent place... | 0:12:32 | 0:12:36 | |
-..and nature almost seems to have -covered every trace... | 0:12:36 | 0:12:40 | |
-..including the hundreds of Welsh -bodies that still lie there. | 0:12:41 | 0:12:47 | |
-I crossed the field and walked -to the edge of the wood... | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
-..and as you say, there's something -very dark about it. | 0:12:51 | 0:12:53 | |
-One doesn't feel one has the right -to trespass there. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:56 | |
-# THE LAST POST # | 0:12:57 | 0:12:59 | |
-"Woe that I live -in this bitter age... | 0:13:22 | 0:13:24 | |
-..as God retreats -to a distant horizon. | 0:13:24 | 0:13:27 | |
-"The boys' cry -is carried on the wind... | 0:13:27 | 0:13:30 | |
-..and their blood mingles -with the rain." | 0:13:31 | 0:13:33 | |
-# THE LAST POST # | 0:13:36 | 0:13:38 | |
-888 | 0:14:06 | 0:14:06 | |
-888 | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
-We leave the dark, imposing woods -at Mametz... | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
-..and within minutes, -reach another forest... | 0:14:17 | 0:14:19 | |
-..steeped in tragic memories - -Delville Wood. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:22 | |
-This was also strongly defended -by the Germans... | 0:14:23 | 0:14:26 | |
-..and proved almost impossible -to capture. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:29 | |
-On the morning of 14th July, -over 3,000 men and officers... | 0:14:34 | 0:14:40 | |
-..from South Africa -were ready to attack the wood. | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
-When the unit re-formed on the 20th -July, following a fierce battle... | 0:14:47 | 0:14:51 | |
-..there were only 29 officers -and 751 men left. | 0:14:51 | 0:14:55 | |
-The South Africans were commanded -to capture and secure the wood... | 0:14:56 | 0:15:00 | |
-..no matter what the cost. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:01 | |
-We must remember that the Germans -launched a brave counter-attack... | 0:15:01 | 0:15:05 | |
-..to try and keep hold -of the wood. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:08 | |
-Today, there's an appropriate -memorial here... | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
-..to the South Africans' bravery. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:13 | |
-Isn't it a shame that the same -official respect was not shown... | 0:15:14 | 0:15:18 | |
-..to the Welsh soldiers? | 0:15:18 | 0:15:19 | |
-They had to wait many years. | 0:15:19 | 0:15:21 | |
-Thank heavens the dragon -now stands there. | 0:15:21 | 0:15:24 | |
-A memorial paid for by people -who acknowledge past trials. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:28 | |
-The battle and the slaughter -continued... | 0:15:30 | 0:15:32 | |
-..in other woods and villages -along the front line... | 0:15:32 | 0:15:35 | |
-..at High Wood, Guillemont, -Ginchy, Flers and Poiziers. | 0:15:35 | 0:15:41 | |
-The British fought several -battles until the end of November. | 0:15:45 | 0:15:50 | |
-In the weeks following -the slaughter on the 1st July... | 0:15:51 | 0:15:56 | |
-..the Germans also suffered -terrible losses. | 0:15:56 | 0:16:00 | |
-General Erich Von Falkenhayn -had decreed... | 0:16:00 | 0:16:05 | |
-..that they would not concede -an inch of land to the British... | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
-..even if that meant fighting -to the last soldier's death. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:14 | |
-The battle raged on at the Somme, -as a result of Haig's obsession... | 0:16:18 | 0:16:23 | |
-..with breaking through enemy lines -and the Germans' stubborn defence. | 0:16:23 | 0:16:27 | |
-This piece of land -is only twenty miles long... | 0:16:28 | 0:16:31 | |
-..but every yard of it witnessed -death and injury. | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
-It's estimated that over 400,000 -British and Allied men... | 0:16:35 | 0:16:41 | |
-..were wounded or killed here. | 0:16:41 | 0:16:44 | |
-If we add German casualties -to the total... | 0:16:45 | 0:16:47 | |
-..the figure reaches 600,000. | 0:16:48 | 0:16:50 | |
-Not all the battles -took place on land... | 0:16:55 | 0:16:57 | |
-..as they fought fiercely -in the skies overhead... | 0:16:57 | 0:16:59 | |
-..where Baron Manfred von Richthofen -reigned supreme. | 0:17:00 | 0:17:03 | |
-He was the legendary 'Red Baron' -who shot down 80 enemy planes. | 0:17:03 | 0:17:09 | |
-On Sunday 21st April 1918, just to -prove he was not superstitious... | 0:17:21 | 0:17:27 | |
-..Richthofen had his photograph -taken with his engineer... | 0:17:28 | 0:17:30 | |
-..before they took to the skies. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
-It was considered an unlucky thing -to do before battle... | 0:17:32 | 0:17:36 | |
-..and he paid the price for it. | 0:17:36 | 0:17:38 | |
-This was to be his last campaign. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:40 | |
-He was shot down over brickworks -near Corbie. | 0:17:41 | 0:17:44 | |
-The Australians claimed -they shot him down... | 0:17:45 | 0:17:47 | |
-..a claim contested by the -Royal Flying Corps' Captain Brown. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
-Such was the Red Baron's notoriety -that the Australians buried him... | 0:17:57 | 0:18:02 | |
-..with full military honours. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:04 | |
-But the story doesn't end there, -as he was reburied... | 0:18:04 | 0:18:08 | |
-..without his skull -in different graveyards. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
-It was almost as though someone had -decided he would not rest in peace. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:17 | |
-The Somme saw more brutal fighting -during the last year of the war. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:25 | |
-In a last effort, the Germans -swept over the old battlefields... | 0:18:25 | 0:18:30 | |
-..once again in 1918. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:32 | |
-By the summer of that year, -their power had long diminished... | 0:18:32 | 0:18:36 | |
-..and they were pushed back -over the bloody fields... | 0:18:37 | 0:18:39 | |
-..by British and Allied forces -until the German armistice... | 0:18:39 | 0:18:43 | |
-..on the 11th November 1918. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:46 | |
-Today, it's a peaceful place. | 0:18:58 | 0:19:00 | |
-A strange sense of calm can be felt -as you walk through the fields. | 0:19:00 | 0:19:04 | |
-And there, at the centre of the -plains on high ground... | 0:19:06 | 0:19:10 | |
-..stands the largest memorial -to the Somme. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
-Hywel, we've reached the end -of our journey through the Somme... | 0:19:18 | 0:19:21 | |
-..here at Thiepval. | 0:19:22 | 0:19:23 | |
-It's hard to believe that there -was once a small village here... | 0:19:24 | 0:19:27 | |
-..that was destroyed by bombing -during the war. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:31 | |
-They've built a striking -memorial here. | 0:19:31 | 0:19:36 | |
-It's the largest British memorial -in the world. | 0:19:37 | 0:19:41 | |
-The names of 73,000 British -and South African men... | 0:19:41 | 0:19:47 | |
-..who lost their lives at the Somme -are listed on the white stones. | 0:19:48 | 0:19:55 | |
-Their bodies were never found. | 0:19:56 | 0:19:59 | |
-They still lie in the soil here, -somewhere. | 0:19:59 | 0:20:01 | |
-Having visited the Somme, -I now understand... | 0:20:01 | 0:20:05 | |
-..why every city, town and village -at home has a memorial. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:11 | |
-I also find it interesting -that they take such great care... | 0:20:14 | 0:20:19 | |
-..of the graveyards -and monuments here. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:22 | |
-There's no doubt about it - -they are memorable. | 0:20:22 | 0:20:25 | |
-You talk of remembering, -and here at Thiepval... | 0:20:26 | 0:20:30 | |
-..no-one knows what happened -to the men whose names are listed. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:34 | |
-A line of poetry by Robert Williams -Parry springs to mind. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:39 | |
-"They will live, without a grave." | 0:20:40 | 0:20:42 | |
-I'm also struck -by the fact that you walk a lot... | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
-..but neither you nor anyone else... | 0:20:47 | 0:20:50 | |
-..will walk 18 more poignant miles -than the Somme. | 0:20:50 | 0:20:55 | |
-We've been very emotional -in some places... | 0:20:56 | 0:21:00 | |
-..and been floored from time -to time. Would you agree? | 0:21:00 | 0:21:04 | |
-Yes, we have - but something -has also lifted my spirits. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
-There's been brutal fighting at all -the places we've visited... | 0:21:09 | 0:21:13 | |
-..and there's been death here, -yet nature is thriving... | 0:21:13 | 0:21:18 | |
-..and we can even hear birdsong. | 0:21:19 | 0:21:20 | |
-It's almost as though nature is -trying to hide man's wastefulness. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:28 | |
-It does lift your spirits. | 0:21:29 | 0:21:31 | |
-You can't beat nature -in that respect. | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
-As we walked around the memorial, -I remembered a poem by Gwenallt. | 0:21:35 | 0:21:42 | |
-It's called 'Y Meirwon' (The Dead) -and in that poem he looks back... | 0:21:42 | 0:21:47 | |
-..at the lives of his own people -in industrial Glamorgan. | 0:21:47 | 0:21:51 | |
-He ponders on the meaning -of their lives... | 0:21:51 | 0:21:53 | |
-..and as he draws to a close, the -things that stay in his memory... | 0:21:54 | 0:21:59 | |
-..are family, community, -sacrifice and man's suffering. | 0:21:59 | 0:22:04 | |
-That's what we have here - -the sacrifice and suffering... | 0:22:04 | 0:22:08 | |
-..of thousands upon thousands -of soldiers. | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
-It makes you think of the families -and communities that lost them... | 0:22:12 | 0:22:15 | |
-..and the grief and endless longing -they felt. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:20 | |
-It's hard to imagine -a more appropriate place... | 0:22:21 | 0:22:25 | |
-..to end a journey along the Somme. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:28 | |
-"The only thing that remains -in my memory... | 0:22:28 | 0:22:31 | |
-..is family, community, -sacrifice and man's suffering." | 0:22:32 | 0:22:36 | |
| 0:22:36 | 0:22:37 |