Episode 4 Remembrance Week


Episode 4

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I'm here in Helmand province, Afghanistan, with the men and women

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who make up today's Armed Forces. In the lead-up to Remembrance

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Sunday, we are sharing the personal war stories to understand the

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enormous sacrifice made. This is Every day this week we mark the

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build-up to Remembrance Sunday by listening to those marching past

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the Cenotaph as they tell their personal stories of strength and

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courage. We also commemorate those who have laid down their lives for

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our country. Coming up in today's programme - I'm privileged to be in

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the hub of operations on a frontline patrol base. Sir Matthew

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Pinsent learns what life was like in the air for his great uncle

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during World War I. 96-year-old Rosemary Powell remembers the first

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poppy appeal, when she was just six years old. We have always worn a

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poppy, ever since that day. And the reality of war hits home for one

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Palestine veteran. When you're looking down the wrong end of a gun,

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Camp Bastion is the engine room of all the operations in Afghanistan.

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We're now going to find out what life is really like for the troops

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on the frontline. Every day, these Chinook helicopters ferry men and

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essential supplies to British soldiers throughout Helmand

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Province. And I'm lucky enough to have been given a seat on one. I'm

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flying over the deadly Green Zone to visit the men of A Company 1

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Rifles in the Nahr-e Saraj region. I want to discover what day-to-day

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life is like for soldiers living on the frontline in a patrol base.

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This one is in the heart of the notorious Green Zone, and I'm

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heading up to the watchtower to see how close we are to the front line.

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The watchtowers or sangers are the main form of protection for a

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patrol base. They are heavily-armed and offer a vantage point over the

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countryside to prevent a Taliban attack. Rifleman Josh Scorah is on

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duty. What are you looking for? General pattern of life. If there

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is no locals around, that is generally a bad sign. Because if

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the Taliban is in the area, they will warn off the locals from

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coming out. What about those white flags in the trees? Basically,

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they're Taliban flags. They come in and put these flags up in certain

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areas, they will then booby-trap the flags, put some kind of anti-

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Tampa device, or IEDs on the ground. So, we do not go anywhere near them.

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Those Taliban flags, which are maybe 100 metres away, are a clear

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reminder that we are in a dangerous place, which is why these guys in

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the watchtowers are alert 24 hours a day. Major Boswell has been

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commanding A Company in Patrol Base 4 for the past six months, and he

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and his men have made it their own. This is where it is all that, this

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is the front line for us. So, we have this patrol base, compound,

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and out of boredom, we add to it over the months, making

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improvements to the camp. We have got a carpenter, a welder, a

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British or a painter. Just seeing these random qualifications that

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the rilfe men have from various walks of life, and it all comes

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together to construct a massive construction company. It is amazing.

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It can be the most simple thing, like creating a drainage system for

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brushing your teeth, or putting up a shower system made from old money

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or sex. So everything has been built and produced by the rifleman?

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Absolutely. Of the 9,500 British troops in Helmand, around a third

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endure the simple conditions of frontline compounds like this one.

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One of Major Bosswell's riflemen, Jamie Thornton, has agreed to show

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me his company's creative DIY skills. This is the washing machine.

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It is a cement mixer! I don't know if that is bizarre or ingenious.

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is ingenious. So, hot water it goes into the cement mixer. Yes, and

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just turn it on. Just leave your washing in there, throw it in,

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can't brush your teeth, come back, rinse it, stick it in for a bit

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longer. It just gets the sweat out. What about the tumble-drier? That's

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the sun. Even the sleeping quarters are more basic than I ever imagined.

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This is where we sleep. We have got a bit of a mouse problem at the

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moment. We have got our mouse exterminator, as such, this is him.

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He's quite good so far. We have got six confirmed so far. When you see

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life in a base, you realise just how much we take for granted in the

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UK. You can't go for a quick jog outside the walls, so each base has

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its own small gym. Exercise is not just about the body, it also helps

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concentrate the mind, because soldiers like Jamie need to be

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ready to risk their lives at any moment. Our normal day is going out

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the gate... Just doing what we are trained to do. It is no different.

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It is different to many people's normal day, however. Suddenly the

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base seems empty and an eerie silence descends. It is quite quiet

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around the camp today - where is everybody? Most of the riflemen are

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out and about. Essentially, we are trying to draw them out, the

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insurgents. Bash in the operations room. The Ops Room is the hub of

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any operation it's where Major Boswell co-ordinates his men in

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battle. By using all the intelligence, they have identified

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two members of the Taliban. They are just waiting for the all-clear

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to engage. Major Boswell listens carefully to all the updates on the

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ground. Finally Major Boswell makes his decision. We are tracking that

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guy, the commander. Everyone has got their job, everyone's

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communicating brilliantly. It is an extremely exhilarating place to be.

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But there is a job at hand, and they're all focused on that. His

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men did not get the insurgent commander they were after on this

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day. Through the leadership of Major Boswell, and precision co-

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ordination, the mission is a success. But more importantly, with

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only two weeks of their tour left, none of A Company were killed or

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injured on the mission. These boys have been on the patrol we were

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watching from the Ops Room. They must have been on foot patrol for

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maybe five hours. It is baking hot. There were no casualties on this

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mission, but as Jamie reminds me, that's not always the case. My mate

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from camp, he was a double amputee. I was at a checkpoint at the time,

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when I found out that he was blown up. I went and saw him in Selly Oak.

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I was walking down the corridor, it was a really long corridor, and I

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had a bit of a cry. If there is one thing I have learnt from this place,

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it is just to live life to the max. You see people come and go all the

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time in the army. Jamie's moving story of his friend is a reminder

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of the reason I've come to Afghanistan. There is a special

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place set aside in this patrol base the memorial. The names of men and

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women who have fallen in battle in How many have we lost on this tour,

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and how many have been seriously injured? We have had an awful lot

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wounded, and an awful lot seriously wounded, but thankfully we have

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only lost two. There are some demons which we will deal with when

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we get home, and we will deal with them together. But right here, it

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is one big unit, one big happy family, and nothing can really

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upset that. Spending time at Patrol Base 4 has given me a real insight

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into how our troops live on the front line. It is really basic,

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harsh conditions, but their friendships get them through. Every

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time they leave those gates, they put their lives in danger. For that,

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they get my utmost respect. Still to come - Blitz Ambulance driver

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Peggy celebrates her 101st birthday. Everybody came together, everybody

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was nice to everybody. It was like Sadly, all the combat servicemen

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from the First World War have passed away. It falls upon a

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different type of British hero to remember the men and women who

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played their part in the Great War. Sir Matthew Pinsent has won four

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gold medals for his country and since appearing on Who Do You Think

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You Are? Has a newfound interest in genealogy. And he's keen to learn

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more about the life of his Great Uncle Philip in World War I. I know

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very little about his life. There is an amazingly touching family

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photo I have, and Philip is off to one side almost in a sailor suit.

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He must have been about five or six. Born in 1897, Philip was the

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youngest of five sons born to Matthew's paternal great

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grandparents. What I know of him, he volunteered for the air force,

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although I'm pretty sure it was not called the air force. He flew on

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the Western Front, he was wounded in the air, and he died one day

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short of his 19th birthday. I don't know what plane he was flying, how

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many missions or how long he had been flying for. I would like to

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picture if I can what was going through his mind, or appreciate a

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little bit more what that period of his life was like. And where better

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to begin Matthew's journey into the life of his great uncle than here

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at the RAF Museum in Hendon? Morning, Matthew, welcome to the

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Royal Air Force Museum. David Keen is a resident aviation historian

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and World War I enthusiast. And in the Bomber Hall, the history of the

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Royal Air Force is brought to life. David answers Matthew's first

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question of what plane Philip was flying. Your great-uncle was flying

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a BE2e, which is similar to this aeroplane. It was stretched over a

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wooden framework, it does not look very substantial, does it? By any

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measure, it is a debt trap. You have got a cushion, a wicker chair

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and a sheet of linen. It is very, very flimsy. It is just... It is

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what they had to do. This is the pilot's cockpit in the rear. He

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would have sat here, his observer would have been in front of him. He

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would have been looking out to see how far the British Army had

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advanced in the first days of the Battle of the Somme.

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communication between each of these two in the air, would they be able

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to shout back and forth? No, they would not be able to hear each

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other, it would be purely by hand signals. These BE2es were

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inherently safe aircraft, but unfortunately, that does not make

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it a safe military aeroplane. The German aircraft were superior,

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because this was not designed as a fighter. There is no protection at

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all. There is no protection from machine gun fire or anything like

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It is scratchy apart from anything else. And, very heavy. It is a

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lovely jacket. Et les -- like a heavy blanket. If it gave you any

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sense of protection, it would be a false one. This helmet is a leather,

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soft. It is not to protect the head but to protect your ears from

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frostbite. You need to see where you are going. A pair of goggles

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like that. Then, you would be trying to fly the aeroplane wearing

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gloves like this. With a very strong wind blowing in your face.

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And, no parachute? They felt it would cramp their start in the

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cockpit. And, if they had parachutes, they might jump out of

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the aeroplanes. This is something which would have been familiar to

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Philip. Their job was to relay information. There would be a wait.

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He would fly over headquarters and chuck that out. With its bright

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colour. It would flutter down helped by the lead weight. The

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commander on the ground would get the information from the very front

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as to how the attack was progressing. Guided solely by his

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observer, Philip flew over the western front mapping our ground

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troops advancement. In the museum's archive room, WW1 documents reveal

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more. The aircraft would fly overhead. At low level. To see

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whether troops were. That would be close enough to see a uniform?

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need to be under 1000 ft to distinguish in the form, and they

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needed to get down to 700 feet. They were susceptible to fire from

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the ground. The Battle of the Somme was one of the most bitterly

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contested and costly battles of the First World War resulting in

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millions of casualties both on the ground and in the sky. The BE2E was

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a very stable aircraft. Lovely for taking photos. But not a fighting

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aircraft. But it would have been outclassed by German opponents.

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Sometimes lucky, sometimes not. Therefore to have any chance

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against the enemy Philip had to have competence and skill. Which he

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demonstrated three months earlier when he left school to join the

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corps. Looking on 18 March, we can find among the privates, lowest

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rank in the Army, Winchester College, Officer Training Corps. He

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was in the equivalent of the combined Army Cadet Force. Moving

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on to the London Gazette. June 1916. Temporary second lieutenant. In

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just three months, Philip become an officer. Which was the only way he

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was able to be a pilot during World War I. So, a young man in his prime,

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an officer in the officer corps. A certain amount of Sligo. He would

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have considered himself the best. Philip was part of 34 Squadron

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which moved to France in 1916 in preparation for the battle of the

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Somme. And they set some pretty impressive records. The aeroplanes

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flew over in three days without damage! The first squadron to land

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all of their aeroplanes without a crash. It goes to show the

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hazardous nature of flying in those days. And a loop the loop. Very

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accomplished. In one of these aircraft, that is heroic. But on

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23rd September 1916, just four months after getting his aviation

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licence, Philip was shot. managed to land safely. He crashed.

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The nature of flying wasn't that different. Tragically, he was

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wounded. His observers did survive down to his skill, but he himself

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died of his wounds. It was the eve of his 19th birthday. This is a

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telegram that reported on Philip. 24th Sept 1916. It says,

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dangerously ill. Gun shot wounds. Injury above the waist. That is the

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vulnerable area. He was not going to survive that with the conditions

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of the time with the medical available. -- medicine. And sadly,

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he would lead the way for many others. So he was the first death

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for 34 Sqaudron in France? Yes. wasn't the trenches of the Battle

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of the Somme. One of the things about the whole First World War

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experience, you get the impression no lessons were learned that that

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is not the case. Certainly with aerial activity, they were keen to

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make sure they reported on what was effective, what could be improved,

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what worked really well and these lessons were taken to heart. Within

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13 years of the Wright Brothers inventing the first aircraft,

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British pilots were paving the way for modern warfare. His parents

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can't have imagined that this young man was going to fly. Yeah. Gosh.

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His mum might have been mortified Delving into the short life of his

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great uncle, Matthew now has a clearer picture of what it must

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have been light during the First World War. They might not have

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known it at the time, but we have got so much from what they did. For

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us, we have to say thank you. There is no other way, other than being

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respectful, for two minutes of your life. That is pretty simple. The

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the bombings of British cities still haunt the memories of many

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but there was a forgotten army of volunteers who braved the Blitz and

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saved lives. Surrounded by her close family,

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Peggy Crowther is celebrating a Born in 1910, Peggy demonstrated a

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passion for cars from an early age. I really loved being a driver. I

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didn't like being a passenger. I took a great interest in cars. I

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was quite good with engines as well. I learnt to drive as soon I was old

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enough to get my licence. And I happened to be a good one, so I got

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employed very quickly, and I signed on for the ambulance. Penny joined

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the Ambulance Service as a driver in 1939. And, after London was

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repeatedly bombed, she deliberately asked to be posted at the heart of

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the devastation. I had heard by bush telephone that "Jerry" was

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going to aim at the city, and the west end of London. There was going

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to be a lot of misery there. If you were going to do a job like that,

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you might as well start at the worst end. When Peggy was issued

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with her very first ambulance, she had to follow strict instructions.

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The most important thing is the ambulance. You can lose the people,

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but you mustn't lose the ambulance. You've got to get the ambulance

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home. That was the attitude. with so many things during wartime,

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Londoners made the best of what they had to get the job done. And

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this included the ambulance crews. The first type of ambulance we had

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was a converted lorry. It was bit high. We had an awful job lifting

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it up, to get it in. The person on the stretcher was usually a man and

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very rude. Calling us all sorts of things. Being incompetent women. In

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the end, we said, well, you get up and do it yourself! The relentless

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bombing of London during the Blitz meant Peggy and all the ambulance

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crews were called to duty on a regular basis. As the sirens went

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off, and they were having dog fights just above your head, and

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the bombs were falling. You didn't wait. You had to go out really if

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you were going to save a life. Blitz air raids killed nearly

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30,000 civilians and destroyed countless London buildings. The

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east end of London. Dropped some nasty bombs there. Almost before

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the dust had settled, we had to be there. And of course the hospital

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became full in no time, For Peggy, these moments were the most

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It was the children. A little boy of two. I always remember him, he

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would claim to May. He said, I will be killed. He was terrified. The

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raid was still on. He had been badly injured. I held him in the

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ambulance. It felt awful to take his off arms off me. Because you

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had to go and pick up other people. You have these memories that wake

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you up at night sometimes. Not so much lately. They did for a long

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time. But Peggy remained determined to try and help whenever and

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wherever she could. Every so many days, you had a day off. But I

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wouldn't take it. I had a job to do. I made the best of it. I was scared

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at times. But then you see someone worse off than yourselves. On one

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particular callout, Peggy and her crew had a very close encounter.

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This chap suddenly turned around. He said: Have you got a vacuum

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cleaner? No. In that case, perhaps you had better go for another walk.

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Because it was the bomb under the settee that was I sitting on. I'm

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not making it up, it's absolutely true! Amazingly, despite driving

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through bombing raids everyday, Peggy was never hit herself. But,

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returning home one night, she was very close to danger. Very

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cautiously I opened the bathroom door and there was a bit of a shell,

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red hot, in the bath. Burning away happily. The top of one of our own.

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We were under Primrose Hill. A misfire came through the roof. We

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went into the sitting room and got ourselves a good drink and said,

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"Who's going in first?" The bombing of London and many other cities was

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a major turning point during the Second World War. But, thanks to

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the bravery of incredible people like Peggy, countless lives were

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saved. Very happy birthday! Chin Well, everybody came together,

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everybody was nice to everybody. It It was just the spirit of the whole

:28:33.:28:43.
:28:43.:28:57.

thing really. I had no regrets of anything I did. No regrets.

:28:57.:29:01.

In our next story, a man's first day in the conflict zone is one he

:29:01.:29:09.

will never forget. On one day in 1948, Charles Speight

:29:09.:29:13.

escape the arms of the enemy twice. The first time was all down to a

:29:13.:29:23.
:29:23.:29:29.

The war was over, and just after Christmas I was told I was going to

:29:29.:29:33.

the Middle East. That was Christmas 1947. I had never been abroad

:29:33.:29:37.

before. I might have been to the Isle of Wight, but certainly never

:29:37.:29:41.

further than that. Everybody said, you will be all right as long as

:29:41.:29:51.
:29:51.:30:00.

you don't go to Palestine. In 1948, Charles Speight was just 19 years

:30:00.:30:03.

old and about to embark on his first posting as an RAF National

:30:03.:30:06.

Serviceman. Palestine was handed over to the British under a League

:30:06.:30:09.

of Nations mandate in 1920. Both Arab and Jewish nationalists used

:30:09.:30:12.

violence against each other as well as towards their mutual enemy the

:30:12.:30:15.

British. And aged just 20, it was Charles' first posting as an RAF

:30:15.:30:22.

National Serviceman. I knew there had been troubles, but nobody

:30:22.:30:26.

envisages that they will walk into trouble. But on 29th February 1948,

:30:26.:30:29.

that's exactly what happened, when Charles boarded a train for the

:30:29.:30:37.

final part of his journey. There was a regular service between Egypt

:30:37.:30:42.

and Palestine. It was an overnight train, but it ran on a regular

:30:42.:30:47.

basis. The front of the train was all civilians, the restaurant car

:30:47.:30:50.

was in the middle, and the troops were at the back of the train.

:30:50.:30:53.

Charles was in a carriage with 30 other troops, none of whom he'd met

:30:54.:31:02.

before. We were all armed, we all had rifles, because there was

:31:02.:31:06.

always the danger that people might attack the train, or try and steal

:31:06.:31:13.

stuff from the train by jumping aboard. So, they took turns in

:31:13.:31:19.

guarding both ends of the carriage. At about 2 o'clock in the morning,

:31:19.:31:26.

I went off guard and lay down as best I could on the carriage floor.

:31:26.:31:29.

At 4 o'clock in the morning I got a gentle kick to tell me I was on

:31:29.:31:34.

guard. I was politely reminding them that I had already done two

:31:34.:31:39.

hours, and I was politely reminded that I was doing another two. So, I

:31:39.:31:49.
:31:49.:31:58.

did another two hours on guard from four till six. The attendant from

:31:58.:32:02.

the restaurant car came down the train asking if anybody would like

:32:02.:32:07.

breakfast. I was with complete strangers, bear in mind, and I

:32:07.:32:11.

asked a few guys who were near me, did they fancy having breakfast?

:32:11.:32:16.

And nobody did. But I had been up most of the night, so I just asked

:32:17.:32:20.

if they would look after my kit and my rilfe, which I probably should

:32:20.:32:24.

not have left there anyway, but I did, and I went to the restaurant

:32:24.:32:34.
:32:34.:32:35.

car for breakfast. I think I had three rounds of toast and jam and

:32:35.:32:43.

tea for a price in excess of three shillings, as it was then, it was

:32:43.:32:51.

quite expensive in those days, about 15p. In the event, it was a

:32:51.:32:57.

price worth paying. Just moments later, the train went over a land

:32:57.:33:06.

mine. The carriage that I had been in was blown up. It was just the

:33:06.:33:13.

beginning of a day Charles will never forget. We all went to the

:33:13.:33:21.

back of the train, and it was not a very pleasant sight. Almost 30 of

:33:21.:33:27.

the people I had been with had been killed, and a lot of others injured.

:33:27.:33:30.

It was the second largest attack during the conflict, killing 28

:33:30.:33:40.

servicemen and local civilians. realised straightaway as I was

:33:40.:33:45.

going back that I should have been in that culture. For a start, I saw

:33:45.:33:50.

my kit bag, I knew it was the coach I was in. I was just fortunate that

:33:50.:33:59.

I chose to leave it and have a cup of tea and some toast. At breakfast

:33:59.:34:09.
:34:09.:34:09.

saved my life. But Charles' day was far from over. On arrival in

:34:09.:34:16.

Palestine, he travelled by road to his base. The rules seemed to vary

:34:16.:34:20.

in Palestine at that time. On some days we were asked to stop at road

:34:20.:34:25.

blocks, on other days, we were told to go through. This particular day

:34:25.:34:30.

was a day when we were requested to stop at roadblocks. So, we were

:34:30.:34:38.

progressing along quite comfortably until we were actually stopped. The

:34:38.:34:44.

next thing I knew, sitting in the back of a small truck, with canvas

:34:44.:34:48.

on top, was when an Arab Gentleman pointed a gun at us and said, would

:34:48.:34:56.

we get out? Which, when you're looking down the wrong end of a gun,

:34:56.:35:06.
:35:06.:35:10.

you do not argue. They marched us away from our truck, off the side

:35:10.:35:17.

of the road, up the hillside. They were armed, and we were, by then,

:35:17.:35:24.

unarmed, so there was no argument. You do as you're told. It is not

:35:24.:35:30.

playing cowboys and Indians, it is for real. They took one of the

:35:30.:35:38.

vehicles and all the equipment. And basically they just left us there.

:35:38.:35:43.

We were sitting in the middle of a rocky outcrop in the middle of

:35:43.:35:48.

Palestine, in those circumstances, when nobody knows you're there,

:35:48.:35:53.

except the group you're with, I think you... To think, where is

:35:53.:36:02.

this going to end? The after hours of uncertainty, Charles and his

:36:02.:36:07.

comrades were found and rescued. was quite an introduction to

:36:07.:36:17.
:36:17.:36:21.

Palestine. I think it probably made me into a man, yes. A day like that

:36:21.:36:29.

is a day you remember all your life. It stands out amongst all other

:36:29.:36:35.

days in my life, whatever has happened since. I shall never

:36:35.:36:45.
:36:45.:36:49.

forget it. I shall never forget it Supporting our troops, young and

:36:49.:36:52.

old, has always been important, but there is one military charity which

:36:52.:36:57.

has been on hand for the past 90 years. The Royal British Legion has

:36:57.:37:05.

only ever had one goal. The biggest part of our work is providing

:37:05.:37:09.

welfare support to the Armed Forces community, up to 9 million people

:37:09.:37:14.

in total. We're not just about old people, we are very much about the

:37:14.:37:18.

younger serving generation. From veterans of the Second World War to

:37:18.:37:23.

those serving here in Afghanistan, the Legion's message is simple -

:37:23.:37:28.

they're here to help any way they can. That's the point about the

:37:28.:37:34.

Legion. We are here yesterday, today and tomorrow, and for all

:37:34.:37:40.

their tomorrows. It formed in 1921, primarily as a reaction to those

:37:40.:37:44.

coming back from the First World War trenches, having experienced

:37:44.:37:48.

dreadful scenes and injuries in some cases, coming back to this

:37:48.:37:52.

country, really a country that was not judged to be fit for heroes at

:37:52.:37:57.

the time. So this was a coming together, promoted by one of our

:37:57.:38:02.

finders, in order to bring together a whole range of quite small

:38:03.:38:06.

organisations into one organisation, which is today the Royal British

:38:06.:38:13.

Legion. Everyone's needs are different, and the Royal British

:38:13.:38:17.

Legion is on hand for support. Anybody that brings us for help, we

:38:17.:38:21.

can be on their doorstep within an hour. It is not just an impersonal

:38:21.:38:25.

telephone call. It is not just a helpline. But it would not be where

:38:25.:38:29.

it is today without the generous support of the British public.

:38:29.:38:33.

is that grassroots activity from local communities which is the

:38:33.:38:36.

bread and butter, the life blood, of the Royal British Legion. We

:38:36.:38:40.

rely on this vast army of supporters to keep our income

:38:40.:38:46.

generated, so that we in turn can support that Armed Forces community.

:38:46.:38:50.

And one of their most loyal supporters is 96-year-old Rosemary

:38:50.:39:00.
:39:00.:39:02.

Powell, who was at the very first Poppy Appeal in 1921, aged just six.

:39:02.:39:07.

I had one uncle that was very badly wounded, and they said, this money

:39:07.:39:14.

will help people like him, who were wounded. I always remember that. It

:39:14.:39:19.

is the first thing I had really done alone, standing on the bridge,

:39:19.:39:22.

with the River Thames running underneath, just giving people

:39:22.:39:27.

these poppy to put in their buttonholes. I have always worn a

:39:27.:39:33.

human, -- Warner poppy, ever since that day, we knew how important it

:39:33.:39:37.

was. With more and more injured service personnel needing lifelong

:39:37.:39:41.

care, this money makes sure that they can still live life to the

:39:41.:39:47.

full. At the end of last year, we committed �50 million, our largest

:39:47.:39:53.

single donation. We're spending around �200,000 each day, 365 days

:39:53.:39:58.

a year. Since the Second World War there has only been one year where

:39:58.:40:08.
:40:08.:40:09.

a member of our Armed Forces has not been killed on active service.

:40:10.:40:16.

We are the National custodians of remembrance. We look after the

:40:16.:40:19.

National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire, and they're getting

:40:19.:40:24.

300,000 visitors each year, it is a huge drawl. It is for people who

:40:24.:40:28.

wish to visit a place where they can remember their fallen comrades

:40:28.:40:33.

and former members of the family. Year on year, the Royal British

:40:33.:40:39.

Legion is constantly evolving to raise awareness. But there are some

:40:39.:40:43.

people who think we only par putt three weeks of the year, when we

:40:43.:40:47.

are collecting for the Poppy Appeal. In fact, whilst Remembrance is a

:40:47.:40:50.

very important part of our activities, it is one of the

:40:50.:40:56.

smaller parts. The Legion does fund-raising all through the year,

:40:56.:41:00.

and sometimes they call on famous faces. Increasingly we are engaging

:41:00.:41:04.

the support of the younger generation, and younger people that

:41:04.:41:11.

we would recognise, if you like, celebrities. And so we see

:41:11.:41:15.

performers and artists right the way across the generations, helping

:41:15.:41:20.

us to change the image, towards one which transcends the generations,

:41:20.:41:26.

not just one which is associated with the older generation. And this

:41:26.:41:31.

year marks a huge milestone for this military charity. The Royal

:41:32.:41:36.

British Legion is 90 years young this year. We are marking it with a

:41:36.:41:40.

series of events across the country. The objective in fund-raising terms

:41:40.:41:46.

this year is to try to raise �90 million in our 90th year. This will

:41:46.:41:50.

no doubt mean that thousands of supporters will dig deep and go the

:41:50.:41:56.

distance. We do an annual Pedal to Paris, which has been going for

:41:56.:42:02.

quite some years. It is one of just two occasions when the Arc de

:42:02.:42:07.

Triomphe is closed to traffic. It is very well supported, it raises

:42:07.:42:12.

about half-a-million pounds each year, just that event. Some

:42:12.:42:22.
:42:22.:42:23.

fundraisers go to the greatest of heights. Jump for Heroes is the

:42:23.:42:27.

name given to two serving members of the Armed Forces, who do

:42:28.:42:33.

freefall skydiving. They will jump from anything, as long as it is

:42:33.:42:38.

sufficient high. Mountainsides, tops of buildings, bridges, you

:42:38.:42:48.
:42:48.:42:49.

name it, and they go at a terrifying speed. To mark this

:42:49.:42:53.

special anniversary, the Prime Minister hosted a tea-party in

:42:54.:42:58.

their honour. A very happy birthday to the Royal British Legion, one of

:42:58.:43:02.

the finest voluntary bodies in Britain. To me, it is about

:43:02.:43:06.

remembrance, it helps remember those who have given such sacrifice.

:43:06.:43:10.

But above all it is about service and welfare and actually helping

:43:10.:43:14.

people who serve the Armed Forces and making sure we do right by them,

:43:14.:43:21.

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