0:00:03 > 0:00:05Hello, and welcome to a special Songs Of Praise
0:00:05 > 0:00:07here at the Imperial War Museum in London,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10as the nation honours those who have lost their lives
0:00:10 > 0:00:12in conflicts past and present.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15In today's programme, we'll meet an Afghanistan veteran
0:00:15 > 0:00:17who was described by Prince William as an inspiration
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and who, nearly a decade after suffering horrific burns
0:00:21 > 0:00:24in a rocket attack, is rebuilding his life as a racing driver.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28A year after their display at the Tower of London,
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Pam discovers how those poppies are still creating special memories.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I like to think that one of these has got my brother's name on it.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40HE PLAYS THE LAST POST
0:00:40 > 0:00:44And nearly 100 years after it was first played to mark Armistice Day,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47we reveal the story of the Last Post.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49It's an incredibly haunting piece of music.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Everybody recognises it,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54everybody instantly associates that with Remembrance.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Our music today is inspired by Remembrance,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10including a special performance from the Exultate Singers.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14But our first hymn comes from the Royal Garrison Church in Aldershot.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26The Imperial War Museum was founded in 1917
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and was originally intended to record
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Britain and the Empire's efforts and sacrifice in the Great War.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37With galleries and exhibitions set over six floors,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41today it charts all conflicts in which British and Commonwealth forces
0:03:41 > 0:03:43have been involved since 1914.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49One of its current exhibitions focuses on the war in Afghanistan,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52a conflict which proved life-changing
0:03:52 > 0:03:54for 31-year-old Martyn Compton.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56He suffered 75% burns
0:03:56 > 0:04:00after his patrol was ambushed by the Taliban.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03In 2006, I was serving in the Household Cavalry
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and the troop that I was in,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09of four wagons, four small armoured tanks...
0:04:09 > 0:04:12We got ambushed as we came into a village in Musa Qala.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14They basically set an IED -
0:04:14 > 0:04:17an improvised explosive device -
0:04:17 > 0:04:19which blew the wagon up,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and unfortunately killing the three guys that were in it with me.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Then I was a sitting duck, basically.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27They shot rocket grenades at me,
0:04:27 > 0:04:29which blew the engine up and engulfed me in flames.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33And I was very fortunate to then get out of that.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39When they got me back to the Chinook and got me airlifted away,
0:04:39 > 0:04:43I died officially three times. Extraordinary.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46How amazing that you are standing here at all today. Yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Martyn was in hospital for a full 12 months,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and over the past nine years he has undergone extensive surgery,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57which is still ongoing.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00How many operations have you had to go through as part of your recovery?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03A ridiculous amount. It's probably...
0:05:03 > 0:05:07They measure it in hours, and it's probably up to the 500-hour mark.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Martyn's story really struck a chord with Prince William,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13who served in the same regiment.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18And when, in April 2011,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20William was married at Westminster Abbey,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Martyn and his wife Michelle were among the guests.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28And he's described you as an inspiration. Yeah, he has.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31For him to say that is obviously...
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It's brilliant for me but, yeah, it's just surreal.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38During his recovery in the past few years,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Martyn 's developed a passion for motor racing
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and now it has given him a new focus.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50Motorsport's my life and we now have stepped up to car racing,
0:05:50 > 0:05:51formed a team called Team BRIT.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Our ambitions are to get to Le Mans,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58be the first disabled, injured team to get to Le Mans
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and race the world-famous Le Mans 24 Hours.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Which will cost a bob or two.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06You had some help from an unexpected quarter, haven't you?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08That's right. I was very fortunate that Coldplay...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Chris Martin, he read my story
0:06:11 > 0:06:15and got in contact, said that he needed to do something.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Yeah, and he's backing us, so...
0:06:18 > 0:06:22At his side throughout the whole experience has been Michelle.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Martyn's ordeal has been horrendous,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26obviously, from day one.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29It gets better over time, over the years.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Archie and Coral have been, really, a godsend to both of us,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36because they keep both of our minds occupied
0:06:36 > 0:06:40and, you know, we're really, really happy as a family altogether.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Despite Martyn's successful efforts to rebuild his life,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47he will never forget his friends and comrades.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I lost three guys that day, and obviously you get close
0:06:52 > 0:06:54when you're out and about and doing the same job
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and you become good friends, you know?
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And to lose those guys is obviously a personal thing for me
0:07:00 > 0:07:02and it's a time to remember
0:07:02 > 0:07:04all those that didn't come home, you know?
0:09:37 > 0:09:41This is one of the museum's most striking exhibitions,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43which focuses on World War I.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47Since that war, the poppy has been adopted as a symbol of Remembrance,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51taken from the red flowers which sprang up on Flanders Fields.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Well, last year a breathtaking display
0:09:53 > 0:09:55of more than 800,000 ceramic poppies
0:09:55 > 0:09:59at the Tower of London captured the nation's imagination.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Pam Rhodes has been to meet their creator
0:10:02 > 0:10:05and two people for whom those poppies are particularly precious.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13When the exhibition of Poppies took over the Tower of London,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17no-one could have imagined the impact they would make.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20More than five million people visited the tower
0:10:20 > 0:10:22in the four months that they were on display.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26When it finished, the poppies were sold off,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28raising millions of pounds for charities.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33And now, many of the poppies are on display around the country,
0:10:33 > 0:10:34including this, the Wave,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36here at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42The creation of the exhibition was a huge undertaking.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Each of the poppies were individually handmade,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49with every one representing a member of the British or Colonial forces
0:10:49 > 0:10:52who lost their lives in the Great War.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56The idea was the brainchild of this man, artist Paul Cummings.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I'm really happy that people have liked it
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and that people can express what they think about things.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Because going to war
0:11:04 > 0:11:05is something I've never experienced
0:11:05 > 0:11:07and I hope I never will.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09But everybody did do it for us.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11And that's what we've got to do remember -
0:11:11 > 0:11:14that people have done this for a very long time.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17And they fought for what they believed in and what we have now.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19So, it's the memories of that.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21So, it was very costly for you,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23your blood, sweat and tears, really?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Yeah, I did trap a finger... Well, I trapped my hand in a machine
0:11:26 > 0:11:28and lost my middle finger.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33But Derby has a very good hospital, to put them back together.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38One of the many people to have lost their lives during World War II
0:11:38 > 0:11:41was Flight Lieutenant Harry Chapman
0:11:41 > 0:11:44who, at the age of just 22, was killed in action
0:11:44 > 0:11:48when his Lancaster Bomber was shot down.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Among those Harry left behind
0:11:50 > 0:11:52were his baby daughter Lesley
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and his 11-year-old brother Alan.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Both were touched when they saw the exhibition in London last year
0:11:59 > 0:12:02and have made their way to Yorkshire to see the Wave.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Alan, what can you tell us about your big brother, Harry?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09What sort of man was he?
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Well, I was 11 at the time that Harry was in the Air Force.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17He was always keen to tell me
0:12:17 > 0:12:20what it was like up above the clouds.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Do you think that loss of your brother
0:12:23 > 0:12:27made an impact on you for the rest of your life? It did, yes.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31I always thought that he was someone that I could go to.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34if I was in trouble.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36But he was not there.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38There was nobody to go to.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42I wish I could hear his voice and things like that, and I can't.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45So Alan's the nearest I've got to him.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49What you two share is having a faith.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52How has that helped you, Alan, over the years,
0:12:52 > 0:12:53to come to terms with this?
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Well, it's helped me because you're not alone,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00there's someone there to help you.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02And there's someone there to turn to.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Is it important to remember?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08You should never forget them, any of them.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Oh, yeah. Never forget them.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14'Leslie and Alan wanted to take this opportunity
0:13:14 > 0:13:16'to thank the creator of the exhibition
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'and express their gratitude.'
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Hello. Hello, how are you?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Hello, Paul. Nice to meet you. Hiya.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I've brought mine with me. I was honoured to get one. Thank you.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30Thank you very much for coming up with the idea.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I like to think that one of these
0:13:32 > 0:13:34has got my brother's name on it.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37You know, I know there's hundreds and thousands, but...
0:13:37 > 0:13:40They're all different. They're all different, yeah.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42It's a flower for a person,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and the poppy in this country represents so much.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58# We will remember them
0:13:58 > 0:14:05# We will remember them
0:14:05 > 0:14:11# At the going down of the sun
0:14:11 > 0:14:17# And in the morning
0:14:17 > 0:14:30# We will remember them
0:14:34 > 0:14:40# They shall grow not old
0:14:40 > 0:14:47# As we that are left grow old
0:14:48 > 0:14:54# Age shall not weary them
0:14:54 > 0:15:02# Nor the years condemn
0:15:04 > 0:15:17# We will remember them
0:15:20 > 0:15:26# When you go home
0:15:26 > 0:15:33# Tell them of us and say
0:15:35 > 0:15:42# For your tomorrow
0:15:42 > 0:15:49# We gave our today
0:15:50 > 0:16:03# We will remember them
0:16:03 > 0:16:09# At the going down of the sun
0:16:09 > 0:16:15# And in the morning
0:16:15 > 0:16:27# We will remember them
0:16:27 > 0:16:39# We will remember them. #
0:16:56 > 0:16:58A very poignant and moving performance there
0:16:58 > 0:17:00from the Exultate Singers.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Later in the programme, we'll reveal the story of the Last Post
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and a bugler from the Royal Marines
0:17:06 > 0:17:08will be explaining what makes it so special
0:17:08 > 0:17:10at this time of Remembrance.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14But, first, a hymn to remember those who've lost their lives
0:17:14 > 0:17:15in wars at sea.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11With more than 11 million photographic and sound items,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14the museum's archive charting Britain's involvement
0:20:14 > 0:20:17in conflicts over the past century is unrivalled.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Tucked away here, there are personal stories,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23not only of those who lost their lives
0:20:23 > 0:20:24but also of those they left behind.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27And, as our next film shows, for one airman's sister
0:20:27 > 0:20:31this Remembrance Sunday has a very special significance.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36At least nine British military personnel have died
0:20:36 > 0:20:39after a British Hercules transport plane crashed
0:20:39 > 0:20:41shortly after leaving Baghdad.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Ten years ago, Sergeant Robert O'Connor lost his life
0:20:45 > 0:20:49when his RAF plane was shot down by insurgents in Iraq.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53His sister Sarah will never forget the day she heard the news.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57We'd come in from celebrating my daughter's birthday.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59I put on the news.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01And I saw the words
0:21:01 > 0:21:03"a British Hercules has crashed."
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Quarter to four in the morning...
0:21:07 > 0:21:10..there was the knock at the door and...
0:21:10 > 0:21:13my mum was told those words that,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16sadly, lots of other parents have had to hear, which is
0:21:16 > 0:21:19"we regret to inform you...
0:21:19 > 0:21:23"that your son, Sergeant Robert O'Connor,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25"is missing in action, presumed dead."
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Amazingly, it was Iraq's first election day,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and I'm very proud of that fact,
0:21:32 > 0:21:35because that day was all about peace.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40He was flying passengers from one airport to another.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Unfortunately, terrorists shot at the plane
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and that, basically,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48penetrated the fuel tank.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Sarah has been a Christian since she was young,
0:21:52 > 0:21:53but the loss of her brother Bob
0:21:53 > 0:21:56proved to be a huge test of her faith.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I've always maintained a conversation with God.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01It hasn't been a regular conversation,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03but I've always had him near me.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08But after losing Bob, I really turned my back on Him.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And even when I refused to feel,
0:22:12 > 0:22:13refused to listen,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16it's just been there.
0:22:16 > 0:22:17And then ...
0:22:17 > 0:22:22something will happen and it's the most amazing thing ever.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26To have that...moment of...
0:22:26 > 0:22:28oh, he hasn't left me...
0:22:28 > 0:22:30maybe he has been there all the way along.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36And Sarah has received even more support,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39but this time from an unexpected source.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41Every year, thousands of bikers
0:22:41 > 0:22:44converge on the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire
0:22:44 > 0:22:47to pay their respects to those who gave their lives
0:22:47 > 0:22:48serving their country.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The gathering is called Ride To The Wall,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and the event is now in its 10th year.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59Many of the bikers either served in the forces
0:22:59 > 0:23:03or are friends or family of those who lost their lives.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08We all come together, united, to give thanks
0:23:08 > 0:23:10and you arrive and there's 6,000 bikes.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19And there's, like, thousands and thousands
0:23:19 > 0:23:22and thousands of bikers.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24BUGLE PLAYS
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Central to the day is a service of Remembrance
0:23:26 > 0:23:29next to the arboretum's Armed Forces Memorial.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32We give to you, most merciful Father,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35thanks that you have put it into the hearts of us, your servants.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Then, when we've had our Remembrance Service,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44all the bikers line up with their wreaths,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47ready to connect with their fallen friends,
0:23:47 > 0:23:48fallen family members,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51fallen strangers.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58And, you know, forces buddies, as they're queueing up,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01they connect with each other in the line.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07Something as simple as the freedom to choose to remember
0:24:07 > 0:24:09is something that's been given to us
0:24:09 > 0:24:11by our heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50That hymn, by Isaac Watts, was actually sung
0:26:50 > 0:26:52at the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
0:26:52 > 0:26:55and it's synonymous with Remembrance,
0:26:55 > 0:26:56as is our next piece of music,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58from Enniskillen in Northern Ireland.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Now, it is perhaps the defining element of every Remembrance Sunday.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36And over the past century, it's grown to become
0:29:36 > 0:29:40the most emotionally charged piece of music performed at public ceremonies.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44The Last Post was originally just a functional signal
0:29:44 > 0:29:48performed at army camps to mark the end of the working day.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52But on that first Armistice Day, nearly a hundred years ago,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54that was all to change.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59The 11th of November, 1919,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and crowds gather at the Cenotaph in London.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08They've responded to a call from King George V
0:30:08 > 0:30:11to mark the first anniversary of the end of the Great War.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15As both veterans and the public pay their respects,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18the two-minute silence is brought to an end
0:30:18 > 0:30:21by the playing of the Last Post.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23BUGLES PLAY THE LAST POST
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Since then, this iconic piece of music has become a key part
0:30:29 > 0:30:31of Remembrance ceremonies across Britain, the Commonwealth
0:30:31 > 0:30:34and many other countries.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Here in Belgium, at the Menin Gate,
0:30:36 > 0:30:40this bugle call has been played every single evening since 1928.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48One person who knows exactly what it means to play the Last Post
0:30:48 > 0:30:51is Corporal Bugler Nathan Crossley.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54It's an incredibly haunting piece of music,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57played in the right environment it sounds fantastic.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01But everybody recognises it, everybody instantly associates that
0:31:01 > 0:31:04with Remembrance and with that sombre attitude.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07As a member of the Royal Marines Band,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Nathan has performed several times at the Cenotaph
0:31:10 > 0:31:13in front of Her Majesty the Queen on Remembrance Sunday.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18But some of the most poignant occasions
0:31:18 > 0:31:21on which he is called upon to play the Last Post
0:31:21 > 0:31:24are at repatriation ceremonies.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28LAST POST PLAYS
0:31:34 > 0:31:37It's an incredibly unique scenario.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Everybody seeing that body, effectively, for the first time,
0:31:40 > 0:31:44whether you know the individual or whether you're family.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50How important is it to you to play the Last Post, then,
0:31:50 > 0:31:51at a ceremony like that?
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Incredibly important.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56As a member of the Armed Forces, whether it's Army, Navy,
0:31:56 > 0:31:57Air Force, it doesn't matter -
0:31:57 > 0:32:00we're all part of one family and, as a family,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02that's how we say goodbye to each other.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11Well, that's all for this programme of Remembrance
0:32:11 > 0:32:13from the Imperial War Museum in London.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15And what more fitting way to end
0:32:15 > 0:32:17than with a special rendition of the Last Post
0:32:17 > 0:32:20from Corporal Bugler Nathan Crossley.
0:32:20 > 0:32:21Thank you for watching.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30HE PLAYS THE LAST POST
0:34:16 > 0:34:19'..Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, East Forties,