0:00:27 > 0:00:30It's one of our most ancient woodlands, the Royal Forest of Dean,
0:00:30 > 0:00:35in Gloucestershire - a patchwork of green, gold and red.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38On this Remembrance Sunday, we'll be discovering
0:00:38 > 0:00:42the vital role the forest played in World War II.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52These trees provided a much-needed resource during the war effort.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55With many men away fighting in Europe,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57lumberjacks gave way to "lumberjills".
0:00:57 > 0:01:01To mark the 70th anniversary of the Women's Timber Corps,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I'll be using one of these
0:01:04 > 0:01:08and meeting those who took on this arduous task in a special reunion.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Hidden beneath the canopy, I'm following a Sculpture Trail.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Nothing quite prepares you
0:01:17 > 0:01:20for what you're about to see when you turn the corner,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and this is a brilliant example - it's massive!
0:01:22 > 0:01:26A stained-glass window hanging up at tree height, with this classic
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Forest of Dean scene glowing beautifully in this sunlight.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36And - just what's happening to our traditional village greens?
0:01:36 > 0:01:40With beaches and even a lake now getting village green status,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43has the quest to protect valuable land gone too far?
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I'll be investigating.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51And Adam's leaving his Highlands behind to see one of the best
0:01:51 > 0:01:55herds in Britain - but he's not heading north of the border.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57It's eerie, watching them come out of the fog.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59It's a lovely sight, isn't it?
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The Forest of Dean - dense swathes of green,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15peppered with the burnt tones of autumn.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It's one of England's few remaining ancient forests...
0:02:21 > 0:02:25..a landscape that's been shaped by its industrial past.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29The forest has a long history of coal-mining,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33charcoal-burning and, of course, timber production.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36But now its industrial past is discreetly camouflaged
0:02:36 > 0:02:39beneath this leafy, green canopy.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Lying just outside Gloucester,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47the Forest of Dean is sandwiched between the Wye and the Severn,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49bordering England and Wales.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54It covers just over 42 square miles of ancient mixed woodland,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57and it's got some rather wild residents.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Watch out - wild boar crossing.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04But venture a little further into the woods,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and you'll encounter much more than its flora and fauna.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10In the forest, there's a Sculpture Trail,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12but it takes a bit of effort to seek it out.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Thankfully, I've got a map and an eagle eye.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19It's not long before I spot the first sculpture -
0:03:19 > 0:03:22well, you can hardly miss it. It's called Place,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25but the locals call it Giant Chair, for obvious reasons.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29'Andrew Stonyer is chair of the Sculpture Trail trustees.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31'How very apt!'
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Andrew, what a day to experience this trail!- Absolutely beautiful.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38- You can understand why this piece is called The Place.- Absolutely.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- It looks a bit wobbly, Andrew... - Well...
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- I would call that implied movement. - Implied movement! Right, OK!
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Yes. It was put together in a way in which we know
0:03:48 > 0:03:50it couldn't possibly collapse.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54And I think always in the best sculptures, there's this feeling
0:03:54 > 0:03:57that the thing can move, that movement
0:03:57 > 0:04:00is an inherent part of it - probably not physical,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05- but perceptual.- So, where did the whole idea come from?
0:04:05 > 0:04:09There was a move to get art out of the gallery
0:04:09 > 0:04:12into a very, very public sphere.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14There was also the notion that
0:04:14 > 0:04:16sculpture could actually entice people.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20So, the idea was that the sculpture here -
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and the trail - would bring people into the forest.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28But the thing about this Sculpture Trail, it really is about something,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and it is about the forest, and it is about how the sculptures
0:04:32 > 0:04:36reveal aspects of the forest - which is so important about it.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Some of the sculptures - like Place - are made of
0:04:39 > 0:04:41materials from the forest.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Others reflect its mining heritage.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Echo, by Annie Cattrell, is a direct cast
0:04:47 > 0:04:49of a rock face used for quarrying.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55But these quiet glades also serve as a place of remembrance.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58This piece is called Dead Wood, by Carole Drake,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and it's made up of these unnamed tombs set into the ground,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05to represent the forests of Europe ravaged by war.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07And it really is quite haunting -
0:05:07 > 0:05:10because the surrounding trees, with their straight lines,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14they look like a regiment of tall, upright soldiers.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20A fitting reminder, on this day of remembrance.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Later, I'll be meeting an artist
0:05:22 > 0:05:25who's created the trail's biggest artwork yet,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28inspired by his experiences in Afghanistan.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32While I'm enjoying the Sculpture Trail here in the Forest of Dean,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35Tom is over in Norfolk, finding out why a village green
0:05:35 > 0:05:38doesn't always have to be in a village - or green!
0:05:40 > 0:05:44MORRIS MUSIC PLAYS
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Village greens are places of endless possibilities.
0:05:52 > 0:05:57Maybe you could use them to express traditional culture,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01or perhaps you want to get some exercise in, limber up,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04before the big game at the weekend. Or possibly,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08just relax on the grass with a good book.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11However you want to use them, everybody agrees,
0:06:11 > 0:06:13they love these places!
0:06:16 > 0:06:20'Village greens exist purely for having fun,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24'and they're protected by law - in fact,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'they are the most protected areas of land in England!'
0:06:27 > 0:06:32# We are the village green preservation society... #
0:06:32 > 0:06:36People have been playing games here at Great Massingham in Norfolk
0:06:36 > 0:06:39since the 1300s. There are around 4,000
0:06:39 > 0:06:42designated places like this in England and Wales -
0:06:42 > 0:06:46but not all the village greens look like this!
0:06:46 > 0:06:50# Preserving the old ways from being abused
0:06:50 > 0:06:55# Protecting the new ways for me and for you... #
0:06:55 > 0:06:58'A new generation of village greens
0:06:58 > 0:07:02'has been springing up on patches of land you wouldn't normally
0:07:02 > 0:07:04'associate with the storybook image.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08'There are now greens on former railway land, a beach
0:07:08 > 0:07:10'and even on some lakes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'In some cases, it's claimed, applications are being made
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'simply to stop development.'
0:07:22 > 0:07:27This field in Saham Toney produced a pretty good crop of wheat this year,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and yet it could be decreed as a village green. Now, I reckon
0:07:31 > 0:07:34you might get a fairly uneven bounce from this turf,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and it's a little bit prickly for putting down your picnic rug.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'An application went in three years ago,
0:07:41 > 0:07:46'claiming this privately-owned field is used for public recreation,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'and should therefore become a village green.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53'It coincided with planning permission to build ten houses -
0:07:53 > 0:07:55'some say it wasn't a coincidence.'
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Building went ahead, as you can see,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02but if this area were to be designated a village green,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06technically, they could pull these houses down,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and there's a growing feeling across the country that this ancient law
0:08:09 > 0:08:13is being misused, as a tool to block development.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17'But is it fair to accuse people of nimbyism -
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'"not in my back yard" - or are they simply
0:08:20 > 0:08:23'trying to protect open space for the community?'
0:08:25 > 0:08:28The people who say this place should be a village green
0:08:28 > 0:08:31say it would protect it from further development,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35but does this place really deserve village green status?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'It isn't the first time Kate Ashbrook
0:08:39 > 0:08:43'has been asked that question. She's from the Open Spaces Society,
0:08:43 > 0:08:44'which champions the public's right
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'to greens and common land across Britain.'
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Can anywhere be a village green?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52It can be, if local people can show
0:08:52 > 0:08:54that they've used the land for 20 years,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58without being stopped, and without asking permission,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and they've used it for informal recreation.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Village green status is clearly cherished, but do you sometimes
0:09:03 > 0:09:06think it's being abused, used vexatiously, if you like,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- as a knee-jerk block to development? - Possibly, yes.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12There will be some. But in most cases, people realise,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15when their land is threatened, land that they've known and loved
0:09:15 > 0:09:18for a long time, then they want to protect it,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20and they want to record their right to enjoy it -
0:09:20 > 0:09:22and that's really what's happening.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25It's not specifically to stop the development,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27but it's a recognition of local use of land.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30'So, any piece of land,
0:09:30 > 0:09:35'as long as it's genuinely used for recreation, is eligible.'
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We invited those who want this to be a village green
0:09:38 > 0:09:42onto the programme, but they said it was not appropriate to comment
0:09:42 > 0:09:44before a decision was made.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48But they insist the people of Saham Toney have been using
0:09:48 > 0:09:52this field and surrounding areas for dog-walking and other pastimes
0:09:52 > 0:09:54for at least 20 years.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59'But the land owner doesn't agree - the field gives Ed Buskill
0:09:59 > 0:10:03'a nice barn full of wheat, and as far as he's concerned,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'THAT'S the best use for it.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:11What did you think when people told you this was a village green?
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Well, I thought it was incredible, I couldn't understand it.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17I mean, you can see, it's a field in full arable production,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19so I couldn't see how it could
0:10:19 > 0:10:21possibly be perceived as a village green.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25But have local people enjoyed some kind of recreation in this space -
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I don't know, coming here for a walk or a game or something -
0:10:28 > 0:10:31that might entitle them to think this is a village green?
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Not that we are aware of at all, and I would be very concerned.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- Obviously, we use a lot of heavy machinery...- Mmm.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40..and the idea that a small child might pop up, playing a game,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- when we've got... It's very concerning, very serious.- Yeah.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'Ed feels it was his decision to sell some of the field
0:10:49 > 0:10:51'for affordable housing
0:10:51 > 0:10:54'that prompted the application for a village green.'
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Why do you think people are claiming that this is a village green?
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I think they believe I'm going to develop the field further,
0:11:00 > 0:11:04and I'm not sure that they're that keen on having people
0:11:04 > 0:11:06living in affordable homes near them.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15So, who will make the decision to grant or reject the application?
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Well, the answer is likely to come from a public inquiry,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and many of the people who live in these houses
0:11:21 > 0:11:22are attending it right now.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29'Taken together, contentious cases like the one here in Saham Toney
0:11:29 > 0:11:33'are costing millions of pounds in legal bills.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35'But village green applications
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'that conflict with local planning decisions
0:11:38 > 0:11:40'will soon face a much tougher struggle.'
0:11:45 > 0:11:49The two sides battling it out over the future of village greens
0:11:49 > 0:11:53are about to see some major changes to the rules of the game -
0:11:53 > 0:11:56something that will shift the balance of power.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I'll be revealing more about that later in the programme.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Matt and I are making our way through the Forest of Dean,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14where autumn is silently spreading through the landscape -
0:12:14 > 0:12:19green turning gold, and shadows stretched long on the ground.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Nowadays, for most people, these woods are a place
0:12:27 > 0:12:30to find some peace and quiet and get away from it all.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34But 70 years ago, far from being a place of retreat,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37this forest was at the heart of the fight on the home front.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46As war raged around the world, wood became a vital resource.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Home-grown timber was needed to make everything from Spitfire wings,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53to rifle butts, to pit props for coal mines.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And with many lumberjacks called up to fight,
0:12:56 > 0:13:01it was down to female lumberjills to step in and keep the war machine fed.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10'Only around 150 of the 9,000 lumberjills survive,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13'so to mark the 70th anniversary of the Women's Timber Corps,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16'and on this day of remembrance, we've brought some
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'of the remaining few together to tell their story.'
0:13:19 > 0:13:23- This is you, Irene - what was going on in this photo?- Yeah,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27we were just taking the horses down. It must have been
0:13:27 > 0:13:30the end of the day, I think.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33- What made you sign up to the Timber Corps?- You just went
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- and joined the Land Army, and they gave you what they thought.- Gosh.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And I was lucky, and got the Timber Corps.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44# We're the girls who fell for victory
0:13:44 > 0:13:48# We're the girls who chop the trees
0:13:48 > 0:13:52# Every time we swing our axes
0:13:52 > 0:13:55# Is a stroke for victory. #
0:13:55 > 0:13:59They sent me to Bury St Edmunds, just outside,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02to a training camp, and there was men there
0:14:02 > 0:14:05that taught us how to cut into the trees
0:14:05 > 0:14:08and then saw. We used to saw 'em up,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- clean 'em, then cut them into pit props.- Yep.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14What was the attitude of the men around you when you were doing this?
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- Do you REALLY want me to tell you? - Yes, I really do!
0:14:18 > 0:14:20"What the hell are you doing here?
0:14:20 > 0:14:23"What the heck do you know about trees?"
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Not a fat lot, it must be said.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27But they were usually pretty scathing.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Was it quite dangerous work, Irene?
0:14:30 > 0:14:33- It could have been, yes. - Did you ever get hurt?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Er, just once, I got caught on the head.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40But we just accepted it, got on and done it. I chopped my finger
0:14:40 > 0:14:44with a billhook, and it's been crooked ever since!
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- My goodness, yeah, you can still see it's bent!- Yes!
0:14:50 > 0:14:53The lumberjills had quite a task to take on.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57Before the war, Britain had been importing 95% of its timber,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01but with supply routes cut off, this was no longer an option.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Wood was needed from our own shores
0:15:03 > 0:15:06to fight the battle on the front line.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14We had to make the, erm, the tracks for the D-Day landing.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18We were in a barn with these chestnut palings,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- put them through a machine... - Did it give you
0:15:21 > 0:15:25- a sense of pride, to be able to contribute to the war effort?- Well,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28- I think we did...- Yes.- But we didn't think of it as pride at the time,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- we just accepted it was a job, and someone had got to do it.- Yeah.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40As in many other professions,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43the wartime work these women carried out also blazed a trail
0:15:43 > 0:15:45for the generations that followed.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49CHAINSAW CLATTERS
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Today, there are thousands of women working in Britain's forests -
0:15:53 > 0:15:57women like modern-day lumberjill Farah Collins.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00You make it look very easy, Farah!
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Ladies, would you have been happy using those back then?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08- Oh, no.- Probably would have been, yes.- No, we chewed them down!
0:16:08 > 0:16:10I know that's not true!
0:16:10 > 0:16:13'Chewing them down might be out of the question,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16'but to honour these women, Farah and I are going to try our hand
0:16:16 > 0:16:20'at tree-felling, using 1940s technology.'
0:16:20 > 0:16:23So, something like this, which looks really mean,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- and an axe as well?!- Yes.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Goodness! These are some serious tools!
0:16:28 > 0:16:30So, how do you do it?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- The weight of the axe... - Go down with it...
0:16:33 > 0:16:37- Whoosh!- ..in your right arm, and give it a...
0:16:37 > 0:16:40'So, with a torrent of advice from the Women's Timber Corps
0:16:40 > 0:16:43'ringing in our ears, it's time to give it a go - watched by
0:16:43 > 0:16:45'some stern critics.'
0:16:47 > 0:16:50If she gets that saw caught in something, God help her.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54So glad you're doing this bit, Farah, not me!
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Ha-ha-ha!
0:16:56 > 0:16:58I don't think I'd want to do this all day!
0:17:01 > 0:17:04She's got more than a little girl's swing about her, hasn't she?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07She's good, considering she's never...
0:17:07 > 0:17:10wielded an axe before.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Well done, that girl! I'd better step up and do some work now!
0:17:14 > 0:17:16- Come on, girls, hurry up!- Come on!
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- Saw!- One at each end!
0:17:19 > 0:17:22- Shall I pull?- OK...
0:17:24 > 0:17:27It's got to be a groove to get into, hasn't it?
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- Ooh, sorry, that was me!- OK!
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Sorry, let me just move that...- Yep.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35'But if Farah's axe work impressed...' Woah, sorry!
0:17:35 > 0:17:39'..it seems our sawing is leaving a little to be desired.'
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Sure this would be a good advert for the Timber Corps?!
0:17:44 > 0:17:46They're a tough crowd, you know.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49- Hurry up!- It's a good job you're not on piecework.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50Piecework, yeah!
0:17:50 > 0:17:52THEY ALL LAUGH
0:17:52 > 0:17:57'We're certainly well off the pace of these women in their prime,
0:17:57 > 0:17:59'but true to the spirit of those times, we dig in
0:17:59 > 0:18:02'and get the job done.' It's going...
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Timber!
0:18:04 > 0:18:05Timber!
0:18:08 > 0:18:11OK, that one tree... I'm out of breath!
0:18:11 > 0:18:16These women did tree after tree, day in, day out,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18for three years.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21What incredible lumberjills they were.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Phooh!
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Ah!
0:18:25 > 0:18:30# We're the girls who fell for victory
0:18:30 > 0:18:34# We're the girls who chop the trees
0:18:34 > 0:18:37# Every time we swing our axes
0:18:37 > 0:18:40# Is a stroke for victory. #
0:18:46 > 0:18:50'And the lumberjills weren't the only ones working for victory.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'When Helen Skelton visited Oxfordshire, she stepped back in time
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'to discover how the men who worked our land
0:18:56 > 0:18:59'had their own, secret role to play in the Second World War.'
0:19:00 > 0:19:04HELEN: 'It's 1939. I'm working in a field on my dad's farm,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06'when a man comes up to me and asks
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'if I want to do something for king and country.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11'I say yes, of course.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16'Unbeknown to me, I'm to be inducted into a top secret organisation.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19'A few weeks later, armed with coded instructions,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22'I'm sent to the post office in Highworth to report for duty.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:28- Hello.- Hello.- Can I get three three-ha'penny stamps, please?- Yep.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31There you go. That's fourpence ha'penny, please.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33I'm sorry, I've only got half a crown.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Hold on a sec, I'll go and get some change.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Hello, this is Highworth GPO - I have someone here for you.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45'Having covertly checked in via the postmistress,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'I'm now on my way to Coleshill...'
0:19:48 > 0:19:51..to a hush-hush training facility
0:19:51 > 0:19:54for what became known as Churchill's Secret Army.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58'They were the Auxiliers, separate to the Home Guard
0:19:58 > 0:20:00'and one of Churchill's most secret weapons.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04'With Hitler's armies threatening our shores, these men
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'were to be our last line of defence.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10'In World War II, I would have been met by a guard commander,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'but today, community learning officer Liza Dibble
0:20:13 > 0:20:14'is taking on that role.'
0:20:16 > 0:20:19So, who exactly were the Auxiliers?
0:20:19 > 0:20:22The Auxiliers were men who were in reserve occupations,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25which meant they weren't in the Armed Forces.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28They were largely farmers, farm workers,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31erm, labourers, gamekeepers -
0:20:31 > 0:20:35the types of people who knew the lay of the land really well.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38They didn't tell their wives, their mums -
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and they were waiting for that word "Cromwell",
0:20:41 > 0:20:43which meant that the Germans were coming.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47They would have just stepped away from what they normally do...
0:20:47 > 0:20:50..and walked out the door, gone to their operational base,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and they would work as an underground cell, really,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and then to come out under the cover of darkness and basically
0:20:56 > 0:20:59make things as difficult as they could for the Germans.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06It's reckoned as many as 3,000 men may have trained at Coleshill.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09When they returned home, they were expected to set up their own
0:21:09 > 0:21:11secret units.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Every inch of the land was being used to train these bold men.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19'Historian Bill King is preparing to give me the guided tour.'
0:21:19 > 0:21:22This looks like the perfect place for a campfire, but
0:21:22 > 0:21:26- it is not a campfire, is it? - No, it jolly well isn't.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29Underneath, running down through here, is a chimney,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32which leads down into an underground base, under our feet,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34about 10ft down below us.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37And of course, it's very well concealed.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43- So, this is the bunker...- Yes, so, here we are in the operational base.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45So, it's made out of what, corrugated iron?
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Yes, they're called elephant shelters. This is
0:21:48 > 0:21:51one of the training manuals that were used at the time.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53It's the calendar for 1938,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57and you would learn how to use explosives, how to plant explosives,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00how to create booby traps of various different kinds,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- and so...- But they were being trained to kill?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Oh, yes! These are your ordinary next-door neighbour,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08who is going to...if you get in the wrong place,
0:22:08 > 0:22:10going to put a knife in your neck.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14One of these "ordinary men" was Bob Millard.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16He was recruited at the age of 16,
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and sent to Coleshill in 1940 for training.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23We got a very thorough training at Coleshill.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The instructors were very, very good.
0:22:28 > 0:22:34Initially, in January, a lot of equipment hadn't been issued.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37We'd been given the rubber truncheon...
0:22:37 > 0:22:41which is rather a lethal truncheon, to settle with sentries.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44We'd bought our own fighting knives -
0:22:44 > 0:22:48we'd not been issued with fighting knives.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53So we'd bought our own, and we were taught how to use this.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55For a 16-year-old lad,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59the prospect of coming face-to-face with the enemy
0:22:59 > 0:23:02must have been terrifying.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I've often been asked whether I felt frightened
0:23:05 > 0:23:09if the Germans were going to invade -
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I don't think "frightened" is the word, at the time.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14I think "apprehensive" describes it better.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I've no doubt when they did come and the shooting started,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21I would have been frightened, but there was a job to do,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and that's what really concentrated you.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27To bolster their numbers, the Auxiliers recruited Scouts -
0:23:27 > 0:23:31yes, Scouts - kids too young to be called up
0:23:31 > 0:23:36but eager to do their bit, and now I want a piece of the action, too.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39But I'm not going to be on my own - I have recruited my very own
0:23:39 > 0:23:42resistance unit, and if this was 1939,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46these guys could well have been Auxiliers. Bill, what are we doing?
0:23:46 > 0:23:50The job this afternoon is to get a message through
0:23:50 > 0:23:53to one of our bases, which is about a mile and a half away.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Make sure that we're well concealed,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58that the enemy don't actually see you -
0:23:58 > 0:24:00if they see you, the game's up.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02OK, team. Right...
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Auxiliers would regularly be sent on exercises like these,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14and today, these trusty Scout leaders are taking on the role
0:24:14 > 0:24:18of enemy invaders. We're using the trees to try to get past them unseen,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but that's going to be easier said than done.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25They are using those woods over there as cover.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27They're trying to be sneaky, but they should come out over there,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30and if they do, we should see them and...
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- should be able to blow the whistle - have you got it?- Yep.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36I'll blow the whistle - it'll be game over.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Ooh, the cows are moving - that means they've come across the field.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The guys are shouting and saying, "Keep down, keep down!"
0:24:47 > 0:24:50because we're really vulnerable as there are no trees here.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54But crouching down, it means crawling through nettles!
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Weather's coming in, so they'll have to make a move soon.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02That might be to their advantage, if the rain comes in.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06OK...
0:25:06 > 0:25:09We've found the spotters, just at the top of that hill,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12so if we can head to that tree just there...
0:25:12 > 0:25:14When you're being watched, your instinct is to look.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16But then, they're going to see us.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Go now - go, go, go!
0:25:20 > 0:25:23'Most Auxilier operations would have taken place at night,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'but today, we don't have that extra cover.'
0:25:26 > 0:25:27OK...
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Guys, this is definitely going to be the hardest bit.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35That's a ditch - and barbed wire.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37There they are - I've got 'em! Bottom of that tree!
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- Where?- See 'em? Blow the whistle - game's up.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43WHISTLE BLOWS
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Was that the whistle? - Did you hear that?
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- That's the whistle. - Oh, we've been spotted!
0:25:49 > 0:25:51That is so frustrating!
0:25:51 > 0:25:55The whistle means that they've seen us,
0:25:55 > 0:25:56and therefore we have failed.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58'This has been a bit of fun,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02'but in wartime, it really would have been game over.'
0:26:02 > 0:26:06In the end, the Auxiliers never had to fight for king and country.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09The invasion never came, and the war ended in 1945.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12But they remained a secret until very recently.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Just some of the unsung heroes of the war effort.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'm on the Sculpture Trail through the Forest Of Dean,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26discovering the artwork lurking amongst the trees.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33The largest and most unusual sculpture is Hill 33.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34The towering, pyramid-like structure
0:26:34 > 0:26:37is the brainchild of David Cotterrell,
0:26:37 > 0:26:41inspired by his experiences in Afghanistan.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43There, as Official War Artist,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46he documented the work of British military medical staff
0:26:46 > 0:26:48at Camp Bastion, in Helmand Province,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51witnessing first-hand the atrocities of war.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04David, it's very intriguing, but what actually is it?
0:27:04 > 0:27:10It's 1,300 tonnes of coal waste, which has been re-formed,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12using military gabion technology.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16A kind of modern-day form of sandbags that are being used
0:27:16 > 0:27:18to make hundreds of miles of protection
0:27:18 > 0:27:20across Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23What are you trying to say with the piece?
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I spent a short period in Afghanistan.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30It was the first time I'd seen this massively-accelerated
0:27:30 > 0:27:32form of building.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36I was curious where it came from - what it meant, really.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40And how it had become this architectural iconography for war.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43As the cameras move on, we don't really see what happens
0:27:43 > 0:27:44to the ramparts and the barriers
0:27:44 > 0:27:46which were made to keep two sides apart.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I was interested to see how to make a redundant structure,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53so that we could watch it as the landscape reclaimed it,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55rather than watch it as it serves a purpose.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56That is what's happening here.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Are you surprised how much it's changed
0:27:58 > 0:28:00since the last time you saw it?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02I've popped back periodically, but it's two years
0:28:02 > 0:28:03since we finished construction.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07- Are you pleased with it? - Yeah, I'm delighted. I think...
0:28:07 > 0:28:10in a way, it's the most extreme form of construction
0:28:10 > 0:28:13that could be attempted with this kind of sandbag technology.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'Using all the skills of a modern-day military operation,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24'the Royal Monmouthshire Engineers
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'and the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
0:28:26 > 0:28:28'spent two weeks building it.'
0:28:30 > 0:28:32One of those people who did a lot of the shifting
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and shovelling was Sergeant Roarke.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Sergeant, is it all right if I call you Adam?- Certainly.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Would you normally class yourself as the arty type, Adam?
0:28:40 > 0:28:42No, not really. Definitely not.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Obviously, you're creating a piece of art here,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46but how close was the building process
0:28:46 > 0:28:48to what you would expect out in the field?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51The building process is exactly the same.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54In Afghanistan, they would basically be used for force protection...
0:28:54 > 0:28:57round the big camps, sleeping accommodation.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00Just filled with what you could find around there?
0:29:00 > 0:29:04Not quite sand, but...a bit more solid than sand.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07What was it like taking orders from a sculptor with a ponytail?
0:29:07 > 0:29:09- Interesting! - THEY LAUGH
0:29:09 > 0:29:10Very interesting!
0:29:10 > 0:29:12No, on a good point,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14he was willing to pick up a shovel, and help us...
0:29:14 > 0:29:15and crack on with the rest of us.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18By the end of the week, he was drinking in the pub with us...
0:29:18 > 0:29:20- Brilliant.- One big, happy family.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24'This unique use of military barriers will continue to be
0:29:24 > 0:29:26'taken over by nature,
0:29:26 > 0:29:30'melting back to the forest floor, from where it came.'
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Earlier, we heard how the creation of new village greens
0:29:43 > 0:29:45is dividing communities.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47But what's the answer?
0:29:47 > 0:29:48Here's Tom.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55'The village green.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58'Not an obvious hotbed of controversy.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00'But applications to create new ones
0:30:00 > 0:30:04'are increasingly dividing rural communities.'
0:30:06 > 0:30:10One side of the argument says village green designation is just
0:30:10 > 0:30:13being used as a way of blocking development.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18The other, that it's a vital role in protecting outdoor spaces.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21The Government thinks enough is enough.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26'Calls for a change in the law have been heard at the top,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29'and the Government is now wading in to the great green debate.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34'The Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37'wasn't able to join me for a nice game of cricket,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40'so we arranged to meet at a soggy make-do green in Westminster.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44'So what is wrong with the current system?'
0:30:45 > 0:30:47We've had a few cases where, late in the day,
0:30:47 > 0:30:49there have been these vexatious application,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52where a completely genuine planning application
0:30:52 > 0:30:54has been stopped at the cost of millions of pounds.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56I think it's right to stop that.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59I think the second interesting area is where many landowners
0:30:59 > 0:31:02have made their land available for cricket grounds -
0:31:02 > 0:31:05something like that - for community use.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08They enjoy that, the community enjoy it, but it's not right that,
0:31:08 > 0:31:09under this legislation,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11it was possible for them to lose control of that land.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14That's the background, that's the problem.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Make it clearer what you're changing to make sure these abuses
0:31:17 > 0:31:19don't happen in the future.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21What we're changing is that,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25if an area of land has been designated suitable for planning,
0:31:25 > 0:31:29you can't have someone come in late in the day, blocking an application
0:31:29 > 0:31:32on land already designated. That's the right way ahead.
0:31:32 > 0:31:33CHURCH BELL RINGS
0:31:33 > 0:31:38'As of next summer, no more town or village green applications
0:31:38 > 0:31:41'can be made on land earmarked for development.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44'Not only that, landowners will no longer be vulnerable
0:31:44 > 0:31:46'to new applications,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49'just because they allowed their land to be used for recreation.'
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Is this a licence for builders to put more houses in our villages?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Absolutely not. We're just tweaking at the edges,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59making sure that this legislation, which is thoroughly worthwhile -
0:31:59 > 0:32:01and I really stress that -
0:32:01 > 0:32:04it's really good we can protect our village greens and our town greens,
0:32:04 > 0:32:08but it can't be abused, blocking legitimate development.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18The Government say they want the system to be fairer,
0:32:18 > 0:32:22but what does that mean for people who want new village greens?
0:32:25 > 0:32:27This is Trap Grounds in Oxford,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30a recently-created town green.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34On the whole it looks beautiful, but in places, nature can't mask
0:32:34 > 0:32:39the rather dodgy heritage as a bit of a fly-tipper's paradise.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42The question is, would the Government's new proposals
0:32:42 > 0:32:46prevent places like this becoming cherished public spaces?
0:32:49 > 0:32:51Not a bad day for it, is it?
0:32:51 > 0:32:55'The Friends Of Trap Grounds fought to register these six acres
0:32:55 > 0:32:57'as a town green in 2006.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01'It would have been developed, were it not for their application.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04'Now, they dedicate their time to clearing the rubbish
0:33:04 > 0:33:06'and creating a haven for wildlife.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10'It's a never-ending job, so I've volunteered to help out.'
0:33:10 > 0:33:14A nice bit of warming work, but what are we actually doing here today?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17We're raking off long, tough grass,
0:33:17 > 0:33:20to encourage wildflowers and butterflies for next summer.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- Are they pretty abundant here? - Yes, they are.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25It's amazing, when you consider this used to be a rubbish tip
0:33:25 > 0:33:27and a car breaker's yard.
0:33:28 > 0:33:34'The developers were all set to build 45 houses and a road on this land.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36'The Friends Of Trap Grounds
0:33:36 > 0:33:38'submitted a town green application to rescue it.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39'And they won.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42'But, as we've just heard from the minister,
0:33:42 > 0:33:44'that can't happen for much longer.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47'Kate Ashbrook, from the Open Spaces Society,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50'fears places like this could now be a thing of the past.'
0:33:52 > 0:33:54How do you reckon the proposals from the Government
0:33:54 > 0:33:55would have affected this place?
0:33:55 > 0:33:58This place would be covered in buildings.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It wouldn't be this lovely open space everyone's enjoying.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Where does this leave the creation of new village greens,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05looking to the future?
0:34:05 > 0:34:08It certainly means it will be harder to register new land,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11although the existing land, fortunately, is safe.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15But, into the future, if land is threatened by planning in any way,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17you can't register it and it will be lost.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19They say the system is currently unfair
0:34:19 > 0:34:21and they need to address some abuses.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22Is that fair?
0:34:22 > 0:34:24There are a few vexatious applications,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26but the Government's plans will wipe out
0:34:26 > 0:34:30a lot of perfectly genuine ones. That's the worry.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34# We are the Village Green Preservation Society
0:34:34 > 0:34:38# God save Donald Duck... #
0:34:38 > 0:34:41'However you enjoy a village green - be it as a magical wilderness,
0:34:41 > 0:34:45'a children's playground, or the realm of morris dancing
0:34:45 > 0:34:48'and maypoles, there is, undeniably, a need for affordable housing.'
0:34:50 > 0:34:54# Preserving the old ways from being abused... #
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Putting ground aside for public use clearly has a very noble heritage,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02and any new law must strike a balance,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06preventing designation being used as a knee-jerk block on development,
0:35:06 > 0:35:12yet allowing new, green lungs to breathe life into future communities.
0:35:13 > 0:35:18# God save the village green. #
0:35:26 > 0:35:28'Earlier, I met the lumberjills
0:35:28 > 0:35:30'who worked in Britain's woods throughout World War II,
0:35:30 > 0:35:33'to supply essential timber to the war effort.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36'70 years on, that conflict may long since be over,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39but in the Forest Of Dean,'
0:35:39 > 0:35:44'a new battle is being fought against a deadly invader.'
0:35:44 > 0:35:45If you go down to the woods today,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48there's trouble lurking in amongst the trees,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51because a new wave of diseases is threatening their future
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and the worst hit are larches.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03'Whilst ash dieback disease has been grabbing the headlines,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05'here in the Forest Of Dean,
0:36:05 > 0:36:08'a different sickness has been spreading through the landscape.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13'The exotically-named Phytophthora ramorum
0:36:13 > 0:36:15'is infecting these larches.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18'Brought to Britain in imported plants,
0:36:18 > 0:36:20'it's now out in the open,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22'and the trees' numerous falling needles
0:36:22 > 0:36:25'can spread its tiny spores across wide areas.'
0:36:25 > 0:36:29D'you have to know all of these 12,000 acres?
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Well, half of them are on my beat, and half on my colleague's beat,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Dave Sykes...
0:36:35 > 0:36:37'To discover more about this enemy in our midst,
0:36:37 > 0:36:39'and what impact it's having,
0:36:39 > 0:36:42'forester James Williams is taking me on a tour of his patch.'
0:36:42 > 0:36:45This tree that we're stood under
0:36:45 > 0:36:48has some symptoms of the disease.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50If you look at the shape of the canopy,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52and how it's become deformed,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55instead of a regular, conical shape,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57it has quite a wavy boundary to it.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59It's quite wonky, compared to the ones around it.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03There's only a few that, potentially, seem to have this dead top...
0:37:03 > 0:37:05This is the early stages of the disease,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and it's very important we pick it up at this stage,
0:37:08 > 0:37:09rather than when the signs are very evident,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12because at that stage, it's already produced huge numbers of spores,
0:37:12 > 0:37:15which will be spreading throughout the forest,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18and some forests are being killed in one or two years.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20What's the worst that could happen if nothing is done about it?
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Phytophthora ramorum will kill many different species of tree,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27and a lot of our important timber species in the forest as well,
0:37:27 > 0:37:30as well as native broadleaves.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33So it's important we get on top of it now
0:37:33 > 0:37:36by controlling larch, which is one of the main species
0:37:36 > 0:37:37for spreading the disease around.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44'The disease isn't confined to the Forest Of Dean.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48'This is just the frontline of an ever-moving assault.'
0:37:48 > 0:37:51It first started infecting larches
0:37:51 > 0:37:53down here in Cornwall in 2009.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55It then spread to south Wales
0:37:55 > 0:38:00and can now be found dotted all the way up the west coast of the UK.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04This year it was found here, in the Forest Of Dean.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06The idea is to stop it in its tracks,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09and that means that thousands of these trees...
0:38:09 > 0:38:10SHE GROANS
0:38:10 > 0:38:13..are for the chop.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19'Felling is the only way to stop the disease in its tracks,
0:38:19 > 0:38:24'so a colossal 100,000 larches, both sick and healthy,
0:38:24 > 0:38:27'are being cut down to try and create a buffer zone.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30'Rather than an army of lumberjills,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33'this job has been taken on by a few men in their machines,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35'using the very latest tree-toppling technology.
0:38:40 > 0:38:42'As the trees come down,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45'you get some idea of the impact this operation is going to have.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49'But it's hoped that acting now will save the one million larches
0:38:49 > 0:38:50'growing across the forest.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54'If it works, sacrificing these 100,000
0:38:54 > 0:38:56'will be a price worth paying.'
0:38:56 > 0:38:58Once they're felled, though,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00it's a good opportunity to take a closer look
0:39:00 > 0:39:02and see how many are actually infected.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05- That is the job of this man. How are you doing, Mick?- Hi, Ellie.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08- You all right?- Yes, good, thanks. - What are you looking for here?
0:39:08 > 0:39:12I'm taking some of the very top layer of the bark off...
0:39:12 > 0:39:15to try to look for evidence of lesions.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19They look like brown, necrotic areas under the bark.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25'Once he finds any lesions, Mick adds some samples to a solution
0:39:25 > 0:39:27'for some quick field science.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31'After a bit of bashing around to release any infectious spores,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33'it's time to take a test.'
0:39:33 > 0:39:36How long does this take to reveal itself?
0:39:36 > 0:39:38It works a little bit like a pregnancy test.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40- Three to four minutes!- That's right!
0:39:40 > 0:39:41SHE LAUGHS
0:39:41 > 0:39:43One line for a negative result,
0:39:43 > 0:39:45and two lines for a positive.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47'A few minutes later,
0:39:47 > 0:39:49'the results are in.'
0:39:49 > 0:39:50Here we go - a one-liner.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Maybe that's a good thing, right?
0:39:52 > 0:39:54That means this particular log
0:39:54 > 0:39:58wasn't showing any evidence of infection.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02So, this one, although it's healthy and has come down,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04is being taken down so it can provide this buffer,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06so it's a good tree that has come down,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- but for a good reason, I suppose.- That's right.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19'In war and peace, the ancient woodlands of the Forest Of Dean
0:40:19 > 0:40:22'have provided a vital resource for Britain.
0:40:22 > 0:40:23'This threat to its larches
0:40:23 > 0:40:26'is just the latest in a wave of tree diseases
0:40:26 > 0:40:30'brought in from abroad and thriving in our ever-warming climate.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32'As these invasions continue,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36'our forests face the biggest fight of their lives.'
0:40:45 > 0:40:46Of all the animals on Adam's farm,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48his Highland cattle, with their bull, Eric,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51are close to his heart.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Now he's off to find out a bit more about this wonderful breed.
0:41:09 > 0:41:10These are my Highland cattle.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14The calves will be big enough to wean in about a month's time.
0:41:14 > 0:41:15We'll take them off the cows
0:41:15 > 0:41:17and put them into the cattle sheds for the winter...
0:41:17 > 0:41:20where they'll be warm and dry on a nice bed of straw.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24But Eric and his wives, the cows, will stay out.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26They'll brave the elements.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28In fact, they're so tough and hardy,
0:41:28 > 0:41:29they prefer to be out.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34'Originating from the Highlands of Scotland,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37'they're one of the hardiest breeds in the UK.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41'Highlands can withstand some of the coldest and harshest conditions
0:41:41 > 0:41:42'nature can throw at them.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46'There are plenty of other keen Highland breeders in the UK,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49'but one man has pretty much swept the board
0:41:49 > 0:41:52'at all major livestock shows this year.'
0:41:53 > 0:41:55I'm really looking forward to visiting him
0:41:55 > 0:41:58and finding out why his cattle are so good,
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and, hopefully, get a few tips.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07'You'd think I'd be heading for the Highlands of Scotland,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11'but this chap's based a long way from there.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13'He's actually on the Isle Of Wight,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15'and that's where I'm off to now.'
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Well, here I am on the Isle of Wight.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I couldn't resist the temptation of paddling in the sea,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33even though I have got my wellies on.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37I've brought with me the calving book from the farm.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38This goes right back to 1974.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40It has all the cows,
0:42:40 > 0:42:42all the calves they gave birth to, and all the tag numbers.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45There's one particular cow in here, Bembrough Tanya,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49who's a Highland cow, who bred very well,
0:42:49 > 0:42:50bred lots of heifers,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and she was sold, as were lots of her calves.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54There's a guy, Mr Poland,
0:42:54 > 0:42:57who's on Wroxhall Cross Farm, here on the Isle of Wight,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00who's one of the best Highland breeders in the country,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02who has some of the descendents of Tanya,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04and I'm really keen to see if I can find them.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07His farm is up on the Downs.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09It looks a bit foggy up there.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14'Michael Poland has been keeping Highlands for many years.'
0:43:14 > 0:43:16- Mr Poland?- Yes.- Hello. Adam Henson. Nice to meet you.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Welcome. Welcome to the Isle of Wight.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23'He has a real depth of knowledge about the ancestry of his animals.'
0:43:24 > 0:43:26I thought these would be of interest to you.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29The one on the right is called Tanya of Mottistone
0:43:29 > 0:43:32and she's a granddaughter
0:43:32 > 0:43:34of Tanya Of Bembrough,
0:43:34 > 0:43:35which was bred by your father,
0:43:35 > 0:43:38and was a champion cow in her own right.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40I've got her pedigree here.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44You can see Tanya of Bembrough, that's yours.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Oh, yes!
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Tanya of Bembrough, which is the cow my dad bred,
0:43:49 > 0:43:54is also great-grandmother to the cow who's now mother of a little bull...
0:43:54 > 0:43:57called McGee, who I've got at home.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01The sort of bull you ought to pay a lot of money for, isn't it?
0:44:01 > 0:44:03I don't think I can pay you quite your sum of money.
0:44:03 > 0:44:04ADAM LAUGHS
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Where's the rest of the herd?
0:44:06 > 0:44:09They're up on the Down. I'm going to see them next.
0:44:09 > 0:44:10COW LOWS
0:44:27 > 0:44:29BULL LOWS AND SNORTS
0:44:29 > 0:44:32My word! There's a lot of Highlands here. How many have you got?
0:44:32 > 0:44:36As of yesterday, we have 304.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38BULL LOWS
0:44:38 > 0:44:40It's amazing watching them come out of the fog.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43- It's quite eerie, isn't it? - It's a lovely sight.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49'Michael started keeping Highlands for a particular reason.'
0:44:49 > 0:44:51I started out in conservation, first of all.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55We had some very thick scrub and derelict woodland to clear.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57We were clearing it manually and with machinery,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01and my manager at the time suggested I buy a Highland, for two reasons.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04One is they have these powerful horns and powerful bodies
0:45:04 > 0:45:06and they can get in amongst the scrub...
0:45:06 > 0:45:08and move it around a bit.
0:45:08 > 0:45:11Secondly, they're hardy grazers. As you can see here,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15it's not clean like a billiard table - it's tufty.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19By grazing it as they do,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22the wildflowers are able to flourish,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24and, furthermore, this tufted grass is ideal habitat
0:45:24 > 0:45:26for insects and small mammals,
0:45:26 > 0:45:30which, in turn, are feed for birds and bats, etcetera.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34You're very successful in the show ring with your Highlands.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36What brings that success?
0:45:36 > 0:45:38I think, principally, luck, and I mean that.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42But I've also been keen on pedigrees since a very early age.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44I used to study pedigrees when I was at school.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47I carry them around with me the whole time,
0:45:47 > 0:45:49and I'll study them in bed,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51- much to my wife's annoyance! - ADAM LAUGHS
0:45:53 > 0:45:56It's lovely to think you have some of the relatives
0:45:56 > 0:45:58of my animals in amongst your herd.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02- A bit of Bembrough blood entwined in there.- We have, yes.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05You've got to have good stock and good female families.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08If you don't have good female families, you're wasting your time.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10BULL LOWS
0:46:10 > 0:46:12You have to maintain or improve that female line.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14That's what I'm trying to do the whole time.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17To do that, you've got to have a good bull
0:46:17 > 0:46:19that's likely to breed good stock.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33'Michael clearly has an eye for the best.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35'He's bred one particular animal
0:46:35 > 0:46:37'that's top-notch.'
0:46:37 > 0:46:39My word! He's lovely, isn't he?
0:46:39 > 0:46:41I think he's a super bull.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44He's Eoin Mhor the Eighth of Mottistone.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47He was bred on this farm. He's a two-year-old, now.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50He went to the Royal Highland and to the Great Yorkshire.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52At the Great Yorkshire, the biggest show in England,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55he was the Highland Breed Champion.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57At Glasgow International, at the end of the season,
0:46:57 > 0:46:59- again he was Supreme Champion. - Was he?
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Only one other bull has beaten him, and that's one of ours.
0:47:02 > 0:47:03THEY LAUGH
0:47:03 > 0:47:06What makes him so special, then?
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Well...start at his head.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12The fact is, the whole profile,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14he's saying to you as you walk up to him,
0:47:14 > 0:47:15"Look at me, I'm a bull."
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I think that's terribly important,
0:47:17 > 0:47:19so you get the masculinity out of him.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22He has a lovely head - a noble head.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24Haven't you, old friend, eh?
0:47:25 > 0:47:27He's got good horns.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29He's got a good dosan, which is the fringe here.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32He has a relatively short distance between the length of head...
0:47:32 > 0:47:35- What did you call the fringe? - Dosan.- A "dosan"?
0:47:35 > 0:47:36Yeah, D-OSAN.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38And he has a good, wide mouth to him.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41A big, broad mouth for eating lots of grub?
0:47:41 > 0:47:42Yes, yes.
0:47:42 > 0:47:43He's wide in the shoulder, isn't he?
0:47:43 > 0:47:46Yes, he is. He's a tremendous bull
0:47:46 > 0:47:48and I don't know if I'll ever breed a better one than him.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50He's a lovely animal.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52He's in wonderful condition, isn't he?
0:47:52 > 0:47:54He's so quiet!
0:47:54 > 0:47:56What a lovely, quiet chap!
0:47:56 > 0:47:57And that width
0:47:57 > 0:48:00- runs all the way down, doesn't it? - It does, yes.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02One thing I've noticed...
0:48:02 > 0:48:06- he has a white tummy.- Yes. - Does that matter?
0:48:06 > 0:48:08- No, it doesn't. - Some of mine have got that.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10Traditionally...
0:48:10 > 0:48:12it's a sign of good milk.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15- Oh, is it?- He now weighs nearly 900 kilos.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17- Does he? Almost a tonne? - Yeah.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19When will his calves be born?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21They will be born
0:48:21 > 0:48:23from February, 2014, onwards.
0:48:23 > 0:48:24So, if I come back,
0:48:24 > 0:48:26end of summer, 2014,
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I can buy a nice, little, cheap bull calf off you
0:48:28 > 0:48:30that'll go on and be Champion Of Champions?
0:48:30 > 0:48:32- It won't be cheap to you. - ADAM LAUGHS
0:48:32 > 0:48:35- OK, great!- Thanks very much, Shane. - No problem.
0:48:35 > 0:48:37'Next week, I'm back on my farm,
0:48:37 > 0:48:42'when I find out if my Highland bull, Eric, will be a father again.'
0:48:46 > 0:48:49'In the Forest Of Dean, the Sculpture Trail
0:48:49 > 0:48:51'has been a wonderful experience, but it's time to say goodbye,
0:48:51 > 0:48:54'as I'm at the end of my walk.'
0:48:56 > 0:48:59This Sculpture Trail has introduced me to so many
0:48:59 > 0:49:00beautiful pieces of work,
0:49:00 > 0:49:03and you can have your own visual feast hanging up at home,
0:49:03 > 0:49:06in the shape of our Countryfile calendar,
0:49:06 > 0:49:09sold in aid of Children In Need.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11If you would like to get your hands on one,
0:49:11 > 0:49:12here's John with all the details.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17You can order copies right now, by going to our website...
0:49:22 > 0:49:25..or by calling the order line...
0:49:36 > 0:49:37To order by post,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40send your name, address and cheque to...
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Please make your cheques payable to
0:49:49 > 0:49:51BBC Countryfile Calendar.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55It costs £9, and at least £4 from every sale
0:49:55 > 0:49:56goes to Children In Need.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02In a moment. I'm going to be ringing some rather unusual church bells,
0:50:02 > 0:50:07but first, it's time for the Countryfile five-day forecast.
0:52:50 > 0:52:57.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10'I've left the forest's hidden treasures behind now,
0:53:10 > 0:53:14'to visit a place that's been at the heart of the local community
0:53:14 > 0:53:16'since 1817.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19'Nestling at the northern gateway to the Forest of Dean
0:53:19 > 0:53:20'is Drybrook Church.'
0:53:22 > 0:53:25Like so many communities across the UK,
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Drybrook and the surrounding area
0:53:27 > 0:53:30suffered heavy losses during the First and Second World Wars.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34'The church has always been a special place of remembrance
0:53:34 > 0:53:36'for local lady Freda Margrett,
0:53:36 > 0:53:39'whose father and two brothers fought for their country.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43'She's recently published her own tribute to her family at war -
0:53:43 > 0:53:45'a book based on her father's diary,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49'outlining life in the trenches.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:51Freda, you've just finished your own memorial, haven't you?
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Tell me about this book you've just finished.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58My father wrote a diary in the First World War.
0:53:58 > 0:54:00It was heartbreaking to read it -
0:54:00 > 0:54:03of all the terrible ordeals he went through.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07How he was frantically digging trenches from the first day
0:54:07 > 0:54:09of arriving in Belgium,
0:54:09 > 0:54:11with shells bursting overhead,
0:54:11 > 0:54:14and many of the men buried alive
0:54:14 > 0:54:17in their frantic attempt to dig the trenches.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I don't mind telling you the tears flowed.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24I had no idea Father had been through so much.
0:54:24 > 0:54:28'The heartache continued when Freda's brothers William and Ivor
0:54:28 > 0:54:33'were called up to fight in the Second World War.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36'Ivor never made it back.'
0:54:36 > 0:54:40Just above your head, you can see the name of one of your brothers,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42Ivor Margrett.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44What do you think, when you see his name up there?
0:54:46 > 0:54:47It saddens me.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51Ever since they've gone, I've never missed a Remembrance service.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54I think of him often.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58'As well as personal memories,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02'the church also holds a public tribute to its war heroes.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05'Mike Garland is one of the church wardens.'
0:55:05 > 0:55:08I understand your church bells are a memorial in themselves.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11They are indeed a memorial in themselves.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15The tubular bells were put up in 1919,
0:55:15 > 0:55:17just after the 1914-18 War,
0:55:17 > 0:55:23by the parents of 47 young men
0:55:23 > 0:55:25who never came back,
0:55:25 > 0:55:26from this parish.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30They all got together with at least 800 parishioners,
0:55:30 > 0:55:31within the parish,
0:55:31 > 0:55:35to buy these tubular bells as a memorial
0:55:35 > 0:55:37to those who fell.
0:55:37 > 0:55:41Tubular bells in themselves are very special, aren't they?
0:55:41 > 0:55:43They're a very special type of bell.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45They were made by Harrington's in London...
0:55:45 > 0:55:48for a cost of £130.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52- Which was a lot of money in 1919. - Yeah!
0:55:52 > 0:55:54You have eight here. It means you can get those eight
0:55:54 > 0:55:56into a very small space,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58cos it's not the biggest of spires, is it?
0:55:58 > 0:56:00We couldn't have a full eight bells in our tower,
0:56:00 > 0:56:02cos it's too small.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- You have some music up here, which is good news...- Oh, yes!
0:56:04 > 0:56:06- ..because I would like a go. - Yes, please.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09It's lovely, cos, as you can see, you've just got numbers here.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11We're going to play Kum Ba Yah,
0:56:11 > 0:56:13so instead of "Kum Ba Yah, my Lord," we have,
0:56:13 > 0:56:14# 8, 6, 4, 4, 4... #
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Then it goes on...
0:56:16 > 0:56:17# 3, 3, 4... #
0:56:17 > 0:56:20- Right. Are you ready, Mike?- I'm ready.
0:56:20 > 0:56:21Go for it!
0:56:21 > 0:56:23So, 8, 6, 4, 4, 4.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28HE PLAYS BELLS
0:56:28 > 0:56:323, 3, 4.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33We've got a cheeky one.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35# 5, 6, 8...
0:56:35 > 0:56:38# 7, 7, 8. #
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- Brilliant.- There we go!
0:56:40 > 0:56:42- Magnificent.- Brilliant!
0:56:42 > 0:56:45CHURCH BELL RINGS
0:56:47 > 0:56:51'Today, the bells ring out for their 93rd year of remembrance.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55'Ellie and the lumberjills join us to pay tribute
0:56:55 > 0:56:56'to the servicemen and women
0:56:56 > 0:56:59'who have put their lives on the line for us.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01'From the trenches of World War I
0:57:01 > 0:57:03'to the desert of Afghanistan.'
0:57:03 > 0:57:06BRASS BAND MUSIC
0:57:45 > 0:57:48That is all we have time for from the Forest of Dean.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51Next week, John and Julia will be in Leicestershire,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54with the challenge of planting 5,000 trees in an hour.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56- See you, then.- Bye-bye.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd