04/08/2014 Spotlight


04/08/2014

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Good evening, welcome to Spotlight from Plymouth Hoe as the South West

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remembers the outbreak of the First World War.

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Today, communities across the region have

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been reflecting on the life changing events of a hundred years ago.

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In Cornwall, a re`enactment of the moment the declaration of war was

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Also tonight ` asbestos concerns are investigated.

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Council residents in Crediton fear building work has

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And looking back at South West success at a glorious

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Plymouth Hoe and this war memorial have been

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the scene of many important commemorations over the years

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and once again tonight they will play host to an act of remembrance.

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On the 4th of August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany.

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From that moment, the lives of people in this city and across

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The Foreign Secretary at the time remarked,

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"the lamps are going out all over Europe tonight and they won't be lit

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It was perhaps a more prophetic remark than he realised because it

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signalled the start of one of this country's darkest periods.

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Well, tonight from 10 o'clock people will be encouraged to turn

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off their lights and leave just one lamp or candle lit to remember the

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Here on the Hoe, a candlelit procession will end with

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a gun salute to mark the precise moment war was declared.

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Tonight, we'll be looking ahead to the events

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Already today a number of commemorations have taken place

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including the re`enactment of the moment

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a Morse code message was sent from Poldhu in Cornwall to warn British

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This is a historic moment recreated 100 years on. Just hours after Brett

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declared war on Germany, this station sent the following message

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by Morse code. To all British merchant vessels, war has broken out

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between England and Germany. You must not go to German ports. Radio

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enthusiasts working at Poldhu Theatre is important to remember

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what happened. The telegram would have disappeared and this is one of

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only ones we know that kept the message and proves it was sent from

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here. We are running a special event with amateur radio to honour all

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those wireless operators on both sides who died during the First

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World War. It was from a radio mast like this one that the crucial

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message was sent and throughout the war Poldhu continued to keep ships

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informed. It was very important that shipping was aware of the dangers

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and I suspect they were very conscious that events on the world

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stage were very dangerous and therefore it was crucial that the

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message got through to them to avoid German ports. This is all that now

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remains of the original telegraph station but today's event insurers

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the key part it played will not be forgotten.

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Well, the outbreak of war 100 years ago went on to affect every

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In some towns and villages virtually an entire generation was lost.

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The families left behind had to struggle with their grief

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A century on, many communities have come

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together again today to remember the lives lost, as Heidi Davey reports.

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In the village of Woodbury, a special day of events has been held

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to remember the outbreak of the First World War. This is our tribute

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to the sacrifice, and this is what they have handed down to us. It was

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the community of which they left and gave their lives for and we are

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honouring them by bringing the community together again. A Second

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World War air raid siren and marked the start of an outdoor exhibition

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by the town's Royal British Legion and civic society. On Weymouth

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seafront, 560 crosses were used to remember those from the town who did

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not return from the great War. A lone piper played at a special

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ceremony at the County Hall to mark the declaration of war and remember

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those who lost their lives in the conflict. Exeter Cathedral is

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preparing for more commemorations this evening following last night's

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anniversary service. At 10pm tonight they join others in marking the time

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the lights went out all over Europe. And like other services we

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will work between ten and 11 to close down all the lights in the

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cathedral so that we end up with just a single candle burning, which

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is about remembering all those who suffered and also the flicker of

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hope that we all carry with us. And many communities will take part in

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the national lights out commemorations this even in

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commemorating the enormous sacrifice made by so many a century ago.

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Later in the programme we'll hear from

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historian Dr Todd Gray about the impact the declaration of war had

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on the South West, and I've been to the Heligan Gardens in Cornwall to

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uncover the story of a gardener who went to war and then disappeared.

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First, the rest of the news from Natalie.

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Residents of flats in a Devon market town fear

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their health has been put at risk by their local council's handling

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The Health and Safety Executive is investigating.

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Mid Devon Council has apologised and called in

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a specialist asbestos contractor to survey the properties in Crediton.

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68`year`old Pete told us he is concerned about the effects

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of contaminated dust from asbestos insulation boards

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He complained to the council but they closed his complaint

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The vents have since been closed off but Pete says the damage is done.

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Immediately behind the vent were two horizontal bars of asbestos.

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They looked quite frankly dangerous, and the vent was blowing straight

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over the work surface where I prepared all my meals.

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That was the asbestos behind the top vent.

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He's kept some of the materials and he says it's evidence

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We asked him to take his collection for independent analysis.

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Spotlight was not allowed to film inside the lab but we can confirm

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all samples were subsequently found to contain amosite, one of the most

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Following these tests there was growing suspicion building work

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at nearby flats may have disturbed dangerous materials.

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Mid Devon District Council declined our request for an interview but in

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a statement said that both they and the contractors had believed it was

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non`licensable asbestos but in the light that the materials may have

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been of a more hazardous type, the council contacted the Health

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and Safety Executive to say the removal may not have been

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The Health and Safety Executive has confirmed

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an official enquiry is underway and will decide in due course whether

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A Devonport based survey ship has arrived in Malta after picking up

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more than 100 British people who were fleeing violence in Libya.

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HMS Enterprise left Plymouth in June for an 18 month survey deployment

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and had been on operation in the Mediterranean.

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She was despatched to Tripoli, when UK citizens were urged to leave.

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British Transport Police are warning people to keep off

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They say there've been hundreds of trespasses recorded on lines

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in Devon and Cornwall over the past three years.

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From April to June this year, there were 20 incidents in Cornwall alone.

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Officers say people wandering onto the tracks are taking

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You cannot hear the train coming and they can take a quarter of a mile to

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stop at full speed. The number of fatalities we have had shows the

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inherent dangers of the railway network.

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To sport now and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are over with

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The South West pocketed four golds, six silver and six bronze.

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Spotlight's Dave Gibbins reflects on a successful Games for the region.

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The biggest achievement of the Commonwealth games came

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On his debut in Glasgow, the student from the University

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of Saint Mark St John collected two gold medals in the 50 metre

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butterfly and 50 metre freestyle, proving he's one to watch in this

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Tom Daley cruised to gold in the 10m platform putting him

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in the right frame of mind for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

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For me, in the next ten years, with the legacy of London 2012

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and Glasgow 2014, we're going to see some young stars emerging.

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Another games debutant, Sophie Tolchard,

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capped her consistency throughout the lawn bowls competitions with

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The 22`year`old headed the medal haul from the Kings club in Torquay.

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The quartet is made up by doubles silver medallist

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Natalie Melmore, Jamie Chestney, who also won silver, and Sam Tolchard,

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Although Kingsbridge hockey player Giselle Ansley won

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the silver playing for England in the final against Australia,

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They were denied gold as the favourites equalised with only 11

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seconds remaining and went on to win the resultant penalty shoot out.

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And what a performance from the 40`year`old mother of two

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Jo Pavey, seen here at the 5000 metres finals going into the final

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lap, but she found an untapped reservoir of strength and power to

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It was very much a team effort and my children keep me happy and that

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keeps me motivated. Eight happy personal life helps you feel

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motivated and I would encourage mothers to get out and get fit!

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Well, that's the latest news this evening.

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Back now to our World War one commemorations.

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This is one of the centrepieces of the regional commemorations for the

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100th anniversary. We will talk more later but what is planned but I am

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joined by Todd Gray to reflect on the events of 100 years ago. Across

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the world millions of lives were lost but is it possible to narrow it

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down and ask how many lives were lost from here? The roll of honour

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gives almost 12,000 for Devon, mostly men. And just for one county

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that is a colossal figure. What sort of proportion is that? It is about

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important is that the numbers were important is that the numbers were

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so high that everybody knew someone, and it came home to you. You

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mentioned one end, not a straightforward with the men going

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out because they were women on the front line? Lots of men and

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hospitals were seen with wounds, so the war came back to Devon. You had

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women going on the front line, one Belgian aristocrat, who was an

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Exeter girdle, remarries and becomes a great headline on the Western

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front. `` heroine. It was such a horrific war and was described and

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hoped to be the war to end all wars, but what changed if anything? There

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was a different sensibility and an idea about war that permeated the

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1940s. The first thing that happens is the economy collapses with high

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inflation and low employment. Loads of women without husbands. Widows

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and women who never married because they feel unsafes died. Going into

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the Second World War, people remembered what happened.

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The two world war is really need to be studied together. I know you are

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involved in the leading tonight, with the famous phrase about the

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lamps going out all over Europe, but thank you for joining us. All this

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we'll be marking this 100th Anniversary in our series

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World War 1 At Home, in partnership with Imperial War Museums.

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Tonight we hear the story of the gardener of Heligan,

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and how his disappearance eventually played a part in

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I've been to meet historian Peter Lavis who's rediscovering

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the stories of the families who worked there at the time.

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100 years ago, the peace and tranquillity of life in the gardens

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of Heligan was shattered by the outbreak of war. This was one of 23

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gardeners who worked on the land and left to join the Navy. Many were

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called up even before the declaration. There was a prearranged

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signal with the town crier marching on to the peer and ringing the bell.

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That was the signal for the men to put on their uniforms. By 1917, the

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gardeners at Heligan numbered just eight. It is not often there's a

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poignancy about a toilet but here, the gardeners who went off to war

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wrote their names on the wall of this outside toilet, and as far as

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we know this is the only toilet that is designated as a living memorial

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to those who served in the First World War, by the Imperial War

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Museum. 48 left town that day and channels was among them. He actually

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went to work on a trawler in the First World War. Something like 500

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trawlers from around the coast of the United Kingdom used to

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supplement ships. Many were fitted with small guns and about half of

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them went out hunting submarines. Some went out minesweeping. Was that

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how he spent the rest of the war? We also know he was either windowed or

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endurance and he went back to hospital, and one morning, he got up

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as usual and got ready and walked out of the main gates and

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disappeared and was never seen around here again. The Navy had no

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idea of what happened to him and he was notified as a disaster and his

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wife was accordingly contacted. `` deserter. His wife and three

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children were stuck here with no income and the family reputation was

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ruined. The family were vilified. And the stigma of that legacy is

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still felt by his granddaughter. She always felt there was shame. I do

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not think she ever got over it and stayed like that for all of her

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life. She loved him so much and could not say anything about him. I

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think it broke her heart. She could never speak about him without

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crying. She could never speak about her husband. From the day he

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disappeared until the day she died, she wore a black and she and the

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three children lived with their shame until this gold ring restored

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the reputation. The ring engraved with his initials helped identify

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his remains, discovered in woods near the hospital. His body was

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brought home for burial. They took him off the deserter's West and gave

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her a pension, but more importantly she got the family reputation back.

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He was no longer listed as a deserter. Even more poignantly, she

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was home in Cornwall again. The family all knew what this meant.

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When they did find him, it gives closure of some sort. At least she

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had a grave to visit and knew where it was. How does it feel talking

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about him now? I could cry actually. The losses of the great war were too

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great for many to be and as well as changing the lives of this family

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fodder, it signalled a big change at Heligan as well. They all said he

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could not live with the ghost of the place because so many of the team

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perished. We can't race to that moment in time the beginning of the

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decline of Heligan. So the one gardener was eventually found and if

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he was to return today he would see the garden is looking much as the

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dead 100 years ago, but the loss of so many lead to the gardens

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themselves eventually being lost. Tonight in communities

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across the region, people will be playing their part commemorating

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the outbreak of the First World War, by dimming their lights,

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leaving just one candle burning. There will be church services taking

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place all over the South West, including at Exeter and

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Truro Cathedrals. In Camelford there will be an open

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air vigil, with community singing. In North Devon

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a special walk is being held to Service personnel from St Mawgen

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will be joining the community of St Columb Major in an act

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of commemoration. Our reporter Philippa Mina

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has been to find out more. Later tonight, service personnel

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from here at RAF Saint Morgan will join and Navy service people as well

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as members of the public. They will carry 57 candles, one for each

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serviceman who lost his life in the conflict. I am joined by the station

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commander. How do you feel about tonight's Memorial and why are you

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taking part? We are honoured to be a part of it. It is about remembering

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the beginning of a war and once we have about a hundred people going up

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with 57 lives lost, and it is about remembering those brothers,

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husbands, sons who gave the ultimate sacrifice. And you are currently

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serving, what similarities can you identify with those men 100 years

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ago? I would not like to make similarities because I imagine 100

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years ago the conditions they faced were atrocious. War is nowadays are

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still atrocious but we have better equipment and communications,

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accommodation, and it is never a good thing to be in a conflict zone

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but I would not have liked to have been in the trenches. We will be

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live tonight from 10:30 p.m.. And we would like to see how you are

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commemorating events tonight, you can contact us by Facebook. The

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weather is set to be fear for all the commemorations across the region

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but what were conditions like 100 years ago? Was more on that and the

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forecast, here is David. I have a copy of the charts that was

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drawn up at the start of the war. You can make out the United Kingdom,

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down here. The black lines illustrate low`pressure taking

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charge and July would have been quite a good month, with August

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starting off with low`pressure and some unsettled weather. Let's get

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more up`to`date, and they did not have satellite pictures in 1914.

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This cloud may well bring some more showers later this evening and this

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bunch of showers coming and, and the high pressure is weakening and

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low`pressure taking charge by the end of the week. The showers we have

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seen so far today are fading away but more showers gathering to the

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west of Cornwall and the Wellcome end overnight, some creeping in two

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parts of Devon. Lowest where the skies are clear so around Dorset.

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For many of us, quite a cool night and for many of us, show the

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outbreaks of rain to start the day tomorrow. Sunny spells only good

:25:25.:25:30.

part of the day and late in the day, thicker cloud approaching from

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the West and coming off the Atlantic, brighter colours and more

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persistent rain. Temperatures not too bad, around 21 Celsius. Wind

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coming from the South West with showers possible but largely dry

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with thicker cloud and more persistent rain later on in the day.

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The north Coast will be choppy, bigger waves than we have seen

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today. They list the coastal waters forecast, banking southerly into the

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evening. It will be an overnight feature sole weapon state is not a

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bad day, quite warm as well. Sunny spells and the small chance of a few

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showers, mainly dry on Thursday, and the big change comes on Friday

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moving into the weekend with more babies developing, but also timing

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substantially more unsettled. `` breezes. Thank you.

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with live coverage of events here on The Hoe and across the South West.

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But tonight is not just about remembering the start of the war.

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It's also a chance to reflect on the next four years and how

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