:00:14. > :00:16.Good evening from the village of Brassington in Derbyshird
:00:17. > :00:20.for a special programme marking the day 100 years ago when Britain
:00:21. > :00:32.As the clock ticked round to 11pm on that fateful evening of
:00:33. > :00:34.August the 4th, 1914, no`ond could have imagined
:00:35. > :00:41.just how bloody and brutal the coming conflict would be.
:00:42. > :00:51.It left its mark on almost dvery town and village in the country
:00:52. > :01:01.If we step inside the church of St James, we can see the melorial
:01:02. > :01:04.plaque which bears the names of those men from Brassington who
:01:05. > :01:22.It is headed, to the glory of God and a sacred to the memory of..
:01:23. > :01:30.There is the list. James Banks. Joseph Henry Ellis. Frank and
:01:31. > :01:33.William Gould. Three separate pairs of names on this memorial plaque,
:01:34. > :01:39.detailing perhaps just how destructive the war was and how
:01:40. > :01:41.personally it would be felt in villages like this.
:01:42. > :01:43.It's been a day of commemoration right across
:01:44. > :01:45.the East Midlands as communhties have marked the 100th annivdrsary
:01:46. > :01:58.Marching proudly to a commeloration, old soldiers joined the people of
:01:59. > :02:03.Hilton in remembering their fallen. We have gathered here today to
:02:04. > :02:08.remember all those from this community... On a former Arly base,
:02:09. > :02:12.25 trees have been planted to remember the Hilton men who were
:02:13. > :02:17.lost in three 20th`century wars including a team from the Great War.
:02:18. > :02:22.We have an uncle, James Andrew, who died in the First World War, we have
:02:23. > :02:28.a cousin, Eric Charles Blood, who died in the Second World War. And
:02:29. > :02:33.also, a second cousin, Robert Blood, who also died in the First World
:02:34. > :02:36.War. A stone with all the n`mes was unveiled by a local man, Prhvate
:02:37. > :02:42.Callum Bowley of the Mercian Regiment. In Hilton Village Hall, an
:02:43. > :02:45.exhibition of the history of all those who died, including D`vid
:02:46. > :02:49.Amos, who was killed at the end of the Battle of the Somme. His effects
:02:50. > :02:54.are here and with his grandson, including his watch. I alwaxs wind
:02:55. > :03:00.it up and if you listen to ht, you can hear the ticking, I feel that is
:03:01. > :03:20.his heart. He was on night patrol and he was killed by an explosion.
:03:21. > :03:25.The union flag was lowered to half`mast. Inside, next mission
:03:26. > :03:28.detailing how do great work changed Nottinghamshire, as well as
:03:29. > :03:33.commemorating those who lost their lives. People seem to spend a long
:03:34. > :03:40.time in the gallery, they sdem to be bowled over by the impact of it At
:03:41. > :03:44.Eastwood, the Memorial Garddns have become only the second centdnary
:03:45. > :03:49.field in the country. It is now a protected site to mark the tltimate
:03:50. > :03:54.sacrifice made by local people 00 years ago. This garden will be a
:03:55. > :04:00.memorial for all the people in the area of Broxtall who died in those
:04:01. > :04:03.wars, and it will be a lasthng reminder. In Leicestershire, Ashby
:04:04. > :04:11.Pusey has opened its own Grdat War exhibition. `` Ashby Museum. Telling
:04:12. > :04:13.the stories of some of the hundreds of men from North West
:04:14. > :04:19.Leicestershire who died durhng World War I. This exhibition reprdsents
:04:20. > :04:24.just a few of the men who dhed in the North West Leicestershire area.
:04:25. > :04:33.They represent over 900 people who gave the ultimate sacrifice, some of
:04:34. > :04:38.them so young. At Stamford, a whole festival of commemoration. Ht began
:04:39. > :04:43.with the Mayor or procession through the town and among its ranks,
:04:44. > :04:45.soldiers of the future from the local Army Cadet Force. Watched by
:04:46. > :04:50.soldiers from past conflicts. The commemorations are conthnuing
:04:51. > :04:52.this evening, here and across the country, to mark
:04:53. > :04:55.the hour that war was declared. These Lights Out events, organised
:04:56. > :05:03.by the Royal British Legion, are moments for reflection hnspired
:05:04. > :05:09.by the words of the then Brhtish Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey,
:05:10. > :05:12.who said on this day 100 ye`rs ago, "The lamps are going out all over
:05:13. > :05:14.Europe, we shall not see them lit again in
:05:15. > :05:18.our lifetime." 100 years ago, Europe was dominated
:05:19. > :05:21.by Emperors, a Kaiser and a Tsar. Closer to home,
:05:22. > :05:22.Britain's second city It's difficult to comprehend how
:05:23. > :05:31.different everyday life was in 914. Our political editor John Hdss has
:05:32. > :05:34.been discovering how our MPs then He starts his report in
:05:35. > :05:51.Downing Street. So, imagine what it must have been
:05:52. > :05:54.like 100 years ago as the then Prime Minister Herbert Asquith faced the
:05:55. > :06:00.prospect of Britain at war with Germany. Asquith was a Primd
:06:01. > :06:04.Minister of a coalition Govdrnment, sounds familiar? He led a Lhberal
:06:05. > :06:12.government in coalition with the Irish Parliamentary party. Ht was an
:06:13. > :06:16.issue of independence for Ireland. Our MPs were more concerned about a
:06:17. > :06:21.looming civil war in Ireland than the drumbeat to war in Europe. That
:06:22. > :06:26.all changed when Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary, warndd MPs
:06:27. > :06:31.that the Army of the Kaiser sweeping through Belgium would obligd Britain
:06:32. > :06:34.to defend Belgian neutralitx. An MP from Leicester was not convhnced.
:06:35. > :06:38.Ramsay MacDonald is probablx better known as the Prime Minister of the
:06:39. > :06:42.first`ever Labour Government after the First World War, but he was also
:06:43. > :06:48.one of the first Labour MPs, elected to represent Leicester. In the
:06:49. > :06:52.Commons, Ramsay MacDonald s`id he was not convinced of the nedd for
:06:53. > :06:56.war and that the verdict of history may eventually agree with hhm and
:06:57. > :07:01.not so Redwood. Within 24 hours Britain war and Sir Edward Grey
:07:02. > :07:06.Craig, from the windows of the front office, made his warning, the lamps
:07:07. > :07:09.are going out all over Europe, they will not be lit again in our
:07:10. > :07:13.lifetime. Mobilisation was not without problems. Lord Kitchener
:07:14. > :07:19.needed recruits. The MP for Mansfield, illiberal, gained
:07:20. > :07:23.prominence to campaigning against underage boys being enlisted.
:07:24. > :07:28.Investor, recruitment was along the lowest in Britain because of the
:07:29. > :07:33.strong anti`war sentiment. `` in Leicester. MPs had other concerns,
:07:34. > :07:40.why had recruits not been issued with razors and spoons? Why were
:07:41. > :07:46.retired medical officers not getting a full kit allowance, Sir Hdrbert
:07:47. > :07:52.Raphael demanded an answer. And what of Derby's new Labour MPs, Jimmy
:07:53. > :07:57.Thomas, exposed businesses that were still trading with Germany, despite
:07:58. > :08:01.a Government trade ban. The war to end all wars may have been 000 years
:08:02. > :08:14.ago, yet the concerns of our MPs then seem strangely familiar now.
:08:15. > :08:20.I have moved down now from the church to the millennium se`t, and
:08:21. > :08:23.earlier this evening, the n`mes of the men who served their cotntry
:08:24. > :08:28.from Brassington were read out in a special roll call. Mike Rosd,
:08:29. > :08:33.Chairman of the local branch of the Royal British Legion, read out the
:08:34. > :08:45.names as a mark of respect. Joseph Henry Ellis. William Webster Gould.
:08:46. > :08:49.William Herbert Grattan. Well, I am joined by some of the villagers and
:08:50. > :08:55.members of the Royal British Legion. You have helped to organise this,
:08:56. > :08:59.who has it gone? Very well. It has been a beautiful might. We just
:09:00. > :09:04.wanted to mark the centenarx of the First World War and pay respects to
:09:05. > :09:10.all the millions who died. H think you have done the village proud
:09:11. > :09:15.Mike, what is the response? It is 100 years on, it is a long time
:09:16. > :09:22.since the war started. You think it is a long time, but we have to
:09:23. > :09:27.remember these people who wdnt to war in 18, 90 years `` 19 ydars of
:09:28. > :09:33.age and gave their lives for us and for how we live today lost because
:09:34. > :09:39.it was turning point in the century. From that point of view, I think we
:09:40. > :09:43.should be very grateful to them Brassington suffered a lot, there
:09:44. > :09:51.was a huge impact on the yotng men here. There must have been. 17
:09:52. > :10:01.villagers lost their lives out of about 35. One village just down the
:10:02. > :10:06.road had no body. One of thd thankful villages, as it was called.
:10:07. > :10:10.But a proud moment for the Royal British Legion, the responsd today
:10:11. > :10:19.and tonight? Very much so. H am pleased to see the way everxthing
:10:20. > :10:24.has gone. I think it has rehgnited the events in the last few days
:10:25. > :10:29.that suddenly, young people have realised what happened 100 xears
:10:30. > :10:34.ago, it has reignited that hnterest. It certainly has. Thank you very
:10:35. > :10:38.much to all of you. We will leave you tonight from Brassington, with a
:10:39. > :10:43.rendition of the last post on what has been a day of intense and
:10:44. > :10:47.incredible commemorations. We were there earlier at the Crich Stand in
:10:48. > :10:52.Derbyshire, the memorial to the men of the Sherwood Foresters who went
:10:53. > :10:53.to war and never came back. Those soldiers are in our minds again
:10:54. > :11:18.tonight. Good night. We have had a fairly quiet start, it
:11:19. > :11:21.has been dry and bright with a good deal of warmth. Not much ch`nging
:11:22. > :11:24.for the next 24 hours, we whll stay dry throughout tomorrow. Thd
:11:25. > :11:28.sunshine will be around through the morning and cloud will incrdase
:11:29. > :11:34.again in the afternoon. But temperatures going back up hnto the
:11:35. > :11:37.20s. A couple of showers thhs evening which are starting to fade.
:11:38. > :11:41.The cloud will melt away as well, so dry and clear. Like winds, so it
:11:42. > :11:46.will be quite cold, but temperatures are sliding into single figtres for
:11:47. > :11:51.some. Around eight or nine Celsius. Tomorrow, a bright start, bdautiful
:11:52. > :11:55.sunshine through the morning, cloud increasing as we approach the
:11:56. > :11:59.afternoon. The chance of a shower although most places will stay dry.
:12:00. > :12:01.Temperatures up to around 22. That's all from us, here is the outlook.
:12:02. > :12:16.Quite a fresh evening out there this evening. It's going to turn chilly
:12:17. > :12:22.in a few spots by the early hours of Tuesday. Underneath the clear,
:12:23. > :12:26.calm, tranquil conditions... Not completely clear because there are a
:12:27. > :12:30.few showers. You may have been caught out in some across the South
:12:31. > :12:36.today. After midnight, you can see the vast majority of the UK has dry
:12:37. > :12:40.weather, whereas Cornwall, Devon, just about nudging into Wales,
:12:41. > :12:44.possibly Northern Ireland and the south-west of Scotland, a few
:12:45. > :12:51.showers. But clear skies is the story tonight. Colder in rural
:12:52. > :12:57.spots. The Glens of Scotland, really nippy first thing on Tuesday. It
:12:58. > :13:04.starts off sunny for many of us Tuesday is going to be a bit of an
:13:05. > :13:09.East-West split. In the afternoon, across the south-west we will see a
:13:10. > :13:10.few showers, a bit of sunshine too, not such a bad