:00:40. > :00:41.A very good evening from Thiepval in Northern France and welcome
:00:42. > :00:45.to a programme of commemoration and remembrance of the First World
:00:46. > :00:50.War on this the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
:00:51. > :00:54.Earlier today and yesterday events have taken place to remember
:00:55. > :00:56.the one million men killed, wounded or captured
:00:57. > :01:05.in one of the bloodiest battles in our history.
:01:06. > :01:07.It's been a day of remembrance as people reflect
:01:08. > :01:10.on what happened here in these battlefields one hundred years ago.
:01:11. > :01:12.I'm joined by three guests with a rich blend of knowledge
:01:13. > :01:15.of the Great War and who have watched the commemorations
:01:16. > :01:26.With me is former Cabinet Minister Baroness Shirley Williams,
:01:27. > :01:28.whose mother, Vera Brittain, catalogued her own first hand
:01:29. > :01:30.experiences of the Great War in Testament of Youth, and whose
:01:31. > :01:32.uncle, Edward Brittain, was awarded the Military Cross
:01:33. > :01:40.on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
:01:41. > :01:42.We have author and historian Richard Van Emden and the historian
:01:43. > :01:53.A day of powerful emotion but uplifting, as people want to draw
:01:54. > :01:58.positively, lessons from what happened a century ago. Yes, firstly
:01:59. > :02:02.the amazing story of valour and courage that people showed in the
:02:03. > :02:05.battle, on both sides. But also, I think it is important to recognise
:02:06. > :02:09.that the Somme is the beginning of the process under which those of us
:02:10. > :02:14.who had been involved or have got parents and others who were involved
:02:15. > :02:17.in major wars, are beginning to talk more and more seriously about how
:02:18. > :02:21.that becomes history, rather than current affairs. I think that's
:02:22. > :02:25.going to be one of the most significant lessons of the First
:02:26. > :02:30.World War and those who fought in it and lost others in it, can take, I
:02:31. > :02:33.think, some credit in the fact that we have stumbled on towards,
:02:34. > :02:38.hopefully, a better future. A better future because what we have done,
:02:39. > :02:43.Richard is underline what happened 100 years ago. Not just in terms of
:02:44. > :02:47.losses and suffering, but in terms of impact further afield. And that's
:02:48. > :02:53.been a powerful reminder to people as well. Well, I think the Battle of
:02:54. > :02:59.the Somme was a terrible Battle of Attrition. It was truly awful but it
:03:00. > :03:03.opened the door militarily to Germany's defeat two years later.
:03:04. > :03:07.The very fact that the Germans withdrew from the Somme back to the
:03:08. > :03:11.Hindenburg Line, this newly-prepared position to shorten their lines,
:03:12. > :03:17.showed they could no longer with stand the losses they sustained
:03:18. > :03:19.here. So it was an awful battle. We know that 420,000 Britishmen,
:03:20. > :03:23.200,000 Frenchmen fell or were wounded here but it wasn't all in
:03:24. > :03:27.vain. For me, that's what I have taken from today, it wasn't just a
:03:28. > :03:33.battle in which people died needlessly. It was for an end, and
:03:34. > :03:36.in the end two years later it game it fruition with the defeat of
:03:37. > :03:41.Germany. David, this in many ways, because we saw Francois Hollande and
:03:42. > :03:45.David Cameron and the Prince of Wales, it was billed as a Franco
:03:46. > :03:47.British event. However there were representatives of all kinds of
:03:48. > :03:51.other nations here, underlining the fact that different parts of the
:03:52. > :03:56.world, the Commonwealth, the empire as it was, played an important part.
:03:57. > :03:59.A Franco-British affair but they were both empire, so we have
:04:00. > :04:07.representatives from all of the form Ercol anies of those two empires. --
:04:08. > :04:11.former colonies. And the clue is in the name, a world war and this
:04:12. > :04:14.battle was fought by men from every continent. There were five French
:04:15. > :04:20.divisions including French North Africans and West Africans, Indian
:04:21. > :04:22.soldiers behind the line in the cavalry, Canadians, South Africans,
:04:23. > :04:26.Newfoundlanders. This was a global battle in a global war. We talk
:04:27. > :04:32.about the impact at home on families, Shirley, I'm thinking
:04:33. > :04:35.particularly of you, you have a very rich documentation, given the
:04:36. > :04:39.testament of youth. Tell us more about the impact on families and
:04:40. > :04:45.communities. I think if I look at my own family in an extended way, there
:04:46. > :04:49.was a kind of protective reaction on the part, particularly of my
:04:50. > :04:56.grandmother, the older women in the family, who in a way simply couldn't
:04:57. > :04:58.quite come to terms of the awful things acouldn't understand what
:04:59. > :05:04.happened and piece together a picture of their children, both my
:05:05. > :05:10.father and her mother were involved very much in the war which was based
:05:11. > :05:13.on postcards, rumours, talks among neighbours but no close relationship
:05:14. > :05:18.which is why I think my mother felt she had to become not only a nurse
:05:19. > :05:21.but actually volunteer for foreign service, volunteer for the toughest
:05:22. > :05:26.foreign service. The only way she could feel close to her brother and
:05:27. > :05:33.their mutual friends, was by her - she once said in one of her books -
:05:34. > :05:38.her mending the wounds that were inflicted or meant to be inflicted
:05:39. > :05:42.by her brother and his friends and that seemed to her an extraordinary
:05:43. > :05:46.irony. And Richard, with your conversations with hundreds of
:05:47. > :05:51.veterans will prove this, is that the process of mending for lots of
:05:52. > :05:56.people, simply didn't happen. Well, a lot of the veterans just buried
:05:57. > :06:01.what they suffered here. You know, really deep in their souls. I have
:06:02. > :06:05.met veterans who took 50, 60 years to mention what happened in these
:06:06. > :06:09.fields here. Would not even tell their wives or children. And
:06:10. > :06:13.frankly, a lot of them were never really mended. A will the suffered
:06:14. > :06:20.for the rest of their livens ended up in institutions. -- a lot. The
:06:21. > :06:25.last man who fought in the Great War, who died in an inTuesday, died
:06:26. > :06:29.in 2002. He had been in there for 83 years. So they really did suffer
:06:30. > :06:35.here in a way we really cannot fathom. A final word, David. People
:06:36. > :06:39.who question the value of the importance of these events a century
:06:40. > :06:44.later, the fact that there is a commemoration, an evernight vigil in
:06:45. > :06:50.so many areas, what would be the answer to that? What happened here
:06:51. > :06:53.was unique. Before the First World War, when there were mass dead,
:06:54. > :06:57.there were mass graves. This was the first war in which every soldier was
:06:58. > :07:03.guaranteed an individual grave. That, I think is a reflection of the
:07:04. > :07:07.magnitude of what happened, the scale of the killing, rapidity of
:07:08. > :07:11.the I will k the sacrifice of a generation. -- of the killing. We
:07:12. > :07:13.remember this war differently because it was different. Thank you
:07:14. > :07:15.for joining us today. There are no soldiers
:07:16. > :07:17.of the Great War left alive today to describe their experience
:07:18. > :07:19.of the Somme. But their voices and
:07:20. > :07:21.words remain with us - recorded and published
:07:22. > :07:23.during the course of With every passing
:07:24. > :07:25.year, their powerful Here are some of the veterans
:07:26. > :07:29.recalling their memories as they watched and waited
:07:30. > :07:31.in the fields of The previous night at about
:07:32. > :07:42.12pm, each dugout had And I thought to myself,
:07:43. > :08:09.this looks to me like a sacrifice. I'm sure it was that night,
:08:10. > :08:12.there was a terrific big red moon. And it was, it struck me
:08:13. > :08:16.as, I can't explain. They were putting new men
:08:17. > :08:29.in all the time and training them I think that everybody was a bit
:08:30. > :08:35.dubious about it, you know. Before the attack, you couldn't
:08:36. > :08:40.move in those trenches, They were grumbling and grouching
:08:41. > :08:49.and some trying to be And then it goes quiet
:08:50. > :09:15.and it's time to go. Powerful voices of the veterans of
:09:16. > :09:19.the Somme taken from the archives at the Imperial War Museum.
:09:20. > :09:20.In preparation for today's centenary anniversary,
:09:21. > :09:22.vigils were held last night across the United Kingdom
:09:23. > :09:27.Her Majesty the Queen led the National Vigil
:09:28. > :09:35.Kirsty Young set the scene in London for us.
:09:36. > :09:53.Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh -
:09:54. > :10:50.The Battle of the Somme was an offensive by the British
:10:51. > :10:51.and French against the forces of Germany.
:10:52. > :10:53.The battle lasted almost five months.
:10:54. > :10:55.No more than six miles of German-held territory
:10:56. > :11:04.On all sides there were a million casualties, killed or wounded.
:11:05. > :11:09.This evening, we seek to recall the experience of those
:11:10. > :11:30.We shall remember that sacrifice and we shall pray that we may continue
:11:31. > :11:37.to learn the lessons of history, to build a world at peace.
:11:38. > :11:59.Luke Thompson will read an account by itnd lieutenant Buxton.
:12:00. > :12:15.following the rise and fall of the downs.
:12:16. > :12:21.It was indeed an immense and terrible sight, and it seemed
:12:22. > :12:34.especially so when I turned around to see the beautiful
:12:35. > :12:37.This was a view far more wonderful and dear in its beauty and peace,
:12:38. > :12:40.and it seemed that, with all that wilful crashing and panting of guns,
:12:41. > :12:43.it would remain for long a veiled vision to us,
:12:44. > :12:46.in its full meaning and message of smiling peace, because it was all
:12:47. > :12:48.so insecure while the passions and ambitions of men continued
:12:49. > :12:58.The words of Jocelyn Buxton, killed in action leading his guns forward
:12:59. > :13:10.The Bishop of London now gives the address.
:13:11. > :13:13.The crosses in every village and town, and the cemeteries in France
:13:14. > :13:42.bear witness to the heartbreak and disruption caused by the Great War.
:13:43. > :13:49.Men of the Kitchener Army, organised battalions for whom the Somme would
:13:50. > :13:55.be their first battle. The ceremonies tomorrow that will be
:13:56. > :13:59.held are a map of what happened. The citizen volunteers going into action
:14:00. > :14:06.for the first time rose from their trenches at Zero Hour and we shall
:14:07. > :14:15.recall this moment, here, at 7.30, when the whistles blew. The men
:14:16. > :14:23.advanced in steady formation, to the astonishment of the Germans, and
:14:24. > :14:29.were ever-I where checked by uncut barbed wire and were shot down. It
:14:30. > :14:33.will be for others to short the subsequent cause of the battle which
:14:34. > :14:39.lasted until November. As we keep our vigil, by the graveside of the
:14:40. > :14:47.unknown warrior, who represents all those who perished in the Great War,
:14:48. > :14:52.it is for us to remember the fearful beginning of the Battle of the Somme
:14:53. > :14:55.and to salute the courage and the sacrifice of those who went over the
:14:56. > :15:04.top. # Then Jesus went with them
:15:05. > :15:44.to a place called Gethsemane, # And he said to his disciples,
:15:45. > :15:53."Sit here, while I go yonder Our brains ache, in
:15:54. > :16:09.the merciless iced east winds Wearied we keep awake
:16:10. > :16:47.because the night is silent... Low drooping flares confuse our
:16:48. > :17:13.memory of the salient O Lord of the nations,
:17:14. > :17:38.giver of joy in every generation and faithful
:17:39. > :17:40.companion to all who call upon thee: accept,
:17:41. > :17:42.we beseech thee, our prayers through the
:17:43. > :17:43.hours of darkness; hallow our remembrance
:17:44. > :17:46.of those who, a century ago, gathered
:17:47. > :17:50.on the Somme; bless all who keep vigil this
:17:51. > :17:52.night, across this nation and in other
:17:53. > :17:55.lands; and grant thy people comfort in time
:17:56. > :17:58.of trial; for the sake of O God, who art the author of peace
:17:59. > :18:14.and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life,
:18:15. > :18:19.whose service is perfect freedom: defend us thy humble servants
:18:20. > :18:23.in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy
:18:24. > :18:27.defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries,
:18:28. > :18:29.through the might of The First Watch now taking their
:18:30. > :19:16.position in silent testimony to the And so, a simple, meaningful,
:19:17. > :19:51.moving service. As the Queen and the Duke
:19:52. > :20:06.of Edinburgh depart, As the Queen and the Duke
:20:07. > :20:20.of Edinburgh depart... The First Watch continues the vigil
:20:21. > :20:27.at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Four soldiers from across
:20:28. > :20:29.the nation, facing outwards, and four civilians
:20:30. > :20:32.facing inwards with heads bowed - of that truly terrible
:20:33. > :20:45.day 100 years ago. And it wasn't just
:20:46. > :20:48.in Westminster Abbey, services and vigils were held
:20:49. > :20:53.in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland THE LADS in their hundreds to Ludlow
:20:54. > :21:22.come in for the fair, # There's men from the barn and
:21:23. > :21:25.the forge and the mill and the fold # The lads for the girls and
:21:26. > :21:30.the lads for the liquor are there # And there with the rest
:21:31. > :21:38.are the lads that will never be old # There's chaps from
:21:39. > :21:40.the town and the field # And many to count
:21:41. > :21:47.are the stalwart, and many the brave # And many the handsome of face
:21:48. > :21:50.and the handsome of heart # And few that will carry their
:21:51. > :22:10.looks or their truth to the grave # But now you may stare as you like
:22:11. > :22:13.and there's nothing to scan # And brushing your elbow
:22:14. > :22:16.unguessed-at and not to be told # They carry back bright to
:22:17. > :22:20.the coiner the mintage of man # The lads that will
:22:21. > :22:25.die in their glory 100 years ago tomorrow, at first
:22:26. > :22:45.light, the British Army launched It was intended to put
:22:46. > :23:02.unbearable pressure Most of those
:23:03. > :23:08.who went over the top that day were wartime volunteers. Some, as young
:23:09. > :23:10.as 16. but for others, the Somme was their
:23:11. > :23:21.first experience of battle. By the end of the 1st of July,
:23:22. > :23:25.the British Army had sustained almost 60,000 casualties,
:23:26. > :23:30.of whom nearly one third had died. In the years to come,
:23:31. > :23:39.it sometimes seems that with them, a sense of vital optimism
:23:40. > :23:43.had disappeared forever It was in many ways the saddest day
:23:44. > :23:58.in the long story of our nation. Tonight, we think of them
:23:59. > :24:00.as they nerved themselves We acknowledge the failures
:24:01. > :24:10.of European governments, including our own, to prevent
:24:11. > :24:12.the catastrophe of world war. We offer our humblest respects
:24:13. > :24:14.to each man who fought in the Battle of the Somme,
:24:15. > :24:17.from every corner of the British Isles,
:24:18. > :24:20.and from across the Commonwealth. We honour those whose names
:24:21. > :24:28.are recorded on this memorial - more than 72,000 who have no known
:24:29. > :24:32.grave, and to those who lie buried And tonight, we stand
:24:33. > :24:41.here with a promise to those men. The gift you gave your country
:24:42. > :24:47.is treasured by everyone The sacrifice you made will never,
:24:48. > :25:03.ever be forgotten. Second Lieutenant Eric Rupert
:25:04. > :25:06.Heaton, 16th Battalion, My darling Mother and Father,
:25:07. > :25:15.Tomorrow we go to the attack in the greatest battle
:25:16. > :25:19.the British Army has ever fought. I cannot quite express my feelings
:25:20. > :25:23.on this night, and I cannot tell you if it's God's will that
:25:24. > :25:26.I shall come through, but if I fall in battle,
:25:27. > :25:30.then I have no regrets, save for my Private Albert Atkins,
:25:31. > :25:47.7th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. Imagine yourself, standing
:25:48. > :25:49.in a trench with water well over your knees,
:25:50. > :25:51.crouching against the side of the muddy trench,
:25:52. > :25:54.while thousands of unseen shells There is a very slight
:25:55. > :25:58.pause - then... it bursts with a tearing,
:25:59. > :26:03.rumbling blinding crash, sending tonnes of earth into the air
:26:04. > :26:06.to fall back on the inmates of the trench, and hurling thousands
:26:07. > :26:08.of red-hot splinters in all directions, killing or
:26:09. > :26:11.maiming all they happen to strike. And all around are men moaning
:26:12. > :26:13.in agony or lying We were told by our officer
:26:14. > :26:49.that we were to take part in the attack, and
:26:50. > :26:51.the men were excited. Everybody thought it
:26:52. > :26:53.would be a walkover. The bombardment was so heavy, and
:26:54. > :26:56.the men were in excellent spirits. They were all volunteers,
:26:57. > :26:58.and they were looking to beating the Germans,
:26:59. > :27:00.and finishing the war quickly. No one believed there
:27:01. > :27:02.could be a defeat. Everyone was eager,
:27:03. > :27:08.and anxious to go forward. Captain Charles May,
:27:09. > :27:10.22nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment. I must not allow myself to dwell
:27:11. > :27:13.on the personal - there is no room If it be that I am
:27:14. > :27:20.to go, I am ready. But the thought that I may never see
:27:21. > :27:23.you or our darling baby again My one consolation is the happiness
:27:24. > :27:27.that has been ours. Second Lieutenant Jack Engall,
:27:28. > :27:29.1/16th Battalion Queen's I'm very proud of my section,
:27:30. > :27:35.because it is the only section in the whole of the machine gun
:27:36. > :27:40.company that is going over the top. So you can see that
:27:41. > :27:43.I have cause to be proud. I have a strong feeling that I shall
:27:44. > :27:46.come through this safely. But nevertheless, should it be God's
:27:47. > :27:49.holy will to call me away, Lieutenant Thomas Barrett,
:27:50. > :27:56.Seventh Battalion, Now don't worry because I shall
:27:57. > :28:00.write as soon as I can. I have arranged for all my money
:28:01. > :28:03.and things should anything happen I think this is all,
:28:04. > :28:14.so will conclude with heaps of love. Remember always, I am only
:28:15. > :28:17.doing my duty and this should make Eric Rupert Heaton, Charles May
:28:18. > :28:36.and Jack Engall did not survive the first day
:28:37. > :28:40.of the battle. Thomas Barrett was killed on the 4th
:28:41. > :28:45.of July. Only Pat Kennedy and Albert Atkins
:28:46. > :28:58.survived the war. So, as we prepare for our
:28:59. > :29:01.moment of reflection, we will have the first of tonight's
:29:02. > :29:11.28 Vigils, being mounted by five military personnel -
:29:12. > :29:13.three from the UK Four of them will be
:29:14. > :29:19.standing Vigil at the Stone The event is
:29:20. > :29:32.being followed carefully by Prince Harry and by the Duke and Duchess of
:29:33. > :29:37.Cambridge. Grantham of the Royal Horse
:29:38. > :29:45.Artillery, whose great uncle George Henry Grantham served with the
:29:46. > :29:47.Northumberland Fusiliers, and died at the age of 18 on the first day of
:29:48. > :29:50.the battle. All servicemen representing
:29:51. > :30:12.regiments We also have representatives
:30:13. > :30:24.of the French Armed Forces. By all the glories of the day
:30:25. > :30:27.And the cool evening's benison By that last sunset touch that lay
:30:28. > :30:30.Upon the hills when day was done By beauty lavishly outpoured
:30:31. > :30:32.And blessings carelessly received By all the days that I have
:30:33. > :30:35.lived Make me a solider, By all of all man's hopes
:30:36. > :30:42.and fears And all the wonders poets
:30:43. > :30:45.sing By the romantic ages
:30:46. > :30:53.stored With high endeavour
:30:54. > :30:56.that was his By all his mad
:30:57. > :30:59.catastrophes Make me a man,
:31:00. > :31:04.O Lord I, that on my familiar hill
:31:05. > :31:09.Saw with uncomprehending eyes A hundred of thy sunsets
:31:10. > :31:14.spill Their fresh and sanguine sacrifice Ere the sun
:31:15. > :31:17.swings his noonday sword During the war, the soldiers'
:31:18. > :32:04.prayer, written by the chaplain 100 years ago, the words of this
:32:05. > :32:09.prayer would no doubt have been a comfort to some of the men sat
:32:10. > :32:11.in the trenches, contemplating They would have been
:32:12. > :32:14.seeking inner strength. In the words of the prayer,
:32:15. > :32:17.to think wisely, to speak rightly, to resolve bravely, to act kindly,
:32:18. > :32:20.to live purely, to be blessed in body and in soul,
:32:21. > :32:26.and to be a blessing As we keep our own Vigil this night,
:32:27. > :32:33.as we remember with sorrow such great national and personal loss,
:32:34. > :32:38.we offer our thanks for their courage, and we pledge
:32:39. > :32:42.ourselves anew to live lives worthy Faithful God, you hear those
:32:43. > :33:50.who call on you in trust Hear us, as we remember those
:33:51. > :33:55.who fell in the roar of battle, and died in the mire and clay
:33:56. > :33:57.of the trenches. Hear us as we remember those
:33:58. > :34:00.who survived the battle but returned May the nations united today
:34:01. > :34:04.in sorrow, find a single voice to sing a new song of peace,
:34:05. > :34:08.hope and freedom, for the sake of Your world
:34:09. > :34:44.and the advancement of Your kingdom. Their Royal Highnesses are leaving
:34:45. > :34:58.the site. Meanwhile the vigil will continue throughout the night. Zero
:34:59. > :34:59.Hour was marked at 7.30am, and the vigil here at Thiepval was brought
:35:00. > :35:17.to an end. Commemorations continued at
:35:18. > :35:19.Westminster aland outside. There was a reminder of the week-long
:35:20. > :35:31.bombardmentment. Before the Battle of the Somme started.
:35:32. > :35:40.Number 1, fire. Number 2, fire. Number 3, fire.
:35:41. > :35:46.Those guns also marked the start, today of a national two minutes'
:35:47. > :36:20.silence. We had been informed a huge mine
:36:21. > :36:25.will be blown up at 7.30am and the great explosion would be to signal
:36:26. > :36:30.over the top. We took up our position in a communication trench
:36:31. > :36:34.leading to the front line. There we stood, rather silently, wondering if
:36:35. > :36:40.we had much longer to liven suddenly brushing the ugly thought of death
:36:41. > :36:47.away. Just as the waiting was becoming unbearable and the terrible
:36:48. > :36:52.strain causing some men to utter, almost unnatural choice, we felt a
:36:53. > :36:58.clear, dull,000 and our trench fairly rocked and a great blue flame
:36:59. > :37:04.shot into the sky, carrying with it hundreds of tonnes of earth. A great
:37:05. > :38:15.mine had gone up. It was 7.30, Zero Hour.
:38:16. > :38:37.there were whistles blown across the UK, to signal the exact moment, 100
:38:38. > :38:47.years ago, the then were set over the top. -- the then were sent over
:38:48. > :39:31.the top. Events culminated today in France
:39:32. > :40:00.with a Commemorative Service here in Thiepval -
:40:01. > :40:03.the site of the huge British memorial built to remember
:40:04. > :40:06.the 72,000 missing servicemen Held in the presence
:40:07. > :40:10.of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
:40:11. > :40:13.and Prince Harry - all thoughts turned to the fateful events
:40:14. > :40:33.of 100 years ago today Guard of Honour, turn. The heads of
:40:34. > :40:38.state and Government, members of the Royal Family making their way
:40:39. > :40:41.towards the though the value memorial for this commemorative
:40:42. > :40:54.event, on the centenary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
:40:55. > :41:03.-- the Thiepval Memorial. They make their way through the
:41:04. > :41:07.memorial and will position themselves at the other side of the
:41:08. > :41:09.cemetery where the guns will be taken and fired to start the event
:41:10. > :41:33.itself. For four and a half months in 1916,
:41:34. > :41:36.the fields around us saw one of the defining events
:41:37. > :41:38.of the 20th century. The Battle of the Somme was one
:41:39. > :41:41.of the most significant battles of the First World War,
:41:42. > :41:43.yet it did not bring about an end to the war,
:41:44. > :41:48.as the Allies had hoped. On 24 June 1916, in an attempt
:41:49. > :41:52.to destroy German defences here on the Somme, British
:41:53. > :41:55.and French guns began the largest artillery
:41:56. > :42:20.bombardment in history. # They were summoned
:42:21. > :42:21.from the hillside. # And the country found them ready
:42:22. > :42:33.At the stirring call for men. # Let no tears add
:42:34. > :42:37.to their hardships. # And although your
:42:38. > :42:47.heart is breaking. At dusk on 1 July, as roll calls
:42:48. > :44:04.were taken, the gravity of the losses became clearer,
:44:05. > :44:06.but only later did the full scale of the British Army's casualties
:44:07. > :44:10.emerge: nearly 60,000 casualties; of these, nearly one third were dead
:44:11. > :44:13.or would die from their wounds. It was the greatest loss
:44:14. > :44:15.of life in a single day Yet there was no question
:44:16. > :44:20.of calling off the battle. The scale of the casualties required
:44:21. > :44:34.unprecedented medical care. One volunteer nurse present
:44:35. > :44:36.from the start of the battle was a schoolteacher called Olive
:44:37. > :44:44.Dent. On and on we worked, forgetful
:44:45. > :44:49.of time and remembering our own meal Whatever our hand found to do
:44:50. > :44:59.on that memorable day and the four following days, we did
:45:00. > :45:03.with all our might. Laughter, tears, immense
:45:04. > :45:12.satisfaction and pleasure, immeasurable pain and disappointment
:45:13. > :45:21.were commingled that day. I am too tired to sleep,
:45:22. > :45:25.too tired to do anything but lie and look up at the wooden roof
:45:26. > :45:29.of the hut, too tired to do anything and mind the passionate appeal
:45:30. > :45:46.of two dying eyes and the low faint whisper of, "Sister,
:45:47. > :46:02.am I going to die?" When British 'Tommies' went
:46:03. > :46:04.over the top on 1 July, they were joined by 'Poilus'
:46:05. > :46:07.from across France and its Empire. Already fighting a fierce battle
:46:08. > :46:10.at Verdun, the French Army advanced at great cost to recapture many
:46:11. > :46:12.villages on the Somme. # Pour le repos le
:46:13. > :46:14.plaisir du militaire # Il est la-bas a
:46:15. > :46:16.deux pas de la foret # Une maison aux murs
:46:17. > :46:18.tous couverts de liere # Aux Tourlourous c'est
:46:19. > :46:20.le nom du cabaret # Nous en revous la nuit
:46:21. > :46:38.nous y pensons le jour. # Ce n'est que Madelon mais
:46:39. > :46:42.pour nous c'est l'amour # Quand Madelon vient
:46:43. > :46:46.nous servir a boire # Et chacun lui raconte une histoire
:46:47. > :46:53.tonnelle on frole son jupon # La Madelon pour
:46:54. > :47:01.nous n'est pas severe # Quand on lui prend
:47:02. > :47:04.la taille ou le menton # Elle rit c'est tout
:47:05. > :47:08.l'mal qu'elle sait faire Even at the height of the battle,
:47:09. > :49:36.there were still moments of humanity Corporal Jim Crow, 110th Brigade,
:49:37. > :49:39.Royal Field Artillery, describes a brief unofficial truce
:49:40. > :49:43.on the front line. "One of our infantrymen
:49:44. > :49:46.was on the German barbed We could see him moving
:49:47. > :49:53.every now and again. In the end, Major Anderton
:49:54. > :49:57.pulled his revolver out, climbed over the parapet,
:49:58. > :50:02.walked straight to this man, He walked as though
:50:03. > :50:11.he was on parade. The Germans never fired
:50:12. > :50:15.a shot at him as he went, they never fired a shot as he went
:50:16. > :50:20.back, and they cheered him as he lifted the man
:50:21. > :50:26.on to his shoulders." One of the Great War poets,
:50:27. > :50:31.a British working-class lad, Jewish, He was killed a year after writing
:50:32. > :50:46.the following poem. It is the same old
:50:47. > :50:54.druid time as ever Only a live thing leaps my hand,
:50:55. > :50:59.A queer sardonic rat As I pull the parapet's poppy
:51:00. > :51:03.To stick behind my ear Droll rat, they would
:51:04. > :51:05.shoot you if they knew Now you have touched
:51:06. > :51:11.this English hand You will do the same
:51:12. > :51:15.to a German soon, no doubt If it be your pleasure to cross
:51:16. > :51:19.the sleeping green between It seems you inwardly
:51:20. > :51:27.grin as you pass Strong eyes, fine limbs,
:51:28. > :51:31.haughty athletes Sprawled in the bowels of the earth,
:51:32. > :51:39.the torn fields of France What do you see in our eyes
:51:40. > :51:42.at the shrieking iron and flame Poppies whose roots
:51:43. > :51:53.are in man's veins But mine in my ear is safe - just
:51:54. > :52:09.a little white with the dust. Isaac Rosenberg was one of many
:52:10. > :52:13.who wrote poetry to try to capture something of their experience
:52:14. > :52:17.of the battle. Others wrote diaries
:52:18. > :52:23.or letters home. An Eala Bhan, or The White Swan,
:52:24. > :52:30.is a Gaelic love song by the poet Donald MacDonald,
:52:31. > :52:34.who served with the Cameron Highlanders, composed
:52:35. > :52:39.during the Battle of the Somme. It is addressed to his
:52:40. > :53:24.sweetheart, Maggie MacLeaod. # Since I left the high misty hills,
:53:25. > :53:34.heart seared by sorrow, # The beguiling glens
:53:35. > :54:15.of loch, bay and strome, The high ground where we gather
:54:16. > :54:19.today was eventually Lieutenant Tom Adlam VC
:54:20. > :54:28.of the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, proudly
:54:29. > :54:30.described his men in action. His son Clive reads
:54:31. > :54:38.a description of the action. They went like a bomb,
:54:39. > :54:46.they really did. They all up and ran and we got
:54:47. > :54:49.into our little bit of trench. I got a whole lot of bombs ready
:54:50. > :54:53.and I started throwing them as fast We just charged up the trench
:54:54. > :55:04.like a load of mad things. We never caught them,
:55:05. > :55:10.but we drove them out. There was a job to be done
:55:11. > :55:14.and you just got on and did it. I was more frightened
:55:15. > :55:18.going up to the trenches, I was very frightened then -
:55:19. > :55:27.very frightened indeed. You've got a group of men with you,
:55:28. > :55:30.and you're in charge of them. We were taught we had to be
:55:31. > :55:33.an example to our men, and that if we went forward,
:55:34. > :55:36.they'd go with you, you see. And you sort of lose your
:55:37. > :55:40.sense of fear, thinking Dear Captain Agius, I wish to take
:55:41. > :55:56.this opportunity of thanking you for your kind letter
:55:57. > :55:59.of sympathy, and for the few details you were able to give me
:56:00. > :56:03.concerning my dear husband's death. The sad news was a terrible shock
:56:04. > :56:13.to me, and, up till now, It was a great relief to know that
:56:14. > :56:21.dear Harold did not suffer any pain, although what would I not give
:56:22. > :56:23.to have had one last only five months -
:56:24. > :56:31.and I cannot realise that he had gone -
:56:32. > :56:36.never to see him again. The last time we were together,
:56:37. > :56:39.he was so happy and well and eager to do his level best for his Country
:56:40. > :56:46.at all cost. Will you please also
:56:47. > :56:48.tell me, if possible, After the war, I hope to be able
:56:49. > :57:00.to visit his last resting place. Like so many others,
:57:01. > :57:04.Florence was never able to find her husband's
:57:05. > :57:12.final resting place. Harold is commemorated
:57:13. > :57:18.here on the Thiepval Memorial, one of over 72,000 with no known
:57:19. > :57:21.grave: For the world's events have rumbled
:57:22. > :59:56.on since those gagged days, Like traffic checked
:59:57. > :00:00.while at the crossing of city-ways. And the haunted gap in your mind has
:00:01. > :00:04.filled with thoughts that flow Like clouds in the lit
:00:05. > :00:08.heaven of life; and you're a man reprieved to go,
:00:09. > :00:13.Taking your peaceful share But the past is just the same -
:00:14. > :00:25.and War's a bloody game. Look down, and swear by the slain
:00:26. > :00:37.of the War that you'll never forget. Do you remember the
:00:38. > :00:41.dark months you held the sector at Mametz - The nights
:00:42. > :00:47.you watched and wired and dug Do you remember the
:00:48. > :00:53.rats; and the stench Of corpses rotting in front
:00:54. > :01:00.of the front-line trench - And dawn coming, dirty-white,
:01:01. > :01:03.and chill with a hopeless rain? Do you ever stop and ask,
:01:04. > :01:07.'Is it all going to happen again?' Do you remember that hour
:01:08. > :01:17.of din before the attack- And the anger, the blind compassion
:01:18. > :01:25.that seized and shook you then. As you peered at the doomed
:01:26. > :01:30.and haggard faces of your men? Do you remember the
:01:31. > :01:35.stretcher-cases lurching back With dying eyes and lolling
:01:36. > :01:39.heads - those ashen-grey Masks of the lads who once
:01:40. > :01:46.were keen and kind and gay? Look up, and swear by
:01:47. > :01:57.the green of the spring that The writer John Masefield
:01:58. > :02:19.travelled to the Somme wrote The Old Front Line a record
:02:20. > :02:36.of the devasted landscape he Beyond the trees, on the other side
:02:37. > :02:41.of the marsh, is the steep and high eastern bank of the Ancre,
:02:42. > :02:43.on which a battered wood, called Thiepval Wood,
:02:44. > :02:45.stands like an army of black But for this stricken wood,
:02:46. > :02:49.the eastern bank of the Ancre is a gentle, sloping hill,
:02:50. > :02:54.bare of trees. On the top of this hill
:02:55. > :02:58.is the famous Schwaben Redoubt. One need only look at the ground
:02:59. > :03:03.to know that the fighting here was very
:03:04. > :03:15.grim, and to the death. All wars end; even this
:03:16. > :03:19.war will someday end, and the ruins will be rebuilt
:03:20. > :03:22.and the field full of death will grow food,
:03:23. > :03:25.and all this frontier of trouble When the trenches are filled in,
:03:26. > :03:33.and the plough has gone over them, the ground will not long
:03:34. > :03:42.keep the look of war. One summer with its flowers
:03:43. > :03:45.will cover most of the ruin that man can make, and these places,
:03:46. > :03:50.from which the driving back of the enemy began,
:03:51. > :03:53.will be hard indeed to trace, is a romance in memory,
:03:54. > :04:07.the soldier looking for his battlefield will
:04:08. > :04:13.find his marks gone. Centre Way, Peel Trench,
:04:14. > :04:19.Munster Alley, and these other paths to glory will be deep under
:04:20. > :04:24.the corn, and gleaners will sing # Abide with me; fast
:04:25. > :05:33.falls the eventide; # The darkness deepens;
:05:34. > :05:47.Lord with me abide. # When other helpers
:05:48. > :05:54.fail and comforts flee, # Help of the helpless,
:05:55. > :06:22.O abide with me. # Swift to its close ebbs
:06:23. > :06:26.out life's little day; # Earth's joys grow dim,
:06:27. > :06:51.its glories pass away; # Change and decay
:06:52. > :06:58.in all around I see; # O Thou who changest
:06:59. > :07:38.not, abide with me. # Hold Thou Thy cross
:07:39. > :07:41.before my closing eyes; # Shine through the gloom
:07:42. > :07:43.and point me to the skies. # Heaven's morning breaks,
:07:44. > :07:55.and earth's vain shadows flee; # In life, in death,
:07:56. > :08:16.O Lord, abide with me. They shall grow not old,
:08:17. > :08:20.as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them,
:08:21. > :08:24.nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun
:08:25. > :08:27.and in the morning; Commemorations continued back home
:08:28. > :11:47.in the UK and principally in the city of Manchester
:11:48. > :11:50.where the National Commemorative Service was held in honour
:11:51. > :11:52.of the thousands of men - many of whom were made up
:11:53. > :11:55.of the Pals' regiments - These Pals Battalions
:11:56. > :11:59.were the groups of friends, neighbours and colleagues
:12:00. > :12:00.who volunteered and enlisted together in order they could serve
:12:01. > :12:02.alongside each other. To pay tribute to these battalions -
:12:03. > :12:05.many of whom came from towns and cities in the North - Manchester
:12:06. > :12:08.hosted this afternoon's Then there followed a joint military
:12:09. > :12:25.and civilian parade running from the Town Hall to Manchester
:12:26. > :12:50.Cathedral. It was here at Manchester Cathedral
:12:51. > :12:54.in the City Centre that the main event of the day took place,
:12:55. > :14:13.the National Commemorative Service, In keeping with military tradition a
:14:14. > :14:22.drum head Alistair was constructed. -- aloar was constructed.
:14:23. > :15:40.# O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come
:15:41. > :15:46.From whichever part of the world you join us today, we are delighted to
:15:47. > :15:50.welcome you to the city of Manchester for this National Service
:15:51. > :15:55.to commemorate the Battle of the Somme, which began 100 years ago
:15:56. > :15:59.today. Like so many towns and cities throughout our land, and much
:16:00. > :16:04.further afield, Manchester made a pledge never to forget the myriad
:16:05. > :16:11.number of people who responded to the battle call with a spirit of
:16:12. > :16:20.generosity and sacrifice that empowers and inspires us still to
:16:21. > :16:26.this present day. The station incline was lined with
:16:27. > :16:31.spec haters. But this was nothing to the interior of the station itself.
:16:32. > :16:36.Here were gathered the troops in khaki, and every moment, then number
:16:37. > :16:44.increased. And here were gathered relations and friends, white-haired
:16:45. > :16:49.fathers and gentle faced mothers, wives with smiles on their lips,
:16:50. > :16:53.though there eyes word game with tears. Children have wondering what
:16:54. > :16:59.it was all about. Abies being fondled and I'm conscious of the
:17:00. > :17:06.reason why. Here was a stately old gentleman, walking proudly by the
:17:07. > :17:11.side of his son. A second lieutenant. And here was a woman
:17:12. > :17:18.with a shawl over her head, equally proud to be at the side of her
:17:19. > :17:19.husband. The whistle-blowers, the stragglers, hurry along,
:17:20. > :17:24.good-humouredly bumping into one another. And then, like magic, apps
:17:25. > :17:30.either Brown colour has faded from our midst. Far down the platform, we
:17:31. > :17:36.can see it still, a bobbing line of flat caps, and then that vanishes
:17:37. > :17:41.also, and recently realised a long train is sinuously moving away. They
:17:42. > :17:45.are off, cries of voice, and the sound is immediately drowned in a
:17:46. > :17:48.wave of cheers and give the lads craning from the carriages shout and
:17:49. > :17:51.wave their hands. And again, the sound grows faint. And the train
:17:52. > :18:49.disappears. Another thousand gone. in memoriam. So you were David's
:18:50. > :18:56.father and he was your only son. The work is left undone because of an
:18:57. > :19:00.old man weeping, just an old man in painful stop for David, his son
:19:01. > :19:06.David, that will not come again. Oh, the letters he wrote you. And I can
:19:07. > :19:10.see them still. Not a word of the fighting, but just the sheep on the
:19:11. > :19:14.Hill and how you should get the crops in before the year gets
:19:15. > :19:21.stormier. And they have got his body. And I was his officer. You
:19:22. > :19:25.were only David's father, but I had 50 sons when we went up in the
:19:26. > :19:31.evening under the arch of the guns. And we came back at twilight... Oh,
:19:32. > :19:37.God, I heard them called to me for help and pity that could not help at
:19:38. > :19:43.all. Oh, never will I forget you, my men that trusted me, more that my
:19:44. > :19:47.sons and your fathers, for they could only see the little helpless
:19:48. > :19:49.babies and the young men in their pride. They could not see you dying
:19:50. > :20:00.and hold you while you died. Happy and young and gallant,
:20:01. > :20:03.They saw their first-born go, But not the strong limbs broken
:20:04. > :20:06.And the beautiful men brought low, The piteous writhing bodies,
:20:07. > :20:10.They screamed "Don't leave me, sir," For they were only your
:20:11. > :20:59.fathers But I was your officer. The Somme transformed. William
:21:00. > :21:04.under, a war artist, was on the Somme in 1916. Returning in 1917, he
:21:05. > :21:10.found the landscape transformed, writing in 1921, he described the
:21:11. > :21:18.scene. I had left it mud, nothing but water, shell holes and mud, the
:21:19. > :21:22.most gloomy, dreary abomination of desolation the mind could imagine.
:21:23. > :21:29.And now, in the summer of 1917, no words could express the beauty of
:21:30. > :21:37.it. The dreary, dismal mud was baked white and pure, dazzling white. Blue
:21:38. > :21:44.flower, great masses of them, stretched for miles and miles. The
:21:45. > :21:49.sky, it pure dark blue and the whole air, up to about 40ft, thick with
:21:50. > :21:55.butterflies. Your clothes were covered with butterflies. It was
:21:56. > :22:00.like an enchanted land. But in the place of fairies, there were
:22:01. > :22:05.thousands of little white crosses, marked, unknown British soldier, for
:22:06. > :22:27.the most part. A reading from the holy Gospel
:22:28. > :22:33.according to sink Matthew. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up to
:22:34. > :22:43.the mountain. And after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he
:22:44. > :22:48.began to speak, and taught them, saying, blessed are the poor in
:22:49. > :22:55.spirit. There is is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,
:22:56. > :23:03.for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit
:23:04. > :23:10.the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
:23:11. > :23:18.for they will be filled. The SID are the merciful, for they will receive
:23:19. > :23:26.mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
:23:27. > :23:32.Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
:23:33. > :23:41.Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs
:23:42. > :23:49.is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and
:23:50. > :23:57.persecute you and at all kinds of evil against you falsely on my
:23:58. > :24:22.account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.
:24:23. > :24:43.# Many waters cannot quench love. # Neither can the flood drowned it.
:24:44. > :24:50.# Many waters... During the anthem, 37 memory squares were taken to the
:24:51. > :24:53.altar. They were created by members of the public, featuring regimental
:24:54. > :24:59.symbols, dedicated of course to the people who took part in the Battle
:25:00. > :25:01.of the Somme. The plan is to lay out the path at Heaton park in
:25:02. > :26:17.Manchester. may God grant the living grace. To
:26:18. > :26:25.the departed, rest. To the church, the Queen and the Commonwealth, and
:26:26. > :26:30.all people, peace and concord. To all his servants, life everlasting.
:26:31. > :26:35.And the blessing of God Almighty, the father, the son and the holy
:26:36. > :26:38.spirit, be upon you and remain with you always.
:26:39. > :27:09.And so the National Service of commemoration at Manchester
:27:10. > :27:12.Cathedral, in the presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of York,
:27:13. > :27:16.came to an end. That brings to a close our events
:27:17. > :27:19.here in Northern France and across the United Kingdom,
:27:20. > :27:22.100 years after the start of the Battle of the Somme - one
:27:23. > :27:25.of the bloodiest battles in history and one of the defining battles
:27:26. > :27:28.of the First World War. A century later, the scale
:27:29. > :27:30.of the loss and suffering is still difficult to
:27:31. > :27:34.fathom and to absorb. But with every
:27:35. > :27:35.passing year, the act of remembrance becomes even more
:27:36. > :27:37.necessary and justified. From the entire BBC team
:27:38. > :27:42.in Northern France, thank