1961: WW1 Veterans return to Ypres | Tonight | BBC Archive
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Tonight's Alan Whicker travels with British World War One veterans on a pilgrimage to the Flanders Fields battlefields near Ypres. While there, they will meet with German veterans of the conflict.
Over 40 years have passed since they fought on these fields as enemies, how do they feel now?
Originally broadcast 10 November, 1961.
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It’s mad how these guys were fairly old in the 60’s, yet we only lost the last veteran in 2009. All of them are heroes.
Will The Champion of buses 32 how many of these world war 1 veterans had sons serve in world war 2
In a probably another decade or two at most , we are losing the ww2 veterans too , if you really think about it.
It was actually 2012, his name was Florence Green. Considered the last “confirmable” soldier of the Great War to have died.
With so many countries fighting, many not keeping the best regulations on the ages of soldiers, we never will know in many cases.
@@garystadler5583 My wife's Grandfather fought in both. His two sons in WW2. All passed now. RIP, god bless.
@@stevonwhite8933Florence Green was a nurse who died in 2014
Lovely seeing actual WW1 veterans singing pack up your troubles
4:44 The German veterans here also singing the last two lines of the 1821 German folksong 'Im Krug zum grünen Kranze':
"Es lebe die Liebste deine,
Herzbruder, im Vaterland!"
(Long live your beloved,
dear brother, in the Fatherland)
Fine tribute to the humblest of gentlemen.
Old Tommy talking to his German adversary...
"I shot at you and missed, and I'm jolly glad that I did" 🖤
Bless them, true heroes, none left now 😢
they finally rest..
Bloody hell. As a young lad in the 80s I used to ask the last of the ww1 men about there war . Its impossible to do so now. I miss those old lads.
I’m so glad the BBC put these out for all to see, it’s archives are truly a treasure and not just of British history but of so many others
My grandfather was wounded by shrapnel in 1915 and shot in the leg by a German three hours before the armistice. He was my hero as a small boy and in fact that generation all stood so tall that we, a much later generation, would have to lean backwards and crane our necks upwards to look them in the face. God Bless Them All. Those of us who remember them will never forget.
And just look at what we’ve got now. Sam Smith and his worthless woke ilk.
I have always wondered if they knew it was going to be an armistice in the trenches. Did he know when he was wounded?
My mother was German, Dad English. I love both my families and im crying over their singing. Our countries were friends once and are now again. Long may it last❤
When I first visited Ypres I could shake hands with a veteran, this made it living history and I’ve been gripped by it ever since.
When I was 8....." why does grandad walk with a limp daddy?".....he was born like it my dad said. Years later after my grandad had passed he told me the truth. My nan had told him and was also told never to mention it. It's how they were back then. RIP grandad xx
It's the dignity of these men that shines through. All passed away now, including Alan Whicker who treats these heroes with such respect.
This footage and interview is of tremendous historical value.
My late father told me that when he began work, it was not uncommon for WW1 veterans to be lead away from their machines suffering from the after effects of mustard gas. They were relatively young men themselves but their health was broken. In many ways WW1 marked the end of an older era, and the introduction of killing on an industrial scale.
"killing on an industrial scale" ooof thats hard to swallow
My great grandfather and great uncle joined the Australian Imperial Force in WWI. My great grandfather was awarded the MM and my great uncle, a Gallipoli veteran was later gassed on the western front. He never really recovered and died in his sixties.
I visited the battlefields in 2018 and there was a large crowd at the Menin Gate bugle ceremony.
Those wonderful men from a bygone world. Both heroic and tragic all at once. What a fantastic piece of respectful journalism.
My great-grandmother's husband was one of the many who never returned from Ypres. Men of infinite courage.
2:29, no idea why but when they both turned and pointed in the same direction together, made it real.
My grandad joined up with his 4 brothers in1914, He was in three major battles and a few scirmishes, He was shot in the right leg and hospitalised, The next battle it happened again same leg..then he was sent back to the battle of the Somme and had his leg again shattered to peices by a shell .He was still in hospital when the war ended, and came home to no applause, as did all his brothers..all with damage of some kind. He had a stiff leg all his life but became a docker on Grimsby docks and worked bloody hard for poor pay. Then he finally retired and got his pension, ...then he had a letter to say the pension off the docks 18 shillings and sixpence, and the war pension of 18 shilling for which he gave service for 5 years . Well he could only have one, he cried the only time I've ever seen it, and took the extra sixpence. That left us right on the breadline...WHAT A WAY TO TREAT YOUR HERO'S ENGLAND.
Disgraceful
My great uncle was wounded in the face and captured by the Germans. He had surgery from a German doctor, after the war they kept in touch with each other.
At the going down of the Sun and in the morning we will remember them.
"I bloody missed you, and im jolly that I did".
We can't imagine the horrors that those men went through but it's typical of that generation that comradeship was so important to them. And now there's no one left.
This shows us that we are all human beings who could be friends if we weren't forced to kill each other 😢
Amen!!
A war fought by lions led by donkeys.
Well the funny thing is because of the war they were able to meet up and become friends tho, they probably wouldn’t likely meet eachother and became friends if it wasn’t for the war
i remember meeting some ww1 vets in the 1960s as a kid. Everyone treated them with respect and the kids were all awestruck. Back then children were raised to treat their elders with respect. Not like today.
Young people don't respect boomers because boomers are the most worthless generation that ever existed
@@chairmanlmao4482A puerile comment.
I could listen to Alan Whicker all day long.
He was in Australia once, and they shouted to him, " Go home ,you pommie Basket!"
He replied, " Do you mind ? Im Alan Whicker!"
" Go home you Whicker Basket!"
No idea why ive remembered that joke , saw Duggie Brown ( RIP) do it one time on The Comedians
John Simpson put it amazingly profoundly, when he was Uni there were still Boer War veterans alive and every other man over 30 was a WW2 Veteran.
When I was a kid in the early 60's there were 8 WW1 veterans alive,2 from the second Boer War and 11 Veterans of WW2 living in the vicinity of The Village where we lived in The UK,My Dad and Uncle being 2 of them.
I've just returned from Ypres today. It's an incredibly sobering experience, and just beggers belief how those men coped and carried on. And how many stayed. God bless them all.
They had to cope. If you didn't then there was a good chance of being shot for cowardice...
@@paulleach3612 they were obviously built of stern stuff, and they believed in the cause.
It's good to see old veterans like this talking about how they lived and survived the war all those years ago. 1961 was a long time ago, but for these veterans it was a living nightmare having to deal with the aftermath of one's conscious of what and how they did it. As the great Douglas Macarthur once said "old soldiers never die, they just fade away into history." RIP all you soldiers and lest we forget.
They shall not grow old. As we who are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning.
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.
I was eleven when this was made and can remember Alan Whicker on the TV, from memory it was a nightly show and I think Panorama with David Dimbleby was weekly, correct me if I’m wrong. My grandad and his two brothers were in the British Army at Ypres and the Somme, I’ve still got a copy of his war diary. Miraculously all three brothers survived. In the diary he made almost daily entries at the start and it seemed like one big party for the first few weeks, then the diary tailed off when the bloodletting started. I remember when I was a kid the WW1 veterans seemed like old codgers, and the WW2 veterans were just your normal adult.
My grandmother's uncle fought at Gallipoli.
I remember being told that they marvelled at the idea of travelling to far away, exotic places..
I thought about that when you mentioned that the first few weeks seemed like some kind of party.
Poor fellas.
David's father, Richard.
Man this is very emotional. Heroes😥
This is a fantastic piece of footage.
Oh my word this made me cry
My great uncle George McCarthy died at Ypres,Bless him ,his name is on the Menin gate
RIP George.
@@pooooornopigeon thank you
What a fantastic video. Gracious and brave men of a bygone era
When I was a child growing up in a small, mining and textile village in Yorkshire there was a group of these men who used to meet one day a week in the centre of the village. They all wore flat caps and they just sat together talking and smoking. I only saw them oddly during the October half term holidays which of course now becomes more significant as it would be approaching Remembrance Day. They were all very dignified but seldom seemed to smile. I wish I could have interviewed every single one of them to ask them of their life experiences but at the young age I was then I had no idea of their importance and significance to history. Time seemed to stop as me and my mates used to watch them. We knew that they were important men but did not really know why.
Amazing to see Alan Whicker again.
God rest those beautiful souls xx
Both of my grandfathers survived the horrors of this war,but left behind, their brother's, cousins,mates,and their chums.
How they ever managed to cope with life afterwards is beyond me,but they were both great fathers and grandfathers and inspired me to always see the best in people
2:32 the fact that the vegetation has grown, the landscape changed and tree regrowth plus 45 years later and they still remember exactly the ridge, the goals and the objectives. The horrors of war are so often forgotten by people in peace
Wonderful that this is available for us to watch. Great to hear the veterans interviewed by brilliant Alan Whicker
I’m Māori. What a site to see two great peoples. Imagine the UK and Germany as allies back then ww1 or ww2 Love and respect sirs
They were a different breed to people today , always had maximum respect for the WW1 and 2 vets of my youth always took the time to speak to you if in uniform , we were professionals , but these men were a breed apart
So much to learn from these poor old souls.
Lest We Forget. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten.
My great uncle Daniel Martin, Scotland died at the Battle of Mons Oct. 1914. My other great uncle was an artillery man at the Meuse Argonne Offensive in 1918, I have his campaign medal. Both my great grandfathers served in WW1. This war is one of the greatest tragedies in human history and words cannot express how much I love these brave heroes who served in literal hell.
If they lived today they would surely weep at what has become of Britain and European countries!
Certainly 😢
@user-jr2fm1sg6b No. They see that the EU means that we won't be fightback other again.
@andylane247 lovely sentiment, my friend, but war is coming. Put your nose to the air and you will smell it too. God bless 🇬🇧
@@countryman5329
If Wetherspoons is open, the war will be delayed !!!
@@countryman5329
Not if Wetherspoons is open !!!
So many brave men 😢
My grandfather fought on the 'Ypres', battlefield, he had his left arm 'shreaded by schrapnel', he was in the West Yorkshire regiment...
All school children should see these films
I don't agree about force-feeding kids history. If you are interested in it, you are interested in it and will gravitate towards it anyway. I didn't learn anything about WWI (or WWII) when I was at school in the 90s but I got fascinated myself and have studied it ever since. There is nothing worse than going to Tyne Cot Cemetery and having coach loads of bored school kids dicking about and getting in the way. You can't force a kid to 'care' about history.
@@leod-sigefast In the 70's and 80's it was taught in schools, it should be taught today Kids today cannot even be disciplined, this is why they misbehave in cemeteries et al..
They [Young People] have exalted notions, because they have not been humbled by life or learned its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things -- and that means having exalted notions. They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones: Their lives are regulated more by moral feeling than by reasoning -- all their mistakes are in the direction of doing things excessively and vehemently. They overdo everything -- they love too much, hate too much, and the same with everything else.
(Aristotle)@@pooooornopigeon
@@pooooornopigeonThe world is passing through troublous times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."
(From a sermon preached by Peter the Hermit in A.D. 1274)
@@pooooornopigeon "I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise [disrespectful] and impatient of restraint".
(Hesiod, 8th century BC)
Respect.
I love that former enemies who tried to kill each other in every way they could think of can come together like that many years later
What dignity, humility and great singing voices!
My grandfather’s memories of Ypres haunted him throughout his life. He was an officer and an Observer in 9 Squadron RFC in 1917
Mine was in 42 squadron. All he said was the Somme was mud mud and more mud
If anyone can access it there is an unbelievably good series on the *BBC i-Player* where actual veterans, of both sides, talk about their experiences.
Truly great piece of TV. 👍
Went to Ypres on a school trip and it was mesmerising, incredible place
Humbling!
Have been to visit battlefields and cemeteries very moving just standing in the places where these brave men fought we should never forget
Fun fact, the canadian statue commemorating the gas attacks you can see at 7:25 is an anachronism. It commemorates an event that took place in april(1915) but the soldier wears a helmet that would see service in the commonwealth many months later(September I believe).
My great grandfather Sapper Thomas Turner RE was killed it Ypres and is remembered on Menin Gate. He never had the chance to see his children grow up or his grandchildren. He was young when he was KIA in 1917 and quite possibly would have met me as a child. Sadly we still remember him.
Beautiful singing!
Between three and four hundred went into the attack and only 48 came out alive. Jeez. This war was brutal.
Still, a better survival rate than Russian soldiers in Ukraine today.
I think it's a casualty number. 48 came out, the rest dead or wounded.
Remarkable relic of the past.
Reminds us how many different ages signed up.
Not just the young fought.
For many, this was a time when they eventually felt ready to talk about things.
My granddad for instance, it took a few years until he spoke about being held captive.
Very moving
Fantastic film and glad these gents have been remembered.❤
Fascinating and very moving.
Both my grandfathers served in WW1 and both survived.....
Hence your ability to write this message . Lucky for them, lucky for you!
When I was a child (1963, just before Kindergarten), my dad took me to the Remembrance Day ceremonies and march past, in Ottawa. He was an RCAF veteran of the Korean War and of several UN peacekeeping conflicts. I didn’t understand everything, but boy, I understood the gravity of the moment. Dad somehow made the day comprehensible to me.
One memory that stands out is the blocks and blocks of veterans formed up, wearing blazers and medals, marching in perfect order behind the bands that led them: blocks of middle aged fit Korean War and WW2 vets, followed by blocks of older fit WW1 vets some of whom were in wheel chairs. At the end there was a small group of older still veterans from the Boer War, most of whom were in wheel chairs but every bit as somber and proud as those who preceded them.
That made an impression on this kid.
I later learned that my mother, a nurse (her dad was a WW1 veteran whose brother was killed in Passchendael in 1917) had worked at the veterans hospital in Ottawa at that time. She said the ‘basket cases’ were some the most tragic: men whose arms and legs were lost in the war.
This video brings back so many memories of these generations who gave up so much and to whom we owe an enormous debt. These are not the most grateful of times.
Thanks for posting.
Great video. Thanks for posting
Amazing footage, Lest We Forget. Truly a bygone generation.
The greatest generation, God Bless Them All..
This is truly amazing
Fantastic watch. We'll never know the horrors they witnessed.
Lord this did my heart good. ❤️🙏🏻
Very touching, especially when meeting their former counterparts. I have seen similar clips of the American civil war veterans, meeting and shaking hands in the late 1930s, of which my great grandfather was one. Ten million dead in the Great War - "The war to end all wars". Yeah, right...
Excellent and very moving. The human beings come shining through across the gulf of a lifetime. Pack up yer troubles......
5:13 Makes me tear up, for some reason..
Amazing! Love seeing these types of videos! Are there anymore?
It's weird seeing all these WW1 veterans alive and well, while 64 years later they've all been long dead
The Great War,
"The war to end all wars."
Back in the late 70’s/early 80’s I used to deliver newspapers to an old folks home that had many WW1 veterans. You could see that they were real hard men that had been through a lot, but they still had good humour. Getting money out of them wasn’t easy though LOL.
I wish I had sat down with them and wrote down their experiences
Unbelievable bravery These men had endured quadruple Hell on this very Earth for they had truly seen into the abyss least we forget least we forget😐
2:34 guy on the far right still has great posture
what a glorious mustache
It's amazing to see it old soldiers..
Private James Kenny, 2nd Batt. York and Lancaster Regiment, wounded by gunshot February 1915, killed in action 4th June 1915.We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Great to see both parties like this! ❤
Never seen this before amazing
I have a tremendous respect for these men, on all sides, for their spirit and courage to deal with the aftermath. But I’m jolly glad my generation, being currently one of the youngest, do not see wars and conflicts like this anymore. We see them as what they truly are: a great waste of life. We condemn the violence and the conflicts forged by power-hungry politicians, who send young men (and women) to die. And our generation shall never again participate in more bloodshed en masse.
They are all gone now there pain and suffering goes with them what they leave behind should inspire you there loyally and love for our flag made them go over the top not because its a brave thing to do but its the right thing to do when Britain means everything to you feel there pride feel there passion feel the same yourself to you albert and Edward just two young lads like many who never came home from that war
Need men of this caliber more than ever today ! Wonder what they would think of Europe, UK and the rest of the western world today ?
They were fighting for a British Empire. Remember that. Billions of people of all colours and creeds, painted pink on the map. That brought in the modern age of multiculturalism and globalisation. Sorry, you can't live in a Medieval village anymore. Modern world. You can't have it both ways: enjoy the fruits of empire yet bemoan the consequences of empire.
@@leod-sigefastwell said
Alan Whicker wrote a book about his WW2 experiences and also made a TV series- Whicker's War- the book's name which is on YT and it makes for very interesting viewing. He was always well worth watching and the Tonight programme this was taken from was a springboard for his amazing Whicker's World programmes. It's not many TV icons who got such a memorable Monty Python skit, either!
My great uncle was machine gunned in the stomach during WW1, and is buried in Ypres. These men could have been serving alongside him. I found out relatively recently that my paternal grandfather was an ambulance driver. He never, ever told his children - my late father only found out a few years ago after decades of meticulous family history research. It explains my paternal grandfather's alcoholism; he probably saw some terrible things. These days, he'd probably have had a diagnosis of PTSD.
I’ll bet after ten pints of Stella, they started fighting again. Old soldiers never die!! Ireland 🇮🇪 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇫🇷
OMG that's really a gem
Those boys, on both sides, went through hell together. I'm glad to see most of them were friends, years later.
My Granddad was in K11 (11th bn of Kitchener's volunteers/Essex Regt) throughout ww1 and stepped up again in 'Dads Army' (home guard/Royal Surrey's) in ww2.
When he died in 1992 at the age of 94 he was still able to communicate with me (then a serving soldier) via morse code by tapping his finger on the headboard as he slippped away; a skill they had taught him from day one when he was just 16...
RIP William Albert Gale, Pompadors.
What a great video. I have read many books about the men in ww1. I would like to see this video in colour.
This is fascinating to watch. Similar to watching the old US civil war vets meeting in 50s.
I shed a tear when he said "The Kaiser's soldiers"
My Great Great Uncle Adam Craig (12th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles) died at Langemarck during the Passchendaele Campaign, August 1917.
My Great Uncle died in France, 6 weeks in. Dead at 21. RIP
The saying "they don't make em like that any more" has never been so apt