0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to Remembrance Week.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05I'm in Afghanistan,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09where our armed forces are doing some incredible work
0:00:09 > 0:00:11over 3,000 miles away from home.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15These men and women are the heroes of today, and this week,
0:00:15 > 0:00:19we'll also be remembering those who fought and suffered
0:00:19 > 0:00:21on our behalf in the past.
0:00:21 > 0:00:22Coming up on today's programme:
0:00:25 > 0:00:27What happened to a brave merchant seaman
0:00:27 > 0:00:30when a torpedo hit his Arctic convoy.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32When they said "Abandon ship",
0:00:32 > 0:00:35the captain said, "Go to your lifeboat station, boy,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37"and good luck to you", and I said, "Thank you, sir."
0:00:41 > 0:00:43The extraordinary tale of a Falklands hero,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45and the wife he left behind.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Gary's actions that day saved a lot of lives,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53without a doubt, and my husband was a hero.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00And a young volunteer relives a fierce battle from the Korean War
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and his capture by Communist forces.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05I realised at any time, they could put a gun to the back of your head
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and press the trigger, and that's it. Bye-bye, you.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19In peaceful times, marrying into the military can take you places
0:01:19 > 0:01:21you never thought you would go.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24It can be a fun, exciting and very sociable world.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27However, when war breaks out,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31the reality of what your loved ones do for a living can really hit home.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Gary Bingley was home on leave
0:01:35 > 0:01:38when he tried to chat up a girl in his local pub.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43He was absolutely not my type of guy.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I tend to go for the tall, dark and handsome ones.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50He just had me in absolute stitches,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and I think it's a standing joke with most women that if they say,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55"What do you look for in a man?",
0:01:55 > 0:01:58it's "someone that can make me laugh."
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And that was him. He had the most amazing sense of humour.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05There was this amazing feeling
0:02:05 > 0:02:08of us both falling in love and both feeling the same way,
0:02:08 > 0:02:09and it was just absolutely wonderful.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Within weeks, Gary proposed, and they were married soon after.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19It was just four months after that first meeting.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26It was absolutely wonderful. It was obviously a very small wedding.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I didn't find out until much later, knowing not much about army life,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32that he hadn't actually got permission from the CO
0:02:32 > 0:02:34to get married, but then that was the kind of thing
0:02:34 > 0:02:36my husband would always do.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38He'd be like, "Don't worry, I'll sort it out later."
0:02:42 > 0:02:43But as a young army wife,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Jay soon faced the reality of being married to a soldier.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57In April 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00a British territory in the South Atlantic.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10I remember Gary coming home from work saying, "We're going to war."
0:03:12 > 0:03:13And I was absolutely horrified.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And I said, "Well, you know, maybe it'll kind of get resolved".
0:03:20 > 0:03:21"No. We're going to war."
0:03:22 > 0:03:25MARGARET THATCHER: 'British sovereign territory
0:03:25 > 0:03:27'has been invaded by a foreign power.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Britain was at war.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33THATCHER: 'It is our Government's objective
0:03:33 > 0:03:36'to see that the islands are free from occupation.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:3928,000 British troops prepared to make the journey
0:03:39 > 0:03:41to reclaim the islands.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Amongst them, Gary, and the men of the Parachute Regiment,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49one of the British Army's elite units.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52He was...excited.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58He was absolutely... so looking forward to it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03He was a soldier through and through, and Gary...
0:04:03 > 0:04:05absolutely loved his job.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15It was very, very hard saying goodbye,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18knowing this time, they were really going to fight a war,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and you have no way of knowing how big it's going to be
0:04:21 > 0:04:23or how long it's going to last.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29It was just this awful roller coaster of emotion...
0:04:30 > 0:04:33..and grabbing spare moments, you know,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35going to bed and holding on to each other,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39thinking, "This is an extra night we've got together."
0:04:42 > 0:04:45And we had a ground-floor apartment at the time
0:04:45 > 0:04:46and we tended to use the back door.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51So my last memory of Gary is of him walking through that door.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05And we said goodbye, and as he walked through the door, he stopped.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09And he turned around
0:05:09 > 0:05:12and looked at me and said "Goodbye, girlie".
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The paratroopers travelled for almost a month,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27preparing for a land offensive.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30British ships were hit,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33and many lives were lost as our forces reached the islands.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42The men from 2 PARA led one of the first major land offensives
0:05:42 > 0:05:44in a bid to reclaim the Falklands.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Gary Bingley was at the forefront of an assault
0:05:49 > 0:05:51against a much larger Argentinian force.
0:05:56 > 0:06:02Gary was killed storming a machine gun nest at Goose Green.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03And...
0:06:05 > 0:06:06He was...
0:06:09 > 0:06:13..right up the front, as he would be, because that was him.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14You know, that was always him.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17He carried on advancing forwards,
0:06:17 > 0:06:22even though he must have known at that moment there was no way,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26there was absolutely no way that he could ever have got out of that.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41I remember being in bed, and at eight o'clock in the morning,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43my doorbell rang.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48And I lay in bed and I thought, "I'm not going to answer that,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51"because I don't want to hear what they've got to tell me."
0:06:54 > 0:06:58And...as soon as I thought that,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00the next thought came into my head,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02"Don't be ridiculous, they'll only come back.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05"You might as well answer the door now."
0:07:06 > 0:07:08And I remember saying, "Just tell me."
0:07:12 > 0:07:17We barely got into the lounge, and I was just...
0:07:17 > 0:07:19sobbing by that point.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22I knew he wasn't injured, I knew he was dead.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And they confirmed my worst fears in that moment.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33'Lance Corporal Smith.'
0:07:34 > 0:07:36'Lance Corporal Bingley.'
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I wasn't to know at that point,
0:07:42 > 0:07:45until much, much later,
0:07:45 > 0:07:51how brave he had been and how much he had done in that battle.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Gary Bingley was just 24 years old when he died.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03For his actions during the victorious battle of Goose Green,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05he was awarded the Military Medal.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Gary's actions that day saved a lot of lives.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14There was no hesitation with him,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17he just carried on, steamed in like the soldier he was.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Without a doubt, my husband was a hero.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Gary was my lover.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31He was my husband, and he was my best friend.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36And you can't ask for anything more than that in a marriage.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45For years, Jay struggled to come to terms with Gary's death.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51A visit to the National Memorial Arboretum helped change that.
0:08:52 > 0:08:58I remember getting to the roundabout just to turn into the car park,
0:08:58 > 0:09:02and thinking "I think I just need to go round this roundabout
0:09:02 > 0:09:05"and go away again, because I don't think I can face this."
0:09:07 > 0:09:10It's just the most wonderful place.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17The whole area is the most
0:09:17 > 0:09:20wonderfully designed memorial, you know.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It's actually designed so that it looks like a door.
0:09:27 > 0:09:33But they've done it in such a way that on 11th November,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37the sun shines just through that gap,
0:09:37 > 0:09:45and all the names of everybody who has served are engraved on that wall.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And my husband's name is one little name...
0:09:55 > 0:09:57..amongst all of those.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07And then the enormity of war...
0:10:08 > 0:10:14..really hits home to you, and you realise that your broken heart
0:10:14 > 0:10:18is just one of those names amongst so many.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25You have to be in awe of it, and the sacrifices all of those men made.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35If I could say one thing to Gary now, I would say to Gary,
0:10:35 > 0:10:41"I love you. I always have, I always will."
0:10:45 > 0:10:47"But you died doing what you loved."
0:11:01 > 0:11:04The Battle of Imjin River in 1951
0:11:04 > 0:11:07was one of the most intense of the Korean War.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The British were massively outnumbered.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Many who survived were captured, and became prisoners of war.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Being kids, we were so patriotic for the war, it was unbelievable.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Not just me - everyone was patriotic.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27As World War II ended, Bill Fox was full of admiration
0:11:27 > 0:11:30for the brave men of Britain's armed forces.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34National service gave him his chance to join their ranks.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38We always believed that the British Army was the best army in the world.
0:11:38 > 0:11:39Our air force was the best.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I was dying to get in the army to be like the other soldiers and fight.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49In 1950, just five years after World War II,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53a new conflict broke out on the other side of the world
0:11:53 > 0:11:56between North and South Korea.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00REPORTER: 'For hundreds of thousands of civilians
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'trying desperately to outrun the advancing Communists,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05'children who had no part in the causes of war
0:12:05 > 0:12:09'receive full measure of its hardships just the same.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:16Supporting South Korea in their battle against the Communist North
0:12:16 > 0:12:17was the United Nations.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23'The UN was facing a new enemy in Korea, and a new war had begun.'
0:12:25 > 0:12:29They wanted ex-soldiers who had just been in national service
0:12:29 > 0:12:31to volunteer for 18 months.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34I thought, "18 months - not bad, that."
0:12:35 > 0:12:39At the age of 22, Bill volunteered to join UN forces
0:12:39 > 0:12:41to fight the North Koreans,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44who were backed by China and the Soviet Union.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48I was in a group of about 20 or so of us when we went to Colchester
0:12:48 > 0:12:51to join up the Gloucestershire Regiment.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57In September 1950, it was time for the regiment,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01known as the Gloucesters, to say goodbye to friends and family
0:13:01 > 0:13:03as they began their long voyage to Korea.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09One of them, I will always remember to the day I die.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11His name was Derek Ball.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I recall his mother, and I think it was his sister.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16We were all meeting and shaking hands with them,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18and they was a bit sad about Derek and we were saying
0:13:18 > 0:13:21"Don't worry, it's all right, we'll all look after each other."
0:13:29 > 0:13:31I thought it was marvellous, going off to Korea.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37To see the world. And seeing so much of the British Empire. Gibraltar.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39We sailed through the Mediterranean.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42We passed Malta, Aden, the Red Sea.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Even at night time, to see these cities all over the world lit up...
0:13:49 > 0:13:53After a long journey, they reached their destination.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56All the troops, myself included,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59went up to have a look at what Korea looked like.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01All we could see were the shape of the dark hills.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09It looked frightening. It looked deadly. Something about it.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13And everyone just stared at it. Don't look nice at all.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18'Units north of Seoul were forced back across the Imjin River.'
0:14:23 > 0:14:27In April 1951, just a few months after their arrival,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Bill and his comrades were to take part in what would become
0:14:30 > 0:14:34one of the most intense confrontations of the Korean War -
0:14:34 > 0:14:36the Battle of Imjin River.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42We got up to a position overlooking the Imjin River.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It was a very important place where we was,
0:14:44 > 0:14:49because it was a main centre where people could cross safely.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52The UN forces needed to hold their position
0:14:52 > 0:14:54to prevent the Chinese from crossing the river
0:14:54 > 0:14:57and invading the nearby city of Seoul.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01We was overlooking this crossing point.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05We were told the Chinese were liable to attack any time.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15As night fell on 22nd April, the Chinese launched an attack.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19One of our companies right on the riverbank
0:15:19 > 0:15:22caught them crossing the river.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24They'd hear the bugle call.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26They'd go...
0:15:26 > 0:15:31HE IMITATES BUGLE
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It was like a horn kind of sound.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The sound seemed to waft up the hills
0:15:37 > 0:15:42and came up to the village, to where we was. We were really scared.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46There's an animal thing in your body that takes over.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48I couldn't breathe proper.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51I'd not been going running or anything,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I was just in the trench, panting like that.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02An overwhelming 27,000 Chinese soldiers
0:16:02 > 0:16:05advanced on Bill and the 4,000 men
0:16:05 > 0:16:07defending their stretch of the river.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12They came up in waves, a huge army of them.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14They fired all the ammunition they'd got,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16threw all the hand grenades they'd got.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18And when they'd done it, they ran back.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22In the relentless firefight,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Bill was alongside one of his Gloucester comrades.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Derek Ball joined me in the trench, and we were taking turns each,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33myself and Derek Ball, firing this machine gun.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The fire then was getting terrific against us.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41They were firing, blasting us and everything.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Derek Ball had his head up firing away at them,
0:16:44 > 0:16:45and he was firing away,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and a big blast of this machine-gun fire got him.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Shattered his head.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56His flesh went on me. I could feel him,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58when he got his face battered.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10He dropped at my feet.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16And I never had the chance...
0:17:20 > 0:17:26..you know, to kneel down with him, or anything. Didn't get a chance.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Isolated on top of a hill,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37outnumbered and running out of ammunition,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42the Gloucesters suffered heavy casualties, losing 59 of their men.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44We had to get up, keep fighting.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47You had to just leave them down there. Just leave them.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53For three long nights, the Gloucesters held their ground
0:17:53 > 0:17:56in what was the bloodiest battle fought by British forces
0:17:56 > 0:17:58since World War II.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Of the 700 Gloucesters at Imjin River,
0:18:04 > 0:18:06nearly 600 were taken prisoner,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08including Bill.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10It was a frightening time, because you realise
0:18:10 > 0:18:13that you don't know what's going to happen to you, and you realise
0:18:13 > 0:18:15at any time, they could put a gun to the back of your head
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and press the trigger and that's it, bye-bye, you.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25Bill and his fellow captives endured a gruelling trek north
0:18:25 > 0:18:28in harsh conditions across Korea's tough terrain.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30It were a long, bloody way.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Must have took us a good few weeks.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Anyone who dropped out, couldn't do it,
0:18:36 > 0:18:37you never saw them again.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Some people said they could hear a shot fired.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I didn't actually hear anyone being shot, but I never seen them again.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Having survived the battle, Bill now needed all his strength
0:18:49 > 0:18:53to survive the rest of the conflict as a prisoner of war.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56It was terrible conditions. It was really bad,
0:18:56 > 0:19:03and I honestly think I would never have survived the coming winter.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It had been a chaotic battle,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and the fate of many soldiers wasn't clear.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Back home in Manchester,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Bill's mother received the news every family feared.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22They received a telegram saying I was killed.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Soon after, they got a telegram saying
0:19:25 > 0:19:30"Your son, previously reported killed, has been found wounded."
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Receiving conflicting messages, his mum's relief
0:19:33 > 0:19:37was shattered when a third telegram arrived.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39"Sorry about the mix-up.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42"The first telegram was correct. He was reported killed."
0:19:42 > 0:19:47After so many months, they got my death certificate, you know.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Your mother going through all that.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55She wouldn't settle for that. She still believed I was alive.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57After so much heartache,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02his mother finally received the news she'd hoped and prayed for.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Eventually, she got a letter from me
0:20:04 > 0:20:06that was posted from our prison of war camp.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11The relief for her, knowing that I wasn't killed...
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Receiving a letter back was just what Bill needed.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19I remember vividly when I first got that letter from home.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Oh, God, from my mother as well.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Just knowing that she knew I was safe.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33No words can say how uplifting it was to hear things like that.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35'The world listened for news
0:20:35 > 0:20:39'of the final signing that would mean ceasefire in Korea.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42'It came on July 27, 1953.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:47After spending two years as a prisoner of war,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Bill's ordeal finally came to an end.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57They told us, "Good news for you." And we were all cheering already.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59"Hush, hush, hush," they were saying.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01"The war is over". I remember the words.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04We have stopped the shooting.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07That means much to the fighting men and their families,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11and it will allow some of the grievous wounds of Korea to heal.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15We all cheered like mad. We were all jumping up for joy.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Of course, we were so happy. We were so relieved.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Now free men,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24Bill and his fellow prisoners were transported from the camp,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27on the way passing Chinese prisoners.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30We passed each other.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34The Chinese were going wild, singing patriotic songs.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Don't know what the songs was. They were cheering like mad.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43But as we passed each other, they seemed to go a bit quiet.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46We just looked at each other, and just...
0:21:46 > 0:21:49I don't know, we just looked at each other and thought,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52"Hello and goodbye", you know.
0:21:52 > 0:21:53"Best of luck to you."
0:21:55 > 0:22:01The three-year conflict led to over 100,000 UN casualties.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Having made it back home,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Bill has never forgotten his young friends who died in battle
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and the families they left behind.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14You know, the mothers and wives, what suffering must they go through?
0:22:14 > 0:22:15Well, I made it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Thankfully.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Back here in Afghanistan, I'm in the capital, Kabul.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43The NATO-led International Security Force
0:22:43 > 0:22:45have been in the country since 2002.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I'm meeting Lieutenant-General John Lorimer,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53the UK's most senior officer
0:22:53 > 0:22:57and second-in-command of all international troops.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Since 2001, 2002,
0:22:59 > 0:23:00virtually every aspect
0:23:00 > 0:23:03of life in Afghanistan has changed.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06You've been in Kabul. You've seen it's a buzzing city.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09In 2002, it certainly wasn't like that.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13There's trade, there's commerce, there's the internet.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16There's far greater access to healthcare.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20So almost in every facet of Afghan life, things have changed.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23As NATO troops prepare
0:23:23 > 0:23:26for their withdrawal from Afghanistan next year,
0:23:26 > 0:23:31the Afghans have begun to take the lead for security in their country.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32We're getting a smaller force.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35We're decreasing the number of servicemen and women out here.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38A lot of it has been due to the effort the Afghans have done,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41but more importantly, the work that we've done
0:23:41 > 0:23:44in terms of training them and getting them there.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47To equip the Afghans
0:23:47 > 0:23:50against the continuing threat from the Taliban,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54this training academy has been set up using the model of Sandhurst,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Britain's top military institution.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02'The British will remain here as mentors
0:24:02 > 0:24:03'as the Afghans select new recruits.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:05It's all Afghan-led? Yeah.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10We had a short, four-week period where we instructed the trainers.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12We're now here just advising them
0:24:12 > 0:24:15on matters that they may need some advice on.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Why the bibs and the numbers?
0:24:20 > 0:24:22To ensure that the candidates remain anonymous
0:24:22 > 0:24:24throughout the actual process.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Their family name isn't brought into question.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28It's so that all the candidates are treated fairly
0:24:28 > 0:24:32and they're marked, across the board, as equally as each other.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Once fully operational, the academy will train
0:24:40 > 0:24:44up to 1,500 students every year, both male and female.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46But first, the hopeful recruits
0:24:46 > 0:24:48have to pass a demanding selection process
0:24:48 > 0:24:51that tests their mental and physical abilities.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55One of the tests the cadets have to face
0:24:55 > 0:24:59as part of the selection process is the obstacle course.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03It measures determination, motivation and physical fitness.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07The idea is to do as many obstacles as possible in two minutes.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And the guys have challenged me to have a go.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Three, two, one, go.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30Stop!
0:25:32 > 0:25:35GETHIN GASPS FOR BREATH
0:25:36 > 0:25:37Have I made the academy?
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'One of the men who represents the future of the academy
0:25:44 > 0:25:48'is Second Lieutenant Kambez Esmati, a mentor for new officer recruits.'
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Are you proud of what you're doing
0:25:50 > 0:25:52here at the academy? Yes, of course I'm proud.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55That I can say, because I have trained well
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and I am going to train them well.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00When you went to Sandhurst,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02what was the biggest thing you learnt from there?
0:26:04 > 0:26:06The biggest thing I've learnt from them,
0:26:06 > 0:26:10there were the officers with their sergeants.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13They care about each other, they have a lot of respect, help each other.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Teamwork. Teamwork. And discipline, especially.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19How do your family feel about you being in the army?
0:26:19 > 0:26:23My family feel proud, especially my father and my brothers.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25And I am happy. I love my job.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29This country has seen so much trouble,
0:26:29 > 0:26:31but what does the future hold?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34The future of Afghanistan will be very beautiful, a peace country.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Freedom. Everyone will have their rights to live.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I was impressed from the moment I walked through the gate.
0:26:42 > 0:26:43It's all Afghan-led,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46and despite the fact it is humble beginnings,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48there is a real determination and steel
0:26:48 > 0:26:51to make sure that this academy is a success
0:26:51 > 0:26:56which will give the Afghan people the bright future they so deserve.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01This Remembrance Sunday, the nation pays their respects
0:27:01 > 0:27:04to those who have suffered and died for their country.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Millions of people pause for silence and a moment of reflection
0:27:08 > 0:27:12to ensure those brave men and women are never forgotten.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Helicopter pilots here in Afghanistan are vital.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Their skill and calmness under immense pressure
0:27:23 > 0:27:26ensure that our troops are transported safely
0:27:26 > 0:27:28to and from the battlefield.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30This next story shows just how important
0:27:30 > 0:27:32these brave men and women are.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41In 2011, Flight Lieutenant Dan Cullen
0:27:41 > 0:27:45conducted a feat of such incredible gallantry
0:27:45 > 0:27:48that he was given the distinguished Flying Cross,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50an award which recognises him
0:27:50 > 0:27:54as one of the country's most outstanding pilots.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55I'd always had a keen interest
0:27:55 > 0:27:57in flying and air shows
0:27:57 > 0:27:59and watching aircraft when I was a child growing up.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03I joined the Air Training Corps when I was about 14 years old,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06and I decided I would like to have a career in the RAF.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10Dan joined the RAF in 2004.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Three years later, he was a fully qualified pilot,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16flying one of the British forces' greatest assets,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18the Chinook helicopter.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21I can certainly remember
0:28:21 > 0:28:25getting back from my first trip in the Chinook with a grin on my face.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30The Chinook was first used in action by British forces
0:28:30 > 0:28:32during the Falklands War in 1982.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It's featured on the battlefront ever since.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40The helicopter is vital in Afghanistan
0:28:40 > 0:28:43for transporting troops and cargo
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and also operates as a flying hospital.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Dan was posted to Camp Bastion
0:28:52 > 0:28:56for his fourth tour of Afghanistan in February 2011.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58You're entering a war zone. You step off the aircraft
0:28:58 > 0:29:02and you get hit by a wall of heat. That's when it really sinks home
0:29:02 > 0:29:05where you are and what you've got to go and do.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08Dan would be operating in Helmand Province.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13In the first three months of the year,
0:29:13 > 0:29:1611 UK personnel had been killed in the area,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18and there remained a threat from the Taliban.
0:29:21 > 0:29:22You're constantly on guard.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26When you do carry out a shift, you're on for 24 hours.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28You're always waiting for the phone call to go
0:29:28 > 0:29:30and you know that if it does go, you need to go to the aircraft
0:29:30 > 0:29:32and get airborne as quickly as possible.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35The thing is, you'll never know where you're going,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38so you could be going to a hostile site.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40The issue of not knowing where you're going
0:29:40 > 0:29:42or what you're doing until you're effectively airborne
0:29:42 > 0:29:45is a bit of a weight to hold on your shoulders,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47particularly when you become the aircraft captain
0:29:47 > 0:29:49and everyone's looking to you to make those decisions.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54In April, Dan captained a Chinook on a routine mission.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58His job was to pick up 30 British troops
0:29:58 > 0:30:01who'd been clearing a Taliban IED factory.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Flying a Chinook is a two-man operation.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09On that day, Dan's co-pilot and navigator
0:30:09 > 0:30:12was Flight Lieutenant Rich Anderson.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14We were visual with the troops on the approach to the site
0:30:14 > 0:30:18and we positioned so they could get on as quickly as possible.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20But in the latter stages of the landing,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22we get enveloped in a dust cloud,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25and we can see very little, other than our reference to land on.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28They had reached the most dangerous part of the airlift,
0:30:28 > 0:30:31where the aircraft and troops are at their most vulnerable.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Everything seemed to be going fine at that time.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37But insurgents had obviously been keeping an eye on what was going on.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42As the troops began to board, the Chinook came under sniper fire.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43GUNFIRE
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Bullet literally passed within an inch or two of my legs.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Rich shouted - I looked at him
0:30:53 > 0:30:55and it dawned on both of us that he had been shot.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02I had to overcome that natural fear and instinct
0:31:02 > 0:31:04to just want to take off and get out,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06because I did think there was a very high chance
0:31:06 > 0:31:09that another bullet would be headed for me.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15The bullet had pierced the cockpit, lodging into Rich's foot,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17and he began to lose consciousness.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19It felt like an eternity,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21waiting for the guys to get on the back.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23I'm sure it was probably no more than a minute
0:31:23 > 0:31:25for all the guys to get on our aircraft.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Once we got everyone safely on board,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31I lifted the aircraft out of the situation.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35But it became apparent at that stage that Rich was going into shock.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39He slumped forward onto the cyclic control stick
0:31:39 > 0:31:40that controls the aircraft
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and by pushing the cyclic forward, the aircraft would have nosed forward
0:31:43 > 0:31:46and potentially dived into the ground.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48With 30 troops on board
0:31:48 > 0:31:50and the life of his co-pilot in danger,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52everything rested on Dan.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56I was having to do a bit of a juggling act
0:31:56 > 0:31:58to keep Rich off the controls.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Dan fought to keep the helicopter in the air,
0:32:04 > 0:32:06flying one-handed away from the danger zone
0:32:06 > 0:32:08and back to safety.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12It wasn't really until I got back on the ground
0:32:12 > 0:32:14that the adrenaline kind of subsided
0:32:14 > 0:32:16and you get the shakes and you just think,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19"Wow, that was quite intense, quite close."
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Um...and it could have ended a lot worse.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Rich had survived the gunshot wound
0:32:36 > 0:32:39and was rushed to hospital for medical attention.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44After completing his ten-week tour of Afghanistan,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Dan returned to the UK to become an RAF flight instructor.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51Six months after the incident, out of the blue,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Dan was summoned to see the commandant.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Ordinarily, that means you've messed up in some way -
0:32:57 > 0:33:00probably in the bar, on a previous night -
0:33:00 > 0:33:02and you need to go and give your apologies.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04So I was quite worried at that stage.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08His worries soon faded, as he was given the news
0:33:08 > 0:33:11he would be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I was a bit gobsmacked, initially.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I wasn't allowed to tell anyone for a couple of days,
0:33:16 > 0:33:18so I then had to go back and just carry on
0:33:18 > 0:33:19as though nothing had happened.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27In 2012, he received his award from Her Majesty the Queen.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32I was actually, believe it or not, more nervous about meeting the Queen
0:33:32 > 0:33:35than I ever was out in Afghanistan.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Dan's citation highlighted "a sublime level of composure,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43"along with personal courage, leadership and flying skills."
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I'm sure everyone else on the Chinook force
0:33:45 > 0:33:49would have tried to do exactly what I did on the day.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51I know it's become a bit of a cliche,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53but I do feel like I was just doing my job
0:33:53 > 0:33:57and trying to do the best for both the guys on my crew
0:33:57 > 0:34:00and the guys that were in a sticky situation on the ground,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02so...I don't think I'm a hero.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19During WWII, we relied heavily on nearly 185,000 Merchant Navy seamen
0:34:19 > 0:34:22who transported food, equipment and people
0:34:22 > 0:34:24in and out of the country.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Our next story highlights just how dangerous
0:34:26 > 0:34:28life on the seas could be.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34As a boy, all I'd wanted to do was go to sea.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36I'd always been interested in going abroad
0:34:36 > 0:34:38and I'd always wanted to go abroad.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40When the war started,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43I joined the Sea Cadets to learn about it.
0:34:45 > 0:34:47Two years after the start of the war,
0:34:47 > 0:34:49Austin Byrne's love of the sea
0:34:49 > 0:34:51saw him signing up for the Royal Navy.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58Now 91, Austin recalls his first - and almost last - voyage.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03When the Royal Navy said we were going on merchant ships,
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I thought, "That sounds good. I'll stick with that."
0:35:06 > 0:35:08REPORTER: Merchant ships at sea -
0:35:08 > 0:35:11these are the men who, for three years,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13have kept us in arms and food.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16During WWII, Britain's Merchant Navy -
0:35:16 > 0:35:19a fleet of commercial ships - played a vital role.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Merchant Navy was like transport wagons at sea -
0:35:24 > 0:35:27you carry cargo from Point A to Point B.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Food or war materials or everything.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33Travelling in convoy,
0:35:33 > 0:35:36these merchant ships were extremely vulnerable to German attacks,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38from sea and air.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44Protecting them were fully equipped military vessels known as escorts,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46and the merchant ships' own gunners.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50They told us straight out that we would be gunners,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54and a very pompous naval officer said,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59"You people, we are going to train you to be on merchant ships
0:35:59 > 0:36:04"and bring these bombers down - we've found the best way to do it..."
0:36:04 > 0:36:07I can't talk as posh as him, so I'm not going to try.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08"The best way to do it
0:36:08 > 0:36:10"is riddle their bellies with bullets."
0:36:13 > 0:36:20In 1942, aged 19, Austin prepared to set sail on his first mission.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22The Induna, it was my first ship.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26I was brand new, I was very full of enthusiasm
0:36:26 > 0:36:27and I wanted to learn.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31And they issued us with Arctic clothing.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33And that's when we knew we were going to Russia.
0:36:35 > 0:36:37With the German invasion of Russia,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Churchill called on the Merchant Navy
0:36:39 > 0:36:43to provide essential supplies to Soviet forces battling the Nazis.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Facing harsh, icy conditions,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53their perilous route crossed the Arctic Ocean.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57First few days at sea, you got the shock of your life.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01It was work and bed, work and bed.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05You slept in your clothes, you did watch-and-watch,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08which was four hours on watch and four hours off watch.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11And we were just permanent lookouts.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14You'd never been as tired as you are then,
0:37:14 > 0:37:15and that's how you learn.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17You get the shock of your life - well, I did.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20REPORTER: In the far north, where the battle raged fiercest,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23great convoys carrying tanks and aircraft to Russia
0:37:23 > 0:37:25fought grimly through Arctic seas
0:37:25 > 0:37:27in which a man can only live five minutes.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29There was a tremendous storm.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33The storm lasted about three days and split the convoy up.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36When the weather cleared, the ships were gathered together
0:37:36 > 0:37:38and there were about five ships got together.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Separated from the other ships in the convoy,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45they were left with just one escort
0:37:45 > 0:37:46and now were vulnerable to an attack.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48Then, all of a sudden...
0:37:49 > 0:37:52The first thing we knew was three bombs.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54WHISTLING AND EXPLOSION
0:37:54 > 0:37:56And they weren't a long way from the ship -
0:37:56 > 0:37:58"whomph, whomph, whomph."
0:38:00 > 0:38:03It were the first time I'd seen a German aeroplane -
0:38:03 > 0:38:04it were a fighter bomber.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06It were coming that fast between the ships
0:38:06 > 0:38:08that we couldn't fire at it.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12The bullets from our gun that didn't hit him
0:38:12 > 0:38:14would have gone in the other ship.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19You waited - you'd loaded your gun and you waited.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Then, all of a sudden, they were in range and you started firing.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26You don't fire at the plane, you fire where the plane will be
0:38:26 > 0:38:28when the bullet gets there.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30You fire in front of the plane.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32The skipper was shouting, "You hit him, boy!
0:38:32 > 0:38:34"You've hit him, you've hit him, you've hit him!"
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Austin had shot down his first enemy plane.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Now on high alert, they had to divert their course.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47After the aerial attack, they all went north,
0:38:47 > 0:38:49out of the range of the planes.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But heading north had brought a new threat.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55The ships found themselves in icy waters.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59The ice was four foot thick. It were like steel.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03He'd to manoeuvre it and find cracks and push them,
0:39:03 > 0:39:04and backwards and forwards.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06It were hours in the ice.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Isolated from the other ships,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11the Induna battled its way through the thickening ice.
0:39:13 > 0:39:14He got her out, but it were...
0:39:14 > 0:39:16It were a very, very difficult job.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Having kept watch since the early hours,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Austin was coming to the end of his shift.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25The cook came out and said,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27"I'll do your breakfast when you come down.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29"Give you a good breakfast, boy."
0:39:29 > 0:39:33I thought, "Really?" Cos I hadn't had nothing to eat for a long while,
0:39:33 > 0:39:34I was really hungry.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37And then, all of a sudden - bang! She got hit.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41The Induna had been hit by a torpedo
0:39:41 > 0:39:43launched from a German submarine.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47The deck was covered in drums of aviation spirit,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50which were exploding - bang, bang, bang!
0:39:50 > 0:39:54The sea were on fire. That was burning like mad.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57When they say, "Abandon ship", the captain said,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00"Go to your lifeboat station, boy, and good luck to you."
0:40:00 > 0:40:01And I said, "Thank you, sir."
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I was frightened, but there were that much happening,
0:40:05 > 0:40:07you didn't have time to be frightened.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10But, you know...you didn't know what were going to happen next.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14The ship was now sinking.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Two brave crewmen on board lowered a lifeboat for Austin
0:40:18 > 0:40:20and eight other men.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25The deck what they were stood on were covered in ice -
0:40:25 > 0:40:26it were like a skating rink.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30They got their feet firm and they lowered the boat.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35It was a fantastic piece of seamanship.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39With the ship listing dangerously to one side,
0:40:39 > 0:40:41the lifeboats had to cast off.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45But there were still men left on board.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48To rescue them, Austin's lifeboat had to try and get around
0:40:48 > 0:40:50to the other side of the ship.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55We could see the mate, then, lowering a ladder,
0:40:55 > 0:40:57and we were getting quite near it.
0:40:57 > 0:40:58And all of a sudden - bang!
0:40:58 > 0:41:00EXPLOSION
0:41:00 > 0:41:03They put another torpedo in.
0:41:03 > 0:41:05And then she just went up and down.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10She went as quick as it takes to tell you.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Penny dropped on you that them that were on it hadn't come up.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17They were still there. You felt absolutely devastated.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21The two men who had saved my life went with her.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28All those left on board went down with the ship.
0:41:30 > 0:41:31The crew in Austin's lifeboat
0:41:31 > 0:41:35now faced a real battle for survival.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39He and fellow gunner Robinson desperately fought to keep afloat.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41There were a bucket in the lifeboat.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44I were bailing and Robinson was steering.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48And...I used to bail.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51And I used to say my prayers as I were bailing -
0:41:51 > 0:41:52"Hail, Mary, full of grace."
0:41:52 > 0:41:55I could get three buckets out to the Hail Mary
0:41:55 > 0:41:56and four to the Our Father.
0:41:56 > 0:42:02Austin and Robinson continuously bailed out water for three days,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04keeping everyone safe.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07On the fourth day, Robinson said, "Hey, I can see a ship."
0:42:07 > 0:42:09And he said, "I can see another."
0:42:09 > 0:42:12And there were these three ships coming towards us.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Having drifted around 100 miles,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18they were finally rescued by the Russians.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22They gave me and Robbie a vodka - a big vodka.
0:42:22 > 0:42:23"Eh, eh, eh!"
0:42:23 > 0:42:25And you'd to drink that down
0:42:25 > 0:42:28and they poured one in the same cup for Robbie
0:42:28 > 0:42:30and I had three big vodkas -
0:42:30 > 0:42:32one after other on an empty stomach.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39During the war, around 3,000 sailors lost their lives
0:42:39 > 0:42:41in perilous Arctic convoys.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47I've thought about the ones who died every day.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50All my life.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04On tomorrow's programme...
0:43:04 > 0:43:06The tragic story of a Royal Marine
0:43:06 > 0:43:08who kept a remarkable and moving diary
0:43:08 > 0:43:11of life on the front line in Afghanistan.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15It's very much as if he's in the room with you. Yeah.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17I can hear his voice, pretty much.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd