0:00:04 > 0:00:07This is a different kind of Weatherman Walking.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I'm leaving Wales behind to follow in the footsteps
0:00:10 > 0:00:14of those brave Welsh men who took part in the First World War.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18I'm going to the battlefields of northern France,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21to the Somme and Mametz Wood,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24the most important battle Welsh troops fought in
0:00:24 > 0:00:26between 1914 and 1918.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30This is a guide to Mametz Wood,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32about what to look for and where to go.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36With a bit of expert advice,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39I'm going to find out more about what it was like for Welsh soldiers
0:00:39 > 0:00:41in that terrible war.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Today, the Somme is a quiet farming area,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00but everywhere you look there are war grave cemeteries,
0:01:00 > 0:01:05a constant reminder of those huge losses in July 1916.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10To get to the Somme, we head across to the Channel ports
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and travel over to Calais.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Then, it's down through northern France towards Paris.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Mametz is a tiny village near to the town of Albert.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It takes about 90 minutes to drive there from Calais.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28My guide is Phil Davies, a retired history teacher from Cardiff.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Phil is an expert on the First World War
0:01:31 > 0:01:35and is closely involved in the centenary of Mametz Wood.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Hi, Phil, great to meet you.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Hello, Derek. Nice to meet you too.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Lovely spot here. Very peaceful today,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44but of course it was a different story 100 years ago.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47This is where part of the Battle of the Somme took place.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50That's right, it was a very different place 100 years ago
0:01:50 > 0:01:53on 1st July 1916. A lot noisier than it is today.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55We're actually in Danzig Alley Cemetery
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and I have a German map here.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59This was the German first line,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03on the end of the German first line on 1st July.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07And in this part of the battle, the British had some success.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10They came from over in that direction,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12took the German front line,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16came as far as this, which was then the German support line,
0:02:16 > 0:02:18- and stopped. - I've come to see Mametz Wood.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19- Right.- Where exactly is that?
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Well, Mametz Wood is just over there, that clump of trees.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And of course the Welsh were very involved in that
0:02:26 > 0:02:29between the 7th and 12th July 1916.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31And this is a memorial seat
0:02:31 > 0:02:36to the men of the 14th Royal Welch Fusiliers
0:02:36 > 0:02:41which has also an inscription by Hedd Wyn, the famous poet.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44I think the best thing is to go through the village and then
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- down towards the wood.- OK.- Great.
0:02:52 > 0:02:57The Battle of the Somme started on 1st July 1916
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and was the largest fought on the Western front
0:02:59 > 0:03:02with over a million men killed or wounded.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Danzig Alley Cemetery is just outside Mametz
0:03:09 > 0:03:12and the wood itself lies a mile-and-a-half to the north.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The village was captured on the opening day of the battle.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Today, it's a sleepy rural hamlet
0:03:20 > 0:03:22with a population of less than 200 people.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26So, this is Mametz.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29I imagine it was devastated back in 1916.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Yes, it was one of the German front-line villages.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Fortified village, houses would have been destroyed,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Germans were in the basements.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Machine guns, heavily fortified
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and a tough nut to crack. I think we need to cross over here, Derek.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Oh, look, a Welsh dragon.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Yes, and this is one of the only road signs in France
0:03:52 > 0:03:53- that you'll see in Welsh.- Really?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56And that was put up to show the direction to the Dragon.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00And it's very fitting that it's in front of the village war memorial
0:04:00 > 0:04:02that is dedicated to those French men who were killed
0:04:02 > 0:04:05in the First World War. Of course, we tend to forget the fact
0:04:05 > 0:04:07that the French had enormous losses,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10just as much as us. So, if we carry on up this track,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12we'll get to Mametz Wood.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19'Phil has been visiting the area for over 30 years,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23'but his fascination with the First World War started even earlier.'
0:04:25 > 0:04:29So, tell me, Phil, when did you first get interested in military history?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32You know, I'm often asked that. It's very difficult, but I've got
0:04:32 > 0:04:36this remembrance of a comic that I used to have called The Wizard.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37And on the back page,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40they used to run these sort of illustrated stories,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and I remember one clearly about Gallipoli.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45And I thought, "Oh, that's interesting."
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But at the same time...
0:04:48 > 0:04:51there was that fantastic BBC TV series The Great War,
0:04:51 > 0:04:54where Laurence Olivier narrated, you know,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58and it used to come on every week and it was really good stuff.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And then, of course, it was the 50th anniversary of the First World War
0:05:01 > 0:05:03and from there on, I didn't look back.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05And is there a particular part of the First World War
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- that you're fascinated in?- Yes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I mean, originally, I used to look at the whole overview of the thing,
0:05:10 > 0:05:11the strategic thing,
0:05:11 > 0:05:15but I've become more and more interested in the human stories,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17the actual stories of the men who were there,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19reading diaries and so on.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23And we're coming up to Mametz Wood now and there's a whole wealth of
0:05:23 > 0:05:26incredibly moving stories to be told about that.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Mametz Wood is as daunting a sight as it would have been in 1916.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38It looms over the fields
0:05:38 > 0:05:42and is roughly the same shape and size as it was then,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45thickly wooded and about a mile square.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The main difference is that 100 years ago,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51it was bristling with battle-hardened German machine gunners.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54The capture of the wood was
0:05:54 > 0:05:58the objective given to the newly-formed 38th Welsh Division.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02It had been created by the Minister of War, David Lloyd George,
0:06:02 > 0:06:07and comprised inexperienced volunteer soldiers from all across Wales.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12They had been training for 18 months and this was their first battle.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14It was a baptism of fire.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Well, we're next to Mametz Wood now, Phil.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Can you tell me exactly what happened on that fateful day
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- on July 7th, 1916?- Yes, Derek.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27We're actually standing in front of a part of the wood
0:06:27 > 0:06:31called the Hammerhead. And I've got a German map here from 1916
0:06:31 > 0:06:33showing this feature,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and you can see why it was called the Hammerhead.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39And it was heavily defended by the German Lehr Regiment
0:06:39 > 0:06:42and they had machine guns in the woods there in front of us.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45They also had machine guns just over the skyline there
0:06:45 > 0:06:46in two smaller woods.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And Cardiff City Battalion came over here at 8.30 in the morning.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Broad daylight. Dawn was 4.15.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55And they were cut to pieces.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58They tried two or three times to actually get up the slope
0:06:58 > 0:07:01to the wood and they didn't make it, and they were beaten back.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05- They didn't stand a chance. - They didn't stand a chance, no.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08They were taken by surprise. They didn't really know what to expect.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12They had only arrived in this part of the Somme perhaps a day before.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14No reconnaissance of the area,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18they were just told, "You go down that slope and you take that wood."
0:07:18 > 0:07:20And that was as simple as that.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22It's fair to say, it was a bad decision.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23Yes, it was a bad decision.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And unfortunately, the Cardiff City Battalion paid the price for that.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And the Monmouthshire troops, the South Wales Borderers,
0:07:30 > 0:07:34they were slightly less badly affected, but it was...
0:07:34 > 0:07:35it was disastrous, basically.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42The first attack by the Welsh division was complete carnage.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46Walking into the crossfire of the German machine gunners,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50they didn't get near the wood, but died on the ridge overlooking it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54The Cardiff City Battalion bore the brunt of the casualties
0:07:54 > 0:07:57with about 250 killed out of 1,000 men.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00We've got an eyewitness account,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03a chap called Arthur Phillips, who survived.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07He talks about coming down this slope, 250 yards from the wood
0:08:07 > 0:08:11and they were machine-gunned and shelled all the way.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15And the major, almost crying, said,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19"All our boys haven't got a bloody chance. It's hopeless."
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- And it was.- And it was, yes.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Can you tell me a bit about the men who died?
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Well, yes. We are piecing together some of the pictures of the men who
0:08:27 > 0:08:31died. There were two famous Welsh rugby internationals who were...
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Well, one was killed somewhere here
0:08:33 > 0:08:35and the other one was very badly wounded and died
0:08:35 > 0:08:37a little way away in a hospital.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42The most famous was Company Sergeant Major Dick Thomas.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45He was a policeman and a rugby international.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49He played for one of the...the Welsh rugby team before the war.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And he was killed somewhere here.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55And there's a famous eyewitness account
0:08:55 > 0:08:59by another chap called William Davies, who saw him killed.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03And he said that there was this big man in front of him,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05didn't know who he was at the time,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07but he knew he was a rugby international.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12And he was lying down and he got up on his hands and knees, as it were,
0:09:12 > 0:09:13to see what was going on.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Bullet through the head.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20And William Davies said, "I hid behind him all day."
0:09:20 > 0:09:21And he survived.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And then there was another famous Welsh rugby international,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28John Lewis Williams. He was captain of Wales
0:09:28 > 0:09:29and historians tell us
0:09:29 > 0:09:32he was probably the finest wing that ever played for Wales,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and he was a captain in the Cardiff City Battalion.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39And sadly, he was wounded badly in the leg,
0:09:39 > 0:09:44taken off to the hospital where his leg was amputated,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46but he did manage to send a postcard home
0:09:46 > 0:09:49saying that, "Don't worry, I'm OK. I've been wounded."
0:09:49 > 0:09:51And sadly he died.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- So sad.- Very sad.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03That first attack on July 7th ended in failure
0:10:03 > 0:10:08with no ground gained and hundreds of Welsh soldiers dead or wounded.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Questions were raised about the failure of the company to advance
0:10:12 > 0:10:17and the extent to which the German defences had been seriously underestimated.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23The general who was in charge, Major-General Ivor Philipps,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26who was a crony of Lloyd George, was sacked.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29A new general was appointed and a new plan drawn up.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35And they decided to attack the wood from the southern edge there,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and this time using many, many more troops of the Welsh division
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and in the meantime, putting a huge artillery barrage into the wood,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45which included fire shells and all sorts of things
0:10:45 > 0:10:47to try and dislodge the Germans.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- Shall we take a closer look? - Yeah, by all means.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00The landscape at Mametz Wood is exactly as it was in 1916.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03It's all too easy to imagine what happened there.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It takes less than a minute to walk up to the wood,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11but in the battle, this land was bought at heavy cost.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well, here we are at the edge of the wood, Derek. And as you can see,
0:11:16 > 0:11:21lots of people from Wales have come and laid tributes to relatives,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23or people who were in the army.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27People from all over Wales because the Welsh division had people from
0:11:27 > 0:11:32North Wales, South Wales, coal miners, dockers,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35all over South Wales, all over North Wales.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- There's one here from Barry, where I'm from.- Well, there we are, yes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Were there men from Barry involved in the battle?
0:11:41 > 0:11:42Yes, there were men from Barry.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Some of them were killed, some were wounded.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Some survived. It touched families throughout Wales.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Some would have known each other, been friends.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Some would have probably been workmates together, yes,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56before the battle. Now, normally we're not allowed into the woods,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and you can see there is a sign saying, "Forbidden entry,"
0:11:59 > 0:12:03because it's still full of shells and unexploded devices.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06But we've got special permission today,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- so would you like to go into the woods?- OK.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It's not far before we come to
0:12:13 > 0:12:16what would have been the German front lines.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19EXPLOSIONS, MACHINEGUN FIRE
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Well, here we are, Derek, at the edge of the wood,
0:12:24 > 0:12:28looking over the field where the Welsh attacked
0:12:28 > 0:12:31on the second attack on 10th July.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34And as you can see, wide-open countryside.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37German machine gunners would have been here,
0:12:37 > 0:12:39firing across at an angle.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Another machinegun probably at the other side there.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46And they had this diagonal field of fire to gain maximum effect.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48And what was the range of the machine guns?
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Well, the ridge over there would have been well within their range.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55They could have picked anything off that ridge coming across.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57They could effectively fire about two miles.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00The Welsh soldiers would have been cut to pieces.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02They would have been cut to pieces,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05but they did manage to press on and get into the wood.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06It beggars belief, doesn't it?
0:13:06 > 0:13:08It does, yes. It's amazing
0:13:08 > 0:13:12that people could actually run into that sort of storm of steel.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25The second attack took place on 10th July, and after a massive artillery
0:13:25 > 0:13:28barrage, the Welsh troops got into the wood itself.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32But the battle was far from over
0:13:32 > 0:13:35and there was 48 hours of hand-to-hand combat
0:13:35 > 0:13:38as the Germans were beaten back.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41So, we're in the wood now. It's very atmospheric.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44You can hear the birds singing. Carpets of bluebells.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48But, of course, it was a different story 100 years ago.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51The undergrowth that you see around you was much higher, brambles,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54nettles, there were broken trees,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57branches which had been brought down by the bombardment.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00It was difficult to move. It was difficult to see your neighbour.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03It was difficult to see people from your own regiment.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06- It must have been terrifying. - It must have been terrifying.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08We've got a picture here
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and you can see all these shattered branches and trees.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14And here, a German sniper position.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19So, not only were the Germans in the trenches, defending the wood,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21they were up there in the trees
0:14:21 > 0:14:25popping off British officers to make the men leaderless.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28And you've met some of the men who fought here.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Yes, I met some of the nice old gentlemen in the 1980s
0:14:33 > 0:14:38and one in particular was Tom Price, Sergeant Tom Price,
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and he was of the 13th Welsh 2nd Rhonddas.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47And he came into the wood and he was very badly wounded
0:14:47 > 0:14:49by shell fire in his legs,
0:14:49 > 0:14:55lay in a shell hole for three days before he was able to be evacuated.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59And of course they didn't have spare men to evacuate casualties.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Sounds like he was very lucky to survive.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04He was very lucky to survive and...
0:15:04 > 0:15:09you know, it must've been traumatic, and the sights he saw.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14He saw Germans making downward thrusts with their bayonets
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and he could only assume that they were actually killing the wounded.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19- Finishing them off. - Finishing them off.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23And when he came back here in 1986,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27it was almost as if he was repaying a debt.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30A debt that he felt guilty that he'd survived
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and his mates had been killed.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And, I mean, if you look around you,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37the signs of the battle are still here.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Over here, we've got a shell crater
0:15:40 > 0:15:44from a British shell fired in the bombardment of the wood.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48And over there is the piece of a British shell.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50It's embedded in the tree still.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57- It's wedged right in between the tree.- Yes.- So, what range...
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Where would that have come from?
0:15:58 > 0:16:01That would have come from well over there. Perhaps about two miles away.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Two miles?- Mm. Two miles.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- It's a heavy shell.- What's this?
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Well, we shouldn't normally touch that.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It's a piece of a shell. It's quite safe.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It's part of a shrapnel shell.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15That was a shell which was filled with lead balls.
0:16:15 > 0:16:21It exploded in the air and the lead balls, or steel balls,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24came showering down, taking out infantry.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26And the wood is full of things like this.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28The wood is full of things like this.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30That's why we've got to be very careful in here.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33In the undergrowth, you don't know what we'll find.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34Shall we go on?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48In the end, the Germans were cleared out of the wood,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50but at huge cost.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54The Welsh division suffered 4,000 casualties,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56including over 1,200 killed.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Many of the dead still lie there, buried by the explosions,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03their bodies never recovered.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But alongside the wood is a small cemetery
0:17:06 > 0:17:09where some of the dead of Mametz were laid to rest.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15- Here we are, Flatiron Copse Cemetery.- Unusual name.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18It is. It's because the wood on the map looked like a flatiron
0:17:18 > 0:17:21and that was the name the British troops gave it.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25If we look in the register, we can look for a Barry boy, WJ Fox.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29- Now, this green book contains the name of all the soldiers buried here.- That's right.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And it will give you his grave number as well.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39"WJ Fox, row nine, G7."
0:17:39 > 0:17:43- OK. Well, if you put the book back, we'll go and find him.- OK.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Well, Derek, this is plot nine.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50E, F, G...
0:17:51 > 0:17:55One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
0:17:55 > 0:17:57There he is, Private WJ Fox.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59And he lived in Digby Street in Barry.
0:17:59 > 0:18:05- I know Digby Street.- And we've got a quote from his platoon commander,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07who wrote in a letter to his mother afterwards,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11"He had been in my platoon since the commencement of his military career.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14"Therefore I can speak of him as a soldier and a friend.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17"He was a true soldier and a brave lad.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21"Never before had he shown such bravery and coolness
0:18:21 > 0:18:22"as in his last action."
0:18:22 > 0:18:24He must have been quite young,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26because he was still living at home with his parents.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28But during the Battle of Mametz,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31there were at least four pairs of brothers killed.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Two of them are actually buried in this cemetery.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35- Would you like to see them?- OK.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Well, here are the Hardwidge brothers from Ferndale.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47They were killed on 11th July in the second attack on Mametz Wood.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49We have a picture here of the two boys
0:18:49 > 0:18:51taken, presumably, before they came to France.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53With their wives and children.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Yes, indeed. Probably they would have had a last leave before they
0:18:57 > 0:19:00came to France and they had the opportunity of a family photograph.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Can you imagine how the wives must have felt
0:19:03 > 0:19:06as their husbands left to go to battle?
0:19:06 > 0:19:09I would imagine they would have been very apprehensive and worried, yes.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- And you can see the sadness in their eyes.- You can. You can, yes.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17The story goes that they were actually killed at the same time
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and they died in each other's arms. We'll never know the truth of that,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23but that's the story that goes with it.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29Later in the year, there was a third Hardwidge brother killed in France.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32So, his mother had lost three boys in a year.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Imagine that, losing three sons in a year.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- Difficult, isn't it?- You'd never get over it, would you?- No.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49Mametz Wood was the most important battle for Welsh soldiers in the First World War.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53The Welsh division went on to see further action at Passchendaele,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55but the sacrifice of Mametz
0:19:55 > 0:19:58caught the public's imagination back home in Wales.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03However, aside from the cemetery, there was no permanent memorial
0:20:03 > 0:20:05to the troops who lost their lives there.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07That all changed 30 years ago.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Now, I've seen pictures of this, Phil.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15It was erected in 1987 and the Dragon was created
0:20:15 > 0:20:18by David Peterson, from Sinclairs in Carmarthenshire.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- And you were involved in having it put here.- Yes, yes.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I was one of the group of people that actually helped raise
0:20:23 > 0:20:25the money to put it here.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And we had money from all over Wales.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It was all small donations from ordinary, private people,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34who had lost relatives in Mametz wood.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36No big companies were involved at all.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42When the memorial was unveiled in 1987,
0:20:42 > 0:20:4511 of the veterans attended.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47It was a very moving occasion.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52But one man who wasn't there was Tom Price,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55the soldier who had seen Germans bayoneting the wounded.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59He came up with the idea for the memorial in the first place.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03He came to one of our meetings and said, you know,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07"The Canadians have got their memorials, the South Africans got theirs -
0:21:07 > 0:21:08"we want a Welsh memorial."
0:21:08 > 0:21:12And we took him up on it, and we then worked to produce this.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And, sadly, although he lived to see where we were going
0:21:16 > 0:21:21to place the memorial, he died about six months before it was finished,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23and so wasn't able to be here on the day.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- He would have been very proud. - Oh, I'm sure he would have, yes.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34The Dragon Memorial is a fitting tribute to those
0:21:34 > 0:21:36who fought and died in the wood.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41And, back in the village, there's also a strong connection between Mametz and Wales.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And this is Mametz Church, Derek, and Mr Stephane Brunell, the Mayor.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- Bonjour, Stephane.- Bonjour, Phil. - Ca va?- Tres bien.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- And this is Derek.- Bonjour, Derek. Welcome to Mametz.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56- Merci beaucoup.- Come on.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'Mametz Church, like the rest of the village,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02'was totally destroyed in the war
0:22:02 > 0:22:05'and rebuilt brick by brick afterwards.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07'It's the sort of pretty church
0:22:07 > 0:22:09'you'll find in villages all over France,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13'except next to the altar is another Welsh dragon
0:22:13 > 0:22:15'which dates back to the 1920s.'
0:22:17 > 0:22:18Derek, Phil.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20HE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:22:28 > 0:22:31And I can see the people have left tributes here to the soldiers.
0:22:47 > 0:22:52And the friendship has grown since the Dragon memorial was erected,
0:22:52 > 0:22:57and we're cooperating very much now in the way we commemorate
0:22:57 > 0:22:59those killed in Mametz Wood.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01And what's this plaque here?
0:23:01 > 0:23:03It's in German.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It's wonderful that you remember those that died from both sides
0:23:29 > 0:23:31of the conflict here in the church.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I'm bringing you here, Derek, because the people who live here
0:23:45 > 0:23:49have got a collection of artefacts in their house that they found on the battlefield.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Oh, right.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Bonjour, Marie-Ange. - Bonjour, Phillip.- Ca va?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- Oui, ca va bien.- And Derek. - Bonjour, madame.- Bonjour.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02SHE SPEAKS FRENCH
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Well, this is amazing.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10How long have you been collecting these?
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Cinquante ans.
0:24:12 > 0:24:1550 years? And what were you doing when you found them?
0:24:21 > 0:24:24- And can I hold one of the grenades? - Oui.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Let's see. It's heavy.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Is it dangerous?
0:24:36 > 0:24:37Pleased to hear it.
0:24:39 > 0:24:40Merci.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44And what about the sword? Where did you find this?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57It's a Wilkinson Sword.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59I don't think I'll be shaving with this.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Mametz is in the heart of the of the Somme battlefield
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and if you visit the area, it's full of memorials
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and reminders from the First World War.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16There are details on our website of all the places I visited
0:25:16 > 0:25:18at bbc.co.uk/weathermanwalking.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22One of the most remarkable isn't far from Mametz,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24in the village of La Boisselle.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27It's a place no-one should miss.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Well, here we are, Derek. This is the Lochnagar Crater.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33It's absolutely enormous.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36It was formed on 1st of July, 7.28,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40when this whole hillside was blown up
0:25:40 > 0:25:42and all the Germans on top of it.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44For months, the British had prepared,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48they dug tunnels from way down there, several hundred yards,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51underneath here, opened up a chamber,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54filled it with 30,000 tonnes of exposes and, boom!
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Up it went, on the 1st of July
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and killed all the Germans on this high spot.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03There were eight of these massive explosions
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and one was even filmed by a newsreel cameraman.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15They were the largest man-made explosions to that date
0:26:15 > 0:26:18and the sound could be heard as far away as London.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22And did the Germans know that the British were planning this?
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Each side was mining at that time.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28They could hear the other side mining, picking away with their picks,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32but they couldn't really know when and where it was actually going to happen.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35So who's preserving the site like this?
0:26:35 > 0:26:39Well, a fantastic gentleman called Richard Dunning
0:26:39 > 0:26:43came here and bought this in 1978, because this was in danger
0:26:43 > 0:26:48of being filled in, as were some of the other craters, for housing.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50And he came here and he bought this,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53pure act of faith, set up a group to look after it
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and it's been here ever since.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And it's the focus of all the 1st of July ceremonies ever since.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- What a wonderful gesture. - Fantastic.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13But there's one final stop I have to make
0:27:13 > 0:27:16on my journey around Mametz Wood and the Somme.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Many of those who died in the First World War don't have a grave,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28so their names are listed on huge memorials.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33The biggest is not far from Mametz, at Thiepval.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37When I visited, it was being repaired ahead of the Centenary,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40but nothing could diminish its impact.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48So, this is Thiepval.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Yes, this is the memorial to the missing of the Somme,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55those killed in the battle and had no known graves.
0:27:55 > 0:28:00And on the panels, over 70,000 names.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01Any from Mametz Wood?
0:28:01 > 0:28:06Yes, there were 750 from Mametz Wood, including Dick Thomas.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11It's hard to comprehend, isn't it? The sheer loss of life.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13Yes, it is.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Well, Phil, thank you so much.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20It's been an extraordinary journey.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23I've learned so many new things about The Great War.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30And coming here has made me realise the sacrifice our soldiers made
0:28:30 > 0:28:35100 years ago and that we must never, ever forget.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Well, thank you, Derek. It's been a real pleasure.