Highlights World War One Remembered: The Battle of Jutland

applause for our guests. APPLAUSE.

applause for our guests. Kent fired a 21-gun salute as the

applause for our guests. Cemetery. And miles away out in the

North Cemetery. And miles away out in the

battle and its legacy on board a modern-day warship. More of

battle and its legacy on board a Minister, David Cameron, and the

First Minister and the bands played the National

Anthems of Britain and On their way to the West Door of the

Cathedral, they passed the display called Poppies: Weeping Window, a

cascade of ceramic poppies from the display in London two years ago.

From there, as they came to the West Door, they were welcomed by the

Chief of Staff of the German Navy, the First Sea Lord was there, and

the Minister, Fraser MacNaughton. Later, we will join the service that

took place here this morning, but before we do, a reminder of what it

is that's being commemorated and what happened 100 years ago in the

bleak emptiness of the North Sea. For Britain, this Battle of Jutland

was important, very important, probably the most important sea

battle since Trafalgar in 1805. We relied on the Royal Navy, not only

to defend us from invasion, but to protect our trade and vital supply

lines and any threat to our command of the sea was a threat to both the

nation and the Empire. So when in the late 19th Century a fleet of

battleships was built to challenge Britain's supremacy, a day of

reckoning, known as Der Tag, was inevitable. Sam Willis, a naval

historian, whose great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather fought

in that battle, he explores what happened on that day.

It's impossible for us to imagine the sheer firepower and scale

of some of the battleships in the British Grand Fleet.

The closest equivalent in the Royal Navy today

This is HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer,

the very cutting edge of modern naval technology as were so many

Commander Marcus Hember is HMS Diamond's captain.

Well, HMS Diamond's primary role is air defence of a task group

of ships and that's what most of our systems are focused around

so we like to say we can track a cricket ball at Mach-3 and shoot

it down and that's actually not far from the truth.

And am I right in thinking you actually have a particularly

direct link back to 1916 and the Battle of Jutland?

That's right, my mother's father William Crosby served in HMS

Yarmouth during the Battle of Jutland and actually ever

since I first went to sea I've had a photograph of him with me.

Sir, ship's on station ready for call for fire.

The closest modern equivalent to the guns at Jutland is Diamond's

4.5 MOD1 gun, used to support troops landing on shore.

It's so powerful and deafening, I have to wear full

protective gear to experience it from the gun deck.

That's an extraordinary physical experience watching that gun fire.

I'm very relieved I've got all of this kit on.

In 1916 in the fleet there were 150 ships and some of their guns

The Battle of Jutland began in the afternoon of the

The day before, the British received intelligence that German ships

were planning to move out into the North Sea.

The British had the Grand Fleet commanded by Admiral Sir John

Jellicoe anchored at Scapa Flow, and a squadron of fast ships

commanded by Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty stationed at Rosyth.

The Germans had the High Seas Fleet under Admiral Scheer with a division

of scouting ships under Vice-Admiral Hipper.

The German plan was to engage Beatty and lure him south

Once Beatty's force had been defeated the Germans

could concentrate their attack on Admiral Jellicoe's ships.

At 2.18pm on 31st May HMS Galatea sighted German ships

and fired the first shot of the Battle of Jutland.

The result was a clash between the most powerful

As they turned their guns on each other, the smoke and explosions made

visibility almost impossible, leading to chaos and confusion.

For the sailors at Jutland it would have been hard enough finding

out what was happening on their own ship let alone

what was happening elsewhere in the fleet.

There would have been an atmosphere of extreme fear as they awaited

the enemy attack - this really was the maritime equivalent

To steal an advantage over their enemy British sailors

took dangerous risks - they kept their magazine doors open

to allow them to reload their guns more quickly.

The effects were catastrophic, allowing flash fires

and explosions to rip through their ships.

At 4.02pm, two German salvoes struck HMS Indefatigable.

23 minutes later, HMS Queen Mary blew apart under German fire.

It took her just ninety seconds to sink.

Over half of the British casualties at the Battle of Jutland

The injuries sustained at Jutland were appalling.

Flash fires in the magazines exposed men to horrific cordite burns.

Sailors were scalded by burst steam pipes which took off their flesh.

As the battle progressed, the Germans continued

But Beatty realised he was sailing into a trap when he spotted

the German High Seas Fleet waiting for him.

Playing the Germans at their own game, Beatty turned north to draw

them back towards Jellicoe and the Grand Fleet.

He organized his ships into a classic tactical move

This allowed his battleships to bring all their guns

Admiral Scheer now found himself up against the entire

Over the next half an hour an intense firefight raged.

To protect his retreat, he sent his ships in to fire

Faced with a torpedo attack, Jellicoe chose not to chase

after the retreating German fleet and risk losing more British ships.

The Battle of Jutland was the defining naval conflict

The last of the great fleet battles fought by surface ships.

In the end, it turned out to be a strategic victory for the British

although the Germans did launch further attacks, they never again

attempted to challenge the British for dominance of the North Sea

but turned their attention instead to submarine warfare.

The courage and sacrifice of thousands of sailors

should not be forgotten, those men who served bravely on some

of the greatest ships on earth and were lost

Sam, you described the horrors of that battle very vividly. It seems

to me that one of the things that gets forgotten is that for most of

the time, in the kind of fog of the North Sea, people didn't know where

the German Navy was, where their ships were. It was very confusing to

fight, is that right? It was very confusing and the signalling

techniques were very primitive. So not only can you not see the

entirety of your own fleet, because it stretches over so many miles of

sea, but you can't get much of a sense of what was happening with the

enemy and then it is very difficult to translate messages up-and-down

the line. What was the reaction here in Scapa and the rest of Britain

when the battle was over? Everyone was horrified. The country went

through some sort of post-traumatic stress. An enormous amount of shock,

uncertainty, people were looking around trying to find an explanation

for what had happened because 6,000 British sailors died. That was

unprecedented in British Naval history. They didn't know how to

deal with it. What did they expect? An outright victory, like Trafalgar?

On the one hand, they expected to win. And on the other, they expected

the impact of that victory to be change the war. But neither of those

things happened. That was the problem that they faced. It was

built up after generations and generations, over a century of

British Naval success. It wasn't just Trafalgar. That happened after

25 years of sustained success against a whole variety of enemies -

the French, the Spanish, the Dutch, the Danes. Winston Churchill, who

wasn't at the Admiralty at the time, he said Jellicoe could have lost a

war in an afternoon, a famous quotation. He didn't lose the Great

War in an afternoon. He didn't win it. He didn't win the war at sea.

Was he - is he rightly criticised, he and Beatty? It seems wrong to

talk about these things when we are commemorating 6,000 people dead, but

it is part of the controversy of the battle?

There is a big controversy about the battle, but that is because Britain

has so much invested in the sea. There have been controversies over

all great British battles, even great victories. But the controversy

here was that so many sailors died and so many ships had been sunk. The

basic point is that Jellicoe's point was to maintain British superiority

in the North Sea and he did that. He did his job. He had to be cautious

to do so and he did not risk his feet, but he maintained that

superiority and that allowed us to continue blockading Germany. They

were wrong, briefly, to boo the ships when they came back to

harbour, as was reported? Absolutely, but considering the

scale of the impact and the amount of sailors that had died, everybody

was heavily invested in the Navy, they would have known that the

ships, and suddenly had not tweet 14 not coming back. Let's leave aside

the controversies and the historical arguments, this morning's service in

St Magnus Cathedral was to honour the courage and sacrifice of sailors

on both sides who fought and died in that battle.

As the navel him Eternal Father Strong To Save was some, the flags

of Britain and Germany were processed down the aisle to be

placed on the altar for the service. Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,

For those in peril on the sea! The Chaplain of the Fleet, Venerable

Ian Wheatley, begins the account the Battle of Jutland, that will go

throughout this service. The Grand Fleet is moved to Orkney in 1914 and

it was a huge operation and had a significant affect on the local

economy and infrastructure. The scale of activity and the unusual

sites could be a novelty to local people. Kirkwall resident and

picture frame Margaret Tait recorded this in her diary, as recounted by

her descendant, Ellie Sinclair. 24th of October, 1914. Orkney under

martial law. All of the Windows have to be darkened at night. All of

those facing the sea at Kirkwall. Nobody is allowed along the seafront

after dark. This rule is often broken.

The streets are very poorly lighted up and as for the lanes and back

As a result of all this darkness there's no comfort

Now a narrative dialogue of the experiences at Jutland, a dialogue

between two nations. Anticipation for a decisive naval battle was high

on both sides. After months of relatively small-scale actions,

sailors hoped that a real trial of naval power was upon them.

Midshipman crew marvel at the sight of the Grand Fleet leaving the Scapa

Flow Anchorage. The grey monsters wheeled in succession around us and

followed out to sea with the precision and majesty that marks the

departure to see of a perfectly trained fleet. A more powerful

exhibition of majestic strength and efficiency, devised solely for the

utter destruction of the enemy, it would be hard to imagine. I was part

of this huge machine and firmly convinced that the machine was

convinced -- invulnerable. I was engaged with a desire to engage with

a battle cruiser worthy of her. Day and night, the thought never left

me. I pictured how the fight became faster and more furious, and how we

struggled like two mighty warriors who both know well enough that only

one of us will survive. The sense of apprehension was

replaced by the implimentation of the hours of practice and drills

which had prepared each man for the commencement of battle.

What kind of a strange sound was this? Crash, the sound reverberated.

The death cry of an English shells. I fell down on the deck

and listened. I noticed that the floor vibrated

slowly and sang at each crash. It was loud or quiet,

depending on the distance The engines shook like

a machine gun. Deep in our hearts we were

all afraid and tried Leading signalman Charles Farmer was

working aloft when an explosion claimed HMS Indefatigable. He was

one of only two survivors from a ship's company of 1019. There was a

terrific explosion aboard the ship. The magazines went. I saw the guns

go on the air, just like matchsticks. 12 inch guns, they were

forced up bodies and everything. Within half a minute the ship turned

over and she was gone. I was 180 foot up and I was thrown

well clear of the ship, otherwise The choir are going to sing Sunset,

Sunset, originally composed by the bandmaster aboard HMS Hercules.

# We often think of those we love

# And all of those who've gone before,

The awful reality of a full-scale sea battle was soon realised by

those that survived. The Chapel of the battleship HMS Akax reflected

the thoughts of many. So many men and a jovial comrades gone, men to

whom we had been talking only a few days before, when we went aboard

their ships, or they visited us, old shipmates, old station mates, men

who had polled in boat races against our men, partners at golf, people in

the same term at Osborne or the Britannia, men of the saner loves

and hatreds of ourselves. This same tastes and ways, the same weaknesses

and joys in living. What had we done that they should be taken and we

left. # Bless the Lord, my soul,

and bless his holy name. # Bless the Lord, my soul, he

rescues me from death. # We light this Candle

in Remembrance and Hope, to call to mind Magnus and Rognvald,

and all the saints, all those dear to us

who have gone before, and today, all those who made

the ultimate sacrifice in the Naval And as a sign of hope to future

generations, as yet unborn. Jesus said, "I am the Light

of the World. Whoever follows me shall

not walk in darkness # For a just and equal sharing

of the things that earth affords. # To a life of love in action help

us rise and pledge our word. # You, Creator God, have written

your great name on humankind; # For our growing in your likeness

bring the life of Christ to mind; The Father, the Son, the Holy

Spirit, amen. If you want to see the whole of that

very moving service, it is available on BBC iPlayer. But now let's join

Aasmah Mir, who is up behind me at the Altar with two people who took

part in the service. Yes, that's right. With me I have

Ellie Sinclair, descendant of Margaret Tait. How did it feel today

to read out her words in this very building? I felt honoured. She wrote

those words 100 years ago and now they have been spoken here. That is

special. How do you feel about perhaps representing the people of

Orkney in 2016? It is quite a responsibility, isn't it? Again, I

feel honoured. Events like this, important events like this, don't

happen in Orkney that much. I just think having the Orcadian

perspective put across is important. We heard about the impact that the

Battle of Jutland had on the inhabitants of Orkney 100 years ago.

What is the impact 100 years later? It brings people together and it

makes you think and again I think it is important. Commander Mark Barton,

you read alongside a German naval officer. Both the officers we saw in

that video have left and are on their way back to Germany now. How

important would you say the relationship between the two

countries is today because it is so different to what it was 100 years

ago? As you can see from the readings that we had, the

experiences in the battle were very similar. The Germans are a

highly-professional Navy, just like us. It is always good to work

together. It was good to be back in their company again. How would you

characterise the relationship between the two countries today? As

a Navy, it is very positive. We work very well together. We train

together. We work together. In terms of the reading that you gave

together, it was incredibly moving, how did it feel to be delivering

those words today? It was a real honour and privilege. It is very

important to commemorate both the 8,500 German and British sailors who

died in the battle, but it is also very important to remember that it

was such a pivotal action in World War One, enabling us to bring an end

to the war. Do you think by reading people's actual words, how much life

does it give to what went on and the lives that were lost 100 years ago?

It gives a huge insight. It is important to remember we tend to

look and they were things that were not in their common understanding.

Thank you both very much. So, the second part of the

commemorations came this afternoon when the Princess Royal and the

German President left Kirkwall for the island of Hoy and there, on the

southern shores of Scapa Flow, a service was held in the Royal Naval

Cemetery at Lyness. As they approached, the Type-23

frigate HMS Kent fired a 21-gun salute.

21-GUN SALUTE Kent's guns were fired at the start

of the service to mark the beginning of the silence.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not

weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in

the morning, we will remember them. We will remember them.

After the silence, wreaths were laid by the German President and the

Princess Royal. After them, by Vice-Admiral Sir

Timothy Laurence and the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

The ship's bell from a light cruiser that fought at Jutland was rung at

the very moment the first opening salvoes were fired in the battle.

# O God our help in ages past, # Our hope for years to come... #

hash When it was built, round it was wrapped a white Ensign from HMS

Revenge, the actual Ensign that was hoisted during the Battle of

Jutland, when ships going into battle hoisted everything they had,

every flag they could so they could be seen by each other through the

fog and mist and confusion of battle. This is the actual Ensign

flown by HMS Revenge. Let us pray. Almighty and eternal

God, from whose love in Christ we cannot be parted, either by death or

life, hear our prayers and Thanksgivings for those companions

of our way whose lives were given at the Battle of Jutland. Fulfil in

them the purpose of your love and bring us all with them to your

eternal joy through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Amen. What shall we

say to these things if God be for us who can be against us? How shall he

not with him also freely give us all things? For I am persuaded but

neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities, nor things past,

nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any

other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. # Vow to thee, my country

# All earthly things above # Entire and whole and perfect

# The service of my love # The love that asks no questions

# The love that stands the test # That lays upon the Altar

# The dearest and the best # The love that never falters

# The love that pays the price # The love that makes undaunted

# The final sacrifice. May God give you his comfort and his

piece, his light and his joy, in this world and the next. The

blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the son and the holy spirit,

come down upon you this day and for evermore. Amen. With me are two

young men who attended that ceremony, I go -- Ivo Beatty, what

would you say was the best part of today? Being invited was an honour,

the first-hand reports of the action, it gives you more of a view

into something that is not very understandable from our perspective.

It felt very atmospheric, with the weather, the wind blowing and

everything going on, how did it feel to you? It was amazing, especially

in that location, with such history behind it. It was extraordinary.

Josef, the great-grandson of Admiral John Jellicoe, what does it feel

like to have such a strong connection to what happened 100

years ago? I feel really proud about what my ancestors did, not just

because I have the Jellicoe side, but my father's side, my great,

great uncle, Bobby Percy, who died on The Queen Mary, after he survived

the initial explosion, but he lost his life when he gave his life

jacket to another sailor. So, a very strong connection. We saw you giving

that reading at Lyness, how were you feeling? Terrified! But once it was

done, I felt it was an honour to be able to say that. Absolutely. Ivo,

Joseph is 15, you are 17, how many 17-year-olds do you think no as much

about what went on 100 years ago? I think very few know enough of the

importance of the battle. People know the name, but not what actually

happened, and the significance of what happened. Do you ever feel a

responsibility to tell people? I do, slightly, yes. Great for remembering

it and heightening awareness of it. Thank you to either Beatty and

Joseph Herber Percy will stop during the First World War, the whole of

the island of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom.

Over 200,000 Irishmen served in British forces, many in the Royal

Navy. The commemoration for those sailors, including 350 killed in

Jutland, was held in Belfast today. Significantly, it took place on

board the last surviving ship from the Battle of Jutland, the light

cruiser HMS Caroline. It is very important. Sailors the

world over like to get together. This occasion, commemorating those

who lost their lives at sea during the First World War, it is a very

important occasion to have the two navvies here together. It is a huge

day, in 1916 island was not partitioned, we were one nation at

that point. Many thousands of Irishmen served at sea, including

the merchant, Marines, the fishermen. The community involvement

with the sea has been huge for hundreds of years. It is a massive

day for all of us. I suspect one of the most poignant

moments in today's commemorations for most people may be something

that took place at sea over 300 nautical miles south-east of the

Orkney Islands. Out there, over the wrecks of British and German ships,

their modern day counterparts, HMS Duncan and the FGS Brandenburg, held

a service where sailors from both navies scattered flowers onto the

sea were so many men lost their lives.

Abril Jellicoe's Union Jack and the White Ensign, the actual flags that

were hoisted at Jutland, hoisted at HMS Duncan, before the poppies and

the forget-me-nots were thrown into the sea.

We are coming to the end of this hour. I am joined by Sam Willis and

Tom Muir, historian in Orkney. Tom, can I start with you? I have been

out on Scapa Flow, I have seen Orkney almost deserted landscape.

What was it like when this entire Grand Fleet was stationed here in

the run-up to Jutland? What effect did it have? It was like dropping a

town into the middle of the islands, really. There were so many people on

the ships. They all needed to be fed, they needed water. It's just

completely changed the whole island, totally. Had it been a depressed

place before this happened? There was a decline in agriculture, due to

foreign imports of beef, made possible by refrigerator ships. The

economy was in decline. And then, suddenly, there is a huge number of

people that need to be fed as well. So, you know, to try to get as much

food as possible, locally sourced, so you did not have to bring it in a

huge distance. How close did the people become to these thousands of

sailors suddenly, presumably, coming ashore, needing recreation? Very

close, I know the grandson of one of them. There were love affairs,

marriages. I am not sure how much they would have been able to

socialise. The general feeling was that they got on extremely well. The

only punch-ups you hear about where between sailors, and not sailors and

Orcadians. Is there any sense of what it was like to be onshore, when

they sailed, on May 30, when they set off for the North Sea? There are

some accounts saying the fleet sailing was such a massive

undertaking, it must have taken a very long time to sail out in the

different divisions. But there was a story from one person who was busy

making coffins for the aftermath of the battle, from the Royal Navy. So

they were expecting casualties. Most of them buried at sea, but some of

them were buried at the Naval Cemetery at Lyness as well. Your

grandfather and great, great grandfather served, one of them

aboard HMS Calliope, whose bell we heard sounded. What do you know

about them? The one that served on Calliope Row won the Conspicuous

Gallantry Medal. It is a powerful, personal reminder that the past is

not a foreign country inhabited by unknown faces, but by real

relatives. They are waiting to be discovered and hoping to be

understood. Talking to people in this congregation, exactly that,

people seem to have been spurred on by each other to find out what

happened. Have you found that here, that people are rediscovering the

memories of it, as the 100 year anniversary is coming up? Yes, very

much so. Most of the Orcadians were in the Naval reserve. They already

have a knowledge of the sea and how to use boats. They tended to be on

mine sweepers, ring fence nets and drifters. You made the film, but

what is the impact of the commemoration? What has the impact

been on you, in terms of what was made of the Battle of Jutland, the

reaction to it? I had a great deal of pleasure in seeing the engagement

from so many different parts of society, people from all walks of

life, young and old, being once again engaged in the Battle of

Jutland. It has always been an important part of our family and

family history. To see that being shared and understood is very

rewarding. Thank you very much. Well, that pretty much ends this

look back at the commemorations of the Battle of Jutland, that took

place today, the 100th anniversary. An extraordinary struggle between

two great navies. Whatever your view, and experts have different

views on the battle itself, the German- it never took to see again.

We leave you with the words of some of those who fought on that day 100

years ago today. I had never seen so many ships

in one area of my life before. You could see the flashes

of the guns, and the noise. The whole thing was like 100

thunderstorms running into one The ship turned right over,

it threw me into the water. Luckily I was at the top

of the mast, otherwise I was swimming about,

practically unconscious. I came to the top of the water,

and about half an hour afterwards, If they had seen me they would have

probably shot at me. You are not allowed

to pick up survivors. The first thing that happened of any

incident was the Queen Mary, A few men jumped off

the stern into the water. Outstanding sight I saw

was when the Invincible went down, she blew up with a vast

explosion and went down Hundreds of men

struggling in the water. We steamed through the spot,

and as we did so, the smell of cordite and the gas

from the shells, and burning bodies. I wouldn't say frightened,

but it was the only time I felt really bad and I had a nasty feeling

in the pit of my stomach.