World War One Remembered Across the Commonwealth

the verge of war. It would change the world forever.

Good morning from Westminster Abbey as we begin this day of

commemorations marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World

War. To most people in Britain back in that summer of 1914, the names of

Passiondale and the Somme were unfamiliar, they were distant, but

the slaughter they came to symbolise would haunt generations to come.

Yet, a century ago there was no real sense of the disaster ahead. People

were wondering if Britain would get drawn into a conflict. A conflict

which was already underway in mainland Europe. On 4th August,

German troops had marched into Belgium, a country whose neutrality

Britain had promised to defend. The British Government sent an

ultimatum. Back down before 11am, London time, or Britain would

declare war. And all day, the telegrams and the rumours flew

around Whitehall and Westminster as the minutes ticked by. All eyes were

on Big Ben. But there was no response from Berlin. And as Big Ben

struck the first note of 11 o'clock that night Britain was at war with

Germany. Well, tonight that moment, precisely 11pm, will be marked in

Westminster Abbey with a special candle-lit vigil. And throughout the

service the Abbey will move from light to darkness until just one

candle remains at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and that flame will

be extinguished at 11 o'clock, the moment war was declared. This

evening, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry

will attend a commemoration in Belgium. It is a place of remember

markable beauty, tranquillity. British and Commonwealth soldiers

are buried there and German soldiers too. The Prime Minister, David

Cameron, among the world leaders taking part in the event this

evening. We will bring you live coverage of both events starting at

6.30pm on BBC Two. We will be in Belgium first of all and we

6.30pm on BBC Two. We will be in Belgium first of all and will be

here at Westminster Abbey for the candle-lit service. We start with a

morning service from Glasgow Cathedral which reflects the part

played by the men andwomen of the Commonwealth and James Landale is

there for us. Welcome everybody to a rather

overcast Glasgow as the congregation continues to gather at the cathedral

here for what promises to be a very special service. Not only the first

national ceremony to mark the centenary of what many still called

the Great War, but also a service that will reflect the extraordinary

contribution and sacrifice made by those nations that now form part of

the Commonwealth. In all, over 1.1 million men from Britain and what

gave their lives in the First World War. Today, we will hear some hymns

and prayers, but also stories, poems, letters and memoirs written

by those who lived and died during those awful years. There will be the

thoughts of the next generation as they visit the battlefields of

Belgium and France themselves. Here to read some of the stories, the

Prime Minister, senior figures from the Commonwealth gathering now and

some familiar faces like Sir Trevor McDonald and Kate Adie with the

Prince of Wales representing the Royal Family.

We will be back with James in a short while. The service will get

underway later on in Glasgow. Prince Charles will be arriving soon so

we'll be back for the start of the service. With me in London are three

special guests, Professor Margaret MacMillan, David Olusoga, and Juliet

Nicholson who has written on the impact that the war had on the

people of Britain. It is good to have you with us on this special

day. I mentioned a distant conflict. For the younger generations today,

it seems a distant conflict. Why is it important to be commemorating

like this? It shaped the world in which we lived. For young people,

they need to know about this war because its impact is so long. The

shadows it cast are still with us. Much of the shape of the world was

shaped by the First World War. To understand, their own world, I

think, people need to understand the First World War. David, just to

underline, we are looking at huge impact in terms of Britain, but we

need to have that world context too and the fact this was a truly global

conflict? Absolutely. The clue is in the name, World War. From the moment

the first guns were fired it was a global conflict. And we sometimes

forget that. Our personal tragedy in Britain has tended to overshadow

that bigger global picture. We will underline that as we go along

because we have wonderful stories about families and how they were

affected and people from different parts of the world so we'll come

back to that. Juliet, a sense from you, of the way this conflict turned

British society upside down and the world of Britain after 1918 was very

different? Yes, I think that the Britain of 1914ing, August 3 --

1914, August 3rd is an unrecognisable place to the one we

live in now. For women, it was a particularly momentous change.

Sometimes in a good way. We had the vote at the end which we didn't at

the beginning. But for those who continued to grieve and then

obviously through a Second World War, it was the beginning of a

century of intense sadness. Lots of big themes for us to talk about and

one thing I want to pursue in a short while is the fact that we're

still arguing about the causes of the First World War which is a hot

topic for lots of historians. By the way, Margaret has her own views on

how the World War began and I don't think I'll quibble with that. She

presented a fascinating guide which is on the BBC World war one website

and the address is coming up on the screen for you:

Have a look at that, but we will be discussing it shortly as well.

In 1914, Britain's military strength was based on the Royal Navy. A big

contrast of the vast conscript armies of other nations. Britain's

army was tiny. Just 80,000 professional soldiers of the BEF

began to embark for France on 7th August and most of them expected a

quick war. It will be over by Christmas, they were told. But, of

course, it wasn't over by Christmas and the war engulfed the whole

country. Millions of men were in uniform. Nearly every family had

someone at the front or linked to the front. Families like the

Andersons and Robin Scott Elliot went to the Imperial War Museum to

discover for about Bertie Anderson who died in 1918 leading his men

against the largest German attack of the war.

received the Victoria Cross for his bravery of that day.

He never saw this medal, never knew of the award,

but it is a link to him, a symbol by which he can be remembered,

as a young man who did an extraordinary thing

Bertie came from a prosperous Glasgow family.

Willie and Nora Anderson had four sons,

Charlie was the first of the boys to go to war.

He was the second youngest and actually a professional soldier.

Generally, there was to begin with an eagerness about going to war,

this is what they were training for, they were looking forward to it,

he wrote a letter home to his mother Nora

that said, "So glad we will all be in this together."

But after just eight days in the trenches,

Charlie was declared missing in action.

Nora had to wait eight months until his death was officially confirmed.

Eight months of clinging to some sort of hope that he may be alive

and even when that official confirmation came, you still knew

that you couldn't have your children home to bury them.

felt his duty was to replace Charlie.

Ronnie was seen as being a wee bit scatty.

because he wrote a letter back to Nora

when he was actually in the trenches in 1915

that said, "If I get killed, don't say 'So like Ron's careless way.'"

A month later he was shot dead, picked off by a German sniper.

Nora had lost two sons within the space of a year.

If you flick through it, there is picture after picture

There are a few of Bertie, the eldest,

but there's very little in there of Charlie or Ronnie.

Perhaps that's the way she found to try and cope with it all,

by trying to bury the memory of what she had lost.

Teddie joined up straight from school

and you look at all the pictures of him,

Theres a zest for life that's obvious there.

He used to write long letters home to his mother and father.

He describes one particular raid that they went on

shortly before the Battle of the Somme

to shoot down some German observation balloons

and he talks about how, when they flew home afterwards,

his plane was shot at by the anti-aircraft guns

that he sang lustily all the way home.

Teddie survived his six-month tour at the front,

returning to become a flying instructor in Hampshire.

He was killed in a training accident aged just 21.

Robin's great-grandfather Bertie was also killed in France.

Their mother Nora had lost all four of her children to the war.

which I think sums up the tragedy of the Andersons' family,

that must have affected so many families across the country.

"hear the sound of their returning feet.

"No more merry meals around the family table,

"no more letters to write, no more letters to wait for."

A sense of the scale of the losses we're talking about in the First

World War. Today that in Glasgow Cathedral where people are gathering

for this morning's service, the four Anderson Brothers, they are call

commemorated on a plaque at the back of the cathedral. So really

interesting to incorporate that story in our day's events today.

Juliet, I'm bound to ask you at this stage, that's a huge burden for any

family to carry afterwards in 1918. That scale of loss for one family.

How typical was that? Well, that example of the Anderson family

brings the reality of the war. The individual stories, of course, we

talk about these enormous numbers which are almost impossible to

comprehend, when you hear the specifics of that, if you go around

any of the memorials in any village green or town centre in the whole of

Britain, you will find again and again the repeated loss of the same

name from the same family. Sometimes three, sometimes even as many as

four. In the Anderson's case and the reality at the time of that was

sometimes unbearable that a telegram that would come saying, "Missing in

action" Or even with the announcement of the death remained

unopened on the mantelpiece framed with forget me nots. They had

beautiful photo frames and that telegram might remain there up until

the end of the war because there was also a sense that if somebody had

died during the war, somehow or other, without as was mentioned in

the film, any repatriation of the bodies, any tangible evidence, any

funeral, any grave, maybe at the end of the war things would go back to

normal and all that that involved. Margaret, I was struck there, we're

talking about Charlie's death in that family. Eight months to wait

for confirmation of the death. And the fact that Juliet said, of

course, that millions were just missing for months and sometimes

years, no confirmation at all. You're here today, partly

representing Canada if I can say that given your nationality. Was

that the Canadian experience, too? Yes, Canada came into the war

automatically as part of the British Empire. We weren't asked if we

wanted to be in, but we did want to be in. 60,000 Canadians died out of

a population of seven million, so almost everybody in Canada would

have known someone who died. One of the awful things about the First

World War was the industrial nature of it and we were good by that point

at killing people and often people were blown to pieces and so there

wasn't even a body that you could go to. There wasn't a tangible proof of

death and I think that must have made it harder for people, not even

to have a place where they could go to commemorate the ones who had

gone. David, a thought on that? This decision that we made to bury people

in situ in the battlefields is what has given us this wonderful image of

cemeteries which are the great repostry of loss and memory, but

there was a cost to tham That for families -- to that for families who

never saw bodies, there is good and bad about that. Looking at the

beautiful cemeteries, you think, they're one of the reasons that

we're here today remembering that war. We will see one later on today

in Belgium. We will be back there for the evening event. In the 37

days following the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand. When it came

the declaration of war took people by surprise. Dan Snow has been

looking at events when people were concerned about matters closer to

home. In many ways,

British people in 1914 were much more prosperous

than they had ever been. New welfare reforms were beginning

to have a real effect People had more time and money

to enjoy themselves. Cinemas were opening up

in almost every town and city, theatres played

to packed audiences, and funfairs filled every park

and village green with the latest thrill-seeking rides

at weekends and holidays. But the thrills were not simply

for the fairground. Across the country,

football experienced a boom. By 1914, the game of the man

of the street had reached

a more professional status, peaking in April when the King

attended the FA Cup Final that life in Britain

was all skittles and sunshine. beneath the fun and frolics

of late Edwardian England. The years before the war saw

a wave of industrial activity with workers across mining,

agriculture and transport industries downing tools in protest

at pay and conditions. Ireland was the number one problem

for Prime Minister Asquith. The Government had struggled to get

support for its Home Rule Bill, which aimed to give Ireland

its own parliament. Peaceful protest against the bill

in Ulster was in jeopardy as paramilitary

activity threatened to erupt. Whilst the British Army

were on the verge of mutiny, refusing to support the Government

on the issue. But on the streets of Britain

in the months before the war it was the Suffragettes who

were causing the most disruption. In March 1914 it was destroyed. Mary

came to London and entered the National Gallery under the pretext

of doing a painting study and when the cost was clear, she took a

hatchet to the painting. Mayor's art attack spurned a wave of copycat

incidents. The behaviour of the suffragettes was beginning to become

a nuisance. Whether it was escapism from

troubled times or part of a life of leisure, a good book was as popular

at the start of the 20th century as it is now. The most popular genre

was something called Invasion Literature and the villains in the

books were nearly always German. Books such as When William Came and

Riddle of the Sands were popular. But the smash hit of the decade was

the Invasion of 1910. By 1914, this had sold one million copies. These

were the kind of books that were flying off the shelves of libraries

and bookshops at the turn of the century and some were sensationally

serialised in the tabloids. Newspaper headlines started to

reflect the long running naval arms race that was going on between

Britain and Germany. It may seem remarkable now, but in the summer

1914, for the majority of Britons, the idea of war against Germany

existed mainly on the pages of their favourite fiction.

That was Dan Snow and that's fascinating just to really look at

the rapid sequence of events and underline the fact that today, as we

think back a century ago, the declaration of war took people by

surprise. We may imagine it was a gradual process, but it want. We

have got three wonderful images. This is the socialist leader

addressing a peace rally, a big peace rally which took place in

Trafalgar Square. That was on the 2nd August. Just a couple of days

before war was declared. I'm going to pass that to you, Margaret, if

you wouldn't mind having a look at that while I show viewers the next

one. This is the scene, if you can just see it, that's Buckingham

Palace clearly and the balcony, not the central balcony we're used to,

but the balcony at the right-hand side of the palace, that was after

war was declared on the 4th. That's a century ago tonight. Lots of

cheering crowds. We will ask Margaret and the others why that was

the case? That's the day war was declared. This is the next day,

lookment this is one -- look. This is one little screen on the Strand.

People queuing up to have a look at what the news was. Lots of

reservists being called up and people really wanting the details of

how they do it. There is a group of Boy Scouts. They are nice images.

Margaret, the suddenness of it. Why were people taken by surprise?

Partly because it was summer holidays and they were thinking of

other things of the in Britain, they were more concerned about Ireland.

They hadn't been noticing what was going on in the Continent and

finally because they had other crisis in the Balkans, they had

three recently and so all over Europe, not just in England people

were saying,"It is another crisis in the Balkans. There will be a bit of

mobilising as putting pressure on the other side, but they'll sort it

out. Sir Edward Gray will get in touch with her counterparts and it

will be OK." There was a dangerous come complacency. David, just a

thought there as well about the suddenness of it all. Not just in

British terms, but because Britain had its big empire at that time,

these decisions, impacted millions of people across the world? That's

right. The moment Britain declares war 100 years ago today, people in

Africa, in Asia, in India, people on islands in the Pacific find

themselves part of an empire that's at war. For a crisis that seemed too

small. It seemed to come out of nowhere. There were lots of

political assassinations. It seems too small a thing to mobilise an

empire. Crowd outside the Palace, was if we believe the reports at the

time, cheering. They were desperate to see the Royal Family, desperate

to see the king at the balcony and they were in quite, well, is it fair

to say, a strident and aggressive mood. What was to account for that

public mood at the time. Were people thinking it was a good thing or not?

There had been only five weeks, but it was five weeks of rumour and

building whispers, whispers getting louder and talk getting more

constant. Even though it was the summer holidays, people were

beginning to have some awareness that this was serious and so maybe

there was a sense of not exactly relief, but perhaps anticipation

about what would happen next, not exactly excitement, but some kind of

general looking to where we were going. Where we were going. What's

so interesting about some of the photographs is that it emphasises

the communication in 1914. It was done very often obviously through

the newspapers, but in person. Yes. So you had to go to the place to ask

what was going on. You were outside Buckingham Palace. You were outside

Downing Street. You were in Whitehall. You crowded into

Trafalgar Square to make your voice heard. I think you know, there was

no obviously no television. There was no telephone. The telephone

boxes had gone up in Paris that summer. There was no internet. There

was no wireless. No radio. That came after the war. So you needed to go

to a place and I think the sort of general infection of being in a

crowd often results in the demonstration of emotion. That's a

powerful point to make. Again, when we think just the way that

information was shared, people were desperate for news and couldn't get

it unless they turned up in places like the office there on the Strand

to get the news. OK, we will pick up on that in a moment. In a short

while we will be going to Glasgow Cathedral where the part played by

the Commonwealth nations will be remembered. In 1914, one in four

people in the world were part of this great British Empire and

millions of them served alongside British forces. David here, has been

looking at the stories of some of the men who travelled thousands of

miles from their homes in Canada and South Africa to the Western Front.

The South Africa monument and cemetery at Delville Wood in France

is the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Somme.

lost their lives here in the summer of 1916.

For six days, three South African battalions

fought continuously to defend these woods.

They were subjected to a bombardment of such intensity

that the trees themselves were destroyed.

The South African 1st Brigade lost 80% of their men,

yet somehow they still managed to hold onto these woods.

commemorates these fallen servicemen.

This bronze relief is a depiction of the service and the bravery

of the white South African soldiers who fought in the First World War.

But over here behind them is a depiction of black South Africans

who were also recruited by their government

They played a very different role in the First World War.

joined the South African Native Force.

The white rulers of South Africa had done everything they could

to keep precision weapons out of the hands of black Africans,

and they were only willing to consider sending

black South Africans to the war in Europe if they were segregated

from the white civilian population, and on no account were they

to be armed, trained or allowed to take part in the fighting.

Instead, black South Africans were put to work

building roads and railways, and handling supplies,

work which was just as vital as that on the front line.

Native South Africans travelled thousands of miles from home

to supply the army that went on to win the war.

Their story, often all too forgotten,

is the other half of South Africa's contribution to World War I.

the British Empire had called for support from Canada.

almost 33,000 Canadian volunteers joined up to fight.

Canada was a dominion of the British Empire,

a young country made up of recent immigrants

and the remnants of her ancient indigenous people

but of that first group of Canadian volunteers,

They were committed to the Empire, hostile to Germany,

and by early 1915 they were here at the front.

But the battles of Ypres and the Somme

took a horrific toll on Canadian troops.

As a result her indigenous people, known as Canadian Indians,

or Bloods, were allowed to volunteer.

Mike Mountain Horse was a Blood Indian from Alberta.

in a successful Allied attack at Vimy Ridge.

He describes performing a ritual before battle

with his friend George Strangling Wolf.

George Strangling Wolf took his knife

and cut off a strip of flesh from around his knee,

he then raised it up to the sun and made the prayer, "Help me, Sun,

"to survive this terrible war that I may see my relatives again."

He then buried a piece of his own flesh in the soil.

These were men who had travelled thousands of miles

to fight in a hi-tech industrial war,

the ancient warrior traditions of their people.

Perhaps the sun spirits listened, because Mike Mountain Horse

survived the war and returned home in 1919.

The First World War brought to battlefields like this one

millions of men who fought and who laboured and suffered,

if not in equality at least side by side.

And what perhaps has been forgotten is that their presence meant that

became the most diverse, the most multicultural places

David, it is a remarkable story and we can explore aspects of this

centenary that automatically don't come to find so we will focus really

on the British and that's right, but when you see the contribution made

by people from different parts of the world, the way you told the

story there was moving. Motivation, can we talk about that? This is

interesting, the psychology involved and the men you are reporting on

there, did they want to fight for Britain? Did they feel just a duty

and what was the motivation and the psychology behind that? Some

soldiers already are soldiers in 1914 and the Indians who come over

have a strong sense of their warrior traditions. They are professional

soldiers and they are going to fight in France as they would have on the

north-west frontier. There is a moment in 1914 that we've forgotten,

when there was enthusiasm in many parts of the empire for this great

collective endeavour, this Great War. There is volunteering in Canada

and Australia, Newfoundland as there is in Britain. There is, of course,

the reality that people don't know the war they're going to and rather

like the volunteers in this city who rushed to the recruitment offices

100 years ago this weekend, they didn't know the reality. That moment

of 1914 is a moment of naivety, as well as a poignant moment of

tragedy. Will people in Canada look back a century? How is the First

World War viewed today? It is viewed as a very important part of our

history. It is a time when we paid a terrible price. We lost over 65,000

soldiers, but it is a moment where we grew up a bit. We were an

adolescent and by the end of the First World War, we moved a long way

towards independence. We had a greater sense of our selves. We

thought part way through the war, we fought together and we began to see

ourselves as part of the British Empire, but a distinct role in it.

We mentioned there the fact that there was this remarkable mix of

cultures taking place. Did that in some way inform people's attitudes

during and after the war to people of different races, people of

different backgrounds? Was that a noticeable effect or not? I mean,

there are some shocking stories. There are some particularly from in

Sussex where some of the Indian soldiers who had been injured and

were in hospital in Brighton in the Royal Pavilion way was turned into

an enormous hospital, there was much racist taunting and they remaybed

there to re-- remained there to recuperate after the war and it was

after the war that the kind of fall-out happened and race riots and

so on in Birmingham, in Liverpool, and so on. So although it would be

nice to say that there was a general love-in, there is a lot of evidence

to suggest to confirm that there wasn't. Well, we have a powerful

story about Indian involvement coming up, it is a good thing to

remind ourselves. Thank you very much for now. So, lots of people

arriving now in Glasgow at the cathedral there for the service.

Let's join James. Well, the stage is almost set now

for the service. Most of the congregation inside. We are

expecting 1400 people in all to make up those here at the service.

Waiting expectedly, representatives of the Commonwealth, we have got

presidents, Prime Ministers, High Commissioners, but also senior

political figures from across the political spectrum. Alex Salmond

there, the First Minister of Scotland, behind him the Chancellor,

George Osborne and of course Kate Adie who will take a part in the

service. There you can see in the front row the Deputy Prime Minister,

Nick Clegg, the Leader of the Opposition and hid nn the middle of

that, you can't see him, the Defence Minister here because he is the

grandson of the commander in general. And here too we can see the

governor's general of Scotland and Australia and my colleague spoke to

them earlier. Various guests and dignitaries are

filtering into Glasgow Cathedral for the beginning of the service which

will take place at 10am. I'm joined by the Governor General of Australia

Sir Peter Cosgrove. In 1914, Australia had a population of about

four million and 400,000 men signed up. They weren't conscriptions, they

enlisted to join. Why was there a strong commitment to join? There was

a deep commitment to the British Empire and there was a thought while

we were a diminution, our routesst roots were back with the mother

country. And we talk of it as a World War,

but for Australians and a lot of the soldiers from all over the

Commonwealth who fought, it was a global war, wasn't it? It was.

Australians initially enlisted to fight in Europe, but ended up

fighting as well in the Middle East on the way through and ended up on

the fields of France and Flanders. When you are in the cathedral this

morning, Sir Peter, what will you be thinking? What does it mean to you

to be here today? Well, you spoke about the over 400,000 men and women

who signed up and wore their country's uniform in far off fields,

I will be thinking of them and of the 60,000 who were killed that

remains the highest level of casualties per enlistment for

Australia. 156,000 were wounded or gassed or made prisoner and all of

those lives and their families were affected. Australia lost its

international innocence, if I can put it that way in World War I and

we are a wiser, if not necessarily always a trouble-free nation. Sir

Peter, thank you very much for Talk taking the -- for taking the time to

talk to us. How let's hear some of the voices of the soldiers. These

memories were recorded 1943. The trench is half full of mud. Oh,

frightful. You have no idea what it was. You lived in dugouts and you

were up to your ankles in mud. You would make up in the morning with

the snow over your feet and you were always in dampness. I'm joined by

the Governor General from New Zealand, Sir Jerry Mateparae. Thank

you for taking to me this morning. New Zealand, a tiny nation in 1914.

One million people, yet again 10%, of New Zealanders fought during

World War I. Why was there such a commitment? It was a connection like

Australia to the mother land. Lots of our people had claimed their

roots from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. So there was a deep

connection. The majority of our soldiers though were born in New

Zealand. We were British. We claimed to be British as well. There was a

strong sense. There was a sense of community at home and you know,

joining up with mates and going off on a big adventure unfortunately, it

didn't prove to be that much of an adventureful It wasn't just people

of British descent in Australia who signed up. Over 2,000 Maori? That's

right. We fought alongside the Australians on the fields in France

and now Belgium. And also elsewhere. This service has a personal meaning

to you, too? My two grandfathers fought in the World War I. One was

gassed and had to return home and we're remembering the people in

Britain who supported us at Brockenhurst and where our soldiers

could con valesced. Thank you very much for talking to me. We will be

back at the cathedral shortly for when the service starts. It is so

important for us to underline that service is all about celebrating, in

the right sense of that word, the courage and the great sense of duty

and of course, the sacrifice of those who took part in the

Commonwealth nations and one of the most remarkable stories involved the

Indian Army which began to mobilise four days after Britain declared

war. One in three soldiers under British command in France, one in

three, was from India and the grandsons of two soldiers remember a

friendship that was forged in the trenches and united the two families

for generations. That's a very fine photograph,

isn't it, of those two? Manta Singh and George Henderson

side by side. My grandfather's name

was Manta Singh. When he finished his schooling,

he joined the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs. Later on it was known

as the 2nd Sikhs, He was more or less second

in command to George Henderson. George Burton Henderson was the son

of an Indian army officer, brought up initially

in southern India. He went onto Sandhurst

and won the Sword of Honour in 1909, before accepting a commission

into the 15th Sikhs. He would not have spoken

the language, and he would have been ignorant

of many of the customs. and helped him manage

the relationships with the men. In 1914,

the British Expeditionary Force had not been able to withstand

the German attacks, and so they threw the Indian Army

in, My grandfather was in one of the

early actions at Neuve Chapelle. He was shot through both legs

above the knees. Fortunately, Subedar Manta Singh

rescued him. that he was bringing him back

in a wheelbarrow which my grandfather found

in no-man's-land. Sadly Manta Singh subsequently

was wounded severely and declined to have a leg amputated because

he wished to stay in the regiment. He was brought to hospital

in Brighton, for Hindus and Sikhs to be cremated

in a village known as Patcham. to remember the fallen heroes

who died for Britain. And I feel very proud to see my

grandfather's name inscribed there. It's a beautiful photograph,

this is. It's surprising, looking

at our grandfathers' photograph they're also standing side by side,

and here we are side by side again. We have seen emerge

a great friendship It was initiated by two military

men over 100 years ago, and I think that's something

which is well worth commemorating. the figures are enormous, aren't

they? In terms of the Indian context 74,000 Indian troops killed, 67,000

wounded. The Indians earning over 9,000 deck declarations. It is a

very, very moving tale of co-operation and caring and

collaboration which has lasted until today and it is a very nice thing

for us to be able to share, isn't it, David? The old Indian Army was

an incredible organisation that came out of the war of independence. It

was a really sophisticated multi-cultural organisation and it

created these sort of relationships, but what's important to remember

about the Indian contribution to the First World War is not that, in some

tokenistic way we can should remember it. It is questionable

whether the British Army could have held the lines and pushed the

Germans back at Ypres without the Indian contribution? It not a nice

thing to remember. The Indians were central to our army in 1914 and

1915. The extent of the contribution is probably something lots of people

haven't really grasped over the years? 1.4 million Indian soldiers

served in the First World War. And there were tensions, of course,

there were Juliet and there were racial tensions in some areas, we

need to underline that. But that story is a story of people getting

along and caring for each other, despite differences? Yes, and I

think that if you had fought together side by side, whatever race

you were, whatever age, whatever class, whatever background, there

was a bond that was absolutely life lasting and that's an example of it.

Exactly there. Thank you very much for the moment because the service

is about to begin in Glasgow Cathedral. So let's join James.

The Prince of Wales arrives at the cathedral here. He is greeted by the

Lord Lieutenant and the minister, the Reverend Dr Laurence Whitley who

will be in charge of today's service. I say The Prince of Wales,

I should more correctly call him the Duke of Rothsy. That's one of the

five titles he has. A title he held since 1952. He is being greeted by

the Clergy. Flanked on both sides by what are called the path liners from

all three services. There is just a moment's pause as the Prince has a

quick chat to one of the sailors. They are all serving on HMS Duncan,

one of the latest type-42 destroyers currently moored not far from here

on the Clyde. The start of the service will be announced by the

fanfare. # I will life up mine eyes

unto the hills # So that the sun shall not

burn thee by day # The Lord shall preserve

thy going out we gather as citizens

of the Commonwealth to join in this service

of commemoration, and we do so in the company of

countless others across the world who are able, in this broadcast,

to share it with us. We meet because

on a summer's day like this one, Our nations and peoples

found themselves in a war the like of which had never

before been experienced, and the memory of which

still haunts us all. Today and in times to come, we will

hear much of inexpressible sadness, but also of selfless courage,

of striving to do the right thing, of defending freedom,

and the rule of law by the then United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Ireland as well as the dominions

and territories In this, the first of many services

of commemoration and remembrance of the Great War to be held today

and over the next four years, to pray for peace and goodwill

amongst the nations, to honour, to remember

and to learn. The first hymn is Great God, Your

Love Has Called Us Here. # Great God, your love

has called us here # Though marred, dishonoured,

disobeyed # We come with all

our heart and mind # Your call to hear your love

to find # Half-free, half-bound

by inner chains # By powers and systems

close confined # Great God, in Christ

you call our name # Not through some merit,

right or claim # We strain to glimpse

your mercy seat # Great God, in Christ

you set us free # Your life to live,

your joy to share # To turn from guilt

and dull despair # While love is making

all things new. # How excellent is thy

loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men

put their trust Almighty God, by your hand

the universe was formed and sun and stars

set in their courses. In love, you claimed us

as your children and placed us in our world

of beauty and light, that we should live

as brothers and sisters. On this day, we declare

our sadness that through the ages we have so often failed

to live in peace, and that fear and violence

ever dog our footsteps. Forgive us our failure

to be all that we should be, and as today we give thanks for

those who have set us an example in their standing fast

and holding nothing back as they strove to uphold freedom

and secure our peace, remind us that still your call

is given to us to show courage when danger threatens, fortitude

in the face of loss and pain, and perseverance

in defence of right values. Then refashion us, we pray,

into loyal servants of your cause, may indeed be established

through all the world, The first reading is by the Lord

Lieutenant of Glasgow, Sadie Docherty.

The lesson is taken from St Matthew chapter 24, commencing at verse 3.

And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives,

the disciples came unto him privately, saying,

"Tell us, when shall these things be?

"and what shall be the sign of thy coming,

And Jesus answered and said unto them,

"For many shall come in my name, saying,

"'I am Christ,' and shall deceive many.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars,

"for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

"For nation shall rise against nation,

"and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,

"All these are the beginning of sorrows."

And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Just as today we all have mixed feelings and opinions

when confronted with the events and legacy of the First World War,

as nations teetered on the edge of conflict.

Emotions ranged from excitement to foreboding,

Many thought the war would be over in weeks or at worst months.

For some, going to war was unnecessary,

since more diplomacy was surely possible.

on the grounds that any warfare was always wrong.

By most, however, it was simply seen

as a just and noble resistance to evil and oppression.

upon the enormity of the conflict's human cost,

but we will remember too, the astonishing courage and loyalty

of so many who stepped forward to do their duty

To pick up the story, a familiar figure from our screens, Sir Trevor

McDonald. It was a patriotic spirit

that was repeated But there was a cost, too,

that had to be borne, by the Canadian poet

Isabel Ecclestone Mackay. Oh, to be in Canada now that spring

is merry, Happy apple blossoms gay against

the smiling green, Here the lilac's purple plume

and here the pink of cherry, Hillsides of bloom with clover

in between! Oh, to be in Canada!

There's a road that rambles Through a leafing maple-wood

and up a windy hill, Velvet pussy-willows press

soft hands amid the brambles Fringing round a sky-filled pool

where cattle drink their fill. Oh, to be in Canada!

There's a farmhouse hidden Where the hollow spring's

first footsteps show. Not a drop of honey there

to any bee forbidden, Not a cherry on a tree

but all the robins know! Oh, to be in Canada,

now that spring is calling Sweet, so sweet it breaks the heart

to let its sweetness through, Oh, to breast the windy hill

while yet the dew is falling, Waking all the meadow-larks

to carol in the blue! Smile upon us, Canada!

None shall fail who love you While they hold a memory

of your fields where flowers are, High the task to keep unstained

the skies that bend above you, Proud the life that shields you

from the flaming wind of war! In Britain, as soon as the ultimatum

was issued, men flocked to enlist

in their thousands. Community after community

responded to the call to serve. Within weeks, regulars and

territorials from almost every part of England, Scotland, Ireland and

Wales were on the Western Front. Of almost a thousand battalions

raised, nearly 600 were so-called

Pals battalions. Those from a local area

who enlisted together, were grouped to serve

in a particular battalion, rather than being spread randomly

throughout the army. but later led to heart-rendingly

disproportionate losses among individual communities

and families. In Edinburgh,

the whole of the first two teams of Heart of Midlothian

Football Club, along with many members

of the boardroom and staff enlisted in the 16th Battalion

of the Royal Scots Lothian Regiment, and Glasgow provided battalions

for the Highland Light Infantry from its tramways

and the Boys Brigade. Wales also raised a dedicated

Welsh division, the 38th. By the war's end,

6,146,000 had seen service, with no less than 615

Victoria Crosses being awarded. where 206,000 Irishmen

joined the allies, going on to suffer the loss

of 30,000 killed. The Victoria Cross

was awarded to 37 recipients. As for those early days,

few knew what to expect, but as hostilities continued,

the reality became all too stark, as Captain Ronald Rose

of the 1st Cameronians The enemy got their guns up

unobserved We manage to get back a bit, capture

several guns, and capture prisoners. On the way, we pass the place

where the deed was done. They are shooting

the wounded horses. The road is covered

with blood trails. Tragically, but in what was to

become an all too familiar pattern, he was to appear in the diary

of one of his own men, when a few weeks later

Arthur Honeyball wrote. and we placed the wounded

behind a hay-stack. Captain Rose said that he would see

where we could retire to next time, and as he looked round,

he was shot in the back. I and another young chap

that was near went over. I asked him where he had got it,

he said in the back. As soon as he said that,

he got another that killed him. and the other chap had got hold

of his shoulders. And then I got mine

through the thigh. because when I came to my senses,

I was in a ditch Five days later, Rose's family

received a telegram. "that Captain Rose was killed

on 22nd October. "Lord Kitchener expresses

his sympathy." And now the anthem, The Suffering

God. , Set To New Music. # If He could speak,

that victim torn and bleeding # Caught in His pain

and nailed upon the Cross # Has He to give the comfort souls

are needing? # Could He destroy

the bitterness of loss? # Give me, for light,

the sunshine of Thy sorrow # Give me, for shelter,

shadow of Thy Cross # Give me to share the glory

of Thy morrow # Gone from my heart

the bitterness of loss. # # If He could speak,

that victim torn and bleeding # Caught in His pain

and nailed upon the Cross # Has He to give the comfort souls

are needing? # Could He destroy

the bitterness of loss? # Give me, for light,

the sunshine of Thy sorrow # Give me, for shelter,

shadow of Thy Cross # Give me to share the glory

of Thy morrow # Gone from my heart

the bitterness of loss. # During the years to come

we shall rightly hear more of the courage and suffering

of our forces in the conflict, but especially as this city

has known the privilege of welcoming our Commonwealth

brothers and sisters it is right that we pause now

to remember their contribution. From all around the globe, they

heard the call and they responded. The undivided India contributed

immensely to the war effort. Over a million Indians

served overseas and 54,000 laid down their lives

in the line of duty. Indian soldiers served

with credit and honour in numerous battlefields

around the globe. 13,000 of them won medals,

including 11 Victoria Crosses. Other important regional

contributions came from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore,

Brunei and the Maldives. 15,000 soldiers from the

West Indies Regiment saw action in France, Palestine, Egypt and Italy,

2,500 were killed or wounded. 81 won medals for bravery,

49 were mentioned in dispatches. 60,000 from the African continent

fought for the Allied forces in the conflict,

with hundreds of thousands carrying out vital roles

of carriers or auxiliaries. Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe,

South Africa, Sierra Leone, Uganda,

Nyasaland, now Malawi, Over 7,000 lost their lives and 166

received decorations for bravery. In the southern hemisphere, over 38%

of Australian men under 44 enlisted. Of those 416,000,

nearly 59,000 were killed, From a population

of just over a million, more than 100,000 New Zealand men

served overseas, amongst whom were around 460 Pacific

Islanders and over 2,200 Maori. 18,500 New Zealanders were to lose

their lives and 41,000 were wounded. Across the Atlantic, some 645,000

Canadians and 6,200 Newfoundlanders were to enlist,

of whom 66,000 lost their lives this from a combined population

of under eight million. The Victoria Cross was awarded

to 70 of their number. Closer to home, there was the Irish

contribution we heard about. Nor should we forget how Cyprus

and Malta were able to provide some of the essential services

needed for the war, the shock of the European war scene

must have been incalculable. Indeed, in those early months,

letters home from wounded soldiers reveal a struggle to find words

to portray what they had seen. wrote a Punjabi Rajput soldier

in January 1915. This is just such a war

as was related in the Mahabharata

about our forefathers. A few months later,

Sowar Sohan Singh of the 9th Hodson's Horse

wrote in similar terms. The state of things here

is indescribable. There is conflagration all round,

and you must imagine it to be like a dry forest

in a high wind in the hot weather, with abundance of dry grass

and straw. No-one can extinguish it

but God himself. Here thousands of lives

have been sacrificed. Scratch the ground

to a depth of one finger and nothing but corpses

will be visible. Now, some of Glasgow's Commonwealth

community join the choir for a game of prayer for peace, words by Henry

Baker, music by George Arthur. # Make wars throughout

the world to cease # Our greed and sinful wrath

restrain # Whom shall we trust

but you, O Lord? # Where rest

but on your faithful word? # Where saints and angels

dwell above # All hearts are knit

in holy love Meanwhile, at home,

we should remember that it wasn't just

the military that saw a dramatic surge of volunteers

and commitment to the war effort. There was a requirement

from the population for service on every front,

whether it be field or factory, mine or shipyard,

hospital or office. As the men marched away to war,

the women left at home quickly found themselves drawn

into a conflict as never before. "Women of England say go," declared

the recruiting posters to the men. But their departure required

recruitment on the Home Front, to replace the thousands already

gone from the family businesses, the railways, the omnibus

and tram services, the post office, the steelworks,

the shipyards. They learned new skills

and took on responsibility. Aristocratic ladies

set aside socialising and emerged

as formidable organisers. Middle-class housewives seized

the chance to channel pent-up energy into thousands of voluntary projects

to support the troops and provide welfare

for their families. There was an army of experienced

charity workers waiting, battalions of women who saw

their duty as service to others, coming into public life to show

what they could do for the nation. And as the war hungrily

consumed shells and bullets, there were hundreds of thousands

of women ready to spend years in the

dangerous business of munitions. thought previously to be utterly

and completely beyond a woman. They were to gain more independence,

more freedom. They were also to lose

so very many they loved. a passage on service

from St Mark's Gospel. The lesson is taken from St Mark

chapter 10, commencing at verse 28. "Lo, we have left all,

and have followed thee." And Jesus answered and said,

"Verily I say unto you, "There is no hath left house,

or brethren, or sisters, or father, "or wife, or children, or lands,

for my sake, and the gospel's, "But he shall receive an hundredfold

now in this time, "and children, and lands,

with persecutions; "and in the world to come

eternal life." But Jesus called them to him,

and saith unto them, "Ye know that they which are

accounted to rule over the Gentiles "and their great ones

exercise authority upon them. "but whosoever will be great among

you shall be your minister, "And whosoever of you will be the

chiefest shall be servant of all." For even the son of man

came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give

his life a ransom for many. The him now, Eternal Ruler Of The

Ceaseless Round. # Eternal ruler

of the ceaseless round # Of circling planets

singing on their way # Guide of the nations

from the night profound # Rule in our hearts

that we may ever be # Guided and strengthened

and upheld by Thee # We would be one in hatred

of all wrong # One in our love of all things

sweet and fair # One with the joy that breaketh

into song # One with the grief that trembleth

into prayer # One in the power

that Thy children free # To follow truth

and thus to follow Thee # O clothe us with

Thy heavenly armor, Lord # Our inspiration be

Thy constant word # We ask no victories

that are not Thine # Give or withhold let pain

or pleasure be # Enough to know

that we are serving Thee. # Prayers now from senior figures in

the Commonwealth. The soldier's prayer of commitment.

Almighty God, whose command is over all, and whose love never fails,

let me be aware of your presence, and obedient to Your will.

Help me to accept my share of responsibility

with a strong heart and cheerful mind.

Make me to be considerate of those with whom I live and work,

and faithful to the duties my country has entrusted to me.

of the tradition of the defence force in which I serve.

When I am inclined to doubt, strengthen my faith.

When I am tempted to sin, help me to resist.

When I fail, give me the courage to try again.

Guide me with the light of your truth

and example of Jesus in whose name I pray.

Hear us, O Lord, as we pray for the Commonwealth of nations

of which we have the privilege to be part.

May the example of those who have gone before us

bring us ever closer together in mutual respect and co-operation.

As past generations heard and responded to the call to service,

let us ever be ready to play our part

in the unceasing quest for justice and freedom for all.

And as today we reflect upon the past, we ask God

to help us be receptive to the lessons it has to teach us,

that we may build a better and safer world.

We pray therefore that God will bless

and guide all those in authority everywhere.

And we ask that His Spirit will inspire each of us

with a vision of that time which He has promised,

and we shall all stand together in peace and everlasting joy.

And anthem now by Peter Aston, the words from Pericles rural macro

general or Asian, So They Gave Their Bodies To The Commonwealth.

# So they gave their bodies to the Commonwealth

# And received praise that will never die

# Their story lives on without visible symbol

# Woven into the stuff of other men's lives

# So they gave their bodies to the Commonwealth

# Woven into the stuff of other men's lives

# So they gave their bodies to the Commonwealth

# And received praise that will never die

# That will never, never, never die.

# And received praise that will never die

The poet Edward Thomas joined the Artists Rifles in July 1915.

aware of an officer's life expectancy at the front,

wrote about their last night together.

Soon, too soon, the brief leave ended.

sometimes talking of our love and all that had been,

and what had been amiss and what right.

So, talking and crying and loving, we fell asleep

as the cold, reflected light of the snow

crept through the frost-covered windows.

In the morning, hand in hand we went downstairs

and out to the children, who were playing in the snow.

A thick mist hung everywhere, and there was no sound

except, far away in the valley, a train shunting.

I stood at the gate watching him go,

he turned back to wave until the mist and the hill hid him.

I heard his old call coming up to me.

Again through the muffled air came his "Coo-ee!"

And again went my answer like an echo.

It came fainter next time, but my "Coo-ee!"

went out of my lungs strong to pierce to him

So faint now that it might be only my own call

flung back from the thick air and muffling snow.

I put my hands up to my mouth to make a trumpet,

Panic seized me, and I ran through the mist

There was nothing but the mist and the snow

Then, with leaden feet which stumbled in a sudden darkness

that overwhelmed me, I groped my way back to the empty house.

Five weeks later, the poet's observation post took a direct hit.

Our service today carries no single, simple message,

no defining summary of what today means,

of extraordinary courage and commitment

that touched countless families, like the one of Edward Thomas.

But we have a responsibility to do more

than just shake our heads in bewilderment and leave it at that.

We have to remember, reflect and indeed learn.

Then pass on to those coming after us what we have learned.

At the end of our service, we shall see something of that,

when the light of hope will be passed on to the next generation.

But first we let that new generation have today's final word,

after which we will take a few moments of quiet to reflect.

The experience began when we marched onto the bus.

From then on, we were following the footsteps

No technology, no contact with families or the outside world.

No man was the same but they all died

A phrase seen heard and read too many times.

who lie in the vast cemeteries of the First World War.

but 81% of the thousands of soldiers who lie there are "Known unto God."

81% will never be visited by their loved ones

where they lie or what happened to them.

We were each placed before a headstone,

We were told to imagine what this soldier had been like

and give him a name, an appearance and a personality.

Once we had done that, we were told to take a few minutes to remember.

And there is one thing that is associated with remembrance,

As I laid my poppy on the headstone of my soldier

and gazed out over the never-ending ripples of white stones,

From then on, my outlook on life has never been the same.

My soldier lay in Poelkapelle Cemetery.

He still does and will always lie in Poelkapelle.

But if I remember, and my poppy stays with him and is loyal,

then I have done well and done my duties

to those who loved him but have never been able to visit.

I did it for them and didn't only pay my respects - but theirs too.

You never forget something that has meant so much to you

and after experiencing something as powerful,

It will always be with me, and nothing will be forgotten.

reflect the fields both of home here and Commonwealth,

left behind as the volunteers left for the fields of war.

The poppies represent the fields they found at the front.

After our hymn and the blessing, we leave in silence,

and placing wherever, on reflection, we feel appropriate.

And now the final hymn, Son Of God, Eternal Xavier. --

# Source of life and truth and grace

# Great High Priest who throned in glory

# Heal our wrongs and help our need

# Freely have your gifts been granted

# Yours the gold and yours the silver

# Hush the storms of strife and passion

# Yours the prayer and yours the purpose

# Grant from heaven our hope's fruition

And now, God grant to the living grace,

the Commonwealth, and the whole human family,

and may the blessing of God Almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit

be upon you and remain with you always.

The service now ends with what's called the service and hope. All the

senior officers from India, the West Indies, Africa, Australia, New

Zealand, Canada, Europe and Ireland, all handing the candles on to

children from the local boys brigade, the girls brigade, and the

Sunday School, all attached to the cathedral here in Glasgow. So that

the act of remembrance that we have seen today can be taken on by the

next generation. There was, you may have noticed, no

sermon today in the service. A deliberate decision because as the

minister, Laurence Whitley said, there was no defining summary of

what today means. He said, for there is none. Instead, this was a service

to bow in acknowledgement of the extraordinary courage and commitment

made by so many across the Commonwealth. Many of whom

represented here today. As the Lord Lieutenant, Sadie

Docherty, guides The Prince of Wales or the Duke of Rothesay out, the

attention will now move to St George's Square nearby with The

Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister will take part in another

ceremony watching a march-past and laying a wreath at the Cenotaph. You

will notice too that everybody is clutching a single poppy. As the

minister said, another choice for everyone here to take that poppy to

a place where they choose in their own act of remembrance. Perhaps for

a member of their own family. The Prince of Wales acknowledging

there, his presence here today, for posterity.

Representing here today the Royal Family, as he does, increasingly now

at so many Commonwealth events. As time passes he picks up the

increased duties. As I say, he now leaves to lay a

wreath at the Cenotaph nearby. Where he will be joined by the Prime

Minister and other senior military figures to watch members of all

three Services march by in just one of countless acts of remembrance and

commemoration taking place across the United Kingdom today. And

indeed, across the world. Members of the Cabinet now leaving.

The Prime Minister is off to the Cenotaph and then heading to other

acts of remembrance both here and in Belgium.

Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, among close leaving the

cathedral there. A very moving service. A service that talked about

reconciliation and a service that talked about sacrifice and memorable

contributions from the young people there. Of course, one of the most

powerful themes at end of the service was the sense of handing

over the duty of remembrance to a younger generation. Back here at

Westminster Abbey, where tonight's service is taking place, that will

be the candle-lit service starting late tonight leading up to 11pm,

Margaret and David and Juliet is still with me. Just some thoughts on

what we have seen heard there because that sense of the handover,

that sense of asking a younger generation to take responsibility

for remembrance was very powerful, wasn't it? It was very touching when

they had the senior military men with the small children walking out

together. And I liked that sense of bringing many people together which

was really the focus of what was going on. They said we must respect

what those people and we're not going into whether or not the war

was a just war or not. It was right that they looked at what it meant

for those young people and their dedication and sacrifice. The whole

tone was lovely. And making it quite clear at the start, David, there was

no one message. They weren't actually there to give us a line, if

you like, that we should all take away. We should take away what we

all wanted from that service and they were allowing people to make

their own contribution? And quite rightly. This is one of those

moments where historians need to back away and stop doing what we do

with analysis and trying to apportion blame and responsibility

and just allow the country to emoat. The First World War is an odd event,

it is a global event, but it touched every family in Britain. Millions of

families around the world and now is a moment to put the history aside

for one moment and just think about what it means. Juliet, hang on a

second, I will be with you. As we saw in the service, someone who

played a prominent part was Sir Trevor McDonald, the broadcaster

there was who, and he is with Anita. Let's join them now.

I am joined by Sir Trevor McDonald. An incredibly poignant and moving

ceremony this morning, Sir Trevor? It was exceptionally well done and

well organised and it felt the right way to go about it. Absolutely. You

can see the VIPs and dignitaries from all over the Commonwealth

representatives from all over still filtering out of the church and why

is it important to recognise that it was a World War and it was fought

globally and by men from all over the world? Well, those figures were

simply staggering. I knew that people had come from all over the

world to take part in the First World War, but I didn't realise

there was so many people from so many places. More than one million

from India. I'd forgotten that. It was Abraham Lincoln who said after

the war, that we can't do very much to honour these people anymore than

they have honoured themselves by what they did, but we can remember

and I think today, we did it in a very fitting way. I think so and it

is about people remembering in their own way. People are filtering on to

the noisy coach behind us and all over the Commonwealth and you

mentioned the million soldiers from the sub couldn't -- subcontinent and

even the West Indies? We used to joke about little islands saying,

"Go ahead, Britain, all these islands are behind you." People from

the West Indies came and in the Second World War, the men who were

asked to come and they were looked after, but many west Indian women

came to Britain on their own to contribute to the war effort. It is

exceptional and this service really reflected that very well. Sir

Trevor, that thank you. Thank you so much. Sir Trevor McDonald. Julia,

your reflection on the service. One young woman who did bring home the

full ex-continue of loss and grief -- extent of loss and grief? The

service was beautiful with the way it balanced the enormous gash that

just ripped apart the whole world. As David said at the very beginning,

this was a World War and it was so obvious in that service and yet

contrasted with the specific read which was so beautifully done of one

woman saying goodbye to her husband. Those themes, I have to say, were

reflected by Prince William who is in Belgium today because he will be

taking part in a service later on at the military cemetery. Prince

William spoke about his thoughts on reflections on the First World War.

In the summer of 1914, the Austrian writer was on holiday in Belgium. He

describes how people from all over Europe were enjoying themselves

together there. And comments that a great deal of German was spoken

because holiday-makers liked to come to the Belgium beaches. Just days

later, this care free harmony was shattered by the outbreak of the

First World War. During four terrible years, the same Europeans

were engulfed by killing and destruction. Among the very first

victims were the people of Belgium whose resistance was as gallant as

their suffering was great. The Duke of Cambridge speak ago short while

ago. He will be staying in Belgium. A unique resting place, British,

Commonwealth, and German soldiers at rest there. Sophie Raworth will be

there tonight and she has been looking at the history of the

cemetery. Almost a century after the Battle of

Mons the cemetery in Belgium is a unique reminder of the first

conflict involving British soldiers in World War I. Built in 1917 while

war was still raging in Europe, it is the result of the Germans, the

Belgians and the British working together in a spirit of common hue

handity. -- humanity. This stands at the heart of the cemetery and reads

in memory of the soldiers who died and from the beginning there was an

understanding that the graves of both nations would be treated with

equal respect. In 1916, the German Army approached a local landowner,

German and British casualties had been buried in make-shift graveyards

and the Germans wanted to give them their own official military

cemetery. The farmer agreed to offer the land for free. The Germans were

careful to combine British and German influences. The trees echo

their own tradition of woodland cemeteries. The flowers follow the

English custom of gardens of remembrance. 2 84 German and 229

British and Commonwealth soldiers are commemorated here including

Captain Kennet James Roy of the Middlesex Regiment. Captain Roy was

37 when he died a few miles away from here in hand to hand combat.

Like so many who died in the Great War, we know very little about the

kind of man he was. And now, Captain Kenneth Roy killed a the start of

the Great War lies in this cemetery side by side with the German who

died in October 1918 just two weeks before it ended. This place of

memory and remembrance made possible by Belgium generosity and he created

by the Germanses and cared for by the War Graves Commission shows in

life these men were enniece, but in death -- enemies, but in death they

are united. Well, there is a sense of the special commemoration coming

later today and we start our coverage at 6.30pm on BBC Two.

Later, we will be here at Westminster Abbey for the special

candle-lit service. Thank you for watching this morning. Apologies for

one or two glitches on the sound and vision from Glasgow. Thanks to

Margaret and David and Juliet. Thank you for your company. Hopefully see

you later on at 6.30pm on BBC Two. Bye for now.

Espionage. Who would possibly assassinate him?