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Press Releases
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ commemorates 90th anniversary of Armistice
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Update – 10 October 2008: this press release has been updated to reflect the fact that the Vera Brittain programme is now called AÌýWoman In Love And War: Vera Brittain.
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On 11 November 1918 the Armistice was signed between the Allied
and German armies, ending the First World War – a global war that
lasted four years, extinguishing millions of lives.
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A pan-³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Learning campaign to commemorate the 90th anniversary
of the Armistice, 1918-2008: Ninety Years Of Remembrance, will run in
the days leading up to 11ÌýNovember 2008.
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With the aim of personalising the act of remembrance and bringing
World War One vividly alive in the present, it will feature
documentaries, dramas and live events across ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ÌýOne, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four and at bbc.co.uk/remembrance.
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There will also be radio programming both on network radio and
across the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s radio stations in the nations and regions, as
well as a host of free, local events open to all.
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Bringing together people from all over the UK, 1918-2008:
Ninety Years Of Remembrance will encourage individuals and
families to look into the stories and documents of their
relatives who served in the First World War through events,
online activity and multiplatform services.
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People will be able
to post their family artefacts, photographs and memories at
bbc.co.uk/remembrance on the wall of remembrance.
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Through
links to an array of family history sites, they will also be able
to research their relatives' role in the war and delve into their
family history as well as learning more about the events of the
Great War.
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These include a link through to Ancestry who are
waiving their charges for the month of November for people to
search the remaining British Army First World War service and pension records
(otherwise only available by visiting National Archives in Kew)
and the British Army First World War "medal rolls" online.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Learning Campaign Executive, Louise Wordsworth, said: "We want
to help people re-engage with the act of remembrance on a
personal level by encouraging them to share their family stories
of the Great War and learn about what happened to the soldiers
that came from their local areas.
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"I think it's true to say that we are all somehow connected to
the events of 1914-1918 and this is a real chance for people to
find out how their own families were affected.
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"In My Family At
War, our eight TV presenters uncover some extraordinary and
emotional stories from their own families, and we hope that ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳
listeners and viewers will join them on their own individual
journeys of discovery to the trenches of France and beyond."
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ programming includes:
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One
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The Last Voices Of A Generation - live from the Cenotaph on
11 November
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Of over five million British men and women who served in the
First World War, only three are still alive: Henry Allingham, Harry
Patch and Bill Stone.
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The programme will broadcast live from the
Cenotaph as the last three voices of a generation gather to
remember friends and relatives who died in the most bitter and
devastating fighting the world had ever seen.
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Henry Allingham,
now aged 112, saw action at the great naval Battle of Jutland and
was a founding member of the RAF; 110-year-old Harry Patch saw
his comrades die in the mud and trenches during the Battle of
Passchendaele; and Bill Stone, 107, has memories of fighting in
both the First and Second World Wars.
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At 11.00am, the three
veterans will lead the country in two minutes' silence for all
those who have died in wars, past and present.
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Festival Of Remembrance And Cenotaph Ceremony
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Live coverage of the Royal British Legion's annual Festival Of
Remembrance, in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and members
of the Royal Family.
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With the massed bands of the Household
Division, the Band of HM Royal Marines, the Band of the Parachute
Regiment, the RAF Squadronaires and the Queen's Colour Squadron of
the Royal Air Force who are joined by Katherine Jenkins, Hayley
Westernra and Jonathan Ansell. The Lesson is read by HRH The Earl of
Wessex.
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My Family At War
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In this four-part series, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ One takes some of the country's
best-loved television personalities on a journey in search of
their own family war stories.
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Personalities featured include
Rolf Harris, Kate Silverton, Eamonn Holmes, Natalie Cassidy, Phil
Tufnell, Matthew Kelly, Kirsty Wark and Dan Snow.
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Songs Of Praise - Remembrance Sunday
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Ninety years on, most of those who served are gone, yet the words
of the First World War's soldier poets remain as a lasting legacy to
keep the memory alive. The ancient garrison town of Shrewsbury
was home to perhaps the most famous war poet of all, Wilfred
Owen.
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On Remembrance Sunday, Aled Jones presents Hymns of
Remembrance from Shrewsbury's Civic and Regimental Church of St
Chad's.
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Through war poetry old and new, Poet Laureate Andrew
Motion and actor Robert Hardy join Aled in paying tribute to
those who have suffered and died in conflicts past and present.
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A Woman In Love And War: Vera Brittain
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Jo Brand retraces the story of Vera Brittain, the young woman
whose own tragic
story embodies the terrible sacrifice that her generation made in
the Great War
that raged between 1914 and 1918.
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Jo Brand relives the shared
experiences of Vera
and her friends, through Vera's diaries and the extraordinary
letters they exchanged.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Two
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Timewatch
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Who were the last soldiers to die in the First World War?
Michael Palin tells the story of the final days, hours and
minutes leading up to the 11.00am ceasefire on 11 November 1918,
revealing the personal stories of the last men to be killed in
action.
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Despite the fact that the Armistice between the Allies
and Germany was signed at 5.00am, that morning United States forces alone
recorded a staggering 3,500 casualties.
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Right up until 11.00am when
the ceasefire came into force, generals on all sides were sending
soldiers into action and, for many, to their deaths.
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Palin travels to
Foche's carriage at Compiegne in France where the Armistice was
signed and onto the battlegrounds of the Western Front as he
tells the personal stories of those who died that day.
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Whether
British, French, German or the American Henry Gunther – the last
soldier to die in the First World War – Timewatch tells the compelling story of
how the "war to end all wars" finally came to a close.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Four
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Armistice
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This film looks beyond the sombre clichés of Remembrance Day to
uncover the unexpected and often tragically absurd story of what
really happened between the German request for ceasefire in early
October 1918 and the Armistice on 11ÌýNovember.
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The film is presented and
written by Professor David Reynolds, Professor of International
History at Cambridge University.
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Walter's War
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Walter's War is inspired by the life of Walter Tull, the first
black officer to lead British troops during the First World War.
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Having shown considerable leadership qualities while serving on
the Western Front, Walter is recommended for officer training at
Gailes, Ayrshire, a huge promotion for any man serving
his country but of greater importance for a black man at this
time.
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Through brief flashbacks we see Walter's childhood in the
orphanage, his success as a footballer and the horrors of the
Battle of the Somme which haunt his dreams and his waking hours.
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Walter must fight against prejudice as well as his own demons
before he returns to the front.
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Walter was killed at the second
Battle of the Somme in 1918 at the age of 29.
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Walter's War is
written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, award-winning writer of Elmina's
Kitchen.
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳
Radio 2, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio 4 and the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s radio stations in the nations and
regions will have content around the anniversary.
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Radio 2 will provide coverage of the Festival Of Remembrance from the Royal Albert Hall, and Michael Morpurgowill read his celebrated book War Horse, illustrated by songs
written for the theatre production of the book, performed by
their composers John Tams and Tim Van Eyken.
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The following day
there is also special coverage to mark Remembrance in Good
Morning Sunday with Aled Jones.
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Radio 4 will provide live coverage of the Solemn Ceremony Of
Remembrance from the Cenotaph. Sunday Worship for Remembrance
Day will come live from Christ Church, Carmarthen, with the
Pontarddulais Male Voice Choir and preacher Rev Canon Dr
Patrick Thomas.
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There will also be a Tracing Your Roots special which will tell
untold family stories of the First World War. Drawing upon diaries, letters,
artefacts and testimony, Sally Magnusson examines the personal
impact of the war and advises on researching the lives of those
involved.
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Events
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Free local events, organised by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Learning, will be held across
the UK on the weekend of 8 and 9 November to mark the 90th
anniversary of the end of the First World War.
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People will have
the opportunity to:
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 Find out more about the part played by their family and
local area during the war
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Upload personal family First World War memorabilia to the
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ online remembrance wall at bbc.co.uk/remembrance
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Experience what life was like during the war years.
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An innovative texting service will also be available, where
people can sign up to receive a series of texts about an
individual First World War soldier from their local area and discover his
story.
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Elsewhere the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ will also be paying tribute to those who have
lost their lives in current conflicts, including every single
serviceman and woman who has died while serving with the British
Armed Forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, in an epic three-hour
documentary.
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The Fallen, from acclaimed filmmaker Morgan
Matthews, spans the last seven years of conflict and will
chronicle all those who have died, focusing in detail on the
stories of a significant number of these.
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With intimate
testimonies from families and loved ones, combined with
compelling archive, the film acknowledges these individuals'
sacrifices and the effects of grief on those who loved them.
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Notes to Editors
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³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Learning delivers campaigns that aim to inspire and empower
individuals to take action – action that changes their lives, benefits communities and helps to transform society.
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Researching family history: ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Learning is teaming up with
several organisations to help individuals search out details of
their own family connections to the First World War. They
include the Imperial War Museum, the Royal British Legion, the
Commonwealth Graves Commission, BFI, National Archives and Ancestry. Ìý
EO/FW
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