:00:29. > :00:34.I'm here in Helmand province, Afghanistan, with the men and women
:00:34. > :00:40.who make up today's Armed Forces. In the lead-up to Remembrance
:00:40. > :00:50.Sunday, we are sharing the personal war stories to understand the
:00:50. > :01:05.
:01:05. > :01:07.enormous sacrifice made. This is Every day this week we mark the
:01:08. > :01:10.build-up to Remembrance Sunday by listening to those marching past
:01:10. > :01:16.the Cenotaph as they tell their personal stories of strength and
:01:16. > :01:26.courage. We also commemorate those who have laid down their lives for
:01:26. > :01:29.our country. Coming up in today's programme - I'm privileged to be in
:01:29. > :01:32.the hub of operations on a frontline patrol base. Sir Matthew
:01:32. > :01:37.Pinsent learns what life was like in the air for his great uncle
:01:37. > :01:47.during World War I. 96-year-old Rosemary Powell remembers the first
:01:47. > :01:48.
:01:49. > :01:53.poppy appeal, when she was just six years old. We have always worn a
:01:53. > :01:58.poppy, ever since that day. And the reality of war hits home for one
:01:58. > :02:08.Palestine veteran. When you're looking down the wrong end of a gun,
:02:08. > :02:11.
:02:11. > :02:15.Camp Bastion is the engine room of all the operations in Afghanistan.
:02:15. > :02:18.We're now going to find out what life is really like for the troops
:02:18. > :02:20.on the frontline. Every day, these Chinook helicopters ferry men and
:02:20. > :02:30.essential supplies to British soldiers throughout Helmand
:02:30. > :02:30.
:02:30. > :02:33.Province. And I'm lucky enough to have been given a seat on one. I'm
:02:33. > :02:40.flying over the deadly Green Zone to visit the men of A Company 1
:02:40. > :02:49.Rifles in the Nahr-e Saraj region. I want to discover what day-to-day
:02:49. > :02:53.life is like for soldiers living on the frontline in a patrol base.
:02:53. > :02:56.This one is in the heart of the notorious Green Zone, and I'm
:02:57. > :02:59.heading up to the watchtower to see how close we are to the front line.
:03:00. > :03:04.The watchtowers or sangers are the main form of protection for a
:03:04. > :03:07.patrol base. They are heavily-armed and offer a vantage point over the
:03:07. > :03:17.countryside to prevent a Taliban attack. Rifleman Josh Scorah is on
:03:17. > :03:21.duty. What are you looking for? General pattern of life. If there
:03:21. > :03:25.is no locals around, that is generally a bad sign. Because if
:03:25. > :03:31.the Taliban is in the area, they will warn off the locals from
:03:31. > :03:36.coming out. What about those white flags in the trees? Basically,
:03:36. > :03:43.they're Taliban flags. They come in and put these flags up in certain
:03:43. > :03:53.areas, they will then booby-trap the flags, put some kind of anti-
:03:53. > :03:54.
:03:54. > :04:00.Tampa device, or IEDs on the ground. So, we do not go anywhere near them.
:04:00. > :04:07.Those Taliban flags, which are maybe 100 metres away, are a clear
:04:07. > :04:14.reminder that we are in a dangerous place, which is why these guys in
:04:14. > :04:17.the watchtowers are alert 24 hours a day. Major Boswell has been
:04:17. > :04:26.commanding A Company in Patrol Base 4 for the past six months, and he
:04:26. > :04:34.and his men have made it their own. This is where it is all that, this
:04:34. > :04:38.is the front line for us. So, we have this patrol base, compound,
:04:38. > :04:43.and out of boredom, we add to it over the months, making
:04:43. > :04:50.improvements to the camp. We have got a carpenter, a welder, a
:04:50. > :04:54.British or a painter. Just seeing these random qualifications that
:04:54. > :05:00.the rilfe men have from various walks of life, and it all comes
:05:00. > :05:05.together to construct a massive construction company. It is amazing.
:05:05. > :05:09.It can be the most simple thing, like creating a drainage system for
:05:09. > :05:14.brushing your teeth, or putting up a shower system made from old money
:05:14. > :05:19.or sex. So everything has been built and produced by the rifleman?
:05:19. > :05:23.Absolutely. Of the 9,500 British troops in Helmand, around a third
:05:23. > :05:26.endure the simple conditions of frontline compounds like this one.
:05:26. > :05:36.One of Major Bosswell's riflemen, Jamie Thornton, has agreed to show
:05:36. > :05:37.
:05:38. > :05:44.me his company's creative DIY skills. This is the washing machine.
:05:44. > :05:49.It is a cement mixer! I don't know if that is bizarre or ingenious.
:05:49. > :05:56.is ingenious. So, hot water it goes into the cement mixer. Yes, and
:05:56. > :06:00.just turn it on. Just leave your washing in there, throw it in,
:06:00. > :06:08.can't brush your teeth, come back, rinse it, stick it in for a bit
:06:08. > :06:17.longer. It just gets the sweat out. What about the tumble-drier? That's
:06:17. > :06:21.the sun. Even the sleeping quarters are more basic than I ever imagined.
:06:21. > :06:28.This is where we sleep. We have got a bit of a mouse problem at the
:06:28. > :06:35.moment. We have got our mouse exterminator, as such, this is him.
:06:35. > :06:39.He's quite good so far. We have got six confirmed so far. When you see
:06:39. > :06:43.life in a base, you realise just how much we take for granted in the
:06:43. > :06:46.UK. You can't go for a quick jog outside the walls, so each base has
:06:46. > :06:49.its own small gym. Exercise is not just about the body, it also helps
:06:49. > :06:53.concentrate the mind, because soldiers like Jamie need to be
:06:53. > :07:02.ready to risk their lives at any moment. Our normal day is going out
:07:03. > :07:06.the gate... Just doing what we are trained to do. It is no different.
:07:06. > :07:15.It is different to many people's normal day, however. Suddenly the
:07:15. > :07:23.base seems empty and an eerie silence descends. It is quite quiet
:07:23. > :07:26.around the camp today - where is everybody? Most of the riflemen are
:07:26. > :07:36.out and about. Essentially, we are trying to draw them out, the
:07:36. > :07:38.insurgents. Bash in the operations room. The Ops Room is the hub of
:07:38. > :07:48.any operation it's where Major Boswell co-ordinates his men in
:07:48. > :07:51.
:07:51. > :07:53.battle. By using all the intelligence, they have identified
:07:54. > :07:57.two members of the Taliban. They are just waiting for the all-clear
:07:57. > :08:06.to engage. Major Boswell listens carefully to all the updates on the
:08:06. > :08:16.ground. Finally Major Boswell makes his decision. We are tracking that
:08:16. > :08:17.
:08:17. > :08:21.guy, the commander. Everyone has got their job, everyone's
:08:21. > :08:25.communicating brilliantly. It is an extremely exhilarating place to be.
:08:25. > :08:28.But there is a job at hand, and they're all focused on that. His
:08:28. > :08:38.men did not get the insurgent commander they were after on this
:08:38. > :08:42.
:08:42. > :08:46.day. Through the leadership of Major Boswell, and precision co-
:08:46. > :08:49.ordination, the mission is a success. But more importantly, with
:08:49. > :08:56.only two weeks of their tour left, none of A Company were killed or
:08:57. > :09:00.injured on the mission. These boys have been on the patrol we were
:09:00. > :09:04.watching from the Ops Room. They must have been on foot patrol for
:09:04. > :09:12.maybe five hours. It is baking hot. There were no casualties on this
:09:12. > :09:17.mission, but as Jamie reminds me, that's not always the case. My mate
:09:18. > :09:25.from camp, he was a double amputee. I was at a checkpoint at the time,
:09:25. > :09:30.when I found out that he was blown up. I went and saw him in Selly Oak.
:09:30. > :09:40.I was walking down the corridor, it was a really long corridor, and I
:09:40. > :09:41.
:09:41. > :09:45.had a bit of a cry. If there is one thing I have learnt from this place,
:09:45. > :09:49.it is just to live life to the max. You see people come and go all the
:09:49. > :09:53.time in the army. Jamie's moving story of his friend is a reminder
:09:53. > :09:58.of the reason I've come to Afghanistan. There is a special
:09:58. > :10:08.place set aside in this patrol base the memorial. The names of men and
:10:08. > :10:12.
:10:12. > :10:17.women who have fallen in battle in How many have we lost on this tour,
:10:17. > :10:21.and how many have been seriously injured? We have had an awful lot
:10:21. > :10:26.wounded, and an awful lot seriously wounded, but thankfully we have
:10:26. > :10:30.only lost two. There are some demons which we will deal with when
:10:30. > :10:34.we get home, and we will deal with them together. But right here, it
:10:34. > :10:42.is one big unit, one big happy family, and nothing can really
:10:42. > :10:46.upset that. Spending time at Patrol Base 4 has given me a real insight
:10:46. > :10:50.into how our troops live on the front line. It is really basic,
:10:50. > :10:54.harsh conditions, but their friendships get them through. Every
:10:54. > :11:02.time they leave those gates, they put their lives in danger. For that,
:11:02. > :11:12.they get my utmost respect. Still to come - Blitz Ambulance driver
:11:12. > :11:22.Peggy celebrates her 101st birthday. Everybody came together, everybody
:11:22. > :11:26.
:11:26. > :11:29.was nice to everybody. It was like Sadly, all the combat servicemen
:11:29. > :11:32.from the First World War have passed away. It falls upon a
:11:32. > :11:36.different type of British hero to remember the men and women who
:11:36. > :11:39.played their part in the Great War. Sir Matthew Pinsent has won four
:11:39. > :11:44.gold medals for his country and since appearing on Who Do You Think
:11:44. > :11:52.You Are? Has a newfound interest in genealogy. And he's keen to learn
:11:52. > :11:57.more about the life of his Great Uncle Philip in World War I. I know
:11:57. > :12:03.very little about his life. There is an amazingly touching family
:12:03. > :12:07.photo I have, and Philip is off to one side almost in a sailor suit.
:12:07. > :12:09.He must have been about five or six. Born in 1897, Philip was the
:12:09. > :12:19.youngest of five sons born to Matthew's paternal great
:12:19. > :12:20.
:12:20. > :12:24.grandparents. What I know of him, he volunteered for the air force,
:12:24. > :12:28.although I'm pretty sure it was not called the air force. He flew on
:12:28. > :12:33.the Western Front, he was wounded in the air, and he died one day
:12:33. > :12:38.short of his 19th birthday. I don't know what plane he was flying, how
:12:38. > :12:42.many missions or how long he had been flying for. I would like to
:12:42. > :12:47.picture if I can what was going through his mind, or appreciate a
:12:47. > :12:51.little bit more what that period of his life was like. And where better
:12:51. > :12:56.to begin Matthew's journey into the life of his great uncle than here
:12:56. > :13:01.at the RAF Museum in Hendon? Morning, Matthew, welcome to the
:13:01. > :13:06.Royal Air Force Museum. David Keen is a resident aviation historian
:13:06. > :13:09.and World War I enthusiast. And in the Bomber Hall, the history of the
:13:09. > :13:19.Royal Air Force is brought to life. David answers Matthew's first
:13:19. > :13:21.
:13:21. > :13:29.question of what plane Philip was flying. Your great-uncle was flying
:13:29. > :13:34.a BE2e, which is similar to this aeroplane. It was stretched over a
:13:34. > :13:39.wooden framework, it does not look very substantial, does it? By any
:13:39. > :13:46.measure, it is a debt trap. You have got a cushion, a wicker chair
:13:46. > :13:51.and a sheet of linen. It is very, very flimsy. It is just... It is
:13:52. > :13:55.what they had to do. This is the pilot's cockpit in the rear. He
:13:55. > :13:59.would have sat here, his observer would have been in front of him. He
:14:00. > :14:03.would have been looking out to see how far the British Army had
:14:03. > :14:07.advanced in the first days of the Battle of the Somme.
:14:07. > :14:11.communication between each of these two in the air, would they be able
:14:11. > :14:19.to shout back and forth? No, they would not be able to hear each
:14:19. > :14:23.other, it would be purely by hand signals. These BE2es were
:14:23. > :14:27.inherently safe aircraft, but unfortunately, that does not make
:14:27. > :14:31.it a safe military aeroplane. The German aircraft were superior,
:14:31. > :14:35.because this was not designed as a fighter. There is no protection at
:14:35. > :14:45.all. There is no protection from machine gun fire or anything like
:14:45. > :14:57.
:14:57. > :15:04.It is scratchy apart from anything else. And, very heavy. It is a
:15:04. > :15:10.lovely jacket. Et les -- like a heavy blanket. If it gave you any
:15:10. > :15:15.sense of protection, it would be a false one. This helmet is a leather,
:15:15. > :15:19.soft. It is not to protect the head but to protect your ears from
:15:19. > :15:26.frostbite. You need to see where you are going. A pair of goggles
:15:26. > :15:32.like that. Then, you would be trying to fly the aeroplane wearing
:15:32. > :15:38.gloves like this. With a very strong wind blowing in your face.
:15:38. > :15:43.And, no parachute? They felt it would cramp their start in the
:15:43. > :15:48.cockpit. And, if they had parachutes, they might jump out of
:15:48. > :15:54.the aeroplanes. This is something which would have been familiar to
:15:54. > :15:59.Philip. Their job was to relay information. There would be a wait.
:15:59. > :16:05.He would fly over headquarters and chuck that out. With its bright
:16:05. > :16:08.colour. It would flutter down helped by the lead weight. The
:16:08. > :16:12.commander on the ground would get the information from the very front
:16:12. > :16:14.as to how the attack was progressing. Guided solely by his
:16:14. > :16:19.observer, Philip flew over the western front mapping our ground
:16:19. > :16:29.troops advancement. In the museum's archive room, WW1 documents reveal
:16:29. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :16:39.more. The aircraft would fly overhead. At low level. To see
:16:39. > :16:43.whether troops were. That would be close enough to see a uniform?
:16:43. > :16:48.need to be under 1000 ft to distinguish in the form, and they
:16:48. > :16:54.needed to get down to 700 feet. They were susceptible to fire from
:16:54. > :16:57.the ground. The Battle of the Somme was one of the most bitterly
:16:57. > :17:03.contested and costly battles of the First World War resulting in
:17:03. > :17:12.millions of casualties both on the ground and in the sky. The BE2E was
:17:12. > :17:20.a very stable aircraft. Lovely for taking photos. But not a fighting
:17:20. > :17:22.aircraft. But it would have been outclassed by German opponents.
:17:22. > :17:25.Sometimes lucky, sometimes not. Therefore to have any chance
:17:26. > :17:29.against the enemy Philip had to have competence and skill. Which he
:17:29. > :17:38.demonstrated three months earlier when he left school to join the
:17:38. > :17:48.corps. Looking on 18 March, we can find among the privates, lowest
:17:48. > :17:56.rank in the Army, Winchester College, Officer Training Corps. He
:17:56. > :18:03.was in the equivalent of the combined Army Cadet Force. Moving
:18:03. > :18:07.on to the London Gazette. June 1916. Temporary second lieutenant. In
:18:07. > :18:15.just three months, Philip become an officer. Which was the only way he
:18:15. > :18:25.was able to be a pilot during World War I. So, a young man in his prime,
:18:25. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:34.an officer in the officer corps. A certain amount of Sligo. He would
:18:34. > :18:38.have considered himself the best. Philip was part of 34 Squadron
:18:38. > :18:45.which moved to France in 1916 in preparation for the battle of the
:18:45. > :18:54.Somme. And they set some pretty impressive records. The aeroplanes
:18:54. > :19:01.flew over in three days without damage! The first squadron to land
:19:01. > :19:09.all of their aeroplanes without a crash. It goes to show the
:19:09. > :19:17.hazardous nature of flying in those days. And a loop the loop. Very
:19:17. > :19:20.accomplished. In one of these aircraft, that is heroic. But on
:19:20. > :19:30.23rd September 1916, just four months after getting his aviation
:19:30. > :19:36.
:19:36. > :19:43.licence, Philip was shot. managed to land safely. He crashed.
:19:43. > :19:49.The nature of flying wasn't that different. Tragically, he was
:19:49. > :19:55.wounded. His observers did survive down to his skill, but he himself
:19:55. > :20:03.died of his wounds. It was the eve of his 19th birthday. This is a
:20:03. > :20:13.telegram that reported on Philip. 24th Sept 1916. It says,
:20:13. > :20:16.
:20:16. > :20:21.dangerously ill. Gun shot wounds. Injury above the waist. That is the
:20:21. > :20:30.vulnerable area. He was not going to survive that with the conditions
:20:30. > :20:34.of the time with the medical available. -- medicine. And sadly,
:20:34. > :20:44.he would lead the way for many others. So he was the first death
:20:44. > :20:45.
:20:45. > :20:51.for 34 Sqaudron in France? Yes. wasn't the trenches of the Battle
:20:51. > :20:54.of the Somme. One of the things about the whole First World War
:20:54. > :20:59.experience, you get the impression no lessons were learned that that
:20:59. > :21:03.is not the case. Certainly with aerial activity, they were keen to
:21:03. > :21:07.make sure they reported on what was effective, what could be improved,
:21:07. > :21:10.what worked really well and these lessons were taken to heart. Within
:21:10. > :21:19.13 years of the Wright Brothers inventing the first aircraft,
:21:19. > :21:29.British pilots were paving the way for modern warfare. His parents
:21:29. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:43.can't have imagined that this young man was going to fly. Yeah. Gosh.
:21:43. > :21:46.
:21:46. > :21:50.His mum might have been mortified Delving into the short life of his
:21:50. > :21:55.great uncle, Matthew now has a clearer picture of what it must
:21:55. > :22:02.have been light during the First World War. They might not have
:22:02. > :22:09.known it at the time, but we have got so much from what they did. For
:22:09. > :22:19.us, we have to say thank you. There is no other way, other than being
:22:19. > :22:24.
:22:24. > :22:28.respectful, for two minutes of your life. That is pretty simple. The
:22:28. > :22:32.the bombings of British cities still haunt the memories of many
:22:32. > :22:35.but there was a forgotten army of volunteers who braved the Blitz and
:22:35. > :22:45.saved lives. Surrounded by her close family,
:22:45. > :22:48.
:22:48. > :22:55.Peggy Crowther is celebrating a Born in 1910, Peggy demonstrated a
:22:55. > :23:05.passion for cars from an early age. I really loved being a driver. I
:23:05. > :23:10.didn't like being a passenger. I took a great interest in cars. I
:23:10. > :23:14.was quite good with engines as well. I learnt to drive as soon I was old
:23:14. > :23:20.enough to get my licence. And I happened to be a good one, so I got
:23:20. > :23:25.employed very quickly, and I signed on for the ambulance. Penny joined
:23:25. > :23:29.the Ambulance Service as a driver in 1939. And, after London was
:23:29. > :23:35.repeatedly bombed, she deliberately asked to be posted at the heart of
:23:35. > :23:44.the devastation. I had heard by bush telephone that "Jerry" was
:23:45. > :23:49.going to aim at the city, and the west end of London. There was going
:23:49. > :23:53.to be a lot of misery there. If you were going to do a job like that,
:23:53. > :23:56.you might as well start at the worst end. When Peggy was issued
:23:56. > :24:00.with her very first ambulance, she had to follow strict instructions.
:24:00. > :24:04.The most important thing is the ambulance. You can lose the people,
:24:04. > :24:09.but you mustn't lose the ambulance. You've got to get the ambulance
:24:09. > :24:13.home. That was the attitude. with so many things during wartime,
:24:13. > :24:20.Londoners made the best of what they had to get the job done. And
:24:20. > :24:29.this included the ambulance crews. The first type of ambulance we had
:24:29. > :24:36.was a converted lorry. It was bit high. We had an awful job lifting
:24:36. > :24:46.it up, to get it in. The person on the stretcher was usually a man and
:24:46. > :24:47.
:24:47. > :24:53.very rude. Calling us all sorts of things. Being incompetent women. In
:24:53. > :24:56.the end, we said, well, you get up and do it yourself! The relentless
:24:56. > :25:03.bombing of London during the Blitz meant Peggy and all the ambulance
:25:03. > :25:06.crews were called to duty on a regular basis. As the sirens went
:25:06. > :25:14.off, and they were having dog fights just above your head, and
:25:14. > :25:17.the bombs were falling. You didn't wait. You had to go out really if
:25:17. > :25:20.you were going to save a life. Blitz air raids killed nearly
:25:20. > :25:26.30,000 civilians and destroyed countless London buildings. The
:25:26. > :25:30.east end of London. Dropped some nasty bombs there. Almost before
:25:30. > :25:33.the dust had settled, we had to be there. And of course the hospital
:25:33. > :25:43.became full in no time, For Peggy, these moments were the most
:25:43. > :25:49.
:25:49. > :25:56.It was the children. A little boy of two. I always remember him, he
:25:56. > :26:04.would claim to May. He said, I will be killed. He was terrified. The
:26:04. > :26:10.raid was still on. He had been badly injured. I held him in the
:26:10. > :26:14.ambulance. It felt awful to take his off arms off me. Because you
:26:14. > :26:21.had to go and pick up other people. You have these memories that wake
:26:21. > :26:25.you up at night sometimes. Not so much lately. They did for a long
:26:25. > :26:29.time. But Peggy remained determined to try and help whenever and
:26:29. > :26:38.wherever she could. Every so many days, you had a day off. But I
:26:38. > :26:45.wouldn't take it. I had a job to do. I made the best of it. I was scared
:26:45. > :26:51.at times. But then you see someone worse off than yourselves. On one
:26:52. > :26:59.particular callout, Peggy and her crew had a very close encounter.
:26:59. > :27:07.This chap suddenly turned around. He said: Have you got a vacuum
:27:07. > :27:10.cleaner? No. In that case, perhaps you had better go for another walk.
:27:10. > :27:13.Because it was the bomb under the settee that was I sitting on. I'm
:27:13. > :27:16.not making it up, it's absolutely true! Amazingly, despite driving
:27:16. > :27:22.through bombing raids everyday, Peggy was never hit herself. But,
:27:22. > :27:26.returning home one night, she was very close to danger. Very
:27:26. > :27:36.cautiously I opened the bathroom door and there was a bit of a shell,
:27:36. > :27:37.
:27:37. > :27:44.red hot, in the bath. Burning away happily. The top of one of our own.
:27:44. > :27:47.We were under Primrose Hill. A misfire came through the roof. We
:27:47. > :27:53.went into the sitting room and got ourselves a good drink and said,
:27:53. > :28:00."Who's going in first?" The bombing of London and many other cities was
:28:00. > :28:03.a major turning point during the Second World War. But, thanks to
:28:03. > :28:13.the bravery of incredible people like Peggy, countless lives were
:28:13. > :28:22.
:28:22. > :28:32.saved. Very happy birthday! Chin Well, everybody came together,
:28:32. > :28:33.
:28:33. > :28:43.everybody was nice to everybody. It It was just the spirit of the whole
:28:43. > :28:57.
:28:57. > :29:01.thing really. I had no regrets of anything I did. No regrets.
:29:01. > :29:09.In our next story, a man's first day in the conflict zone is one he
:29:09. > :29:13.will never forget. On one day in 1948, Charles Speight
:29:13. > :29:23.escape the arms of the enemy twice. The first time was all down to a
:29:23. > :29:29.
:29:29. > :29:33.The war was over, and just after Christmas I was told I was going to
:29:33. > :29:37.the Middle East. That was Christmas 1947. I had never been abroad
:29:37. > :29:41.before. I might have been to the Isle of Wight, but certainly never
:29:41. > :29:51.further than that. Everybody said, you will be all right as long as
:29:51. > :30:00.
:30:00. > :30:03.you don't go to Palestine. In 1948, Charles Speight was just 19 years
:30:03. > :30:06.old and about to embark on his first posting as an RAF National
:30:06. > :30:09.Serviceman. Palestine was handed over to the British under a League
:30:09. > :30:12.of Nations mandate in 1920. Both Arab and Jewish nationalists used
:30:12. > :30:15.violence against each other as well as towards their mutual enemy the
:30:15. > :30:22.British. And aged just 20, it was Charles' first posting as an RAF
:30:22. > :30:26.National Serviceman. I knew there had been troubles, but nobody
:30:26. > :30:29.envisages that they will walk into trouble. But on 29th February 1948,
:30:29. > :30:37.that's exactly what happened, when Charles boarded a train for the
:30:37. > :30:42.final part of his journey. There was a regular service between Egypt
:30:42. > :30:47.and Palestine. It was an overnight train, but it ran on a regular
:30:47. > :30:50.basis. The front of the train was all civilians, the restaurant car
:30:50. > :30:53.was in the middle, and the troops were at the back of the train.
:30:54. > :31:02.Charles was in a carriage with 30 other troops, none of whom he'd met
:31:02. > :31:06.before. We were all armed, we all had rifles, because there was
:31:06. > :31:13.always the danger that people might attack the train, or try and steal
:31:13. > :31:19.stuff from the train by jumping aboard. So, they took turns in
:31:19. > :31:26.guarding both ends of the carriage. At about 2 o'clock in the morning,
:31:26. > :31:29.I went off guard and lay down as best I could on the carriage floor.
:31:29. > :31:34.At 4 o'clock in the morning I got a gentle kick to tell me I was on
:31:34. > :31:39.guard. I was politely reminding them that I had already done two
:31:39. > :31:49.hours, and I was politely reminded that I was doing another two. So, I
:31:49. > :31:58.
:31:58. > :32:02.did another two hours on guard from four till six. The attendant from
:32:02. > :32:07.the restaurant car came down the train asking if anybody would like
:32:07. > :32:11.breakfast. I was with complete strangers, bear in mind, and I
:32:11. > :32:16.asked a few guys who were near me, did they fancy having breakfast?
:32:17. > :32:20.And nobody did. But I had been up most of the night, so I just asked
:32:20. > :32:24.if they would look after my kit and my rilfe, which I probably should
:32:24. > :32:34.not have left there anyway, but I did, and I went to the restaurant
:32:34. > :32:35.
:32:35. > :32:43.car for breakfast. I think I had three rounds of toast and jam and
:32:43. > :32:51.tea for a price in excess of three shillings, as it was then, it was
:32:51. > :32:57.quite expensive in those days, about 15p. In the event, it was a
:32:57. > :33:06.price worth paying. Just moments later, the train went over a land
:33:06. > :33:13.mine. The carriage that I had been in was blown up. It was just the
:33:13. > :33:21.beginning of a day Charles will never forget. We all went to the
:33:21. > :33:27.back of the train, and it was not a very pleasant sight. Almost 30 of
:33:27. > :33:30.the people I had been with had been killed, and a lot of others injured.
:33:30. > :33:40.It was the second largest attack during the conflict, killing 28
:33:40. > :33:45.servicemen and local civilians. realised straightaway as I was
:33:45. > :33:50.going back that I should have been in that culture. For a start, I saw
:33:50. > :33:59.my kit bag, I knew it was the coach I was in. I was just fortunate that
:33:59. > :34:09.I chose to leave it and have a cup of tea and some toast. At breakfast
:34:09. > :34:09.
:34:09. > :34:16.saved my life. But Charles' day was far from over. On arrival in
:34:16. > :34:20.Palestine, he travelled by road to his base. The rules seemed to vary
:34:20. > :34:25.in Palestine at that time. On some days we were asked to stop at road
:34:25. > :34:30.blocks, on other days, we were told to go through. This particular day
:34:30. > :34:38.was a day when we were requested to stop at roadblocks. So, we were
:34:38. > :34:44.progressing along quite comfortably until we were actually stopped. The
:34:44. > :34:48.next thing I knew, sitting in the back of a small truck, with canvas
:34:48. > :34:56.on top, was when an Arab Gentleman pointed a gun at us and said, would
:34:56. > :35:06.we get out? Which, when you're looking down the wrong end of a gun,
:35:06. > :35:10.
:35:10. > :35:17.you do not argue. They marched us away from our truck, off the side
:35:17. > :35:24.of the road, up the hillside. They were armed, and we were, by then,
:35:24. > :35:30.unarmed, so there was no argument. You do as you're told. It is not
:35:30. > :35:38.playing cowboys and Indians, it is for real. They took one of the
:35:38. > :35:43.vehicles and all the equipment. And basically they just left us there.
:35:43. > :35:48.We were sitting in the middle of a rocky outcrop in the middle of
:35:48. > :35:53.Palestine, in those circumstances, when nobody knows you're there,
:35:53. > :36:02.except the group you're with, I think you... To think, where is
:36:02. > :36:07.this going to end? The after hours of uncertainty, Charles and his
:36:07. > :36:17.comrades were found and rescued. was quite an introduction to
:36:17. > :36:21.
:36:21. > :36:29.Palestine. I think it probably made me into a man, yes. A day like that
:36:29. > :36:35.is a day you remember all your life. It stands out amongst all other
:36:35. > :36:45.days in my life, whatever has happened since. I shall never
:36:45. > :36:49.
:36:49. > :36:52.forget it. I shall never forget it Supporting our troops, young and
:36:52. > :36:57.old, has always been important, but there is one military charity which
:36:57. > :37:05.has been on hand for the past 90 years. The Royal British Legion has
:37:05. > :37:09.only ever had one goal. The biggest part of our work is providing
:37:09. > :37:14.welfare support to the Armed Forces community, up to 9 million people
:37:14. > :37:18.in total. We're not just about old people, we are very much about the
:37:18. > :37:23.younger serving generation. From veterans of the Second World War to
:37:23. > :37:28.those serving here in Afghanistan, the Legion's message is simple -
:37:28. > :37:34.they're here to help any way they can. That's the point about the
:37:34. > :37:40.Legion. We are here yesterday, today and tomorrow, and for all
:37:40. > :37:44.their tomorrows. It formed in 1921, primarily as a reaction to those
:37:44. > :37:48.coming back from the First World War trenches, having experienced
:37:48. > :37:52.dreadful scenes and injuries in some cases, coming back to this
:37:52. > :37:57.country, really a country that was not judged to be fit for heroes at
:37:57. > :38:02.the time. So this was a coming together, promoted by one of our
:38:03. > :38:06.finders, in order to bring together a whole range of quite small
:38:06. > :38:13.organisations into one organisation, which is today the Royal British
:38:13. > :38:17.Legion. Everyone's needs are different, and the Royal British
:38:17. > :38:21.Legion is on hand for support. Anybody that brings us for help, we
:38:21. > :38:25.can be on their doorstep within an hour. It is not just an impersonal
:38:25. > :38:29.telephone call. It is not just a helpline. But it would not be where
:38:29. > :38:33.it is today without the generous support of the British public.
:38:33. > :38:36.is that grassroots activity from local communities which is the
:38:36. > :38:40.bread and butter, the life blood, of the Royal British Legion. We
:38:40. > :38:46.rely on this vast army of supporters to keep our income
:38:46. > :38:50.generated, so that we in turn can support that Armed Forces community.
:38:50. > :39:00.And one of their most loyal supporters is 96-year-old Rosemary
:39:00. > :39:02.
:39:02. > :39:07.Powell, who was at the very first Poppy Appeal in 1921, aged just six.
:39:07. > :39:14.I had one uncle that was very badly wounded, and they said, this money
:39:14. > :39:19.will help people like him, who were wounded. I always remember that. It
:39:19. > :39:22.is the first thing I had really done alone, standing on the bridge,
:39:22. > :39:27.with the River Thames running underneath, just giving people
:39:27. > :39:33.these poppy to put in their buttonholes. I have always worn a
:39:33. > :39:37.human, -- Warner poppy, ever since that day, we knew how important it
:39:37. > :39:41.was. With more and more injured service personnel needing lifelong
:39:41. > :39:47.care, this money makes sure that they can still live life to the
:39:47. > :39:53.full. At the end of last year, we committed �50 million, our largest
:39:53. > :39:58.single donation. We're spending around �200,000 each day, 365 days
:39:58. > :40:08.a year. Since the Second World War there has only been one year where
:40:08. > :40:09.
:40:10. > :40:16.a member of our Armed Forces has not been killed on active service.
:40:16. > :40:19.We are the National custodians of remembrance. We look after the
:40:19. > :40:24.National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, and they're getting
:40:24. > :40:28.300,000 visitors each year, it is a huge drawl. It is for people who
:40:28. > :40:33.wish to visit a place where they can remember their fallen comrades
:40:33. > :40:39.and former members of the family. Year on year, the Royal British
:40:39. > :40:43.Legion is constantly evolving to raise awareness. But there are some
:40:43. > :40:47.people who think we only par putt three weeks of the year, when we
:40:47. > :40:50.are collecting for the Poppy Appeal. In fact, whilst Remembrance is a
:40:50. > :40:56.very important part of our activities, it is one of the
:40:56. > :41:00.smaller parts. The Legion does fund-raising all through the year,
:41:00. > :41:04.and sometimes they call on famous faces. Increasingly we are engaging
:41:04. > :41:11.the support of the younger generation, and younger people that
:41:11. > :41:15.we would recognise, if you like, celebrities. And so we see
:41:15. > :41:20.performers and artists right the way across the generations, helping
:41:20. > :41:26.us to change the image, towards one which transcends the generations,
:41:26. > :41:31.not just one which is associated with the older generation. And this
:41:32. > :41:36.year marks a huge milestone for this military charity. The Royal
:41:36. > :41:40.British Legion is 90 years young this year. We are marking it with a
:41:40. > :41:46.series of events across the country. The objective in fund-raising terms
:41:46. > :41:50.this year is to try to raise �90 million in our 90th year. This will
:41:50. > :41:56.no doubt mean that thousands of supporters will dig deep and go the
:41:56. > :42:02.distance. We do an annual Pedal to Paris, which has been going for
:42:02. > :42:07.quite some years. It is one of just two occasions when the Arc de
:42:07. > :42:12.Triomphe is closed to traffic. It is very well supported, it raises
:42:12. > :42:22.about half-a-million pounds each year, just that event. Some
:42:22. > :42:23.
:42:23. > :42:27.fundraisers go to the greatest of heights. Jump for Heroes is the
:42:28. > :42:33.name given to two serving members of the Armed Forces, who do
:42:33. > :42:38.freefall skydiving. They will jump from anything, as long as it is
:42:38. > :42:48.sufficient high. Mountainsides, tops of buildings, bridges, you
:42:48. > :42:49.
:42:49. > :42:53.name it, and they go at a terrifying speed. To mark this
:42:54. > :42:58.special anniversary, the Prime Minister hosted a tea-party in
:42:58. > :43:02.their honour. A very happy birthday to the Royal British Legion, one of
:43:02. > :43:06.the finest voluntary bodies in Britain. To me, it is about
:43:06. > :43:10.remembrance, it helps remember those who have given such sacrifice.
:43:10. > :43:14.But above all it is about service and welfare and actually helping
:43:14. > :43:21.people who serve the Armed Forces and making sure we do right by them,