:00:08. > :00:09.Hello, and welcome to Midlands Today.
:00:10. > :00:13.A poignant discovery ` lost graves of soldiers from the First World War
:00:14. > :00:21.We have managed to turn this place around from an abandoned jungle to
:00:22. > :00:25.almost perfection. As towns and villages across
:00:26. > :00:28.Midlands prepare to take part in Royal British Legion's Lights Out
:00:29. > :00:30.event, we'll be live in Ironbridge. 100 years since the outbreak
:00:31. > :00:33.of the Great War, we'll be reflecting on how other parts
:00:34. > :00:35.of our region are remembering. Also tonight, a poor reception `
:00:36. > :00:38.what's being done to help communities where you have to be
:00:39. > :00:45.very mobile to get a signal. I don't have my phone, I don't bring
:00:46. > :00:50.it out because it rarely works. Uphill struggle ` we join charity
:00:51. > :01:00.sprout nudger Stuart as he inches I've got no skin left on my knees,
:01:01. > :01:02.it has been tough so just to get to the end and see the crowd is
:01:03. > :01:04.fantastic. And something for everyone this week
:01:05. > :01:07.` sunny spells, heavy rain, I'll have all the details
:01:08. > :01:17.for the week ahead later on. We begin our special World War One
:01:18. > :01:21.anniversary coverage with the story of the forgotten graves,
:01:22. > :01:24.belonging to soldiers who lost They were uncovered by ex`servicemen
:01:25. > :01:29.in the Black Country, carrying out restoration work at
:01:30. > :01:32.St Peter's Church in Cradley. Today, the men who gave
:01:33. > :01:35.their lives were remembered Today's service began with
:01:36. > :01:43.a procession in A lone piper setting the tone
:01:44. > :02:00.before some sombre words from We remember those who were killed in
:02:01. > :02:04.action or by disease. We remember the bereaved, the last, the
:02:05. > :02:08.shattered families, the wounded, the maimed and injured, and those who
:02:09. > :02:12.held in Thailand's unspeakable memories of warfare. `` held in
:02:13. > :02:16.silence. This year is particularly poignant
:02:17. > :02:18.after a century's passing, but in Cradley even more so,
:02:19. > :02:21.because at last forgotten men could They had been lost here
:02:22. > :02:24.in the undergrowth, until local ex`servicemen set
:02:25. > :02:26.about uncovering their graves. Just over a year
:02:27. > :02:28.ago this whole area was overgrown Some described it as a jungle,
:02:29. > :02:32.and they were only expecting to Most were in their twenties
:02:33. > :02:39.when they died, and for John and Dennis Rose from Netherton,
:02:40. > :02:42.today was particularly moving. At last they could see
:02:43. > :02:55.their grandad's grave. She wouldn't say a lot, and when he
:02:56. > :03:01.invested, he wasn't called up, he enlisted and went out to France. He
:03:02. > :03:07.did come back a couple of times, and Gran always said he was covered in
:03:08. > :03:12.life and she had to delay the same. He was killed on the 23rd of August
:03:13. > :03:15.1916. It never occurred to me I was born on the day he was killed.
:03:16. > :03:18.Norman Catton organised the work with help from the community payback
:03:19. > :03:29.Absolutely fabulous. The lads from the Probation Service really worked
:03:30. > :03:36.hard. I have had a few other volunteers who have been coming on
:03:37. > :03:40.Saturdays, and really, this place is clean compared to how it looks the
:03:41. > :03:42.first time I went to that part of the graveyard.
:03:43. > :03:45.117 men from Cradley lost their lives in the Great War.
:03:46. > :03:47.Today all their names were called out, including those
:03:48. > :03:56.Between 10pm and 11pm this evening, the Royal British Legion's Lights
:03:57. > :03:58.Out event will involve households, businesses
:03:59. > :04:02.and public buildings across the UK turning out their lights, to leave
:04:03. > :04:08.The event was inspired by the words of wartime Foreign Secretary Sir
:04:09. > :04:12.Edward Grey, who said, "The lamps are going out all over Europe.
:04:13. > :04:16.We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."
:04:17. > :04:18.This evening we're live at Birmingham Cathedral
:04:19. > :04:21.and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, but first, Bob Hockenhull reports
:04:22. > :04:27.on the tribute being paid at Europe's largest Hindu temple.
:04:28. > :04:30.It may look like India, but the Balaji Temple is
:04:31. > :04:35.And today, candles were lit here to remember those who made
:04:36. > :04:42.We'll stand silently in commemoration
:04:43. > :04:46.of those people who lost their lives for saving the world.
:04:47. > :04:50.1.5 million Indians fought for the British in the Great War.
:04:51. > :04:55.75,000 died, a loss keenly felt by the guest of honour
:04:56. > :05:03.Within six weeks, one third of the soldiers fighting in Northern
:05:04. > :05:09.France were actually from India and that number grew from 130,000`odd
:05:10. > :05:20.All the lights in the temple in Tividale will be extinguished
:05:21. > :05:24.Only the candle of hope will stay lit, a symbol
:05:25. > :05:29.In 1914, people younger than me or as young as me were in the trenches,
:05:30. > :05:33.shooting, getting killed, and it's quite a scary thought and a lesson
:05:34. > :05:36.we all should learn from, it is a lesson we believe we should learn
:05:37. > :05:41.Indians fought for Britain all over the world,
:05:42. > :05:44.from the trenches of Europe to the deserts of Africa, but here at the
:05:45. > :05:49.temple they are anxious to ensure it is not just their sacrifices that
:05:50. > :05:55.The temple has seven Faith Hills, representing seven
:05:56. > :06:00.Representatives from those faiths took part
:06:01. > :06:07.After all, as one of those attending said, a bullet doesn't recognise
:06:08. > :06:20.Let's go live now to Blists Hill, the Victorian town at the heart
:06:21. > :06:22.of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire.
:06:23. > :06:24.The lights being turned out there tonight will be gaslight.
:06:25. > :06:32.Nicola, what else is happening tonight?
:06:33. > :06:42.The streets here will be very busy tonight. Let's find out a little bit
:06:43. > :06:48.more from Paul Gossage from the museum. What will be going on? We
:06:49. > :06:54.are welcoming our volunteers as part of commemorations. They have been
:06:55. > :06:58.putting on an exhibition looking at the post service during World War I
:06:59. > :07:03.and all our volunteers will be writing postcards in the guise of
:07:04. > :07:07.someone fighting or someone at home writing to their loved ones, and
:07:08. > :07:12.then we will bring these together, stand in a circle and lead them ``
:07:13. > :07:17.and read them aloud. You have also brought some literature. Can you
:07:18. > :07:22.tell me about that? This is about our exhibition we have put on along
:07:23. > :07:26.with the British Postal Museum and it is a variety of letters and
:07:27. > :07:32.documents. This is a battlefield well. When this soldier was looking
:07:33. > :07:35.at all his possessions, his most prized possession that he left to
:07:36. > :07:42.his girlfriend was his aspidistra plant. Tonight everyone will be
:07:43. > :07:45.gathering. Tell me more. They will read out what their ideas are from
:07:46. > :07:50.the fighting front, then we will turn the lights out in memory of
:07:51. > :07:57.that wonderful speech, the lamps are going out across Europe. Thank you,
:07:58. > :08:01.Paul. I hope you can join us later on at 10:25pm, when we will join
:08:02. > :08:07.everyone here to find out how they will be commemorating.
:08:08. > :08:08.The Lights Out commemoration has even found
:08:09. > :08:11.its way onto that cornerstone of British life, The Archers,
:08:12. > :08:15.In a special episode tonight, pupils from a school in Worcester
:08:16. > :08:17.take centre stage as the long`running radio soap marks the
:08:18. > :08:21.And as Giles Latcham reports, it's a school with reasons
:08:22. > :08:34.# While your hearts are yearning...
:08:35. > :08:37.Echoing down the decades, youngsters from King's School
:08:38. > :08:44.Worcester breath new life into an old song, at the request of the BBC.
:08:45. > :08:47.We were asked by the producer a few weeks ago to provide a choir
:08:48. > :08:51.to play the role of the local school choir in a service in an episode of
:08:52. > :08:56.The Archers in which a choir will sing Keep The Home Fires Burning.
:08:57. > :08:59.The song was hugely popular among families waving fathers
:09:00. > :09:05.This recording of it is at the heart of tonight's special
:09:06. > :09:12.In the '50s and '60s we used to go out on location quite a lot
:09:13. > :09:15.and record in local churches and it seemed like a nice idea to
:09:16. > :09:20.commemorate the anniversary of the First World War by coming out again,
:09:21. > :09:25.and hopefully in 50 years' time, when these young students are
:09:26. > :09:28.grandparents, they might remember that 50 years
:09:29. > :09:31.earlier they were there recording an episode of The Archers on the
:09:32. > :09:35.On the walls of College Hall, a reminder of the sacrifices made
:09:36. > :09:42.by old boys of the school ` and in particular, one family.
:09:43. > :09:44.The Wilmots were five brothers, all of whom fought in the
:09:45. > :09:51.The boys wrote home regularly to their mother Kitty,
:09:52. > :09:55.and modern`day pupils are now busy scouring their letters for insights
:09:56. > :09:59.into life in the trenches and for the family back home.
:10:00. > :10:02.They were living on the edge, really,
:10:03. > :10:04.not knowing what would happen, if they would ever see them again.
:10:05. > :10:08.It's quite sad in a way, reading letters,
:10:09. > :10:12.people saying they're all right when you know that later on, they're
:10:13. > :10:17.They're not allowed to put their position, where they are in
:10:18. > :10:22.the country, so he's talking to his mum in codes, saying, I am where I
:10:23. > :10:28.When they're talking about trenches that are waist deep in mud,
:10:29. > :10:31.you start to think about how you would deal with that, and Christmas
:10:32. > :10:41.# They were summoned from the hillside...
:10:42. > :10:43.82 old boys lost their lives in World War One.
:10:44. > :10:47.Perhaps in this song, their loved ones found some relief
:10:48. > :10:55.And that episode of The Archers featuring the choir from Kings
:10:56. > :11:00.School, Worcester, follows Midlands Today just after 7pm on Radio 4.
:11:01. > :11:03.Giles is at Birmingham Cathedral for us now, where a candlelight vigil
:11:04. > :11:12.Giles, what have people been telling you as they arrive there?
:11:13. > :11:19.Some have come here because it is a family thing, members of their
:11:20. > :11:24.family served in the war, others served in later conflicts and others
:11:25. > :11:29.simply wanted to take part in a collective act on this day, perhaps
:11:30. > :11:35.an act of remembrance. The vigil began just over an hour ago and goes
:11:36. > :11:43.on until 11pm. With us is the Dean of Birmingham. I described it as an
:11:44. > :11:48.act of remembrance. Yes, many people are remember ring on behalf of
:11:49. > :11:51.family members, but we are taking a moment to pause and reflect and
:11:52. > :11:59.think about how these enormous events have effected us over the
:12:00. > :12:05.years. Why remembrance? It is important to look back and on the
:12:06. > :12:09.sacrifice of each individual person, every family, every community, was
:12:10. > :12:14.affected by the trauma and tragedy of this war, but I think also we
:12:15. > :12:18.need to bring it up to date because the world is still at war in many
:12:19. > :12:25.ways and we need each one of us to think about how am I making peace in
:12:26. > :12:30.my life? Thank you for speaking to us. You were speaking earlier to one
:12:31. > :12:35.member of the congregation who said her great`grandfather joined up at
:12:36. > :12:40.17 and he said the war was crying like babies in the trenches. The
:12:41. > :12:43.bells are ringing as a sign of Bonnie and grief and all are welcome
:12:44. > :12:50.tonight. You can email them to
:12:51. > :12:56.midlandstoday @bbc.co.uk, upload them to our Facebook page,
:12:57. > :12:58.or tweet @bbcmtd. Good to have you with
:12:59. > :13:00.us this evening. In pole position,
:13:01. > :13:03.celebrating our Commonwealth Games And what led a violinist to lend
:13:04. > :13:08.his ?1 million Stradivarius to There are more than 82 million
:13:09. > :13:19.mobile phones operating in the UK, but in many rural parts
:13:20. > :13:21.of the Midlands, The government has launched a
:13:22. > :13:25.project to improve network coverage, but it's still not clear which
:13:26. > :13:28.areas will get help ` and when. Phil McCann reports from
:13:29. > :13:33.the Staffordshire Peak District. You can forget surfing
:13:34. > :13:35.the internet or watching But in the 21st century, should you
:13:36. > :13:41.really have to forget making calls A few hundred people live here
:13:42. > :13:47.in Longnor, and they have to. No, I don't bring it out
:13:48. > :13:52.because it rarely works anyway. Just dead,
:13:53. > :13:55.constantly searching for a signal and until you get one or two bars,
:13:56. > :13:59.it might connect and then if it Here in Longnor,
:14:00. > :14:04.apparently this is the only place You can send a text
:14:05. > :14:10.and possibly make a very short phone Despite all this, Mark tries to
:14:11. > :14:16.run an IT company in the village. We have a transmitter
:14:17. > :14:19.which was provided by the cellular operator, which does
:14:20. > :14:25.give us a very short range mobile And in the village shop,
:14:26. > :14:30.it's hitting their profits It stopped me from having certain
:14:31. > :14:36.facilities for my customers like scratchcards and delivery
:14:37. > :14:39.services because all the systems run In Shropshire, 7% of the county
:14:40. > :14:51.can't get a mobile signal at all. It's 5% in Herefordshire,
:14:52. > :14:56.and 2% here in Staffordshire. So the government's spending ?150
:14:57. > :15:00.million to build new masts for the networks so they can plug
:15:01. > :15:03.some of those gaps. But getting planning permission and
:15:04. > :15:08.buying land here is taking time. I hope we can role it out
:15:09. > :15:11.as quickly as possible but we have to do it in a way that
:15:12. > :15:15.respects the countryside and the last thing I want to see is mobile
:15:16. > :15:18.phone masts going up all up and down So for the time being,
:15:19. > :15:23.if you want to get hold of anyone The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
:15:24. > :15:32.has been described as the best in history after last night's
:15:33. > :15:35.spectacular closing ceremony. It's also been a fantastic Games
:15:36. > :15:38.for the Midlands. Dan's here to bring us some
:15:39. > :15:53.of the highlights Yes, you are looking at the faces of
:15:54. > :15:59.the Midlands medallists. We won 41 medals in Glasgow and the here. We
:16:00. > :16:09.won the first gold of the games with Judy Stimson winning the women's
:16:10. > :16:16.triathlon. That's back Judy Stimson. Jodie Stimson of England wins the
:16:17. > :16:22.first goal of the game. I've got to thank so many people, they really
:16:23. > :16:29.got me through, it's awesome. Awesome indeed. She also won gold in
:16:30. > :16:34.the team event. Another of our stars was at PD from Uttoxeter who won two
:16:35. > :16:41.golds and a silver. `` Adam PD. He was able to go home as well and
:16:42. > :16:50.turned up when our reporter was reporting for last Wednesday's lunch
:16:51. > :16:58.time programme. How tired you? I had no sleep. They are here to give you
:16:59. > :17:08.a hug, I don't want to stand in your way. Here he is, Adam. The pride of
:17:09. > :17:10.parents. The Midlands also had success in athletics.
:17:11. > :17:13.If you want to know how good it feels to win a silver
:17:14. > :17:16.in the long jump, then watch Stoke's Jazmin Sawyers celebrate
:17:17. > :17:27.And sometimes the raw emotions flooded out.
:17:28. > :17:29.When Oldbury Wrestler Chinu Singh secured a bronze medal,
:17:30. > :17:32.He just couldn't hold back the tears.
:17:33. > :17:34.Those are just a selection of highlights.
:17:35. > :17:38.Well, the Midlands won 15 gold medals, 15 silvers and 11 bronze.
:17:39. > :17:42.If the Midlands was a country, we'd have finished sixth in
:17:43. > :17:45.the medal table, just behind India and just in front of New Zealand.
:17:46. > :17:57.It certainly has. Thanks, Dan. Glasgow has one universal praise for
:17:58. > :18:06.the games. One of the key components
:18:07. > :18:09.were the 15,000 games volunteers One of them was Matthew Bowater,
:18:10. > :18:19.from Birmingham, It is being emotional from start to
:18:20. > :18:21.finish, a year I go from when I first applied until the closing
:18:22. > :18:31.ceremony was emotional. I am a volunteer for a helping
:18:32. > :18:37.Sharon Tate and it seemed a chance to help others. `` a helping
:18:38. > :18:38.charity. I had seen the Olympics in London and it seemed a chance to
:18:39. > :18:41.recreate that. A lot has been made of Glasgow's
:18:42. > :18:52.friendliness. Very much so, Glaswegians are so
:18:53. > :18:58.nice, the atmosphere from day one, the people I work with were just
:18:59. > :19:01.really top people. Sounds like south of the border you were welcomed with
:19:02. > :19:06.open ours. What were you doing yesterday? I was working with
:19:07. > :19:11.spectator services, doing the microphone, ticket checks and stuff
:19:12. > :19:17.like that, so I got to see quite a few athletes coming in and out,
:19:18. > :19:22.seeing a loss. Full. You don't get paid for this, do you? You must want
:19:23. > :19:29.to do it. I saved up to fund it, so it was quite hard to get the time
:19:30. > :19:34.and stuff like that to do it. But that whole ethos of volunteering is
:19:35. > :19:39.something you would recommend? Definitely. The country needs more
:19:40. > :19:45.volunteers, people struggle and charities and organisations, so it
:19:46. > :19:48.is a big ethos to volunteer. Thank you, Matthew, and thank you for
:19:49. > :19:51.flying the flag for people in the Midlands.
:19:52. > :19:53.It must be every violinist's dream ` to play on
:19:54. > :19:59.He's just 18, but the owner of the rare violin,
:20:00. > :20:02.John Ludlow, who is in his 80s, was so struck by the parallels between
:20:03. > :20:07.They are both from Edgbaston, were both at the same school and both
:20:08. > :20:11.It's not often you get asked to look after ?1 million.
:20:12. > :20:15.But that's how much Roberto Ruisi is handling every time he plays
:20:16. > :20:20.I remember it being quite a terrifying moment, the handover
:20:21. > :20:24.itself, suddenly being left with it as well, I kind of went to
:20:25. > :20:30.the shops the next day and thought, oh, I've left the Strad at home.
:20:31. > :20:38.Roberto, who's from Birmingham, is the leader of the National Youth
:20:39. > :20:43.Orchestra and has been lent the rare Stradivarius, which dates
:20:44. > :20:47.back to the 1680s, for a series of special concerts this week.
:20:48. > :20:50.The sound radiates around the whole building and you don't
:20:51. > :20:54.even have to try very hard, there's just something very innate about
:20:55. > :20:58.So just who would give an 18`year`old
:20:59. > :21:05.Now 83, John was the first ever leader of the National
:21:06. > :21:14.He's a wonderful young man, a very good fiddle player,
:21:15. > :21:18.a much better fiddle player now than I ever was, and I respect him
:21:19. > :21:25.Despite John being 65 years older than Roberto, the similarities
:21:26. > :21:30.Both were born in Edgbaston in Birmingham,
:21:31. > :21:33.less than a mile and a half apart, both went to the same school and
:21:34. > :21:37.of course, both became leaders of the National Youth Orchestra.
:21:38. > :21:40.Roberto will use the violin for three performances,
:21:41. > :21:43.including one at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Saturday night,
:21:44. > :21:46.and a few weeks later, he'll hand it back and return to his
:21:47. > :21:59.own violin, which is worth a mere couple of hundred thousand pounds.
:22:00. > :22:11.That is one lucky young man. Now, it has to be one of the most unusual
:22:12. > :22:19.fundraising challenges. Making
:22:20. > :22:21.the ascent to the peak of Snowdon, on your hands and knees, pushing a
:22:22. > :22:25.spout all the way, with your nose. But that's exactly what
:22:26. > :22:27.Stuart Kertel from Balsall Common has managed to do,
:22:28. > :22:29.in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support. Our reporter Amy Cole joined him,
:22:30. > :22:31.in the mist, on Wales' highest mountain,
:22:32. > :22:33.to witness his remarkable feat. Magnificent and imposing,
:22:34. > :22:36.a real challenge for any walker. Somewhere on Snowdon there is
:22:37. > :22:39.a man on his hands and knees pushing I'm going to try to find him, but if
:22:40. > :22:44.you think I'm walking, think again. As we chugged up the mountain,
:22:45. > :22:48.I kept my eyes peeled I couldn't see him lurking behind
:22:49. > :22:52.those walkers, so where was he? Then out of the mist, nose to the
:22:53. > :23:00.ground at 3000 feet up, sprout man. My knees,
:23:01. > :23:15.despite the kneepads I have blisters Very sore, aching, but people
:23:16. > :23:20.have been amazing with donations. He started last Wednesday,
:23:21. > :23:24.camping on the mountain overnight Supporting him
:23:25. > :23:33.is longtime friend Richard. What's it like being Stuart's
:23:34. > :23:35.official sprout supplier? I thought it would be quite fun
:23:36. > :23:37.but it's been really wet, I don't really actually
:23:38. > :23:43.like sprouts. Word of Stuart's challenge seemed
:23:44. > :23:48.to be getting around Snowdon. And then, after four days
:23:49. > :23:52.and 22 sprouts, he finally reached It's been the most gruelling
:23:53. > :24:03.challenge I've ever done. Just to get to the end,
:24:04. > :24:07.to see the obelisk Next year Stuart wants to walk from
:24:08. > :24:25.France to England on the seabed. Just extraordinary. A mixed bag of
:24:26. > :24:34.whether at the weekend so how is it shaping up? A little better than it
:24:35. > :24:36.was. It will be another mixed bag as we head for the next few days. It is
:24:37. > :24:41.not terrible weather of but not wall`to`wall sunshine. Tomorrow we
:24:42. > :24:46.start with some sunny spells, not a bad start at cloud is lets up from
:24:47. > :24:53.the south and with some rain, some of which will be heavy. Today we had
:24:54. > :24:57.some patchy cloud which began to break up and then a little, it
:24:58. > :25:02.brought some pokey showers through the afternoon. That cloud continues
:25:03. > :25:07.to third and break overnight so it is not a bad end to the day and it
:25:08. > :25:12.will be a nice night, calm and clear. Our temperatures will fall
:25:13. > :25:15.away, a fresher and night than we have seen recently, down to lows of
:25:16. > :25:22.nine Celsius in our towns and cities, cooler in countryside. Clear
:25:23. > :25:26.skies overnight mean it is a lovely start to tomorrow, sunny spells
:25:27. > :25:29.right through the morning, but it is not long before that cloud filters
:25:30. > :25:36.up from the south, without a few showers. Not everyone will see them,
:25:37. > :25:40.that cloud will break up and sun will come out, for some places it
:25:41. > :25:45.will not be bad, but then through choose the night we had this area of
:25:46. > :25:49.heavy rain working up from the south, some heavy pulses in there,
:25:50. > :25:52.in the grip of low pressure so we are rather unsettled. Although
:25:53. > :25:58.Tuesday evening ends with some clear spells, then this rain works is way
:25:59. > :26:04.up. Heavy bursts in there and it could make the morning rush hour on
:26:05. > :26:07.Wednesday a tricky drive. It lets temperatures a little overnight.
:26:08. > :26:11.That rain with us through the morning but it eventually clears
:26:12. > :26:15.away. When that they doesn't look too bad ones it has gone, sunny
:26:16. > :26:26.spells, a few showers and staying unsettled through the rest of the
:26:27. > :26:29.week. I'll be back at 10:25pm to bring you an extended edition of
:26:30. > :26:33.today's commemorations. Finally tonight, if you saw
:26:34. > :26:36.Saturday's bulletin, you'll have seen our report on a moving artistic
:26:37. > :26:39.tribute to the millions who lost 5000 frozen statues were left to
:26:40. > :26:43.simply melt away We leave you this evening with
:26:44. > :26:47.some of the stunning images which