:00:00. > :00:08.A day of commemoration to mark one hundred years since Britain
:00:09. > :00:24.In Glasgow Cathedral, politicians and the Prince of Wales
:00:25. > :00:29.remember the start of a conflict that engulfed Britain
:00:30. > :00:32.and its Empire for four long years.
:00:33. > :00:35.In Belgium, where the first troops were killed - the Duke and Duchess
:00:36. > :00:47.of Cambridge remembered those lost and reflected on their legacy.
:00:48. > :01:01.In his war between us and thinkable but former adverse arrays have
:01:02. > :01:08.worked together for three generations to spread democracy,
:01:09. > :01:09.prosperity and the rule of law across Europe.
:01:10. > :01:09.The war engulfed many nations beyond Europe too, represented
:01:10. > :01:10.Tonight, people across the UK are being asked to join a mass act
:01:11. > :01:12.of remembrance - turning lights out in the final hour before war was
:01:13. > :01:19.A temporary ceasefire in most of Gaza - but Palestinian officials say
:01:20. > :01:24.an Israeli air strike hit a refugee camp minutes after it began.
:01:25. > :01:28.A new drive to cut the number of people waiting more than a year
:01:29. > :01:32.for NHS surgery - but what impact will it have on other patients?
:01:33. > :01:36.And the do-it-yourself solution to roadworks - the man who built
:01:37. > :01:44.The capital remembers - tributes to the thousands of Londoners who lost
:01:45. > :01:48.And cracking down on the legal high being sold
:01:49. > :02:14.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six from Westminster Abbey,
:02:15. > :02:17.on a day of commemoration to mark one hundred years since Britain
:02:18. > :02:23.On this day in 1914, German troops invaded Belgium
:02:24. > :02:28.Britain responded by declaring war on Germany.
:02:29. > :02:31.Today, the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family
:02:32. > :02:41.have been taking part in ceremonies in the UK and in Belgium, and
:02:42. > :02:44.tonight there will be a candlelit vigil here at Westminster Abbey.
:02:45. > :02:45.Our Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell,
:02:46. > :03:02.It was a summers day much like today, said the minister at Glasgow
:03:03. > :03:09.Cathedral, when the world changed. It was 100 years ago today, the day
:03:10. > :03:15.Britain went to war. From every continent, the leaders of countries
:03:16. > :03:19.that had once been part of the British Empire, now linked by the
:03:20. > :03:36.Commonwealth, came to remember and pay their respects. Most of the
:03:37. > :03:43.fighting, most of the casualties, occurred on the battlefields of
:03:44. > :03:53.Europe. Belgium was the first point of impact, invaded by German forces
:03:54. > :03:55.on this day 100 years ago. To the city of Liege, stoically defended by
:03:56. > :03:56.Belgian forces in 1914, came many of Europe's present-day leaders, among
:03:57. > :04:05.them, Germany's head of state. TRANSLATION: I'm thankful for the
:04:06. > :04:08.invitation. There was contrition for Germany's unjustifiable invasion of
:04:09. > :04:18.Belgium, as he put it, and the conduct of German troops. President
:04:19. > :04:24.Hollande of France spoke about present-day rewards, what he called
:04:25. > :04:27.a murderous conflict in Gaza. Prince William said recent events in
:04:28. > :04:32.Ukraine showed that instability continued to stock Europe. But he
:04:33. > :04:40.said something better was possible. The fact that the presidents of
:04:41. > :04:45.Germany and Austria are here today and that other nations then enemies
:04:46. > :04:53.are here, too, hears testimony to the power of reconciliation. In
:04:54. > :04:56.Liege, balloons were released as a symbol of European peace. In
:04:57. > :05:09.Glasgow, the Prince of Wales laid a wreath in tribute to those from
:05:10. > :05:32.Britain and the Commonwealth who gave their lives in the Great War.
:05:33. > :05:40.And in the south coast port of Folkestone, from which hundreds of
:05:41. > :05:42.thousands of soldiers in bark for the Western front, and Harry opened
:05:43. > :05:43.a memorial in their remembrance. Tonight, Britain's attention will
:05:44. > :05:45.centre on Westminster Abbey with a vigil which will be shared across
:05:46. > :05:45.the country is lights are dimmed. A moment of reflection inspired by the
:05:46. > :05:47.remark by Britain's Foreign Secretary on this night a century
:05:48. > :05:48.ago that the lamps were going out all over Europe. It is the solemn
:05:49. > :05:49.commemoration of a catastrophic moment, represented at the Tower of
:05:50. > :05:50.London by nearly 1 million Saronic poppies are placed there to signify
:05:51. > :05:51.the bloodshed and the sacrifice of war.
:05:52. > :05:51.Hundreds of thousands of British troops were killed
:05:52. > :05:52.in the four year war - the first, Private John Parr, was 17
:05:53. > :06:09.This is the Middlesex Circle. In one corner of the shady cemetery, David
:06:10. > :06:14.and his daughter have reached the end of the journey. Around them, the
:06:15. > :06:18.men of the Middlesex Regiment, lost in fighting at Mons, the last
:06:19. > :06:22.resting place of David's great-uncle. This is a special day.
:06:23. > :06:26.The whole nation is remembering the carnage of the First World War, so
:06:27. > :06:30.that really adds to the emotion of the moment. Many of the 90 families
:06:31. > :06:38.attending the ceremony are here for the first time. Among them, the
:06:39. > :06:42.descendants of Corporal Walter last. His son never knew his father. Was
:06:43. > :06:47.only a baby when he was killed. It was important for us to come and pay
:06:48. > :06:52.our respects. This evening, Europe will remember Private John Parr, 17
:06:53. > :06:57.years old and the first British soldier to be killed as German
:06:58. > :07:02.forces advanced. I have heard from Berlin to say that my son was shot
:07:03. > :07:05.down at Mons. His great niece has a copy of the letter in which his
:07:06. > :07:09.mother pleaded for information. Tonight, Iris Hunt Wilshere it with
:07:10. > :07:16.a global audience. I have a photograph of me holding the hands
:07:17. > :07:23.of his mother. I'd like to think that I am now taking her by the
:07:24. > :07:28.hand, to her son's race, perhaps. As dusk falls on a day of remembrance,
:07:29. > :07:33.the most powerful message till comes from those who were there. Over the
:07:34. > :07:39.top we go. As soon as you get over the top, fear has left you. Just
:07:40. > :07:54.terror. Your nose is filled with fumes and death. I was tired of
:07:55. > :07:55.seeing infantry sinking back never to come out alive again. I was tired
:07:56. > :08:00.of all the carnage, all the sacrifice to gain 25 yards. These
:08:01. > :08:08.soldiers stabbed each other, strangled each other, went for each
:08:09. > :08:15.other like mad dogs. What was it that we who had nothing against them
:08:16. > :08:21.personally, fought with them to the very end? Former enemies, resting
:08:22. > :08:23.together. Where better to reflect on the futility of conflict and the
:08:24. > :08:26.strength gained by friendship. Hundreds of the fallen were laid
:08:27. > :08:29.to rest in the St Symphorien In just over an hour's time,
:08:30. > :08:37.there'll be a service to mark those battle. Sophie Raworth is
:08:38. > :08:46.there this evening. This is very much the focus of the
:08:47. > :08:52.International, narration is tonight. It is a military cell to -- military
:08:53. > :09:02.cemetery on a couple of miles outside of the Belgian city of Mons
:09:03. > :09:04.and this is where 500 German soldiers and Commonwealth soldiers
:09:05. > :09:08.are buried together in equal numbers. It is an unusual cemetery,
:09:09. > :09:18.a woodland cemetery. It was the idea of a German officer who decided in
:09:19. > :09:23.1916 that he wanted to be able to bury the dead from the Battle of
:09:24. > :09:27.Mons in one place and so he approached a Belgian landowner who
:09:28. > :09:31.decided to get in the land on the basis that the debt would be treated
:09:32. > :09:36.with equal dignity and respect. And that is why it is such a fitting
:09:37. > :09:39.place for the common orations. -- commemorations. The president of
:09:40. > :09:42.Germany will be arriving shortly as Will David Cameron and the Duke and
:09:43. > :09:46.Duchess of Cambridge. They have been here for a couple of hours to meet
:09:47. > :09:51.some of the 100 descendants of the men are each year, British and
:09:52. > :09:55.German. Later on this evening, there will be music, poetry, readings,
:09:56. > :09:58.extracts from diaries, read at the cemetery in English and German. A
:09:59. > :09:59.true spirit of reconciliation 100 years later.
:10:00. > :10:01.I'll have more from Westminster Abbey later
:10:02. > :10:03.in the programme - including the way commemorations here will be
:10:04. > :10:12.But now, Reeta Chakrabarti has the rest of the day's news.
:10:13. > :10:17.An eight year old girl was killed in an air strike
:10:18. > :10:20.on a refugee camp in Gaza just minutes into a unilateral pause
:10:21. > :10:23.in Israel's military operations, according to Palestinian officials.
:10:24. > :10:26.The Israeli army says it's looking into the incident.
:10:27. > :10:29.The partial seven-hour Israeli truce came into effect in parts of Gaza
:10:30. > :10:41.It didn't apply in the southern town of Rafah.
:10:42. > :10:44.So far over 1800 Palestinians and more than 60 Israelis have been
:10:45. > :10:48.Orla Guerin begins her report at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
:10:49. > :10:51.You may find some of the images, which include children in distress,
:10:52. > :11:04.Fresh casualties arrive in al-Shifa Hospital on the day of an Israeli
:11:05. > :11:12.cease-fire. Survivors told us that missiles hit their homes. An attack
:11:13. > :11:18.that came without warning. 3-year-old Ali, the latest innocent
:11:19. > :11:24.victim. Too shocked to even try. This is not a war, it is a war
:11:25. > :11:31.against children and families. They should fight soldiers, not children.
:11:32. > :11:35.Casualties are still arriving here at the hospital. It is absolutely
:11:36. > :11:40.chaotic. There is no room to put all the people who are arriving. About
:11:41. > :11:43.two dozen have been brought insofar as they say that this attack
:11:44. > :11:50.happened after the monetary and cease-fire was supposed to have
:11:51. > :11:53.begun. This is 5-year-old Bilal. His house came down on top of them,
:11:54. > :12:02.killing one of his relatives, and a Gerald Durrell. -- and nature old
:12:03. > :12:09.girl. His grandmother said, we will stand firm and have more children to
:12:10. > :12:11.fight the Israelis. Some took advantage of the cease-fire, which
:12:12. > :12:17.held in most areas, to salvage what they could from homes. In this front
:12:18. > :12:24.line area, next to the Israeli border, there was heavy fighting.
:12:25. > :12:34.This is my house. Or it was my house. This is where I've built my
:12:35. > :12:37.dreams, my memories, everything. This man brought us back to the
:12:38. > :12:45.ruins of the house where he lived with his wife and children. There
:12:46. > :12:49.was a kitchen here. He says he will bring his infant son and daughter
:12:50. > :12:55.back here to live in a tent and he will teach them about the Israelis.
:12:56. > :13:04.They have to learn how to live with those people. They have to know that
:13:05. > :13:10.they are our enemies. That is what he will be telling your children?
:13:11. > :13:16.Yes, yes. They destroyed my house. How can we live together? Is no way.
:13:17. > :13:21.His losses include his family's farmland and factory. And his
:13:22. > :13:27.precious library. He loves check off and Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.
:13:28. > :13:33.But this man of books is now left with sadness and hate.
:13:34. > :13:35.International pressure has been mounting on Israel over
:13:36. > :13:39.President Hollande of France described yesterday's air strike
:13:40. > :13:43.near a UN-run school as a 'violation of international law.'
:13:44. > :13:46.In Jerusalem, an Israeli died when a mechanical
:13:47. > :14:01.These pictures show the first James Reynolds reports.
:14:02. > :14:06.These pictures show the first in Jerusalem. A man hijacks a yellow
:14:07. > :14:12.digger. Here, he tries to ramp a bus in a Jewish neighbourhood. Police
:14:13. > :14:16.officers rushed towards him. We will freeze the video here. Police fire
:14:17. > :14:24.at the driver, a Palestinian, killing him. Afterwards, a crowd
:14:25. > :14:32.gathers. Many here are students at a religious school just across the
:14:33. > :14:36.road. TRANSLATION: I think we should be able to live in peace with our
:14:37. > :14:42.Arab neighbours. We should stop the radicals from escalating things.
:14:43. > :14:48.This is the most significant attack on Israelis in Jerusalem for three
:14:49. > :14:54.years. My message is that Israel will not be deterred from developing
:14:55. > :14:59.the city of Jerusalem and, of course, our life in Israel. The
:15:00. > :15:04.terrorists will understand. It does not pay to try to kill Israelis. We
:15:05. > :15:09.will toughen up and we will go back to our lives and move on. Then we
:15:10. > :15:14.get word of another attack. A drive-by shooting which injures a
:15:15. > :15:19.soldier near the Hebrew University. Right now, there is a sense of fear
:15:20. > :15:23.and uncertainty here in Jerusalem. In the space of a few hours, there
:15:24. > :15:29.have been two separate attacks and they have hit the heart of the city.
:15:30. > :15:34.The attacks put pressure on Israel's Prime Minister. Here, he is
:15:35. > :15:40.visiting injured soldiers in hospital. He insists that Israel's
:15:41. > :16:02.offensive will continue. Until quite is restored for a lengthy period.
:16:03. > :16:07.That may take some time. One of the casualties is reportedly a British
:16:08. > :16:10.man. What can you tell us? Unconfirmed reports that a British
:16:11. > :16:15.man has been killed in the south of the Gaza Strip. The Prime Minister
:16:16. > :16:20.has said he is extremely concerned about these reports. He said the
:16:21. > :16:23.government was doing everything it could to check and get to the bottom
:16:24. > :16:27.of this and he did not want to comment further until the situation
:16:28. > :16:32.was clear but he said this underlined the need for an immediate
:16:33. > :16:36.unconditional cease-fire which should be properly observed by both
:16:37. > :16:44.sides. He said this killing has got to stop. We have been told by the
:16:45. > :16:46.British Consulate they are investigating the unconfirmed media
:16:47. > :16:51.reports that the man came from London, others saying he came from
:16:52. > :16:56.Rochdale, but we should emphasise nothing is confirmed. Officials are
:16:57. > :17:00.still investigating these reports that a British man was one of the
:17:01. > :17:05.casualties yesterday in the south of Gaza.
:17:06. > :17:09.Our top story this evening: Commemorations have been held across
:17:10. > :17:13.the UK to mark 100 years since Britain entered the First World War.
:17:14. > :17:16.Still to come: A mass act of remembrance.
:17:17. > :17:23.People are being urged to turn out their lights at 10pm tonight.
:17:24. > :17:26.The five-year-old with type one diabetes who can finally go to
:17:27. > :17:29.school after her mother's battle with the council.
:17:30. > :17:43.Preserving the 5,000 war memorials of the Great War across the capital.
:17:44. > :17:47.The government is launching a new drive to cut the number
:17:48. > :17:51.of patients in England waiting more than a year for NHS surgery.
:17:52. > :17:55.It's set aside ?250 million to clear the backlog.
:17:56. > :17:59.There are currently 574 people who have been left waiting for an
:18:00. > :18:03.operation for more than a year, a delay ministers say is unacceptable.
:18:04. > :18:06.But they've admitted that making those who've waited the longest
:18:07. > :18:14.a priority may now mean other patients waiting longer for surgery,
:18:15. > :18:17.at least in the short term. The human cost
:18:18. > :18:19.of long waiting times. Russell has
:18:20. > :18:23.a debilitating bone condition and last year needed a hip replacement
:18:24. > :18:26.but it was delayed several times and he was never told why.
:18:27. > :18:31.The seven-month wait left him frustrated with the NHS.
:18:32. > :18:35.Very poor communicators. If I had been given reasons why I
:18:36. > :18:36.had been bumped I would have been much happier.
:18:37. > :18:40.If they had contacted me rather than me chasing them
:18:41. > :18:42.that would have been better. The government wants to reduce
:18:43. > :18:45.numbers waiting a long time for surgery with
:18:46. > :18:48.the priority being those who have been held up more than a year.
:18:49. > :18:52.I do not think that is acceptable and what we are saying is that even
:18:53. > :19:02.when the NHS is under great pressure we are able to make progress to
:19:03. > :19:04.bring down waiting times. This should help patients who have
:19:05. > :19:08.had a long wait but that still leaves many others
:19:09. > :19:11.who were expecting surgery. The Secretary of State has admitted
:19:12. > :19:15.that the key waiting time target that is that at least 90% of
:19:16. > :19:22.patients should be treated within 18 weeks of being referred by a GP will
:19:23. > :19:24.be missed over the next few months. There has been an increase over
:19:25. > :19:27.the last year in the numbers waiting more than 18
:19:28. > :19:31.weeks for treatment in England. In May 2013
:19:32. > :19:38.the total was just under 148,000. In the same month this
:19:39. > :19:41.year it was nearly 194,000. The fact that this money is
:19:42. > :19:43.needed shows that there is enormous pressure on the NHS.
:19:44. > :19:46.We are running at capacity. There's a funding gap
:19:47. > :19:49.because investment is not keeping up with rising demand.
:19:50. > :19:52.Labour claims that having promised to protect patient care the
:19:53. > :20:06.Prime Minister has lost control of waiting times.
:20:07. > :20:09.A businessman from Bath has found a novel way to get round the delays
:20:10. > :20:12.caused by roadworks near his home. Mike Watts has built
:20:13. > :20:13.his own toll road, and he's hoping to recoup the building cost
:20:14. > :20:27.by charging drivers ?2 a time. Drivers heading into the bath facing
:20:28. > :20:31.a fee. To take a short cut through a farmer's field. It saves me 40
:20:32. > :20:36.minutes a day so it is worth every penny for me. To be able to save
:20:37. > :20:41.that time in my day. They will need a lot more cars to come through. A
:20:42. > :20:45.local businessman has spent more than ?100,000 of his own money
:20:46. > :20:52.building at after coming up with the idea on a trip to the pub. We have
:20:53. > :20:58.to get 150,000 cars in five months. That is 30,000 a month, 1000 cars a
:20:59. > :21:02.day. The route between Bristol and Bath was blocked in February when a
:21:03. > :21:09.landslide crashed through the surface turning a short trip into an
:21:10. > :21:13.hour-long 14 mile ordeal. I have paid my ?2 and rather than go on a
:21:14. > :21:18.40 mile diversion I can go round the toll road. You have to get in first
:21:19. > :21:23.gear because it is very steep, the surface is just gravel. The local
:21:24. > :21:28.council is cautiously supportive and says rules and regulations stopped
:21:29. > :21:34.them from building the bypass first. The process of building a new road
:21:35. > :21:39.is not a quick fix. The council cannot build a quick fix, they would
:21:40. > :21:44.have to build proper roads. The main route will not reopen until
:21:45. > :21:46.Christmas. Until then, this rough and ready road could save motorists
:21:47. > :22:03.from months of misery. by charging drivers ?2 a time.
:22:04. > :22:06.We return now to our main story, which is that events have been
:22:07. > :22:09.taking place in Belgium and across the UK to mark 100 years since
:22:10. > :22:10.Britain entered the First World War. Our reporter is at
:22:11. > :22:15.Westminster Abbey. People across the UK have been asked
:22:16. > :22:24.to leave a single light on between 10pm and 11pm.
:22:25. > :22:28.Westminster Abbey. 137 names.
:22:29. > :22:32.137 lives lost. Many of the men who left Cornwall
:22:33. > :22:37.were the same age as these cadets when they were killed
:22:38. > :22:40.in battle far away from home. 100 years after war was cleared they
:22:41. > :22:43.are remembered in a service by the lighting of a candle.
:22:44. > :22:46.are remembered in a service At 10pm people across the country
:22:47. > :22:52.will light their own flame to be extinguished at 11pm, the moment
:22:53. > :22:55.Britain entered the Great War. The important part to commemorate is
:22:56. > :22:59.that we do not forget exactly how horrific the whole
:23:00. > :23:04.of the war was and the important thing is to remember that we never
:23:05. > :23:08.engage in such an activity again. Many communities are marking this
:23:09. > :23:13.milestone and young people have been taught about the sacrifices made.
:23:14. > :23:19.I think it is important to remember them because they gave up
:23:20. > :23:25.their lives for us. The trenches were horrible.
:23:26. > :23:29.The most disastrous form of warfare. On the eve of war being declared one
:23:30. > :23:33.man had a deep sense of foreboding of the horror that was to come.
:23:34. > :23:39.The Foreign Secretary looked out at the gas lamps of London.
:23:40. > :23:44.The words he spoke as he gazed through the window are the
:23:45. > :23:51.inspiration for this commemoration. They are voiced by the actor
:23:52. > :23:53.Simon Russell Beale. The lamps are going
:23:54. > :24:01.out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again
:24:02. > :24:05.in our lifetime. I think the more that you young
:24:06. > :24:08.people remember what we have told you about grandad...yes,
:24:09. > :24:17.grandad won his Victoria Cross, but it cost him his life.
:24:18. > :24:19.great-great-grandfather. Frederick Dancox was awarded
:24:20. > :24:22.the Victoria Cross for capturing 40 of the enemy.
:24:23. > :24:26.He was killed on for capturing 40 of the enemy.
:24:27. > :24:30.They had lined the railway stations at Worcester to
:24:31. > :24:36.welcome him home and sing his praises but he never arrived.
:24:37. > :24:40.The congregation at this synagogue lost 39 members
:24:41. > :24:43.in the First World War. They are remembering
:24:44. > :24:47.all those who died. It would be really a tragedy
:24:48. > :24:51.if we did not teach our children and grandchildren about what
:24:52. > :24:55.happened so that they never forget. When the lights do go out at 11pm
:24:56. > :25:04.it will mark the beginning of what is described as one of
:25:05. > :25:06.the darkest periods in our history. I'm joined now by the Dean
:25:07. > :25:13.of Westminster, the Very Reverend John Hall.
:25:14. > :25:21.We are looking back at the events of a century ago. What is the right
:25:22. > :25:27.tone to strike? We are looking to reflect and commemorate, but the
:25:28. > :25:31.events just before we declared war, how do we feel? What is our
:25:32. > :25:38.expectation? We have to repent of the failure diplomatically to solve
:25:39. > :25:42.issues without having to go to war. That is of direct relevance
:25:43. > :25:47.universally but also today elsewhere. I hope it will be a
:25:48. > :25:53.beautiful service. It will be a reflective moment. The lights will
:25:54. > :25:57.gradually go out. The Duchess of Cornwall will extinguish the final
:25:58. > :26:02.lap and at the end we will think about the lights of the world that
:26:03. > :26:27.cannot be extinguished and God's presence through Christ.
:26:28. > :26:37.The showers in the process fading away. We had one or two back
:26:38. > :26:43.downpours and if you got one it was the exception rather than the rule.
:26:44. > :26:48.The showers will fade away so for many of us it is going to be a clear
:26:49. > :26:52.night, however one or two heading towards western extremities as we go
:26:53. > :27:00.through the course of the night. Temperatures around 14 or 15
:27:01. > :27:05.degrees. It will be cooler in rural spots. Tomorrow starts sunny for the
:27:06. > :27:08.vast majority of the UK but the showers that would have crept closer
:27:09. > :27:12.during the night are in place across western areas through the course of
:27:13. > :27:18.jersey so be prepared for the odd downpour, at the very least there
:27:19. > :27:22.will be cloud in the west. The brightest weather will be across
:27:23. > :27:30.eastern areas. Fresher in Glasgow and Newcastle. A very big change on
:27:31. > :27:36.the way for the middle part of the week. Be prepared for some wet
:27:37. > :27:38.weather. This area of low pressure is going to upset our weather
:27:39. > :27:45.through the course of Wednesday for the next few days. It is going to go
:27:46. > :27:49.downhill. On Wednesday afternoon to improve is across the south of the
:27:50. > :27:53.country after a spell of wet weather but there will be showers around.
:27:54. > :27:56.The change comes on Thursday and by the time we get to Friday it is
:27:57. > :28:13.downhill. The service and candlelit vigil here
:28:14. > :28:16.at Westminster Abbey begin at 10pm, but special coverage gets underway
:28:17. > :28:19.on BBC Two in a moment, starting with a service at Mons in
:28:20. > :28:22.Belgium where the first significant battle of the war took place.
:28:23. > :28:23.We'll leave you now with images of a poignant day.
:28:24. > :28:39.Goodbye.