:00:20. > :00:25.Welcome to Remembrance Week. I am at Camp Bastion in Helmand province.
:00:25. > :00:31.As Remembrance Sunday approaches, we will be witnessing the fantastic
:00:31. > :00:36.work of our armed forces here and honouring sacrifices made by others
:00:36. > :00:42.in past conflicts around the world. Coming up: A gang Royal Marine
:00:42. > :00:48.remembers the dangers of his first tour of duty. -- a young Royal
:00:48. > :00:51.Marine. Is that a mine? We hear a Holocaust survivor's remarkable
:00:51. > :01:01.story of determination and love. was everything - my lover, my
:01:01. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:09.friend. My liberator, my husband. And I spend the night with our
:01:09. > :01:19.troops in a remote checkpoint here in Afghanistan. Here is your bed.
:01:19. > :01:19.
:01:19. > :01:24.Are you serious? This is as basic as it gets. Enjoy! The Royal
:01:24. > :01:28.Marines are renowned for bravery, courage and determination. As our
:01:28. > :01:33.next young veteran tells us, these qualities are not just reserved for
:01:33. > :01:36.the battlefield. Ben McBean was just 18 years old when he joined
:01:36. > :01:43.one of the most elite units in the British Armed Forces - the Royal
:01:43. > :01:53.Marines. Being a Royal Marine was my dream. You are the best fighting
:01:53. > :01:55.
:01:55. > :01:59.soldier in the world. Everyone tries to argue but if you have a
:01:59. > :02:07.green beret and you have that cap badge on, everyone knows you are
:02:07. > :02:15.the best. Ben's first tour of duty came in 2008 when he was sent to
:02:15. > :02:22.Afghanistan. This is my first war. I was in school a few years ago. I
:02:22. > :02:25.got off the plane in Afghan. It's a man world, it's really serious.
:02:25. > :02:35.his first experiences of armed combat weren't quite what he
:02:35. > :02:42.
:02:42. > :02:49.expected. In training you always shoot away so you do not practise a
:02:49. > :02:56.bullet going past ahead. You think, what was that? Some might think,
:02:56. > :03:01.someone is trying to kill us. Everyone starts to dive on the
:03:01. > :03:08.floor. Guys went to the hills to cover. There were bullets following
:03:08. > :03:14.his feet. I thought, he is going to get shot but he did not. You get
:03:14. > :03:21.back and you are laughing. What else to do? You don't bring home
:03:21. > :03:31.and Fay, I almost got shot. Laughing is a good way of coping.
:03:31. > :03:41.But it wasn't only Taliban snipers Ben had to worry about. Every step
:03:41. > :03:46.
:03:46. > :03:50.you take, is there a mine there? Is that connected to an IED? You are
:03:50. > :03:53.trying not to get shot. And you get back and you have survived, shower,
:03:53. > :03:55.bed, sleep, wake up next patrol. 28th February 2008, Ben prepared
:03:55. > :04:05.for another gruelling patrol but this one would turn his world
:04:05. > :04:10.
:04:10. > :04:16.upside down. It was pitch dark. We had been walking for a few hours
:04:16. > :04:22.and the sun started to come up. The idea was to clear this compound. We
:04:22. > :04:32.had about 30 metres to run. We were going to run towards the compound.
:04:32. > :04:34.
:04:34. > :04:40.Just get there. Against the wall and you go in. We were sprinting
:04:40. > :04:46.across and it was sunny. There were flies around my face because I was
:04:46. > :04:56.sweating. The guys behind were going, run, run, run. We just ran
:04:56. > :05:02.
:05:02. > :05:10.in and then that was it. Ben had It didn't hurt. I just had to go to
:05:10. > :05:15.sleep. That would have been the end. I was lying there, slowly breathing.
:05:15. > :05:19.I remembered my sister was about to have a baby and all those little
:05:19. > :05:24.things like that. I thought it would have been selfish to give up
:05:25. > :05:28.now. I thought, stuff it. Let's go fight to the death. That's why I
:05:28. > :05:31.got a Green Beret because that's what you do. Fighting to survive,
:05:31. > :05:39.Ben was air lifted to the trauma hospital at Camp Bastion before
:05:39. > :05:49.being flown home for life saving treatment. I'd just turned 21, lost
:05:49. > :05:52.
:05:52. > :05:56.Scars everywhere. I could not get dressed. I couldn't get solid foods
:05:56. > :05:59.on board. With the support of his family and friends around him, Ben
:05:59. > :06:09.knew he had to fight for his future. Just getting better was a duty of
:06:09. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:14.mine. As a Royal Marine, not give up kind of thing. After just five
:06:14. > :06:18.weeks in hospital, Ben was moved to Headley Court, the military
:06:18. > :06:26.rehabilitation centre, where he was fitted with a prosthetic leg.
:06:26. > :06:30.only should have walked for an hour at a time. I used to walk around in
:06:30. > :06:38.it all day. I wanted to be this tall again. But having mastered the
:06:38. > :06:44.art of walking, running was next on his list. At first I was like Bambi.
:06:44. > :06:48.I could not do it. I was all over the place. My brain had forgotten
:06:48. > :06:56.what to do and what food to put in front of the other and things like
:06:56. > :07:05.that. I kept thinking I was going to fall over. Mike Trainer
:07:05. > :07:15.gradually slowly pushed me down a bank. -- my trainer. Yes, that was
:07:15. > :07:15.
:07:15. > :07:20.it. I felt and he was like, yes. That was it. It was done. A bit
:07:20. > :07:28.like Forrest Gump, I just started running. And in a brief moment of
:07:28. > :07:33.relaxation, Ben had a brainwave. am lying there and wondering what
:07:33. > :07:37.shall I do. The marathon was on the TV and I said next year that's what
:07:37. > :07:45.I'd do. Just 14 months after being blown up Ben was on the starting
:07:45. > :07:53.line for the London Marathon. gun went. I remember overtaking
:07:53. > :07:59.Katie Price. That was after the first two miles. I thought, hoping
:07:59. > :08:07.I will not see them again. If I can beat them, that will be all right.
:08:07. > :08:15.The next 13 miles were epic. I dragged myself over the finish line.
:08:15. > :08:22.I've got there and beat 11,500 people. I had no training. It gave
:08:22. > :08:26.me confidence. One thing that Ben really did need confidence with was
:08:26. > :08:35.meeting girls. I wasn't good with girls anyway and then this happened,
:08:35. > :08:38.so I thought, what's the point? Ben wouldn't have to look too far,
:08:38. > :08:42.when on a night out in his home town of Plymouth, he bumped into an
:08:42. > :08:51.old school friend. I just passed him on the stairs and I said, Ben,
:08:51. > :09:00.are you all right? And we had a bit of a chat. He had a massive smile
:09:00. > :09:08.on his face, and I thought he was hot! I was not good with girls
:09:08. > :09:12.anyway. I was not an expert. My friends were making it worse.
:09:12. > :09:18.really thought he was not interested in me and he did not
:09:18. > :09:25.like me at all. I was just a girl from school. We spent more time
:09:25. > :09:30.together. Then he asked me to be his girlfriend. I was like, yes.
:09:30. > :09:37.The fact I met someone who had liked as a person and was fit, I
:09:37. > :09:45.was like, yes. I have done all right for myself. Give myself a pat
:09:45. > :09:48.on the back. It has been four years since Ben stepped on an IED and he
:09:48. > :09:54.has already achieved a massive amount and it is clear he is not
:09:54. > :10:04.going to stop now. I want kids and I want grandchildren. I have been
:10:04. > :10:04.
:10:04. > :10:11.This Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, the day we honour those that have
:10:11. > :10:14.given their lives for their country. In the lead up to this National
:10:14. > :10:22.Service of Remembrance, we tell the real stories of the people who
:10:22. > :10:27.march past the Cenotaph on Whitehall. The Holocaust was an act
:10:27. > :10:32.of such extraordinary evil it has left a lasting scar nearly 70 years
:10:32. > :10:37.after the Second World War. For one survivor, it provided the unlikely
:10:37. > :10:43.backdrop to remarkable personal story. She found something she
:10:43. > :10:53.never expected - love. The Imperial War Museum, in the heart of London,
:10:53. > :11:03.looks after an incredibly special dress for 89-year-old Gena Turgel.
:11:03. > :11:07.I must stroke it. It is wonderful. I can't tell you how I feel to see
:11:07. > :11:10.it again. It's a dream. Made from British parachute silk, Gena's
:11:10. > :11:20.wedding dress is a constant reminder of the man who liberated
:11:20. > :11:20.
:11:20. > :11:28.her from a Nazi concentration camp. How slim I was then. Today, the
:11:28. > :11:36.dresses are much nicer. To me, it was the most beautiful dress in the
:11:36. > :11:39.world. I could really cry and cry from happiness. But it symbolises
:11:39. > :11:49.so much more than most could imagine - it represents the end of
:11:49. > :11:56.her desperate struggle for survival. Born in Poland in 1923, Gena was
:11:56. > :12:06.the youngest child of an affluent Jewish couple. I had a very happy
:12:06. > :12:07.
:12:07. > :12:15.childhood - lovely family. We had friends and lived a normal life.
:12:15. > :12:20.But that didn't last. Unfortunately, 1939, the Germans invaded Poland. I
:12:20. > :12:23.was terrified what was going to be next. World War Two was instantly
:12:23. > :12:25.declared but under the command of Adolf Hitler, Nazi Germany's plan
:12:25. > :12:35.to wipe out Poland's Jewish population was already gaining
:12:35. > :12:43.
:12:43. > :12:48.They came very well prepared. They had a list of affluent Jewish
:12:48. > :12:55.families. They entered homes and wanted to speak to my mother. They
:12:55. > :12:59.said, you have a very nice home but you will not be needing it for very
:12:59. > :13:04.long. We command you that by 12 o'clock tomorrow you have to
:13:04. > :13:11.deliver all the things we see here. You know, if not, one of your
:13:11. > :13:13.children is going to be shot. Stripped of all their worldly
:13:14. > :13:20.possessions, 18-year-old Gena and her family, along with thousands of
:13:20. > :13:27.other Jewish people, were rounded up and forcibly herded into ghettos.
:13:27. > :13:33.We wore a Star of David. We walked on foot, not on buses or trains and
:13:33. > :13:40.had to have identity cards. We were restricted in everything. This
:13:40. > :13:50.included the basic necessity of food. The Polish people used to
:13:50. > :13:54.
:13:54. > :14:01.come to the gates and we exchanged bread. -- a watch or ring for bread.
:14:01. > :14:05.The bread was most important. You focused on the bread. I love bread,
:14:05. > :14:11.maybe because I didn't have enough then. Starvation and disease were
:14:11. > :14:14.already claiming thousands of lives but more horror was yet to come.
:14:14. > :14:20.There were rumours they were going to create concentration camps and
:14:20. > :14:23.the day came when they segregated women. Gena, her mother and two
:14:23. > :14:27.sisters, were separated from her sister-in-law and young nephew, who
:14:27. > :14:37.were bundled onto trains. And that was the very first transport to
:14:37. > :14:46.
:14:46. > :14:52.All those women and children Suddenly, we grow up and we weren't
:14:52. > :14:55.children any more. Although the Nazis murdered other national and
:14:55. > :14:57.ethnic groups, the Jews were singled out for special treatment,
:14:57. > :15:05.which meant they would be methodically killed with poisonous
:15:05. > :15:09.By 1941, nearly one million Jewish men, women and children had been
:15:09. > :15:19.murdered. This included three of Gena's brothers - Herman, Janek and
:15:19. > :15:23.
:15:23. > :15:32.Willek, In March 1942, Gena left the ghetto with her mother and
:15:32. > :15:39.sisters and were marched to Plaszow Concentration Camp. We got to the
:15:39. > :15:47.huge barracks. There was a straw mattress and blankets. We had to
:15:47. > :15:49.stand to attention and be counted and waited for Commander Macro to
:15:49. > :15:52.appear. Amon Goeth was a notoriously sadistic German
:15:52. > :16:02.commander. He was accompanied by two Alsatian dogs and bodyguards.
:16:02. > :16:06.
:16:06. > :16:11.Gun in one hand, he walked over to our side. -- the side of the men.
:16:11. > :16:21.You look too stupid, he was shot down. You look too clever and were
:16:21. > :16:28.
:16:28. > :16:35.Such brutality occurred on a daily basis and her sister Mirjam Ott was
:16:35. > :16:39.killed in cold blood. The tears we cried, we could fill buckets full.
:16:39. > :16:44.And my sister Helen was working in Schindler's factory. She was
:16:44. > :16:49.kidnapped when she was on the night shift on the way to her living
:16:49. > :16:58.quarters. She was taken to the hospital for experiments. When I
:16:58. > :17:05.tried to see her I was not allowed. He end-December 1944, Gena and her
:17:05. > :17:11.frail mother left the concentration camp. -- in December. We marched on
:17:11. > :17:19.to we reached Auschwitz. We smelled and it was terrible. We were
:17:19. > :17:28.segregated to the shower room and we left our clothes behind. We
:17:28. > :17:33.walked into awards the place, stone floors. -- enough towards the place.
:17:33. > :17:37.There were openings in the ceiling and we waited and waited. After a
:17:37. > :17:47.while, the water came through and we drank it because we were so
:17:47. > :17:47.
:17:47. > :17:52.thirsty. And then after the water stopped, the doors opened and we
:17:52. > :17:59.came out, and the women who worked screamed and said, you are alive!
:17:59. > :18:04.How wonderful to see you! They embraced us. I said, what are you
:18:04. > :18:11.talking about? They said, don't you know where you have been? I said,
:18:11. > :18:20.where? They said, you were in a gas chamber. I never, never, never
:18:20. > :18:26.forget it all my life. Displays, the way we were trembling. -- this
:18:26. > :18:30.place. In an extraordinary twist of fate, the lethal gas had
:18:30. > :18:38.temporarily run out. Less than a month later, Gena and her mother
:18:38. > :18:44.were moved again. Eventually, the train stopped. And they opened and
:18:44. > :18:54.I can still hear today, I never forget, the locks and the noise of
:18:54. > :18:55.
:18:55. > :19:01.that. We marched for several hours until we reached Belsen
:19:01. > :19:09.Concentration Camp and that was known to us as a finishing camp.
:19:09. > :19:16.From there, there is no escape. And I just could not believe my eyes.
:19:16. > :19:23.Walking skeletons in every sense of the word. Pepys of bodies. You
:19:23. > :19:31.could not distinguish whether they were men or women. -- piles of
:19:31. > :19:40.bodies. The people were dying like flies. The starvation, the fear, it
:19:40. > :19:47.was horrendous. It was unbelievable. And I said to myself, I am not
:19:47. > :19:51.going to die like this. In just four months, over 35,000 prisoners
:19:51. > :19:55.perished at this camp but Gena was determined to survive and secured a
:19:55. > :19:59.job at the hospital to help save lives. But little did she know he
:19:59. > :20:09.does not see regime was collapsing and her six-year nightmare was
:20:09. > :20:11.
:20:11. > :20:17.nearly over. -- little did she know Hitler's not see regime. A very
:20:17. > :20:24.quickly the gates opened and Jeeps and tanks and loudspeakers and
:20:25. > :20:32.voices came through. "and we British came to liberate you. Be
:20:32. > :20:40.happy. The Nazis have nothing more to say to you". I get very
:20:40. > :20:45.emotional. The tears poured down my cheeks. At 3pm on 15th April 1945,
:20:45. > :20:52.control of Belsen Concentration Camp was transferred to the British.
:20:52. > :20:57.Oh, it was wonderful! For and that particular sergeant who used to
:20:57. > :21:02.come in, his name was Norman. Norman was a soldier with the task
:21:02. > :21:07.of finding and arresting ses personnel but he had also taken a
:21:07. > :21:12.liking to Gena. He invited her to dinner. She was in for a big
:21:12. > :21:19.surprise. He came in to give me a big kiss, still with his
:21:19. > :21:24.translator! I was still a baby I had lived such a sheltered life. He
:21:24. > :21:29.said, this is our engagement party. I said, pardon? And I looked around
:21:29. > :21:34.and thought he must be crazy. I said, I don't know the man. But you
:21:34. > :21:39.see, he made up his mind when he first saw me in a hospital in that
:21:39. > :21:44.white overall that I was the girl he was going to marry. Seven months
:21:44. > :21:50.later they were married and move to England with Gena's mother. He was
:21:50. > :21:55.a wonderful, wonderful man. He had the most beautiful eyes. I really
:21:55. > :22:03.fell in love with his eyes. He was wonderful. We would have celebrated
:22:03. > :22:13.our golden wedding but two months before, my husband died. He was my
:22:13. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:20.everything. My lover, my friend... My liberator. My husband.
:22:20. > :22:25.Holocaust claimed the lives of over 6 million Jewish people, all
:22:25. > :22:31.innocent victims of Germany's Nazi regime. Now nearly 70 years on,
:22:31. > :22:37.Gena is one of the few survivors who can share story. One can't
:22:37. > :22:47.describe... It is just... I am always very, very proud. To be
:22:47. > :22:50.
:22:50. > :22:58.I am at one of the basis that side of Camp Bastion but where I am
:22:58. > :23:03.going to now, the lads literally have nothing. -- at one of the
:23:03. > :23:07.bases outside Camp Bastion. I am heading to a British-run checkpoint
:23:07. > :23:11.in the heart of Afghanistan so I can experience myself what life is
:23:11. > :23:15.really like for our frontline troops. For we have just left the
:23:15. > :23:18.base at high speed and I was a bit surprised by that, but to suppose
:23:18. > :23:24.you don't really want to hang around. This is how the armed
:23:24. > :23:30.forces get around in Afghanistan. The roads all have tarmac now.
:23:30. > :23:39.There is a great route to get from of a letter to B around the check
:23:39. > :23:44.points. You can see a lot of farming. -- get front of the letter
:23:44. > :23:49.to B. We act in the countryside and you can see people around, which is
:23:49. > :23:54.weird. I am on my way to Checkpoint Hewad, which is deep inside Taliban
:23:54. > :24:03.territory. It is currently home to The Royal Welsh and is as basic as
:24:03. > :24:07.it comes. Welcoming me into the fold is Sergeant Sean Griffiths.
:24:07. > :24:14.Sean, I have to say, it is a Welsh and took -- a pleasure to be among
:24:14. > :24:23.still boys. What was it like at the start? If you can imagine outside
:24:23. > :24:27.wall was as you can see here, so... So this is what separated you?
:24:27. > :24:31.from the enemy. There were many checkpoints like this scattered
:24:31. > :24:37.around Afghanistan and making it feel as normal as possible was
:24:37. > :24:41.essential. You can see the gym here. We have quite a few of these.
:24:41. > :24:47.really important to have the exercise. Yes, the last thing the
:24:47. > :24:53.lads want is a long period of time without keeping fit. This is what
:24:53. > :24:57.we call the basic washing area and cooking utensils. This is our main
:24:57. > :25:05.source of water, the world. Everything has to be sanitised and
:25:05. > :25:09.it goes into what is called a "Puffin barely". This gets licked
:25:09. > :25:16.and it will warm the water. This is also where the lads will do their
:25:16. > :25:23.washing. We get some water and then some good old Army issue detergent
:25:23. > :25:33.and you can also see this, which they place inside to give their
:25:33. > :25:33.
:25:33. > :25:39.clothes the best clean possible. OK, this is inside a tent. As you can
:25:39. > :25:44.see, it is quite tight... Heller, lads. You can fit up to 10 blokes
:25:44. > :25:47.in here. At first, we didn't have electricity but now we have a
:25:47. > :25:53.generator so they can have electricity. Do you get used to
:25:53. > :25:57.living at the checkpoint? You have to. We are here for up to 6 and a
:25:57. > :26:03.half months. You have to make it work. With no room for me to sleep
:26:03. > :26:10.with the boys, Sean shows me where I am sleeping tonight. Five-star
:26:10. > :26:20.luxury liner Q I used to! yourself sorted and I will come and
:26:20. > :26:27.
:26:27. > :26:35.you can you later. Make sure you Every day, the lads go on patrol
:26:35. > :26:40.and Sean is giving orders for tonight's mission. The picture
:26:40. > :26:48.itself, go down and tried to persuade them and go into a plan of
:26:48. > :26:52.patrol. -- the Mission. We have got Kenny, the medic, and he will be
:26:52. > :27:01.the expert if you are injured. Weapons have been cleaned and we'll
:27:01. > :27:07.go to go. They also have a sock -- serviceable and ready for battle.
:27:07. > :27:11.We have tea and biscuits, steak and chips. Good to go. There was a lot
:27:11. > :27:16.of information in that brief, which took about six minutes and 30
:27:16. > :27:21.seconds, and now the boys are out again. They can be out from
:27:21. > :27:24.anything like an hour to 12 hours. Hopefully it will be
:27:24. > :27:34.straightforward for them tonight and they will be back for steak and
:27:34. > :27:36.
:27:36. > :27:42.The bases are eerily quiet and it brings home the danger these guys
:27:42. > :27:47.face whenever they set foot outside the gates. For the boss of the
:27:47. > :27:50.checkpoint, Lieutenant John Black, this is a real concern. As a
:27:50. > :27:54.commander, obviously one of your jobs is to be responsible for these
:27:54. > :28:01.troops but then also they are your best friends now. Do you feel that
:28:02. > :28:07.responsibility? Yes, you do. I am a single guy with no kids, and the
:28:07. > :28:11.idea of being a paternity figure for these guys are weighs heavily
:28:11. > :28:16.on you. They are part of my responsibility. We have orders on
:28:16. > :28:20.what to do if a guy gets killed in action and that is a horrible, so
:28:20. > :28:28.the list of things to do. One of the things on the list is to write
:28:28. > :28:32.a letter to his mother or guardians... And that is just a
:28:32. > :28:38.drill. It is something I do and unprepared to do. Have you had to
:28:38. > :28:44.do that? No, thank God. If anything, that is why I don't worry about
:28:44. > :28:50.getting hurt myself because somebody else will deal with that.
:28:50. > :28:54.But if somebody has got shot, seriously injured or killed, I have
:28:54. > :29:01.to pack up his things and get writing a letter. That is a
:29:01. > :29:06.chilling thought. The guys have been out for over two hours but
:29:06. > :29:11.when they get back, they are in for a proper treat. Forget rations, for
:29:11. > :29:14.the first time in weeks, they have fresh meat and potatoes and
:29:14. > :29:22.Corporal Damian Evans is in charge. I have heard you are the best chef
:29:22. > :29:25.in can? Well, my mum taught me how to cook. She thought me and my
:29:25. > :29:31.brother were more important to learn to cook them my sisters so
:29:31. > :29:35.she taught me first. Did she? This is quite a task because it
:29:35. > :29:40.takes a lot of time to Brett. Everybody chips in here and you
:29:40. > :29:50.have to? Yes, you have to work as a team because otherwise it falls
:29:50. > :29:50.
:29:50. > :30:00.apart. Can I appeal some spuds? 32 spuds! Welcome To Check Point
:30:00. > :30:05.life, Jones! Cut them in half and slice it up so you have nice, thick
:30:05. > :30:15.slices. 12 chips a spud. Something like that because they are quite
:30:15. > :30:16.
:30:16. > :30:20.small. A seven down... A bad fall to go! I soon realised I need some
:30:20. > :30:27.help so I wrote Paine Lance Corporal Mitchell Hodson to fight
:30:27. > :30:34.the potato a battle. -- I wrote it in. Cite any checkpoint, steak and
:30:34. > :30:39.chips is a bit of a luxury. What do you miss the most from home?
:30:39. > :30:45.favourite meal at home he is not that luxurious. It is chips and egg
:30:45. > :30:54.made by me! Honestly! While I am watching the telly. Just simple
:30:54. > :30:58.things. You will be having that soon? Yes. 28 days. As I finish up
:30:58. > :31:03.in the kitchen, Sean and his men returned from patrol and it is all
:31:03. > :31:06.hands on deck to get the feast on to the table. Her being in this
:31:06. > :31:11.checkpoint for just a day makes you appreciate the small things in life,
:31:11. > :31:16.but having a shower, and especially food. And of quite a few hours of
:31:16. > :31:26.food, the steak and chips are ready. I think we have fresh bread,
:31:26. > :31:31.
:31:32. > :31:37.mushrooms. So I am going to get One of the most satisfying meals
:31:37. > :31:47.I've ever had, and if I do say so myself the chips weren't too bad!
:31:47. > :31:51.
:31:51. > :31:56.It has been a really interesting day. It has been lovely to meet the
:31:56. > :32:06.guys and see how they live. They told me to look out for camel
:32:06. > :32:21.
:32:21. > :32:27.spiders, snakes and mice. I wish The sun rose at 5:45am. That was a
:32:27. > :32:37.normal start time for the boys. The postman had already arrived with
:32:37. > :32:45.lots of luxuries. This is a letter from the people of Paris. They sent
:32:45. > :32:53.all this stuff out. There are loads of books and sweets. For the colder
:32:53. > :32:58.months, some hats to keep them warm, which I think our rather fetching.
:32:58. > :33:04.This is part of being a soldier which many people might not get to
:33:04. > :33:09.see. This checkpoint is very remote and is very basic. All the things
:33:09. > :33:15.we take for granted like running water, and my shower and food, it
:33:16. > :33:25.is hard work. Having lifted for only 24 hours, I have the utmost
:33:26. > :33:28.
:33:28. > :33:33.respect for all paratroops serving on the frontline. Was British
:33:33. > :33:38.troops were fighting on the front in World War II, another Army was
:33:38. > :33:42.at Bletchley Park and making a real difference. Rozanne Colchester is
:33:42. > :33:48.remembering being a teenager in bitterly as she took risks before
:33:48. > :33:57.fighting in the most important war of her time. -- in Italy. It was
:33:57. > :34:04.the time of Hitler and Mussolini. There were masses of Germans coming.
:34:04. > :34:12.They were our enemies. There we were surrounded. We were rather
:34:12. > :34:22.noisy and threw things at them. We were pursued by a furious not see
:34:22. > :34:26.
:34:26. > :34:36.youths. With its bring on to a tram. So it was an early start but the
:34:36. > :34:39.
:34:39. > :34:44.postman had already delivered lots And she got a job at Bletchley Park.
:34:44. > :34:49.They were the cigarettes and pipe days. She spoke fluent Italian and
:34:49. > :34:54.was put to work on messages intercepted from the Italian Air
:34:54. > :35:04.Force. We had to decode them. We all have to think about what the
:35:04. > :35:11.
:35:11. > :35:17.message might mean. One got used to things like the Italian things same,
:35:17. > :35:21.S79 is leaving North Africa at 4pm. If it was in advance of the time
:35:21. > :35:27.you were doing it, it was much -- it was wonderful because you could
:35:27. > :35:32.send a message to the fighter pilots. Endless doing codes. He
:35:33. > :35:38.could not give up for a minute. It might have been a vital thing. We
:35:38. > :35:45.were third day after day and night after night. All on shift. We
:35:45. > :35:49.simply went to our billets at night and came back to work during the
:35:49. > :35:53.day. Decoding the German and Italian messages was vital in
:35:53. > :36:02.helping to save British lives. Bletchley Park was the hub of the
:36:02. > :36:07.secret operations. Everybody they're called it the Park.
:36:07. > :36:12.Everybody knew where it was. Everybody knew something was going
:36:13. > :36:17.on her. Soldiers were outside guarding it. It was a secret world.
:36:17. > :36:20.Nobody must know about it. They were terrified the news would get
:36:20. > :36:27.through to the Germans. You were told never to talk about it and
:36:27. > :36:34.never mention it. So, we did not. You have to keep strictly to your
:36:34. > :36:39.own kennel. You were like a well- trained dog. You must not go
:36:39. > :36:45.anywhere else. It was not all work and no play for the decoders at
:36:45. > :36:49.Bletchley Park. We went to a pub which was nearby. That was where
:36:49. > :36:54.all our fund took place. We used to have meals in the pub and meet
:36:54. > :36:59.friends in the pub and had dances in the pub and so one. Breaking
:36:59. > :37:09.into a song every now and again helped to keep spirits high for
:37:09. > :37:19.
:37:19. > :37:25.News 69 peacetime -- # Peace time glamour, dab away the wrinkle and
:37:25. > :37:33.the brown. Throw your cares away and go to
:37:33. > :37:43.town. That was about young girls lies at
:37:43. > :37:49.that time. I was alone in the office. It was late at night. I was
:37:49. > :37:57.doing the usual thing. One message began to come out. It was saying,
:37:57. > :38:05.this aeroplane was going to leave North Africa at a certain time. One
:38:05. > :38:12.suddenly realises, it was ahead by about three or four hours. I went
:38:12. > :38:21.to Joe Hooper and said, this is interesting. What you make of it?
:38:21. > :38:26.He jumped out of his chair. There was wild excitement in the room.
:38:26. > :38:32.Telephones were ringing. There was wild excitement. They got through
:38:32. > :38:38.to North Africa in time and shot the aeroplanes down. We will never
:38:38. > :38:42.know how many lives were saved that night. It was another example of
:38:42. > :38:51.the important work at Bletchley Park code-breakers did during the
:38:51. > :38:55.ball. -- that Bletchley Park code- breakers did during the war. It was
:38:55. > :39:01.wonderful satisfaction - I did something worthwhile. The hard slog
:39:01. > :39:07.was justified. Just as the ball was coming to an end, had younger
:39:07. > :39:15.brother began training to be an RAF pilot. -- her younger brother.
:39:15. > :39:22.went away a boy and came back a man. I was at Bletchley and he came down
:39:22. > :39:28.wearing an Air Force uniform, having just been made an officer.
:39:28. > :39:34.We had a lovely time of course. I introduced him to my friends. The
:39:34. > :39:39.went out to a party at the pub and so on. Weeks later, the reality of
:39:39. > :39:47.war was to hit home for Rozanne when Dick took part in the Battle
:39:47. > :39:57.of Arnhem. The telephone rang and it was my father. He said, Rozanne,
:39:57. > :40:01.terrible news. Dick is missing. Then I remember, I felt awful and I
:40:01. > :40:05.could not go on working. Not knowing was so terrible. Rozanne
:40:05. > :40:10.and her family had a painful nine- month wait before heartbreaking
:40:10. > :40:20.confirmation came through. Her brother, Dick, had been killed in
:40:20. > :40:25.
:40:25. > :40:30.action. There was more. It makes me cry. -- that was war. She left
:40:30. > :40:40.Bletchley Park in 1945 and set sail on the troopship to her next
:40:40. > :40:44.posting in Egypt. On board was the 28-year-old SAS paratrooper her.
:40:44. > :40:49.had seen three young men walking around in duffel coats. They rock
:40:49. > :40:53.all the same height. They were rather attractive. -- they were all
:40:53. > :40:58.the same height. That evening she went for dinner and had a very
:40:58. > :41:05.pleasant surprise. There were thousands of people on this boat.
:41:05. > :41:10.It was a troop ship going out. The man next to me was the man I had
:41:10. > :41:16.seen on the deck. Isn't that extraordinary? We started to talk
:41:16. > :41:20.to each other and got on terribly well. The passage to Egypt would
:41:20. > :41:28.take over two weeks. It was the perfect opportunity to get to know
:41:28. > :41:36.each other well. We sat in a lifeboat in the morning doing
:41:36. > :41:43.screams of laughter. We were having great fun. He was one of the people.
:41:43. > :41:53.Soon after that, he just said one day, I would like to marry you.
:41:53. > :41:54.
:41:54. > :42:02.What? He said, which you marry me? Well, I will think about it. I was
:42:02. > :42:06.thrilled. I liked him very much - I liked him a lot. It was quite a
:42:06. > :42:16.surprise. They were married 10 months later and work together for
:42:16. > :42:17.
:42:17. > :42:22.almost 50 years before he sadly passed away. Having loved and lost,
:42:22. > :42:31.have for years will always have a special place in her heart. Life
:42:31. > :42:35.was very precious. You were lucky to be alive. There was a wonderful
:42:35. > :42:41.spirit in England. Everybody got on with each other. It did not matter
:42:41. > :42:51.where you came from. You were in it together. It was a wonderful
:42:51. > :42:56.