29/09/2014 Inside Out West Midlands

On tonight's show, we tell a little known story from World War

I about two brothers from one of Birmingham's most famous falilies.

They may have had different paths during the war but they started from

the same place. They wanted to do what they felt they could do, as

quickly as possible, to help the country.

And following the success of the BBC film Marvellous about former

Stoke City Kit man Neil Baldwin we find out more about the real Neil.

My life has always been marvellous. Marvellous is a great word `nd I'm

very pleased this has been done I'm Andy Akinwolere.

Welcome to Inside Out. Absolute legend, especially around

these parts. His story was turned into a film which went out on BBC

Two on Thursday. It was transmitted last Thursday

night and met rave reviews and the reaction

on social media was immense. Neil is a well known at

Keele University where he's worked unofficially

as a student's friend for 50 years, and is a former a kit boy for his

beloved football club, Stokd City. Who is this man? I think we should

find out. Thursday night at Keele

University's student union, and the crowds are gathering for thd

showroom but Neal is worried about tonight. People are walking out

already. 41, 42. Some more have just come in. For the first time, his

story, well`known locally, hs about to be shared with 1.5 million

people. He grew up in Stoke`on`Trent and was once labelled with learning

difficulties but as his audhence are about to find out, this has never

stopped him. For half a century he has been coming to the Univdrsity

and help new students to settle in. How does it feel to have a solid? ``

have this honour? It is a great night. This is my story. Right.

Do you think your student friends will enjoy this? I hope so. The

Premier is going well and the campuses captivated by Neal's

approach to life. How do yot do it? How do you stay so positive? I have

always wanted to be happy so I decided to be. Brilliant. I'm going

to write some of the stuff down You think about good things. Thd film

was incredible. It really dhd encapsulate Neil a person. His

kindness, his warmth, his shmplicity but not in a bad way all. In a rare

way. Can you drop me off on the way? It's not really on my way. Ht is if

you go that way to drop me off. Yes, of course. Of course. Everyone loves

Neal. He is a great charactdr to have around. `` Neil. It's ` great

experience to him to do this and it's great to watch him, watch his

story. At the end of the film, he is ready to addresses an audience but

he wants a little introducthon from his friend of 50 years, Malcolm

Clarke, whom he met here on campus. Hello. I'm Neil Baldwin. Welcome to

Keele University. Hello, I'l Malcolm. Stoke City fan? Very much

so. Are you? Yeah, yeah I al. Introduce...

I hope I've lived up to the billing. I think it's absolutely brilliant,

marvellous. Way they capturdd the essence of this man I thought was

superb. The amazing thing is, it's all true. Marvellous was marvellous.

It has been a great life. And for Malcolm, his lifelong friend, who

also features in the film, ht's the end of a four`year process but even

in the early days when the phone was being discussed, his student friends

looked out for him and he looked out for them. I will tell you a small

story. When I introduced hil for the first time to the people who were

interested in making the film, the captain of Neal's football team came

up, came with him and after a short while, he made his apologies and

left. I then realised that he had come just to make sure that we were

bone fide and this wasn't some kind of a scam. When he was sure about

that, he went on his way, and I think that sums up the care that the

students chauffeur him, just as he looks after them. My life h`s always

been marvellous. I have alw`ys said marvellous is a great word `nd I'm

very pleased that it has bedn done. I have been told I do quite a good

impression of Neil Baldwin. Is that right? Do an impression of le. My

name is Jack! There you go. BBC radio Stoke. So many of you talking

about Marvellous this morning. It is the day after the night before

and the reaction to the fill on social media show it has captured

the nation's imagination. W`tch Marvellous on BBC Two. Cannot stop

smiling. George, watch Marvdllous on BBC Two. Utter inspiration. Steve,

marvellous on BBC Two, what a lovely piece of television. He seels a

great man, full of good. I think everybody who came and everxbody who

works on the film was great. Hello. The phone is ringing off thd hook

but Neal cannot afford to slow down. He runs a football team and is

looking for new recruits. It's my own team, picked by me, man`ged by

name, captained by me. At ldast you cannot be dropped. Exactly.

I'm making a poster for my football team on Monday and Tuesday `t Keele

University. It shows that M`rvellous has been a great film. It's to get

people to sign up. Being hole alone also offers him a chance to reflect.

Gemma Jones plays the character of his mum. My mum was a great mum and

I'm proud of what she has done for me. It... I have been trying to be

happy in my life, and I've `lways tried to.

If in doubt, when I'm not hdre, ask Doris on the till. She will tell you

what is healthy and what is not Doris? She doesn't look all that

well to me. She can keep an eye out for you. Looks like I should be

keeping an eye on her. For goodness sake. All I want to know is you can

stand on your own two feet. It is Sunday morning and Ne`l is

back on campus for the 53rd year, ready to greet the new studdnts

arriving. `` Neil. All the best in your studies at Keele University.

All the best. There is a stream of well`wishers stopping to

congratulate him on his TV debut. It will be a poorer place without him.

We have known this guy is a special person for a long time and now what

makes us happy is the rest of the world knows about him and hhs

legend. It's a treat to see. He s getting the recognition I'vd always

thought he deserved. Today hs just a welcome day for the students.

Tomorrow, Neal will be players were his football club. So I

thought I would get in earlx and see if I was good enough to makd the

squad. But `` Neil. What do you reckon? I think you're very good. Of

ten. But are you good at making cups of tea and washing kit? Comd and

join our football club! Tod`y is our final day filming. He is recruiting

for his reporting. Fridays, for until six. It's at the sports

centre. His lifelong friend, Malcolm Clarke, is here to with him.

Welcome, you know him better than anyone. Has he changed much since

the film has come out? I thhnk he is loving the exposure but bashcally, I

don't think it will go to hhs head. He has always been comfortable with

being very well`known and the this takes it to a new level. Once people

do series.

Each year there are 400 deaths as a result of drowning. That yot have

got to understand how tempthng it must be to go for a swim,

considering the amazing sumler we have had. I

careful in open water. It is different to this lovely pool. But

lidos like this are not avahlable to everyone. These facilities `re not

cheap. How can we encourage local councils to get behind this?

and I think we?d be unrealistic to expect every council to build

a new lido ` but you can have safe swimming in open water sites.

So putting life guards on a reservoir and patrolling it

like they do at the beach, it?s not impossible to do that,

you just need to find the rhght sort of water, the right conditions and

You are seeing is about safdty, but also about creativity. We all need

to learn about risk and how to manage it. I know first`hand how

dangerous the water can be. Four years ago I learned to swim and it

was not a pretty sight. Then I was in the deepest ocean on earth, but

it was all under the watchftl eyes of my safety team.

But out here, if you choose to get in the water

fall into difficulty, I mean look around, it?s pretty remote.

Even while we were doing thd interview children were plaxing in

the river. We?re just here and there are

clearly a lot of signs about. I can?t get over it, no,

it?s devastating, I just want to go up to her and say,

what do you think you?re dohng, If we use common sense we c`n reduce

the risks. Spot the danger. Take the safety advice.

Only ever enter water where it?s safe and there?s a lifeguard

We?re working with the council to get signs up and buoyancy ahds,

fencing and working with thd RLSS because we strongly believe that the

schools have swimming lessons which was the practical, but they don t

have the water safety, which is the theory, so that?s what

And for you to see the signs now must seem

Yeah, it means that someone has listened to what we?ve had to

say and hopefully it will s`ve another family going through

Now I promised it to you at the top of the show and herd it is `

Two brothers from one of Birmingham's most famous falilies,

Laurence and Bertie Cadbury, saw plenty of action on the frontline

Former boxer Richie Woodhall uncovers a tale full of conflict

Laurence and Bertie Cadbury wrote lots of letters to each othdr

Both risked their lives facing dangers they

With special access to their private papers we?re going to

Dear Bertie, all the guns in creation seem to be here?

I?m on my way to Bournevilld, home to Cadbury?s world famous

I feel quite excited and privileged. I?ve come to meet

historian Rebecca Wynter who has read all of the letters.

She knows the brothers' story better than the Cadburys themselves.

They are absolutely of fighting age, so there would have been thhs

decision that they would have had to have made as to exactly what are

The letters show Laurence w`s the first to go, not as a fhghter,

but as a founding member of the Friends Ambulance Unht.

They were a group of young Puakers volunteers.

His younger brother Bertie wanted to fight and joined the Roy`l

I went to Chingford where I learned to fly and having got

on rather fast I transferred to this station, which is said to bd

Like many families today thd Cadburys don't know this

I think it's fascinating because I didn?t really talk to

my father about the war and he never spoke to me about it.

I'm learning about the roles my father played

in it, that my uncle Egbert played in it, and that's education`l

Sir Dominic Cadbury is Laurdnce s son and he?s keen to hear more about

On our arrival it was prettx evident we had to get busy good and quick,

The letters, which have been hidden away in the archives

at the University of Birmingham for decades, document Laurence `nd

You've read all the letters which I haven't.

I know he went at the earliest opportunity to France.

They race across and the large doors open and they're

confronted with a mass of sdething humanity, they're on the floor,

on straw, they've been therd for three days, so the stench is quite

So this is their first introduction to war

I'm keen to find out what lhfe was like for Bertie and

Pilots back then were like pioneers. The planes that they flew are still

flying today. These hangars at the Shuttldworth

Collection in Bedfordshire `re By keeping them flying they try to

keep the memories While Bertie's early letters capture

his excitement, after just ` month at his base in Great Yarmouth the

reality of war was hitting home I heartily agree with you about this

bloody murder that's going on. Nearly all

the men I know have been done in. 14,000 British airmen died hn

World War One. The average life expectancy

for a new pilot was just 11 days. It was a very dangerous lifdstyle,

there's no doubts about that. Compared with what we experhence

today they were indeed sacrhficed Young people think of themsdlves as

invincible. Another visitor has dropped

in hoping to learn more Being from

a Quaker family do you think your Yes I think he was, reading

a little more into the history. To me he was a loving grandpa,

but indeed he was a rebel, With his gunner he shot

down two German Zeppelin bolbers. Like Sir Dominic, Justin never heard

the story from the man himsdlf, but I turned my machine and att`cked the

Zeppelin head on. Within a latter of seconds flames started weephng.

Within a short time she went hurtling down.

Wow, I can't say any words to match what

It's an extraordinary piece of history, I can absolutelx hear

and feel the man as he tells the story it's awe inspiring.

Going to war was a huge dildmma for the Cadbury brothers because

they were Quakers and their famous father George was committed to the

The letters also show the brother's began to doubt their decisions.

While Bertie spoke of bloodx murder, Laurence's papers show he

Something his war hero brother strongly advised against.

To join now would be disastrous so for God's sake don't dre`m

of doing so for I'm absolutdly positive you would regret it.

While Laurence worried about whether he should fight, thd letters

With a plunk and a roar, up go bits of the house and the air

You can?t turn and run as inclination suggests.

For all of the dangers and dilemmas they faced, both Bertie and Laurence

stood by their decisions and the units they served in.

Both brothers were decorated for bravery and the Cadburys

An important detail for the family today.

They may have had different paths but started from the same place

and would not have thought they were as different as we do now.

Richie Woodhall there with the Cadbury brothers' storids.

Maybe you'd like to find out some more stories

from where you live ` go to the bbc website bbc.co.uk/hhstory

and punch your postcode in to discover dozens of

Next week we will have thred more stories.

Hello, I'm Sophie Long with your 90 second update.

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