I second your recommendation. When I was teaching we ran annual trips to teach the children a mixture of respect and never to let this happen again. My uncles name is on one of the panels. The Germans finally got him in 1917. He had been previous blown up on the infamous Hill 60, buried up to his neck and had his head smashed with a German rifle butt to finish him off (he survived). After recovery in England he was declared fit for duty. He was never to come home to his family again. He was buried near the Cloth Hall but his grave was, like many others blown up in the continued battle. He has no known grave. In our family he is remembered to this day.
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Wipers Times
- Thread starter Paskman
- Start date
I second your recommendation. When I was teaching we ran annual trips to teach the children a mixture of respect and never to let this happen again. My uncles name is on one of the panels. The Germans finally got him in 1917. He had been previous blown up on the infamous Hill 60, buried up to his neck and had his head smashed with a German rifle butt to finish him off (he survived). After recovery in England he was declared fit for duty. He was never to come home to his family again. He was buried near the Cloth Hall but his grave was, like many others blown up in the continued battle. He has no known grave. In our family he is remembered to this day.
Blackadder
Brighton Bhuna Boy
Fantastic. You must be very proud of him.
The Sock of Poskett
The best is yet to come (spoiler alert)
- Jun 12, 2009
- 2,810
Excellent production - funny, moving, and powerful. Top work all concerned.
dejavuatbtn
Well-known member
Really enjoyed this programme. My G Grandad was blown up over there - a horrific way to go - I did a bit of research of his, and his regiment's, ww1 records and it wasn't pleasant. If this was a true reflection of life in the trenches it is encouraging to know there was something to laugh about.
How the hell did they get a piano and record player in the trenches?!
How the hell did they get a piano and record player in the trenches?!
Do you mean St. George's Church? We went there. Lots about the regiments in WW1 and kneelers made for all the regiments, including a few for Royal Sussex Regiment..
oneillco
Well-known member
- Feb 13, 2013
- 1,259
Loved it too but please "along" long time?
desprateseagull
New member
whats it about? Confessions of a Loo cleaner..?
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
Think I might watch this on the BBC Iplayer tonight
They'll be nothing better no tonight. FACT.
Tricky Dicky
New member
Never under-estimate how much we owe to your Uncle and the many, many like him
Nibble
New member
- Jan 3, 2007
- 19,238
I usually enjoy lesser known stories from the World Wars and this is a very interesting tale, although you would be hard pushed to believe it from this dramatisation. Chaplin on smirkingly charmless form, other characters no more that incidental head popper uppers and generally very dull. Gave up after 40 mins.
Working class pride
Banned
- Feb 14, 2010
- 4,932
I missed it which is a shame as its the sort of thing I like to watch. However, I think this country has to go back to remembering the wars in the way it was when I was a kid. When I was young, it was more a sadness and even anger at the two wars, with an anger that WW1 happened at all and a sad anger that WW2 had to then be fought. Nowadays Poppy Day has become a recruitment tool for the armed forces and a flag waving jamboree for the monarchy. Perhaps because the poor blokes who I remember, who actually had to do the fighting have all but died out. The press seem to now glorify the killing and the legacy of the old WW2 veterans that I knew seems to have been lost. England is also (thankfully) much more multi cultural and people from all over the world live in London and as London is the power house of the economy it would be good if we could now look at WW1 and WW2 with a more global perspective and move on, whilst remembering the poor sods that lived through it and who lost friends and family. The flag waving and military pomp and ceremony is so wrong and out of place on Poppy Day as it was military nationalism that caused the deaths of millions during those terrible years.
Lord Bracknell
On fire
It's undoubtedly the case that the formal remembrance of the events of WW1 is selectively managed - to serve a purpose that goes beyond merely "remembering the poor sods".
With a number of public events being planned next year to mark the centenary of WW1, I wrote, a few months ago, to the organisation that is co-ordinating commemorative events in Kent and Medway, to ask what was planned to mark the destruction of HMS Bulwark at Sheerness, on 26 November 1914. The answer that came back is ... nothing.
Why does this matter?
In terms of loss of life, the explosion on HMS Bulwark remains the second most catastrophic in the history of the UK. Over 700 men were killed, when a powerful internal explosion ripped the Bulwark apart at 7.50am on 26 November 1914 while she was moored at Number 17 buoy in Kethole Reach, four miles (6 km) west of Sheerness in the estuary of the River Medway. Out of her complement of 750, only 14 sailors survived. Two of these men subsequently died of their injuries in hospital, and almost all of the remaining survivors were seriously injured.
Why does it matter to me?
Simple. One of the men killed was Stoker 1st Class Alfred Harrison, my grandmother's brother. Much missed by his family, of course. But there is no tale of bravery to account for his death. All he seems to have been doing is eating his breakfast at the time.
I guess it's down to those of us who know about this event to remember the poor sods on our own.
Norman Potting
Well-known member
Interesting story Lord B, full details (as always with caveats regarding possible accuracy) on Wikipedia. My great grandfather was also involved in a little known (apart from in the High Brooms and Southborough areas of Tunbridge Wells from whence most of the casualties came) WW1 incident - the accidental sinking of the HMS Hythe off Gallipoli. Fortunately he lived to tell the tale but 129 of his comrades out a total death toll of 154 didn't. One can only conjecture that many of the poor b****s would not have survived the Gallipoli debacle in any case.
- Jan 3, 2012
- 16,617
I think I must have been watching a different programme.......
For those that missed this last time round, it's being repeated bbc2 @ 9pm.
LamieRobertson
Not awoke
For those that missed this last time round, it's being repeated bbc2 @ 9pm.
And adapted for the stage later this year