0:00:34 > 0:00:39No part of Britain was left untouched by war.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42In every corner of the land, its effects were felt.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The countryside was transformed as hundreds of thousands
0:00:45 > 0:00:50of acres of farmland was given over to the war effort in two world wars.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54In this special Remembrance edition of Countryfile, I've come to
0:00:54 > 0:00:59a sleepy part of Wiltshire where its impact was felt more than most.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03It wasn't always this quiet.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05If you were here during the First World War,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08it would have looked quite different.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11You'd have seen tens of thousands of soldiers and training grounds
0:01:11 > 0:01:16and barracks and military camps spread out in all directions.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19And you'd have seen something extraordinary,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22something to put this part of the world on the map -
0:01:22 > 0:01:24the Fovant Badges.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28They were carved into the hillside around the village of Fovant
0:01:28 > 0:01:31by soldiers stationed here during the First World War.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35For many of them, this would be the last of England they saw.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I'll be learning the story of these badges
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and I'll be adding a new one with a little help.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44It is steep!
0:01:44 > 0:01:49We'll also find out how the Great British countryside has
0:01:49 > 0:01:53played its part during times of war and times of peace
0:01:53 > 0:01:56as we look back through the Countryfile archives.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Here's just some of what we've got in store.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Matt's on manoeuvres deep in the Surrey countryside
0:02:02 > 0:02:04with Sandhurst's newest recruits.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07The platoons are now 1.3 miles into the course
0:02:07 > 0:02:11and they've been carrying these stretchers now for just over a mile.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13We're going to stand out the way!
0:02:16 > 0:02:22- Julia gets a big surprise halfway up a Welsh mountain.- Are they Gurkhas?
0:02:25 > 0:02:30And I'm taking to the Wiltshire skies for a bird's-eye view
0:02:30 > 0:02:33of something very, very special.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Oh, my goodness, what a beautiful view!
0:02:51 > 0:02:55The Fovant Badges sit on a hillside near the village of Fovant
0:02:55 > 0:02:59just a few miles south of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The first of them was carved out in 1916.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Of the original 20, only eight remain.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09They're looked after by fellows like Tony Pinder
0:03:09 > 0:03:11of the Fovant Badges Society.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20Wow, up close, it's really impressive.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22The size of it is hard to gauge from down on the ground.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Why were they originally carved, Tony?
0:03:25 > 0:03:30They were created, initially, by the men who were waiting to go to France
0:03:30 > 0:03:33to leave their mark on the countryside before they went.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Many of them never returned. So they are, in fact, war memorials.
0:03:36 > 0:03:41They are registered by the Imperial War Museum as war memorials.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- It must have been hard work making them.- Very hard work.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47There's a misconception of how they were made.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50A lot of people felt that by just removing the turf,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53you were left with pristine chalk, which wasn't true.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56They cut out the outline of the badge,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59dug out some of the soil and had to pack it in with good chalk
0:03:59 > 0:04:01that they had to dig out further away.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05About 50 tonnes a badge.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07It took a team of 30 soldiers,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10an average of six months to build each one.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12They remain a moving tribute.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Why is it so important that these are maintained?
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Well, because they are, as I say, war memorials and they should be
0:04:22 > 0:04:25kept in pristine condition if possible,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28because they are here to remind people,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30who drive past or fly over it,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34of the sacrifices given for this country by those
0:04:34 > 0:04:37young men waiting to go to France.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45Camps like Fovant were vital to the war effort.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47But they had to be big enough
0:04:47 > 0:04:50for the thousands of soldiers posted there.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Land, and lots of it, was key.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58The British landscape still plays a huge part in training
0:04:58 > 0:05:01as Matt discovered when he hooked up with some trainee officers
0:05:01 > 0:05:03being put through their paces at Sandhurst.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07Sandhurst is the home of the Royal Military Academy.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11There's been a military college here for over 200 years.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14The list of ex-cadets is a real Who's Who.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17From the explorer Chris Bonnington to Winston Churchill.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Even Princes William and Harry trained here.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23So we're talking the real top brass.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30700 cadets come through the gates each year
0:05:30 > 0:05:34to be trained as officers in the British Army.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39And before they leave, every single one of them will get to know
0:05:39 > 0:05:44this landscape really well because this is their training ground.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49THEY SHOUT ENCOURAGEMENT
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I'll be seeing more of that training in a little while,
0:05:53 > 0:05:58but first I'm off to find out about life as a trainee officer here.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Life at Sandhurst revolves around the spectacular Old College,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07built in 1812.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Over 700 or so officer cadets, male and female,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13all live on site during their year-long course.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14As well as being their home,
0:06:14 > 0:06:19it's also where they learn leadership skills and tactics in the classroom.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22But it's out here on the 1,400 acres of heathland
0:06:22 > 0:06:24that surrounds the academy
0:06:24 > 0:06:29that officer cadets are put through their practical paces.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Is it what you expected it to be?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Yeah, there's a lot of sleep deprivation.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44That's the main thing, I think. But, no, it's been OK, I think!
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- Has it?- Not too bad!
0:06:53 > 0:06:56As well as training, this landscape is also the venue
0:06:56 > 0:07:00for serious competition - a gruelling endurance race,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04that's part of the annual contest to find the best platoon.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Every cadet will have done this in his time at Sandhurst.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It's over six miles, over the common, uphill, down dale,
0:07:12 > 0:07:14across country.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Those who are yet to come will always be told this is
0:07:17 > 0:07:19the worst possible thing that can ever happen to you.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23It'll take them about an hour, probably, of good, hard sweat.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27The race starts at dawn.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31First, the three platoons face a straight run from the base
0:07:31 > 0:07:32onto the heathland.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35THEY SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The platoons are now 1.3 miles into the course
0:07:41 > 0:07:44and they're carrying these stretchers now for just over a mile.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47We'll stand out the way cos they don't stop!
0:07:50 > 0:07:53The makeshift stretcher weighs 60 kilos
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and each platoon has to stay together for over a mile
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and deposit it at the top of the hill.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Then, there's a recovery period -
0:08:04 > 0:08:07a one-mile march, which has to be covered in 13 minutes.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Keep it tight! We're on camera.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17The next load is an 11-foot long log.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20THEY SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Go, go, nice and quick now.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28You can hear all the guys screaming, with those that are carrying the log.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Because they've got a rope around it, they have to keep in front of it.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35The most important thing is to keep that momentum going.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38It's a crisp and cold autumn morning.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41For the cadets, it's also going to get wet.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Get your ropes sorted.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Keep moving!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49THEY SHOUT INSTRUCTIONS
0:08:49 > 0:08:54Safely through the bog and up the hill, it's back down to base.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57In front of Sandhurst's New College,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02the final team make it home, cheered on by the other platoons.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Matt there,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08with the new recruits at Sandhurst training in the great outdoors.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Back in the First World War,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15the landscape played a part in training too.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Thousands of acres of farmland, including here at Fovant,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22were requisitioned for the purpose.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Edward Williams farms this land today.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27He lives with a legacy of the camp.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31The railway line used to cut across and went from here right
0:09:31 > 0:09:33through to the trees in the distance.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36When the crops grow, in the summer when we get dry weather,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40they're usually two to three inches lower because there's no moisture
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and the ground is all full of clinker and it doesn't grow.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Now the badges sit on your land, how do you manage that as a farmer?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50They're just grazed during the summer months. They're so steep.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52How do you keep the cows off the badges?
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Ten years ago there was a big campaign
0:09:56 > 0:09:58where a lot of money was spent on them
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and they've now all been fenced out so the cattle can't roam on them.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So they have to be strimmed every year now to cut the grass.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09It's lovely to see that the cows are still there.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11That makes it all working.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- It still has to be farmed, it still has to be managed.- Yeah.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Farming is all to do with management of the countryside.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Today, the badges are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24That doesn't mean you can't walk right up to them, though.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28But the best view, I reckon, has to be from the sky.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30More about that in a while.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34First, here's Adam discovering how land workers played a secret role
0:10:34 > 0:10:37defending our country back in World War Two.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42In 1940, Britain was preparing itself
0:10:42 > 0:10:44for an almost certain Nazi invasion.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48WINSTON CHURCHILL: Hitler knows that he will have to break us
0:10:48 > 0:10:50in this island or lose the war.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55With the Germans drawing closer, Churchill wasted no time
0:10:55 > 0:10:58in preparing a new kind of defence weapon.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02It was an invisible army, codenamed the Auxiliary Units.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Its members were pledged under the Official Secrets Act.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09All were trained to obstruct, confuse and kill the enemy.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10This was "Dad's Secret Army."
0:11:10 > 0:11:13These were local men from farming
0:11:13 > 0:11:16and rural backgrounds that were specially chosen to form
0:11:16 > 0:11:20a secret underground organisation that no-one was to ever know about.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25For years, the existence of these men was a closely-guarded secret,
0:11:25 > 0:11:30which was only made public two decades after the war.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34David Blair has been researching the lives of the units that were
0:11:34 > 0:11:36set up on the east coast of Scotland.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39- David, you work for the Scottish Wildlife Trust.- I do.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42What sparked your interest in this subject?
0:11:42 > 0:11:44I've got a military background.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I was with the parachute regiment for a number of years.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50I have an understanding of the type of work that these men did.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Why were they called Auxiliary Units?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Auxiliaries were a cover name.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59There was a lot of auxiliary units during World War Two.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02You had auxiliary firemen, ambulance personnel and various other
0:12:02 > 0:12:06home defence forces that came under the auxiliary umbrella.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09There were around 3,500 men in these units
0:12:09 > 0:12:12placed at strategic points around the UK.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17In Scotland alone, there were about 500, a lot from around Fife.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Many of the chosen men were from rural backgrounds.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23They were tough, used to the outdoors and had daily jobs
0:12:23 > 0:12:27which allowed them to wander about without attracting undue attention.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34I'm a farmer. I can't imagine what it must have been like signing up
0:12:34 > 0:12:35for something like this.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Think of the dark days of 1940 when invasion was imminent
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and the threat was very real.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46These guys were at the forefront of the defence
0:12:46 > 0:12:48of this country in some respect.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52One of these men was Bob Wilson, a farmer's son from Fife.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Bob was already a member of the Home Guard,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57which was the public face of British resistance.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Over a million men volunteered their services for the cause.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06I was approached by a friend and a member of the Home Guard,
0:13:06 > 0:13:12who was actually a captain in the Home Guard in St Andrews.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14He approached me and asked me
0:13:14 > 0:13:18if I'd be interested in joining a group that was being formed.
0:13:18 > 0:13:25I, of course, being young and silly and daft agreed to take part in this.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- How old were you? - I was 17 at that time.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Farming was a reserved occupation during the Second World War
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and whilst his friends went off to join the Army, Bob,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38like many others, stayed behind to feed a hungry nation.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41However, he was also training for his own war.
0:13:43 > 0:13:44It was pretty grim.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47We were all armed with knives and revolvers
0:13:47 > 0:13:49and all this sort of nonsense.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51To prepare for an invasion,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54operational bases were dug underground for small groups of men
0:13:54 > 0:13:59containing ammunition, sleeping quarters and an escape tunnel.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02How difficult was it, as a 17-year-old, to keep that a secret?
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Well, I found it very easy.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10We told no-one.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12No-one knew about it, not even my parents.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14They knew I was going out somewhere
0:14:14 > 0:14:19and doing something with the Home Guard, but nothing else.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20They didn't know a thing.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Do you think it was important that people from the land were
0:14:23 > 0:14:27being chosen to do this because of their understanding...
0:14:27 > 0:14:33Aye, it was easy for us, really. We knew the countryside.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36We knew the area like the backs of our hand.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44These guys are reenactors, bringing the past to life.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Is this how Bob remembers it?
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Does this bring back memories?
0:14:49 > 0:14:55Yes, it does in some respects.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00But most of our time was spent on our stomachs or our hands and knees,
0:15:00 > 0:15:04crawling about, rather than patrolling as these lads are.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06But it's very realistic.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08If I was a German looking for you,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11you'd have killed me before I'd seen you, would you?
0:15:11 > 0:15:13- Probably!- You'd like to think so.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Well, it could have been, but it could have been the other way round.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22- He may have seen me first. Who knows?- That's the scary thing.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24As the invasion never materialised,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27many of these men went back to their daily jobs.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Some, like Bob, joined the Army.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Sadly, they were never given any official recognition.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34But as their stories start to unfold,
0:15:34 > 0:15:39we're finally learning a bit more about these secret heroes.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45I'm looking at the story of the big military badges
0:15:45 > 0:15:47near Fovant in Wiltshire.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52But what of the soldiers who made them. What were they like?
0:15:52 > 0:15:56There are many poignant reminders all in the soldiers' own hands.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Local historians, Liz and Mike Harden,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01are the custodians of this moving record.
0:16:01 > 0:16:07- "News and views from Fovant Camp." That's incredible.- It is incredible.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Inside these comical camp silhouettes, it says.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Making light of the situation. Hilarious.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18"Dear friend, just a few lines before I go.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22"We are going to some warm climate as we have got sun helmets.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24"Yours truly, Malcolm."
0:16:24 > 0:16:30This one says, "No leave this week. Rotten, eh? Never mind.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32"Better luck next time." Looking on the bright side.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33"Love to all, from Arthur."
0:16:33 > 0:16:39"They are sending men out very fast now from here,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42"from these camps to fill the gaps.
0:16:42 > 0:16:49"They are hardly marked as fit before off they go to France.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52"I'm anxious for Harry as I've not heard."
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Who's Harry and whatever happened?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I found it very sad indeed.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01What a poignant card.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It's very suitable at this time of the year to be
0:17:05 > 0:17:07thinking along those sorts of lines
0:17:07 > 0:17:11because there are plenty of men in that sort of situation now.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Plenty of families.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Many passed through Fovant and on into history.
0:17:18 > 0:17:24We remember them and all those who gave their lives in two world wars.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27But we remember too those who have given their lives
0:17:27 > 0:17:28in recent conflicts
0:17:28 > 0:17:33as I discovered when I visited a very special place of remembrance.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38The National Forest has brought new life to the Midlands.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42It's 20 years since the regeneration project has been running
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and eight million trees have been planted.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47But within the National Forest there are 50,000 trees
0:17:47 > 0:17:51with far more emotional significance than any others.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58The National Memorial Arboretum is a centre for remembrance.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Acres of wooded parkland are filled with trees and memorials
0:18:01 > 0:18:03predominantly dedicated to those who have
0:18:03 > 0:18:07lost their lives in all types of service.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10The importance of the National Memorial Arboretum
0:18:10 > 0:18:13is it provides a wonderful wooded environment, 150 acres,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16where people can wander amongst the trees and memorials
0:18:16 > 0:18:20and remember, think thoughts and just be themselves.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22The arboretum also serves as a place where people
0:18:22 > 0:18:25can congregate for formal remembrance ceremonies.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28I'm here on the day that the veterans of the Korean War
0:18:28 > 0:18:31are holding their annual memorial service.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's also a chance to meet up with old friends.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Veteran Frank Shorter was reunited with a comrade
0:18:36 > 0:18:38he last saw on the battlefield.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43He tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You don't remember me."
0:18:43 > 0:18:47I said, "Should I?"
0:18:47 > 0:18:53He said, "Yes, you carried me three miles on your shoulder."
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- He couldn't walk cos of the bullets in his legs.- Good gracious.
0:18:57 > 0:19:04I left him at the ambulance and then went back and brought some more out.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06That was my job.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Every day I was going through the minefields
0:19:09 > 0:19:12collecting wounded and dead and bringing them back.
0:19:15 > 0:19:21It's losses like those witnessed by Frank that are represented
0:19:21 > 0:19:23everywhere you turn in the arboretum.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27The planting is full of symbolism. This avenue is called The Beat.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31It honours policemen who have been killed in service.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33The trees are horse chestnut
0:19:33 > 0:19:36because truncheons were originally made from that timber.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40Elsewhere a wood of 2,535 oaks grow,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43each one representing a merchant vessel
0:19:43 > 0:19:47lost during the Second World War.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Volunteer guide Janti is showing me a garden where every flower
0:19:50 > 0:19:51has a poignant meaning.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54This is a war widows' rose garden.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57There are four recognised stages of grief when you lose a loved one.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59So we had the four rose beds here.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01The one immediately behind us is all red roses,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06which conveys the anger and rage you feel when you lose a loved one.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08On our left are purple for despair
0:20:08 > 0:20:11and the one over there is pinks for quiet acceptance
0:20:11 > 0:20:12and yellow and whites for happy memories
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and looking towards the future.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18- Goodness.- They're beautifully scented so when we have a warm day,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21the scent is absolutely beautiful.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27So many people come and they're so pleased to see the loved ones' names
0:20:27 > 0:20:30here or on the Armed Forces memorial.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33They feel that this person is never going to be forgotten.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Their name is there or on a plaque round a tree.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38So they feel that they can move on.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41We do support a lot of people who are very upset here.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44But we hope they feel better by the time they leave
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and it's a bit more definite, what we've been able to do.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54The arboretum offers those grieving somewhere to come
0:20:54 > 0:20:57and try to find peace.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59People can dedicate a tree to someone they've lost -
0:20:59 > 0:21:02a living memorial they can visit year after year.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Today, the Webster-Smith family are here to dedicate a tree
0:21:06 > 0:21:09to their son Nic.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Nic was killed in 2009 in Afghanistan.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Why did you choose to have a tree here in memory of Nic?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Obviously it's a special place for us because
0:21:25 > 0:21:29when you lose a son as we did in Afghanistan,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31it's important to remember him.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Here it's not a memorial garden as such,
0:21:34 > 0:21:38or a crematorium or a burial ground, it's a place where the nation
0:21:38 > 0:21:41can come and visit all those people who've laid their lives down
0:21:41 > 0:21:43in service for their country.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46This is very, very special to us.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49We chose the willow because he was sports mad.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54Of course cricket bats come from willow trees. It was perfect for us.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56If you look directly behind my back here,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01his name's entered on the memorial wall to the left of the pillar.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- So it lines up perfectly.- You mentioned he was a great sportsman.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07How else would you describe Nic?
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Just a one-off, totally unique son. Literally loved by everybody.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16He had this magic ability of putting everybody before himself.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- It showed right to the end. - Absolutely.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22I suppose it's so difficult for anybody to imagine
0:22:22 > 0:22:24how hard it is to lose a son.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Whereas, coming here, there are other people
0:22:27 > 0:22:30who have been through the same nightmare.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32You meet people in exactly the same situation.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36The thing that's very strange is you never forget that knock on the door.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39That's the thing that haunts you for ever.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Then your whole world goes into download, you know.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44You have to pick up and try and move on.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46You tend to work round the situation.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49That's the word we've all agreed as a family.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52You can't get over it, it's something so unique.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56But every day we get a bit stronger and keep fighting basically for Nic.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59That's what it means to us. Yeah.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Dominating the landscape of the arboretum
0:23:14 > 0:23:17is the Portland stone Armed Forces Memorial.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21On it is inscribed the name of every member of the forces
0:23:21 > 0:23:24who has died in active service since the Second World War.
0:23:24 > 0:23:2916,000 names have been carved into its walls so far.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38I think what surprises me the most
0:23:38 > 0:23:42is the sheer number of names that are here
0:23:42 > 0:23:44of all the servicemen and women that have died
0:23:44 > 0:23:46since the Second World War.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50All are people that would have had parents like Jackie and Rick,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54who I met today, who will have been heartbroken
0:23:54 > 0:23:56and never got over their loss.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Even though I don't understand anything about military history,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04this place suddenly feels incredibly important.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Later, in this special edition of Countryfile,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Matt heads to Devon to see how its beaches doubled up for D-day.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28It's hard to believe one of the most important military exercises ever
0:24:28 > 0:24:32took place here on the waters at Slapton Sands.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I'm getting stuck in with the squaddies building
0:24:38 > 0:24:41a badge of our own.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Right, we are top left.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And if you're out and about in the week ahead,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48you'll need the Countryfile weather forecast.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57What do you do if you've got some of the nation's most important
0:24:57 > 0:25:01naval history in your back yard, but you can't get at it for weeds?
0:25:01 > 0:25:04You call in special help, as Katie discovered
0:25:04 > 0:25:08when she went to Gosport near Portsmouth on the south coast.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15This coastal city is packed to the portholes with nautical history.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19But it seems some of our most valuable naval history
0:25:19 > 0:25:24has been lost over the years under a sea of overgrown brambles.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27This is Priddy's Hard, which is a peninsula sticking out
0:25:27 > 0:25:28into Portsmouth Harbour.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32It was defended in 1757 by this enormous bank and ditch
0:25:32 > 0:25:35that we see here, principally to protect
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Portsmouth Harbour from bombardment by a foreign army.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Then in the 1770s, they built some enormous gunpowder magazines here
0:25:44 > 0:25:47to supply the Royal Navy. So most of the ships at the time,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49particularly at the time of Nelson and Trafalgar,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51would have stopped here for gunpowder.
0:25:51 > 0:25:57From then on, it became the major Royal Navy supply for ammunition.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The area's incredibly overgrown. How long since the MoD were here?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04They were last here in 1989.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08The site was progressively run down during the 1980s.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10They finally left the site then.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Since then it's become completely overgrown with trees and scrub
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and is the jungle we see today.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Decades of historical buildings lie hidden on this ten-acre site.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Bill Mansfield remembers when it looked very different.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26So, Bill, this is a real trip down memory lane for you.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31- This is where you were working for 50 years.- Yes.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34So you were working on all the explosives. Is that right?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Yes, if it went bang, I had something to do with it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41- But it didn't go bang here?- No. - What were you responsible for?
0:26:41 > 0:26:47The ammunition came in and the idea was to take it to pieces,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50clean everything up and put it together again.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52So that it could go back to the ships.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56What do you feel when you look at it now.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- No, it's sad.- How did it look then?
0:26:58 > 0:27:01There was nothing more than about four inches high.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05None of the grass or undergrowth because of the fire risk.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Of course, I remember of all the people I worked with.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Some of them were here before the First World War.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16There was a permanent gang of a dozen men that just cut grass.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20We used to have lovely yarns from them about things that went on.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22- So you have a lot of memories from here?- Yes.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26So, what's being done to rescue the site?
0:27:26 > 0:27:30Phil Hazel works in the nearby Naval Museum.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32He's on the frontline attacking the enemy - ivy.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Phil's uncovered all sorts of buildings using his trusty loppers,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40but getting to some of them requires some difficult manoeuvres.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Once more into the breach.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47So, you cut through the brambles. My goodness me, what a find.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- What was this used for? - This was a Victorian shell store.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54So it's an ammunition area for the new class of weapons that
0:27:54 > 0:27:58were being utilised by ships such as HMS Warrior in the 1860s.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03- What did you find when you first came into this room?- A lot of sand.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07We think the sand was used for protecting the air-raid shelters
0:28:07 > 0:28:12and Anderson shelters that dotted over 100 acres of weapons site.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15With such limited manpower,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18cutting back weeds across ten acres is going to take years.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22As fast as Phil cuts them down, they grow back again.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26But it's not mission impossible because we have a secret weapon
0:28:26 > 0:28:30with a natural fighting spirit capable of tackling
0:28:30 > 0:28:32the toughest of scrubland.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35This overgrown area of Portsmouth doesn't need boats.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39Oh no, it needs goats.
0:28:41 > 0:28:47- Here we go. Hello. Time to come out. - Here we go.- Ooh.
0:28:47 > 0:28:53You have arrived at your new home. 15 billies to be exact.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57This army of four-legged crusaders are being shipped in to chew the cud
0:28:57 > 0:29:02currently engulfing our precious naval history.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- So why goats?- Goats are going to be our maintenance crew, really.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07We've got a very small team here
0:29:07 > 0:29:11and the site's extraordinarily wild and goats eat anything.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14We're hoping they'll eat a lot of the vegetation in here
0:29:14 > 0:29:18and start the process of getting this site more easy to maintain
0:29:18 > 0:29:20and hopefully we can let the public in one day.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24- Do you think they'll like it here? - I think so. Goats like to climb,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27they like to jump and we've got all the undulating scenery.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31We've got lots of different things for them to eat, to explore.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35They're getting confident already, which is fantastic.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38They're good, aren't they?
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Come on, goats, follow the man with the bucket and don't eat my coat!
0:29:42 > 0:29:46- Ooh, dear, goat in the moat! - Goat in the moat, fantastic.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48- Goat out.- Let's keep going.- You see how good at climbing they are.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Come on, this way.
0:29:51 > 0:29:57Not many people know that goats can climb stairs.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02So the plan is, you can see, this shelf is covered in ivy
0:30:02 > 0:30:04and you can see Phil, here, lopping away at it.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08What we're hoping is, as we chop it down, as we expose it,
0:30:08 > 0:30:10the goats will eat the ivy and we can work with them
0:30:10 > 0:30:12to really take control of the site.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Do you think this is enough goats?
0:30:14 > 0:30:16If the site is how big, ten acres?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18To trial, we're going to get them in to start with,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21make sure we've got the site secure, see how they take to it,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24make sure they're happy and expand the herd.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26So we're aiming for about 50, we hope.
0:30:26 > 0:30:27- 50 goats?- Absolutely.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Excellent. That'll be quite nice. It won't be so lonely any more, Phil.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33When you've got 50 goats to help you.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35They'll be good little colleagues!
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Follow the man with the goat food!
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Here we are.
0:30:39 > 0:30:40Goat-el California.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41That was dreadful.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43But Nick wants the goats to concentrate
0:30:43 > 0:30:46on nibbling sections at a time.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49This is an experiment, so which weeds they prefer isn't known.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52It's early days, but with any luck, the site will be munched
0:30:52 > 0:30:55and licked shipshape soon.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58Katie, there, showing that four legs are better than two
0:30:58 > 0:31:00when it comes to doing your gardening.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04Thanks to the thousands of you who've already bought this year's
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Countryfile calendar for 2012, sold in aid of Children In Need.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09If you haven't already got yours,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12here's John with a reminder of how you can get your hands on one.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19The calendar costs £9 and a minimum of £4
0:31:19 > 0:31:23from each sale will go to Children In Need.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26You can order it right now on our website.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33Or you can call the order line.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43You could also order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...
0:31:50 > 0:31:55Please make your cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03In a minute, I'll be joining the lads of the 11th Signal Regiment
0:32:03 > 0:32:06as we leave our own mark on the landscape.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09But first, of all the fighting units in the British Army,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12there are few fiercer or braver than the Gurkhas.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16So, how would Julia get along with them?
0:32:17 > 0:32:21If you love the outdoors, then the Brecon Beacons are a bit of a Mecca.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24And you can't come all this way and not get to the highest point
0:32:24 > 0:32:27in southern Wales, Pen y Fan.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31And the views up here are superb.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35It's also very cold and very windy.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40But what you might be surprised to see, is this.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46Are they Gurkhas?
0:32:46 > 0:32:50Gurkhas have a reputation for being fearsome warriors,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54coming from Nepal in South Asia, 5,000 miles away from the UK.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59The country's home to the world's highest mountains and it's known as the roof of the world.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02And these mountains are the closest thing to the Himalayas
0:33:02 > 0:33:03in this part of Wales,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06offering perfect conditions for training.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11So, Major, some people will be surprised to find Gurkhas here in the Brecon Beacons,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15but you've actually been here for many, many decades, been based here?
0:33:15 > 0:33:22That's right, we've been here since 1974. It's, what, 30 years, now.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Now, the Gurkhas have a very tough reputation,
0:33:25 > 0:33:28you are known as being stealthy machines.
0:33:28 > 0:33:34- Is that a deserved reputation? - It is. It is.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38And especially, the Gurkhas have been fighting
0:33:38 > 0:33:44since they were joining the British Army in 1815.
0:33:44 > 0:33:51And they are still in Afghanistan, and in other countries, as well.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54- So they're an integral part of our army.- They are, yes.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Gurkhas are still selected from young men living in the hills of Nepal.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03Last year, 13,000 youths competed for just 176 places.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06It's said to be one of the toughest training regimes in the world,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09which means they'll take the Welsh weather in their stride.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14The 135 of them based here in Brecon are some of the chosen few
0:34:14 > 0:34:16and I'm keen to meet these famous fighters.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Now, I should either feel very safe being here with all these Gurkhas,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23or I should be very afraid, cos you're quite deadly, aren't you?
0:34:23 > 0:34:25You don't need to worry about your life
0:34:25 > 0:34:28because, honestly, we are here as the Gurkhas.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31We will protect you until our deaths.
0:34:31 > 0:34:32Oh, I've always wanted to hear that.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34Say that again.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36That's amazing.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Now, the Gurkhas are famous for their knife skills.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- Is it called a cookery knife? - Yes.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45But not a cookery knife as we would know, for cooking.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49Basically, as an army, we use this for our second weapon.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Yes, we use it in the kitchen, like chopping up meat.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56- It really is a multipurpose knife. - Yeah.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02What is it like being here in the Brecon Beacons compared to Nepal?
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Being in Brecon Beacons and Nepal?
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Ah, it's similar, like, in a geographical way.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12It's high grounds and peaceful place.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18- But compared to the windy and rainy things...- And the cold.- The cold.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22- It is different compared to Nepal. - Would you rather be here or in Nepal?
0:35:22 > 0:35:26- I'd rather be in Nepal than here. - You, too?- Of course.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30- I'd love to be in Nepal. - Cos it's warmer?- Yeah.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32The chilly mountains around the town of Brecon
0:35:32 > 0:35:36have been home to the Gurkhas for more than three decades.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38With the Gurkhas, come families.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Nowhere is this more apparent than at the local school.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- What percentage of the school are Nepalese?- At least 25%,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47- now, is Nepalese. - So roughly a quarter?- Yes.
0:35:47 > 0:35:48At least that, if not more.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50What challenges does that present?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52It can be quite difficult
0:35:52 > 0:35:55because some of the children come in with not so much English.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59From their point of view, they're coming to the middle of Wales
0:35:59 > 0:36:02where it's different from what's happening in Nepal.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05And also, for the children to learn how to speak Welsh, as well.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09- They've got to speak English, Welsh and Nepalese?- Yes.
0:36:09 > 0:36:10They'll go back to Nepal one day
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and be speaking Welsh across the Himalayas.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16What impact do you think it has on these young kids
0:36:16 > 0:36:18having so many Nepalese young friends?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20We are such a multicultural school
0:36:20 > 0:36:24and they learn about multiculturalism at first hand.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26So, for example, we have the little Mandir,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29so our children learn about the Hindu faith.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31They go and worship with our Nepalese children.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34The Nepalese children go to the cathedral with ours
0:36:34 > 0:36:36when we've got to do some work on that.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41- So, the Nepalese are well and truly integrated here at the school? - Completely.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44So, what have the children got to say? What do you know about Nepal?
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Well, there's lots of mountains,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50there's the Hilla... Hillera... Hilleralayas
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and there's Mount Everest.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56You know a lot. What do you like most about Wales?
0:36:56 > 0:37:00- I like the mountains, I like Pen y Fan the most.- Do you?
0:37:00 > 0:37:01I've just climbed up there.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- I have.- Have you?- Yes.- Brilliant.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07Newton, speak to me in Welsh.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09- Bore da.- What's that?
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Um...
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Good morning.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Bore da!
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Newton's father, Guman, joined the Gurkhas when he was 18,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24serving in over ten countries, including the Falklands and Belize.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26He set up shop in Brecon,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29bringing a taste of the East to Nepalese and local customers.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33What's it like living in Brecon, do you enjoy it?
0:37:33 > 0:37:36Yes, I enjoy it very much. Brecon is a very nice place.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38Why I like this place is,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42you see the mountains, it looks like Nepal.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45And the people here.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49We have really good relations with the Brecon people
0:37:49 > 0:37:51and we always enjoy with them.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54Do you think you'll stay here, now, you and your family?
0:37:54 > 0:37:55Is this home forever?
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Yeah, this is the new beginning. So...
0:37:59 > 0:38:03Yeah, I think we'll be here forever.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06So, with the community thriving, it's likely the Gurkhas
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and their families, will be in this Welsh town for many decades to come.
0:38:12 > 0:38:17Back in Fovant, the lads of the 11th Signal Regiment are hard at it.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20We've spent the morning shifting big red panels.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23You might not be able to see just what it is yet,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26but I think the colour gives a big clue.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29I'm a local here, and I was quite struck, I always am, by the badges.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33And when the boys who put them here in the first place started,
0:38:33 > 0:38:37they were going to the First World War, proud of their regiments,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39they were keen to fight for their country.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42They didn't know what was going to happen.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44They came back and those associations they then formed,
0:38:44 > 0:38:46eventually became the Legion.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And I thought, how do we say, "What they did then is what we do now?"
0:38:50 > 0:38:53And it's exactly the same, comradeship, remembrance,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57supporting those who've come back injured and comradeship for all.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01It's a very beautiful emblem and it fits brilliantly on the hillside.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06You'll have to wait to see the finished thing.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08A fitting new addition.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11From Wiltshire farmland to Devon coast, now,
0:39:11 > 0:39:13where Matt found out how its beaches played a big part
0:39:13 > 0:39:15ahead of the D-Day landings.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20One of the most important military exercises ever
0:39:20 > 0:39:24took place here, on the waters at Slapton Sands.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Codenamed Exercise Tiger,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30it was an American naval exercise that was a rehearsal for D-Day -
0:39:30 > 0:39:35the world's biggest air, land and sea operation.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36It was to play a significant part
0:39:36 > 0:39:39in liberating Nazi-occupied north-west Europe
0:39:39 > 0:39:40during the Second World War.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43The plan was for Allied troops to surprise the Nazis
0:39:43 > 0:39:46at five main occupied beaches in Normandy,
0:39:46 > 0:39:48one of which was codenamed Utah.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51But first, the Americans wanted to practice their attack
0:39:51 > 0:39:54and they chose to do that here, at Slapton Sands.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56There were two days of landings
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and they put, actually, 25,000 troops over this beach
0:39:59 > 0:40:02and more than 2,500 vehicles.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07So this, then, was their training ground? The kind of rehearsal area.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Why did they choose this spot?
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Well, it had been chosen the previous year,
0:40:12 > 0:40:14by the late summer of 1943,
0:40:14 > 0:40:19and although this has similarities to Utah beach,
0:40:19 > 0:40:24it has similarities to Omaha as well, that's not really why it was chosen.
0:40:24 > 0:40:29It was close to the major concentrations of American forces
0:40:29 > 0:40:30in the great South West.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33It was close to the major embarkation ports.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Around Plymouth, Dartmouth is in that direction.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Brixham and Torquay and so on.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42And because it was going to be a live firing exercise area,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45they would have to move the population out.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48In November 1943,
0:40:48 > 0:40:533,000 residents from villages around Slapton Sands were given
0:40:53 > 0:40:57six weeks to pack up and move out to make way for the forces.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02180 of these were farmers.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Joy Heath was a 21-year-old land girl at the time
0:41:05 > 0:41:08and she remembers how farmers reacted to the news
0:41:08 > 0:41:09of the evacuation.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Well, they were upset, most of them.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16But luckily, they knew most of the people that were taking
0:41:16 > 0:41:17the animals, you know?
0:41:19 > 0:41:22We were sent helpers and they all helped.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25It was like packing the things up.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28That was mostly packing up all the provisions and so on.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Every so often, the tractor and trailer would come and take so many
0:41:32 > 0:41:36sheep out to Mr so and so. who very kindly looked after them and so on.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40What were the Americans like when they turned up?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Well, they were lovely.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44They were all so tall and swashbuckling,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48just like you see on the films, you know?
0:41:48 > 0:41:51They met the girls at dances and things.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- It was all very supervised and whatnot.- Right.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58The ones that we did meet were exceedingly nice.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59They were very helpful.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Very kindly, they distributed candy to the children.
0:42:04 > 0:42:09Nylons to the ladies. First nylons we'd ever seen. I didn't get any, actually!
0:42:12 > 0:42:14With the area now evacuated,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17the American servicemen, armed with live ammunition,
0:42:17 > 0:42:19turn to the serious business of preparing for D-Day.
0:42:19 > 0:42:24And the carefully planned Tiger exercise began.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28But in the early hours of 28 April, 1944, disaster struck.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32German torpedo boats had stumbled upon the exercise
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and opened fire.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40As a result, two American landing ships sank and one was damaged,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43leaving over at 700 Americans dead.
0:42:43 > 0:42:49It was all hushed up but we didn't know what a scam it was, you see?
0:42:49 > 0:42:52We just heard there'd been a little bit of a do out in the bay.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57That was it. That was really tragic, you know?
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Shockingly, the death toll from Tiger Exercise
0:43:03 > 0:43:06was over three times that of the D-Day landings on Utah Beach.
0:43:09 > 0:43:16At the time, Reg Hannaford, son of a local butcher, was 13.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19What happened was my father and elder brother
0:43:19 > 0:43:22were down delivering the meat rations,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25and the fishermen there were talking to some American military police.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28They were asking the fishermen
0:43:28 > 0:43:31if they had seen any bodies in the sea, and that sort of thing.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34We didn't know anything about Exercise Tiger
0:43:34 > 0:43:39until they brought three damaged landing craft,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42and then the rumours buzzed then, of course.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45But it was all kept very quiet.
0:43:48 > 0:43:53Today, a tank stands just yards from the sea, acting as a memorial
0:43:53 > 0:43:56to the US servicemen who lost their lives that night.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00And this monument, dedicated to the evacuees, by the Americans.
0:44:04 > 0:44:10'On the hillside above Fovant, we're close to finishing.'
0:44:10 > 0:44:11It is steep!
0:44:11 > 0:44:12'For one day only,
0:44:12 > 0:44:17'this new emblem will take its place alongside the famous Fovant badges.'
0:44:17 > 0:44:22Are these badges just relics of old conflicts? Are they still relevant?
0:44:22 > 0:44:24There are still very relevant today.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Particularly for my regiment, the Rifles,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29who have forebears represented on this hillside.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34As a young boy, I went to many First World War battlefields,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38and the sheer scale of the conflict is seen in the graves there.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And then you see the photographs of the men as they trained
0:44:41 > 0:44:45in the UK, the young lads. And today in the British Army,
0:44:45 > 0:44:47training young soldiers ready to go out on operations,
0:44:47 > 0:44:52you see the same kind of man - 1915 and today -
0:44:52 > 0:44:58ready to go and lay it all on the line for Queen and country.
0:44:58 > 0:45:00In a moment, I will be getting the best possible view
0:45:00 > 0:45:03of the lads' handiwork from up there.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07First, it's time for the Countryfile weather forecast for the week ahead.
0:46:49 > 0:46:56.
0:47:08 > 0:47:13In this special programme, I have seen what a big part our countryside
0:47:13 > 0:47:17has played in both war and remembrance. And I've travelled
0:47:17 > 0:47:22to the Wiltshire village of Fovant, to see its famous military badges.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26I got stuck in helping the lads of a local regiment put up a new one,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28but now, I need a lift.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33Helping me get aloft for a bird's-eye view is Jonathan.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37- Is this what we're flying in? - It certainly is.- Nice to meet you!
0:47:37 > 0:47:40'Whilst I am getting kitted up to take to the Wiltshire skies,
0:47:40 > 0:47:41'here's Jules.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45'He went to Suffolk to find out the crucial role its farmland played'
0:47:45 > 0:47:47in World War II.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52This farmland in Lavenham in Suffolk
0:47:52 > 0:47:56looks like any other farmland you'd see in the British countryside.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58A patchwork of fields, sown with winter crops,
0:47:58 > 0:48:01and green pasture dying back at the onset of winter.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06But if you'd wandered round here 65 years ago,
0:48:06 > 0:48:09you'd have been met with a very different picture.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13These outbuildings and this land became home to the 487th Bomb Group
0:48:13 > 0:48:15of the American 8th Air Force.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24ENGINES ROAR
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Lavenham airfield was built on farmland in the Suffolk countryside
0:48:34 > 0:48:36a few miles from Bury St Edmunds.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40The Air Ministry was requisitioning land all over the south-east,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42as it was flat and close to the Continent,
0:48:42 > 0:48:45making it ideal for Allied air bases.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Rural Suffolk changed rapidly.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51Where once men and tractors and horses
0:48:51 > 0:48:53would have been working the fields,
0:48:53 > 0:48:56there were now great caches of aircraft, heavy bombers,
0:48:56 > 0:48:58ready and waiting to take the war over to Germany.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Of course, the skyline changed. Hangars popped up, outbuildings,
0:49:02 > 0:49:04and of course, the ubiquitous control tower.
0:49:04 > 0:49:09Where there was once peace and quiet, now there was an almighty roar.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14The bomber at the heart of the American attack
0:49:14 > 0:49:18was the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22They flew daytime missions and left a big impression on Bill Eady,
0:49:22 > 0:49:24at the time, a young farm foreman.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31I can see them coming in now, it was like a drove of pigeons.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35There must have been some sadness. You'd have counted the aircraft out,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37and counted them back.
0:49:37 > 0:49:41Well, we knew all these aircraft,
0:49:41 > 0:49:46because they all had a mascot painted on the side of it.
0:49:46 > 0:49:52And we'd say, "Oh, Shoo Shoo Baby is back",
0:49:52 > 0:50:00then we'd look around and we'd say, "No, Spirit Of '69 ain't got back."
0:50:02 > 0:50:05You must have felt sorry for these aircrew.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09They would go through extreme periods of terror up in the air.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12And they'd come back to sleepy Suffolk.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14It must have been an odd life for them.
0:50:14 > 0:50:18Did they tell you what it was like flying over Germany?
0:50:18 > 0:50:22No. When I used to see them jumping out of them aeroplanes
0:50:22 > 0:50:26and onto the ground, I'd lie down and kiss the ground.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- Back in dear old England. - Yeah.
0:50:33 > 0:50:38There were more than 3,000 airmen stationed at Lavenham,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41and many of the buildings they used have survived.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44But none are in such good nick as the old control tower.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Look at this place! Look at that!
0:50:50 > 0:50:55"Flying control, clearances, enquiries, visiting pilots."
0:50:57 > 0:51:00Arable farmer John Pawsey is the current owner.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05He was behind the restoration, and is keeping the history of it alive.
0:51:05 > 0:51:12- Nice to meet you. What a fantastic view of the airfield!- It's great!
0:51:12 > 0:51:16You can really get an impression of the old airfield.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19Where did the runway actually go?
0:51:19 > 0:51:22It went from that point, the dark bit of ground,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25went straight the way through here, through this open field,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27and past the straw stacks into the distance.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29It was about 1.25 miles long.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31That was the main runway.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33They had two other runways,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35that went, as you say, making the classical A-shape.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38And there were three runways.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42Clearly, it had a huge impact on the working life of the farm.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45- But farming went on around it. - It did.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49And actually, if you look at aerial maps of the airfield in the wartime,
0:51:49 > 0:51:53you can see farming operations going on.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56That was my grandfather's point, that he wanted to stay here
0:51:56 > 0:51:59and continue to farm what he could. That's exactly what he did.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09The Americans may be long gone from Lavenham airfield,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12but this area still plays host to American air bases,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15like the one here at Lakenheath.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27Lakenheath is one of the oldest and biggest American air bases in the UK.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31But just because it's tucked away in a corner of Suffolk,
0:52:31 > 0:52:32don't be fooled.
0:52:32 > 0:52:36When you walk through the gates here, you are entering another world.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41It's a little bit of America, smack bang in the Suffolk countryside.
0:52:41 > 0:52:43There are all the familiar comforts needed
0:52:43 > 0:52:46to make the visiting personnel feel right at home.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52Bill, do you find that many of your personnel who come here today,
0:52:52 > 0:52:56in the 21st Century, are able to tap into that sense of camaraderie
0:52:56 > 0:53:02that was established between the RAF and the United States Air Force back in World War II?
0:53:02 > 0:53:04Yes.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07A lot of the families that are coming over,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09a lot of our aircrew, a lot of our...
0:53:09 > 0:53:13younger airmen have a basic working understanding
0:53:13 > 0:53:15of what went on during World War II.
0:53:15 > 0:53:17But they...
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I suppose, until they wander into the countryside,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23they're not quite aware of the...
0:53:23 > 0:53:26the scope of how many troops and so forth -
0:53:26 > 0:53:29the airfield, the combat groups - that were here.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Cos there was an airfield every... what, every five miles or so?
0:53:32 > 0:53:34The really awesome thing
0:53:34 > 0:53:37is that whenever you get these younger folks into the countryside,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41they're able to see these airfields, the Nissen huts and so forth,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44and that's where they make the emotional connection.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48And then you see them writing home saying, "Grandpa, I understand you flew a B-17 in World War II,"
0:53:48 > 0:53:51and that connection's made.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08There is no doubt that the combined Allied bombing campaign
0:54:08 > 0:54:11helped turn the tide of the Second World War.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13But not without cost.
0:54:13 > 0:54:19More than 26,000 American airmen and 55,000 British lost their lives.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23And this day, above all days, we remember their sacrifice.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32You guessed - that big red badge we spent the day building is,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34of course, a poppy -
0:54:34 > 0:54:36the universal symbol of remembrance.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40A fitting emblem to sit alongside the Fovant Badges.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45But this isn't the best view. Oh, no.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49For that, I'm hitching a ride with pilot Jonathan Elwes in his vintage Tiger Moth.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51First built in the 1930s,
0:54:51 > 0:54:56they were the RAF's number-one training aircraft throughout the Second World War.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02That was such a gentle takeoff,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05I didn't even know we were off the ground.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08It feels like how it would be if you could fly in your dreams.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10That was amazing!
0:55:12 > 0:55:15It's coming right up. The badges are coming up now.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21Here they come now. I can see the first badge.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25Oh, my goodness! What a beautiful view!
0:55:25 > 0:55:27That's amazing!
0:55:31 > 0:55:35And there's the poppy now, with a few cows around it. Ha, ha!
0:55:35 > 0:55:40Wow! That really is enough to make your heart swell.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44How glorious!
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Fantastic!
0:55:53 > 0:55:55Such detail you can see from here.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59It's almost as if they built them to imagine them from this kind of angle.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09That is glorious! And there's that beautiful poppy -
0:56:09 > 0:56:11really striking on the landscape.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15So meaningful at this time of year.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23It's been a memorable day, but now it's nearly done.
0:56:25 > 0:56:27That was amazing!
0:56:27 > 0:56:29That's all we've got time for
0:56:29 > 0:56:32for this special remembrance edition of Countryfile.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34Next week, I'll be joining Matt
0:56:34 > 0:56:37in Derbyshire's beautiful Derwent Valley.
0:56:37 > 0:56:38Hope you can join us then.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Can we go again?
0:56:59 > 0:57:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:02 > 0:57:05E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk