1
00:00:07,750 --> 00:00:09,750
[low rumbling]
2
00:00:12,250 --> 00:00:14,250
[distant air-raid siren wailing]
3
00:00:20,208 --> 00:00:22,208
[engine droning]
4
00:00:25,500 --> 00:00:27,500
[booming]
5
00:00:33,208 --> 00:00:35,208
[suspenseful music playing]
6
00:00:36,375 --> 00:00:41,250
[Hitler, in German] England
is the last island standing in Europe.
7
00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:47,208
Come what may, England will break down!
8
00:00:47,291 --> 00:00:49,291
[cheering]
9
00:00:49,375 --> 00:00:51,375
[whistle blowing]
10
00:00:56,125 --> 00:00:58,125
[suspenseful music builds]
11
00:01:01,416 --> 00:01:03,333
[man, in English] It was a total shock
12
00:01:03,416 --> 00:01:07,625
to suddenly feel
that the enemy is so close.
13
00:01:08,250 --> 00:01:11,375
To know that someone
was trying to destroy us.
14
00:01:17,083 --> 00:01:19,000
[woman 1] We all got under the stairs.
15
00:01:19,791 --> 00:01:22,125
I thought, "I'm gonna get burnt alive!"
16
00:01:28,791 --> 00:01:30,791
[woman 2] It was vital and living
17
00:01:31,791 --> 00:01:34,708
'cause you don't know
how long it's going to be possible.
18
00:01:35,208 --> 00:01:37,708
Every moment you're together's
precious, you see.
19
00:01:42,791 --> 00:01:46,041
[Churchill] It may well be
that the final extinction
20
00:01:46,125 --> 00:01:48,333
of a baleful domination
21
00:01:48,416 --> 00:01:53,291
will pave the way to a broader solidarity
22
00:01:53,375 --> 00:01:55,791
than we could ever have planned
23
00:01:56,958 --> 00:02:01,500
if we had not marched together
through the fire.
24
00:02:02,250 --> 00:02:04,250
[haunting singing]
25
00:02:04,333 --> 00:02:06,333
[suspenseful music continues]
26
00:02:17,208 --> 00:02:19,208
[music fades]
27
00:02:21,958 --> 00:02:23,958
[aircraft whirs]
28
00:02:26,500 --> 00:02:28,541
[newsreader 1] If you are
just turning on your radios,
29
00:02:28,625 --> 00:02:31,166
Great Britain is now at war with Germany.
30
00:02:32,708 --> 00:02:35,416
[newsreader 2] The Germans occupied Paris
without fighting this morning
31
00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:39,583
{\an8}and say that the pursuit of the enemy
to final destruction has now begun.
32
00:02:45,625 --> 00:02:48,791
[newsreader 3] History's
most critical days are just beginning.
33
00:02:50,833 --> 00:02:53,333
[officer] Should Great Britain
be conquered,
34
00:02:53,416 --> 00:02:57,083
Hitler knows anything on the continent
is his for the taking.
35
00:02:57,166 --> 00:02:58,958
One, two, three, down.
36
00:02:59,041 --> 00:03:00,833
One, two, three, eyes right.
37
00:03:00,916 --> 00:03:02,916
[pensive music playing]
38
00:03:04,583 --> 00:03:07,500
[Edith] We didn't know
what girls were going to be allowed to do,
39
00:03:07,583 --> 00:03:09,166
but it was exciting.
40
00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:11,250
[indistinct chatter]
41
00:03:11,333 --> 00:03:13,208
[plotter] We've still got two minutes.
42
00:03:13,708 --> 00:03:15,708
[indistinct chatter continues]
43
00:03:27,208 --> 00:03:30,666
[Edith] You see, we were all, what?
Eighteen, nineteen, twenty.
44
00:03:32,958 --> 00:03:34,541
I can't exactly explain it.
45
00:03:34,625 --> 00:03:36,625
It was something quite different
46
00:03:36,708 --> 00:03:39,333
from anything any of us ever done before.
47
00:03:44,541 --> 00:03:48,375
It was very anxious
to be on the plotting side of it
48
00:03:48,458 --> 00:03:50,875
because you knew
exactly what was going on.
49
00:03:50,958 --> 00:03:52,958
[bell dinging]
50
00:03:54,375 --> 00:03:56,625
[newsreader 4] Today,
the eyes of the whole world
51
00:03:56,708 --> 00:03:58,583
are upon England and its people.
52
00:03:58,666 --> 00:04:01,250
Hostile approaching from southeast.
53
00:04:01,333 --> 00:04:04,291
In Sugar one five at zero feet.
54
00:04:04,375 --> 00:04:06,458
[newsreader 4] Upon the men
of the Royal Air Force,
55
00:04:06,541 --> 00:04:10,458
on whom has been placed the responsibility
of defending a little island kingdom
56
00:04:10,541 --> 00:04:12,041
from Nazi Germany.
57
00:04:13,041 --> 00:04:15,041
[tense music playing]
58
00:04:25,875 --> 00:04:28,166
[pilot 1] It's coming close.
I can feel it.
59
00:04:31,458 --> 00:04:33,083
[pilot 2] Keep your eyes peeled.
60
00:04:39,291 --> 00:04:41,958
[radio chatter]
61
00:04:42,750 --> 00:04:45,208
[Edith] You got yourself involved in it,
you see,
62
00:04:45,291 --> 00:04:47,541
and you're sort of saying,
"Come on, get it!"
63
00:04:47,625 --> 00:04:49,000
[man over radio] Come on.
64
00:04:52,250 --> 00:04:54,458
[Edith] It was a living battle to you.
65
00:04:55,250 --> 00:04:57,416
[pilot 3] Shoot him down.
Yeah, he's got him, boys.
66
00:04:57,500 --> 00:04:59,625
Right in the middle. Bloody good show.
67
00:05:03,916 --> 00:05:08,125
[Edith] This is what made the intimacy
between the girls and the boys.
68
00:05:11,708 --> 00:05:13,500
They were such a handsome lot.
69
00:05:14,750 --> 00:05:17,958
I mean, there were budding romances
all over the place.
70
00:05:19,833 --> 00:05:23,833
But, uh, I don't think I really expected
to meet Mr. Gorgeous.
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00:05:30,541 --> 00:05:32,666
[newsreader 5] If this island fortress
can hold out,
72
00:05:32,750 --> 00:05:36,041
it might effectively help check
Hitler's plan of conquest.
73
00:05:41,291 --> 00:05:45,333
[newsreader 6] Hitler is in a hurry.
Invasion is expected.
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00:05:47,375 --> 00:05:49,375
[ominous music playing]
75
00:05:52,958 --> 00:05:55,333
[in German] If the British Air Force
76
00:05:56,333 --> 00:05:59,833
drops two, three,
or four thousand kilos of bombs,
77
00:06:01,458 --> 00:06:06,291
then we will drop 150,000,
180,000, 230,000,
78
00:06:06,375 --> 00:06:08,666
300,000 kilos of bombs,
or more, in one night.
79
00:06:08,750 --> 00:06:10,666
[applause]
80
00:06:13,458 --> 00:06:17,125
[Hitler] We will erase their cities!
81
00:06:17,208 --> 00:06:19,291
[cheering]
82
00:06:27,208 --> 00:06:30,541
[Hitler, echoing]
We will erase their cities!
83
00:06:36,666 --> 00:06:38,291
[newsreader 7 in English]
London is at war,
84
00:06:38,375 --> 00:06:40,958
and London has had
its first air-raid signal.
85
00:06:42,541 --> 00:06:44,333
[news vendor] Hitler. Read all about it.
86
00:06:46,625 --> 00:06:49,083
[newsreader 8] Britain is concerned today
that Germany is making
87
00:06:49,166 --> 00:06:51,458
gigantic preparations to invade England.
88
00:06:52,208 --> 00:06:54,208
[dramatic music playing]
89
00:07:11,291 --> 00:07:14,333
[newsreader 9] In this country,
it's just been announced
90
00:07:14,416 --> 00:07:18,291
that blackout regulations come into effect
from sunset tonight.
91
00:07:42,833 --> 00:07:46,125
[newsreader 10] 400,000 children
have already been taken out of London,
92
00:07:46,208 --> 00:07:48,625
and more will follow tomorrow.
93
00:07:50,125 --> 00:07:52,208
[newsreader 11] These are days
of solemn hardship,
94
00:07:52,291 --> 00:07:54,958
not the least being the separation
of parents and children.
95
00:07:55,041 --> 00:07:58,041
But the consideration of safety
is of supreme importance.
96
00:07:58,125 --> 00:08:00,250
[train whistle blows]
97
00:08:04,375 --> 00:08:06,375
[dramatic music fades]
98
00:08:07,625 --> 00:08:10,041
[Eric] I was a boy, and, uh…
99
00:08:10,666 --> 00:08:13,583
in those days, big boys don't cry.
100
00:08:16,875 --> 00:08:20,333
We were told that we must not run
to our parents to say goodbye
101
00:08:20,416 --> 00:08:22,458
and have the last hug and kiss.
102
00:08:24,208 --> 00:08:26,208
[gentle music playing]
103
00:08:35,291 --> 00:08:38,208
[Eric] I used to look up
to my big sister Kitty.
104
00:08:40,916 --> 00:08:42,708
I felt more secure
105
00:08:42,791 --> 00:08:45,333
because Kitty had promised
to look after me.
106
00:08:46,583 --> 00:08:47,625
[whistle blows]
107
00:08:52,333 --> 00:08:54,500
[Eric] My mother had a premonition.
108
00:08:55,958 --> 00:08:57,750
[train bell dings]
109
00:08:57,833 --> 00:09:01,875
[Eric] She was sure
that if Kitty and I stayed in London,
110
00:09:01,958 --> 00:09:04,500
something terrible would happen to us.
111
00:09:04,583 --> 00:09:06,666
[train chugging]
112
00:09:11,791 --> 00:09:15,583
[Eric] It was supposed to be a holiday.
That's how it was painted to us.
113
00:09:22,625 --> 00:09:26,000
That marked the end
of one chapter of my life, as it were.
114
00:09:26,625 --> 00:09:28,625
A normal childhood.
115
00:09:33,375 --> 00:09:36,208
We didn't realize
what the reality would be.
116
00:09:36,291 --> 00:09:38,291
[gentle music fades]
117
00:09:47,708 --> 00:09:50,458
[Edith] All we were told
was that battle was coming.
118
00:09:54,166 --> 00:09:56,666
But we didn't really know
what we were up against.
119
00:09:56,750 --> 00:09:58,750
[indistinct chatter]
120
00:10:02,375 --> 00:10:03,666
[Edith] I was on duty.
121
00:10:05,166 --> 00:10:07,166
[unsettling music playing]
122
00:10:10,833 --> 00:10:14,208
[Edith] There was a tally-ho,
a lot of noise, really.
123
00:10:14,708 --> 00:10:16,708
[excitable chatter]
124
00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:21,666
[Edith] And we saw
between 400 and 1,000 Germans coming.
125
00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:24,916
[plotter] Hostile approaching
from southeast.
126
00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:27,666
In Sugar one five at zero feet.
127
00:10:33,208 --> 00:10:35,250
[Edith] And you could see that,
and you were thinking,
128
00:10:35,333 --> 00:10:37,791
"Oh my God, they're going for London."
129
00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000
[unsettling music builds]
130
00:10:53,333 --> 00:10:55,333
[music fades]
131
00:11:06,416 --> 00:11:08,416
[gentle music playing]
132
00:11:14,708 --> 00:11:17,708
{\an8}[Tom] It was a very warm September.
133
00:11:23,291 --> 00:11:24,666
I looked at the sky.
134
00:11:24,750 --> 00:11:26,750
[serene singing]
135
00:11:29,166 --> 00:11:31,500
[Tom] I saw some fluffy clouds,
136
00:11:32,083 --> 00:11:33,916
tiny little balls in the sky.
137
00:11:36,166 --> 00:11:37,791
I thought, "Gosh, what's that?"
138
00:11:37,875 --> 00:11:39,875
[dreamy string chords playing]
139
00:11:41,875 --> 00:11:43,833
[Tom] We weren't very frightened
at that stage
140
00:11:43,916 --> 00:11:46,333
because we didn't really know
what was going on.
141
00:11:52,625 --> 00:11:56,125
I saw all the bombs dropping from the sky.
142
00:11:56,208 --> 00:11:58,208
[bombs whining]
143
00:12:00,375 --> 00:12:01,541
[Tom] It was amazing.
144
00:12:13,083 --> 00:12:15,500
We went into corridors
at the bottom of the flats
145
00:12:15,583 --> 00:12:19,333
because suddenly, of course,
I realized the enormity of it.
146
00:12:19,833 --> 00:12:21,833
[aircraft whirring]
147
00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:29,583
[booming]
148
00:12:35,791 --> 00:12:37,791
[booming]
149
00:12:44,833 --> 00:12:46,833
[low rumbling]
150
00:12:52,291 --> 00:12:54,291
- [tense music playing]
- [bell ringing]
151
00:12:57,125 --> 00:12:59,541
[fire officer] Order report
to control points.
152
00:12:59,625 --> 00:13:03,708
One hundred pumps from the E
to 60 station to stand by.
153
00:13:03,791 --> 00:13:05,791
[bell ringing]
154
00:13:06,750 --> 00:13:08,750
[people shouting]
155
00:13:12,666 --> 00:13:14,541
[newsreader 12] Good evening.
This is London.
156
00:13:14,625 --> 00:13:16,833
As I am speaking,
great fires are still burning
157
00:13:16,916 --> 00:13:20,541
across the river in the dockyard
and industrial areas of the east side.
158
00:13:25,041 --> 00:13:27,833
All evening, fire engines
from the west end of town
159
00:13:27,916 --> 00:13:29,291
have been screaming eastward.
160
00:13:36,666 --> 00:13:40,208
[man] I had my first sight
of what a fire was really like.
161
00:13:47,291 --> 00:13:50,958
The older fireman, he sort of helped me
162
00:13:51,041 --> 00:13:54,125
by saying, "It's all right, lad.
Don't worry. You just stand by me."
163
00:13:54,208 --> 00:13:56,166
[firefighter] We want three lengths.
164
00:14:01,416 --> 00:14:05,541
[Richard] "Just hold on to the hose,
and whatever you do, don't let it go
165
00:14:05,625 --> 00:14:08,666
because if it hits you,
it could kill you."
166
00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,666
[firefighter] Stand clear below!
167
00:14:15,750 --> 00:14:19,000
[Richard] The older fireman said,
"You all right, son? You all right, boy?"
168
00:14:20,625 --> 00:14:23,083
You feel scared. You are scared.
169
00:14:35,041 --> 00:14:38,083
[newsreader 13] I'm standing on top
of a very tall building
170
00:14:38,166 --> 00:14:43,000
from where I can see practically
the whole of London spread round me,
171
00:14:43,541 --> 00:14:45,041
and if this weren't so appalling,
172
00:14:45,125 --> 00:14:48,041
I think it'd be one of
the most wonderful sights I've ever seen.
173
00:14:48,541 --> 00:14:51,375
The whole of the skyline to the south
174
00:14:51,875 --> 00:14:53,833
is lit up with a ruddy glow.
175
00:14:54,791 --> 00:14:57,833
It's almost like the Day of Judgment
176
00:14:58,666 --> 00:15:01,750
as pictured in some of the old books.
177
00:15:03,958 --> 00:15:06,083
The Day of Judgment.
178
00:15:07,458 --> 00:15:09,750
- [swing music playing]
- [car horns honking]
179
00:15:15,875 --> 00:15:19,291
{\an8}[Joan] The tempo's speeding up.
Tonight the blitz started.
180
00:15:23,083 --> 00:15:26,750
The sky over by the docks was red
as if it was an enormous sunset.
181
00:15:33,041 --> 00:15:34,333
What a life!
182
00:15:34,416 --> 00:15:38,500
Never knowing if you're going to be bombed
or seduced from one moment to the next.
183
00:15:40,208 --> 00:15:43,041
I met this really good-looking man
called Rupert.
184
00:15:44,333 --> 00:15:47,250
And he kept trying to persuade me
to lose my virginity.
185
00:15:47,333 --> 00:15:50,250
[ominous music overlaps with swing music]
186
00:15:53,750 --> 00:15:56,625
[Joan] The fact is,
I prefer men to be slightly caddish.
187
00:15:56,708 --> 00:15:58,791
I like men who think they are God.
188
00:16:00,375 --> 00:16:02,625
Rupert is completely at ease
with the universe
189
00:16:02,708 --> 00:16:04,375
and thinks himself a lord of it.
190
00:16:09,041 --> 00:16:11,666
I can't help feeling
that each moment may be my last.
191
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,000
And as the opposite of death is life,
192
00:16:17,916 --> 00:16:20,375
I think I shall get seduced
by Rupert tomorrow.
193
00:16:20,458 --> 00:16:22,458
[swing music resumes fully]
194
00:16:23,291 --> 00:16:25,666
- [air-raid sirens wailing]
- [ticking]
195
00:16:26,833 --> 00:16:28,833
- [booming]
- [music fades]
196
00:16:28,916 --> 00:16:30,916
[air-raid sirens continue wailing]
197
00:16:39,583 --> 00:16:42,500
{\an8}[Tom] When we came out,
we could hear the fires raging.
198
00:16:46,583 --> 00:16:49,541
{\an8}We could hear them in the distance
from the docks.
199
00:16:55,916 --> 00:16:58,625
Dad said to me,
before he went into the Air Force,
200
00:16:58,708 --> 00:17:00,291
"Make sure Mum's okay."
201
00:17:05,083 --> 00:17:07,708
And I said,
"Well, there's an official shelter, Mum."
202
00:17:07,791 --> 00:17:10,250
"The ARP shelter. Let's go there."
203
00:17:14,291 --> 00:17:17,083
I felt this was a safe haven.
204
00:17:17,166 --> 00:17:19,333
We wouldn't have any trouble down there.
205
00:17:20,750 --> 00:17:22,625
[bombs whining in distance]
206
00:17:24,375 --> 00:17:26,166
[low rumbling]
207
00:17:30,791 --> 00:17:32,000
[rumbling intensifies]
208
00:17:32,083 --> 00:17:33,250
[Tom] It got hot.
209
00:17:33,750 --> 00:17:35,166
Hotter and hotter.
210
00:17:37,666 --> 00:17:39,666
- [man coughing]
- [child crying]
211
00:17:49,541 --> 00:17:51,541
[thunderous booming]
212
00:18:04,083 --> 00:18:05,583
[Tom] I was calling out for my mother.
213
00:18:05,666 --> 00:18:07,750
I thought, "Are you around?
Where are you?"
214
00:18:10,125 --> 00:18:11,458
And nobody answered.
215
00:18:14,666 --> 00:18:17,250
And I realized
that something horrible had happened.
216
00:18:17,833 --> 00:18:19,041
There'd been a bomb.
217
00:18:19,125 --> 00:18:21,125
[high-pitched ringing]
218
00:18:24,208 --> 00:18:26,208
[ringing fades]
219
00:18:27,875 --> 00:18:30,458
[newsreader 14] The worst dislocation
and suffering have been caused
220
00:18:30,541 --> 00:18:32,791
in the working-class districts
of the East End,
221
00:18:32,875 --> 00:18:36,500
where whole streets of little houses
have been bombed to smithereens.
222
00:18:41,041 --> 00:18:44,583
[newsreader 15] Tentative reports put
the casualties in Saturday night's raid
223
00:18:44,666 --> 00:18:47,125
at 400 killed and 1,400 wounded.
224
00:18:48,416 --> 00:18:50,416
[chilling music playing]
225
00:19:02,291 --> 00:19:03,166
[sobs]
226
00:19:12,708 --> 00:19:14,333
[somber music playing]
227
00:19:23,583 --> 00:19:25,000
[inaudible]
228
00:19:33,250 --> 00:19:37,125
{\an8}[Bernard] I was in my sister's house
overlooking Brick Lane,
229
00:19:37,875 --> 00:19:41,041
{\an8}and, uh, Churchill came into that street.
230
00:19:44,375 --> 00:19:47,250
Hearing, suddenly,
shouts and hoorays and boos,
231
00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:50,916
and, uh… there he was, this… this figure.
232
00:19:51,875 --> 00:19:53,416
He did exist.
233
00:19:58,416 --> 00:20:01,375
Churchill's name was anathema in my house
234
00:20:01,458 --> 00:20:02,791
until the war came.
235
00:20:04,250 --> 00:20:06,875
And then his name was angelic.
236
00:20:14,666 --> 00:20:19,416
These cruel, wanton,
indiscriminate bombings of London
237
00:20:20,291 --> 00:20:24,375
are, of course,
a part of Hitler's invasion plan.
238
00:20:25,708 --> 00:20:29,000
Little does he know
the spirit of the British nation
239
00:20:29,750 --> 00:20:32,666
or the tough fiber of the Londoner,
240
00:20:33,708 --> 00:20:37,541
bred to value freedom
far above their lives.
241
00:20:43,708 --> 00:20:48,125
This is a time for everyone
to stand together and hold firm.
242
00:20:49,416 --> 00:20:53,458
The citizens of London
are facing a great ordeal,
243
00:20:54,166 --> 00:20:57,125
the end of which or the severity of which
244
00:20:57,208 --> 00:20:59,125
cannot yet be foreseen.
245
00:21:05,250 --> 00:21:06,750
[Tom] I was taken out to the hospital.
246
00:21:10,541 --> 00:21:12,083
My father found me.
247
00:21:16,708 --> 00:21:19,750
{\an8}I asked him, I said, "Where's Mum, Dad?
How is Mum?"
248
00:21:21,750 --> 00:21:22,750
And he just said,
249
00:21:23,583 --> 00:21:24,666
"She's dead."
250
00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:28,041
[mournful piano music playing]
251
00:21:28,125 --> 00:21:32,708
[Tom] It stabbed me.
It was a real feeling of pain, of anguish.
252
00:21:35,208 --> 00:21:37,500
I'd taken Mum down
to that wretched shelter,
253
00:21:37,583 --> 00:21:39,333
and she'd been killed.
254
00:21:42,083 --> 00:21:46,666
I… I… I haven't ever got over it.
I never have. Never got over it.
255
00:21:53,041 --> 00:21:55,833
[newsreader 16]
Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth.
256
00:21:57,458 --> 00:22:00,125
[Elizabeth] Thousands of you
in this country
257
00:22:00,208 --> 00:22:02,458
have had to leave your homes
258
00:22:02,541 --> 00:22:06,041
and be separated
from your fathers and mothers.
259
00:22:06,791 --> 00:22:08,791
[determined music playing]
260
00:22:09,708 --> 00:22:12,916
{\an8}[Elizabeth] To you living
in new surroundings,
261
00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,750
{\an8}we send a message of true sympathy.
262
00:22:16,250 --> 00:22:18,083
And at the same time,
263
00:22:18,166 --> 00:22:21,041
we would like to thank the kind people
264
00:22:21,125 --> 00:22:24,166
who have welcomed you
to their homes in the country.
265
00:22:25,250 --> 00:22:28,000
[guard] Can you please make your way
down the platform?
266
00:22:28,083 --> 00:22:30,000
Quick as you can, please.
267
00:22:30,083 --> 00:22:32,500
{\an8}[Eric] Someone said we were in Wales.
268
00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:36,041
{\an8}People talked funny.
269
00:22:42,625 --> 00:22:45,625
And my class went off in one direction.
270
00:22:45,708 --> 00:22:48,083
My sister went off in another direction.
271
00:22:54,166 --> 00:22:56,708
The council ladies had arranged
272
00:22:56,791 --> 00:23:01,416
that the foster parents
would choose which children they wanted.
273
00:23:06,625 --> 00:23:09,208
Finally, I was the only one left,
274
00:23:09,708 --> 00:23:11,833
and there were no foster parents.
275
00:23:13,333 --> 00:23:15,083
Then I got worried.
276
00:23:16,333 --> 00:23:18,333
[whimsical music playing]
277
00:23:19,833 --> 00:23:22,458
[Tom] Suddenly there came
a clattering of feet.
278
00:23:22,958 --> 00:23:26,958
This lady burst into the room and said,
"Are there any vaccies left?"
279
00:23:30,791 --> 00:23:33,208
She said, "I don't much like
the look of him,
280
00:23:33,291 --> 00:23:35,166
and I wanted a girl anyway."
281
00:23:37,666 --> 00:23:39,666
I tried to smile winningly.
282
00:23:41,750 --> 00:23:45,416
And, uh, she said,
"Oh, all right, I'll take him."
283
00:23:47,625 --> 00:23:49,833
And I went off with this strange woman.
284
00:23:50,833 --> 00:23:52,333
No sign of Kitty.
285
00:23:58,416 --> 00:24:02,666
There was a great deal of resentment
against the London evacuees
286
00:24:02,750 --> 00:24:05,666
by many of the people in this mining town
287
00:24:05,750 --> 00:24:08,375
because there had been the miners' strike.
288
00:24:12,083 --> 00:24:15,416
They deeply resented
the London government.
289
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:18,875
They also deeply resented
Winston Churchill.
290
00:24:21,666 --> 00:24:23,791
And there were three kids I remember,
291
00:24:25,208 --> 00:24:29,250
and they picked on us,
and, uh, we got into fights with them.
292
00:24:29,333 --> 00:24:31,333
[angelic singing]
293
00:24:33,458 --> 00:24:35,791
[Tom] And, uh, my foster mother said,
294
00:24:35,875 --> 00:24:40,833
"You London vaccies come down here
to get away from one war,
295
00:24:40,916 --> 00:24:42,958
and you start another down here."
296
00:24:47,458 --> 00:24:49,458
[music fades]
297
00:24:49,541 --> 00:24:51,541
[engines rumbling]
298
00:24:51,625 --> 00:24:53,500
[suspenseful music playing]
299
00:24:58,208 --> 00:25:02,666
[man, in German] We wanted to force London
into an air-raid shelter.
300
00:25:09,041 --> 00:25:15,083
{\an8}And so we flew nothing
but London, London, London.
301
00:25:19,875 --> 00:25:22,500
Every 20 minutes, in waves.
302
00:25:25,375 --> 00:25:31,875
We believed that this
would bring England to its knees.
303
00:25:33,250 --> 00:25:35,583
[air-raid siren wailing]
304
00:25:38,500 --> 00:25:41,166
[newsreader 17, in English]
This is Trafalgar Square.
305
00:25:42,666 --> 00:25:47,208
The noise that you hear at the moment
is the sound of the air-raid siren.
306
00:25:49,416 --> 00:25:51,416
[suspenseful strings build]
307
00:25:52,916 --> 00:25:54,916
[bombs whining]
308
00:25:55,458 --> 00:25:57,333
[booming]
309
00:26:01,708 --> 00:26:03,708
[suspenseful music fades]
310
00:26:12,583 --> 00:26:14,375
[newsreader 18] Here at Buckingham Palace,
311
00:26:14,458 --> 00:26:17,791
the King and Queen see the twisted
evidence of their narrow escape.
312
00:26:19,666 --> 00:26:21,583
[newsreader 18] Having had
their own home bombed,
313
00:26:21,666 --> 00:26:24,250
Their Majesties speak
with understanding and sympathy
314
00:26:24,333 --> 00:26:28,416
to those of their subjects who have also
fallen victim to Nazi savagery.
315
00:26:31,541 --> 00:26:33,958
[man] When the King and Queen came down,
316
00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,083
{\an8}people were cheering,
but others were saying,
317
00:26:37,166 --> 00:26:39,416
{\an8}"Go back to Buckingham Palace."
318
00:26:39,916 --> 00:26:42,583
{\an8}"You call yourselves bombed?
You had one bomb?"
319
00:26:43,291 --> 00:26:44,791
"We've had thousands."
320
00:26:44,875 --> 00:26:46,833
[determined music playing]
321
00:26:49,958 --> 00:26:53,875
[Bernard] There simply was not
enough safe shelters in the East End.
322
00:26:56,916 --> 00:26:59,291
The Underground
seemed to be the perfect place.
323
00:27:03,083 --> 00:27:06,458
But the government had decided
they weren't gonna open up the Tubes.
324
00:27:12,416 --> 00:27:14,416
[indistinct announcement]
325
00:27:15,125 --> 00:27:16,916
[Phil] We decided to go all out
326
00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:19,708
on the campaign
to open the Tubes for shelters.
327
00:27:19,791 --> 00:27:21,500
[indistinct]
328
00:27:21,583 --> 00:27:25,000
[Phil] The Savoy hotel, that's our target.
329
00:27:30,208 --> 00:27:31,625
[indistinct]
330
00:27:31,708 --> 00:27:34,166
[Phil] Now we're going to aggravate
the situation,
331
00:27:34,250 --> 00:27:37,458
to occupy the shelter of the Savoy hotel.
332
00:27:44,416 --> 00:27:47,541
All in all, 78 people turned up.
333
00:27:51,458 --> 00:27:54,916
We were now occupying a place
where we had no right to be.
334
00:27:55,458 --> 00:27:57,125
And then the police came in.
335
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,375
A police inspector says,
"What do you intend to do here?"
336
00:28:08,958 --> 00:28:12,541
I said, "We don't really want this place.
We want the Tubes opened."
337
00:28:22,583 --> 00:28:24,125
[newsreader 19] The government announced
338
00:28:24,208 --> 00:28:27,000
that people would not be allowed
to use the Tubes for shelters.
339
00:28:28,208 --> 00:28:30,875
But the most remarkable development
of this strange war
340
00:28:30,958 --> 00:28:33,125
is the way in which Londoners
have taken charge
341
00:28:33,208 --> 00:28:35,208
and solved the deep-shelter problem.
342
00:28:39,500 --> 00:28:41,375
{\an8}[Bernard] There were rumors going around.
343
00:28:41,458 --> 00:28:43,958
{\an8}"Get down the underground.
It's gonna be all right."
344
00:28:46,458 --> 00:28:49,791
{\an8}We find all the gates closed
and soldiers there.
345
00:28:50,791 --> 00:28:52,791
[people shouting]
346
00:28:53,916 --> 00:28:56,166
[Bernard] More and more people
crowding behind us.
347
00:28:59,625 --> 00:29:01,375
Shaking the gates.
348
00:29:01,458 --> 00:29:02,708
"Let us in! Let us in!"
349
00:29:02,791 --> 00:29:04,541
[commotion]
350
00:29:08,125 --> 00:29:10,375
[Bernard] Suddenly, a great roar goes up.
351
00:29:12,250 --> 00:29:14,708
Somebody in government
had changed their mind.
352
00:29:16,625 --> 00:29:20,375
My father said, "This is a great victory
for the working class!"
353
00:29:21,541 --> 00:29:23,541
[triumphant music playing]
354
00:29:25,083 --> 00:29:28,208
[Bernard] And that was the beginning
of this subterranean life.
355
00:29:34,958 --> 00:29:36,583
[music builds]
356
00:29:42,375 --> 00:29:44,791
[newsreader 20] A new, dramatic phase
in the Battle of Britain.
357
00:29:44,875 --> 00:29:46,916
After weeks of suspense,
the German High Command
358
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,625
has launched large-scale air attacks
on shipping and docks.
359
00:29:49,708 --> 00:29:51,791
Day after day, Nazi bombers and fighters
360
00:29:51,875 --> 00:29:54,333
have roared in hundreds
above the English Channel.
361
00:30:01,708 --> 00:30:05,708
[newsreader 21] This fortress isle
is the last citadel in Western Europe
362
00:30:05,791 --> 00:30:07,750
blocking Hitler's ambition.
363
00:30:12,666 --> 00:30:15,125
[newsreader 22] The RAF
is the best air force in the world,
364
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,625
but Germany still maintains
numerical air supremacy.
365
00:30:23,833 --> 00:30:25,833
[triumphant music fades]
366
00:30:27,916 --> 00:30:29,583
{\an8}[Edith] We had to win the war,
367
00:30:29,666 --> 00:30:32,291
{\an8}and we were determined to do it,
whatever happened.
368
00:30:33,708 --> 00:30:37,250
We knew we were fighting
for our very existence,
369
00:30:37,333 --> 00:30:39,250
and we… we weren't going to give in.
370
00:30:39,333 --> 00:30:41,291
[aircraft rumbling]
371
00:30:42,750 --> 00:30:45,416
[Edith] There must have been
about a hundred of us, I should think,
372
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,625
and, uh, the men treated us with respect.
373
00:30:50,333 --> 00:30:51,666
We were accepted.
374
00:30:53,375 --> 00:30:55,583
We had a feeling of elation
375
00:30:55,666 --> 00:30:58,750
that we were by ourselves
and we could do our own thing.
376
00:30:59,625 --> 00:31:01,416
[pensive music playing]
377
00:31:10,458 --> 00:31:14,625
[Edith] The first time I met Denis,
I was driving a tractor…
378
00:31:18,750 --> 00:31:22,000
and he threw some sand in my engine
and stopped it.
379
00:31:23,583 --> 00:31:27,333
And I made him start it.
I said, "You stopped it. You start it."
380
00:31:34,250 --> 00:31:35,500
So he did.
381
00:31:40,708 --> 00:31:43,833
Denis was fairly well-built, very upright.
382
00:31:43,916 --> 00:31:46,083
He was reasonably good-looking.
383
00:31:50,541 --> 00:31:52,541
He never really smiled properly
384
00:31:52,625 --> 00:31:55,875
'cause he had two teeth
that he was ashamed of,
385
00:31:55,958 --> 00:31:57,750
but he had his own way of smiling.
386
00:31:58,958 --> 00:32:03,000
And apparently,
he decided that he quite liked me.
387
00:32:07,333 --> 00:32:11,166
And he said, uh, "Are you coming
to the squadron dance?"
388
00:32:11,666 --> 00:32:12,750
So I said, "Yes."
389
00:32:15,166 --> 00:32:17,125
['"Cheek to Cheek" playing]
390
00:32:17,208 --> 00:32:21,416
When we came off duty,
we all flood in, and he's waiting for me.
391
00:32:21,500 --> 00:32:23,625
♪ Heaven ♪
392
00:32:23,708 --> 00:32:29,625
♪ And my heart beats
So that I can hardly speak ♪
393
00:32:29,708 --> 00:32:31,250
♪ And I seem to find… ♪
394
00:32:31,333 --> 00:32:33,666
[Edith] We were very fortunate to meet.
395
00:32:33,750 --> 00:32:36,541
We wouldn't perhaps have met
if there hadn't been a war.
396
00:32:36,625 --> 00:32:41,083
♪ Out together dancing cheek to cheek… ♪
397
00:32:41,166 --> 00:32:42,416
[Edith] He was funny.
398
00:32:43,041 --> 00:32:45,291
He was terribly romantic.
399
00:32:45,375 --> 00:32:46,750
We used to laugh a lot.
400
00:32:47,250 --> 00:32:49,250
[wistful music playing]
401
00:32:50,291 --> 00:32:55,458
[Edith] I think it made it more intense,
better, stronger.
402
00:32:58,583 --> 00:33:01,000
And every moment
you're together's precious, you see,
403
00:33:01,083 --> 00:33:04,958
'cause you don't know
how long it's going to… be possible.
404
00:33:06,500 --> 00:33:08,458
["Cheek to Cheek" overlaps
with mournful music]
405
00:33:08,541 --> 00:33:11,083
♪ So that I can hardly speak… ♪
406
00:33:11,166 --> 00:33:13,166
- [music stops]
- [booming]
407
00:33:13,791 --> 00:33:17,125
[newsreader 23] The Battle of London is
now nearly at the end of its first month,
408
00:33:17,208 --> 00:33:19,083
and London still stands.
409
00:33:20,041 --> 00:33:22,041
[chilling music playing]
410
00:33:26,416 --> 00:33:29,583
[newsreader 24] She has been sorely tried,
but her spirit is as good as ever.
411
00:33:33,833 --> 00:33:35,000
[woman] We can take it.
412
00:33:35,541 --> 00:33:38,625
If he thinks he can win the war
by bombing women and children,
413
00:33:38,708 --> 00:33:40,166
he's found a big mistake.
414
00:33:41,916 --> 00:33:44,500
This is London.
We're all alive and kicking.
415
00:33:46,166 --> 00:33:47,625
Cheerio. All the best.
416
00:33:52,416 --> 00:33:55,875
- [low rumbling]
- [booms echoing]
417
00:33:55,958 --> 00:33:59,958
[Joan] I'd worked my way up into such
a state of passion over the absent Rupert.
418
00:34:00,041 --> 00:34:01,708
I hadn't seen him for a week.
419
00:34:03,416 --> 00:34:04,916
All morning I was thinking of him
420
00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,916
and wondering how much longer
I could bear life without him.
421
00:34:11,458 --> 00:34:13,750
On the way home, I saw 17 German planes
422
00:34:13,833 --> 00:34:16,125
with hundreds of shells
bursting around them.
423
00:34:16,625 --> 00:34:18,500
- [soldier] Fire!
- [booming]
424
00:34:18,583 --> 00:34:19,916
[Joan] I heard a yell.
425
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,708
- [booming]
- [man yells]
426
00:34:24,708 --> 00:34:27,166
[Joan] And there was old R
lurching down the street,
427
00:34:27,250 --> 00:34:29,125
completely ignoring the guns.
428
00:34:30,541 --> 00:34:32,458
[lively swing music playing]
429
00:34:32,541 --> 00:34:35,791
♪ Wah-wah, wah-wah, wah-wah-wah-wah ♪
430
00:34:36,291 --> 00:34:38,416
♪ Wah-wah, wah-wah, wah… ♪
431
00:34:38,500 --> 00:34:41,083
[Joan] We found a very classy café
called Mountview,
432
00:34:41,166 --> 00:34:42,791
with a band in red coats.
433
00:34:45,125 --> 00:34:47,875
Huge mosaic pillars
glittered under the lights,
434
00:34:47,958 --> 00:34:50,291
and I was so happy, I felt almost drunk.
435
00:34:51,541 --> 00:34:54,166
Everything is heightened and speeded up.
436
00:34:54,250 --> 00:34:56,250
[lively swing music continues]
437
00:34:58,250 --> 00:35:00,791
[Joan] We were played out
and wandered our way back
438
00:35:00,875 --> 00:35:03,000
through the wreckage
of Shaftesbury Avenue.
439
00:35:03,083 --> 00:35:05,083
[music fades]
440
00:35:06,125 --> 00:35:08,083
[Joan] We made love very seriously,
441
00:35:09,916 --> 00:35:12,291
and I was filled with peace and delight.
442
00:35:13,125 --> 00:35:15,875
One of the few transcendent
and satisfying things left
443
00:35:15,958 --> 00:35:17,500
in this bloody awful life.
444
00:35:17,583 --> 00:35:19,125
[bombs whining and booming]
445
00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:30,333
[newsreader 25] If the Germans
had been figuring on breaking morale,
446
00:35:30,916 --> 00:35:32,666
they have failed miserably.
447
00:35:33,750 --> 00:35:35,750
[indistinct German announcement]
448
00:35:39,791 --> 00:35:42,541
[newsreader 26] The Germans appear
to have changed their policy
449
00:35:42,625 --> 00:35:44,666
in their attacks on Great Britain
450
00:35:45,791 --> 00:35:47,916
in the hope of doing greater damage.
451
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:50,000
[cheering and applause]
452
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,000
[resolute music playing]
453
00:35:56,333 --> 00:35:59,541
[newsreader 27] The German leader hinted
that the war may last a long time.
454
00:36:03,666 --> 00:36:07,416
[man, in German] We were all aware
this was going to be a difficult mission.
455
00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:09,625
[unsettling music playing]
456
00:36:10,541 --> 00:36:13,791
{\an8}[Gerhard] Every day,
some of the crews didn't return.
457
00:36:17,125 --> 00:36:18,583
The mood was serious.
458
00:36:23,791 --> 00:36:27,666
Before we took off, I was thinking,
"Will we get back safely?"
459
00:36:29,791 --> 00:36:31,208
"Will I be all right?"
460
00:36:33,208 --> 00:36:35,541
"Will I see my home again?"
461
00:36:42,333 --> 00:36:44,125
[indistinct chattering in English]
462
00:36:48,208 --> 00:36:49,208
[determined music playing]
463
00:36:49,291 --> 00:36:52,541
[newsreader 28] Coventry drew on
its historic past for the Godiva pageant.
464
00:36:57,125 --> 00:36:59,250
Coventry today stands
a great industrial landmark,
465
00:36:59,333 --> 00:37:01,000
thanks to the Countess Godiva,
466
00:37:01,083 --> 00:37:04,833
who stripped herself of her wealth
to win for the city its freedom.
467
00:37:10,125 --> 00:37:11,916
[newsreader 29] An ancient city,
which produced
468
00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,833
from its hundreds of factories
469
00:37:13,916 --> 00:37:16,541
the newest machines and engines
in the world.
470
00:37:19,958 --> 00:37:22,791
[newsreader 30] More women are needed
in the munition factories,
471
00:37:22,875 --> 00:37:24,583
in the auxiliary services,
472
00:37:24,666 --> 00:37:29,166
especially women who will leave home
and go wherever they are sent.
473
00:37:36,791 --> 00:37:38,958
[Frieda] It was the thrill
of going somewhere different,
474
00:37:39,041 --> 00:37:40,875
doing something different.
475
00:37:40,958 --> 00:37:45,083
[train announcer] Coventry. Coventry.
This is Coventry.
476
00:37:46,125 --> 00:37:48,833
[Frieda] Even though my dad tried
to talk me out of it.
477
00:37:50,958 --> 00:37:54,083
My dad was one of these people
that always want to keep you all together,
478
00:37:54,166 --> 00:37:56,916
and the only chance to grow up
was to get away.
479
00:38:00,375 --> 00:38:02,041
But no, I was determined.
480
00:38:02,541 --> 00:38:04,625
"I'm going away to do war work."
481
00:38:06,083 --> 00:38:08,083
[music fades]
482
00:38:08,958 --> 00:38:11,375
[Frieda] They took us to the factory
the next day.
483
00:38:12,625 --> 00:38:14,375
Everybody was on bikes.
484
00:38:14,458 --> 00:38:17,541
Hundreds, thousands of folks
cycling to work.
485
00:38:20,583 --> 00:38:22,458
[air-raid siren wailing]
486
00:38:22,541 --> 00:38:24,375
[Frieda] The first sirens went.
487
00:38:28,791 --> 00:38:32,375
They said, "Oh, you've brought bad luck!
We're not wanting you here."
488
00:38:44,083 --> 00:38:46,083
[whistle blowing]
489
00:38:52,416 --> 00:38:55,083
[Frieda] They were machine-gunning
the cyclists.
490
00:38:57,958 --> 00:39:00,625
And I said,
"What's happening to these people?"
491
00:39:04,208 --> 00:39:06,625
I saw people were falling off. [chuckles]
492
00:39:07,541 --> 00:39:09,541
- [gunfire]
- [commotion]
493
00:39:14,208 --> 00:39:16,208
[uneasy music droning]
494
00:39:29,791 --> 00:39:31,791
[bombs whining]
495
00:39:33,833 --> 00:39:36,375
{\an8}[Gerhard, in German]
We were all just doing our duty,
496
00:39:36,458 --> 00:39:40,291
{\an8}and no one was looking to do anything
against ordinary people.
497
00:39:47,666 --> 00:39:49,666
[bombs crackling]
498
00:39:53,791 --> 00:39:58,583
[Gerhard] This whole Coventry strategy,
the way it was to bring fear to Britain,
499
00:39:58,666 --> 00:40:00,791
was completely idiotic.
500
00:40:19,250 --> 00:40:22,458
[Frieda, in English] When the raid
started, we knew it was gonna be bad.
501
00:40:22,541 --> 00:40:24,500
{\an8}We all got under the stairs.
502
00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:30,208
{\an8}Everybody said that was
the best place to be, the safest place.
503
00:40:33,666 --> 00:40:36,416
Suddenly, everything's black, and…
504
00:40:38,125 --> 00:40:39,333
there's fires.
505
00:40:41,708 --> 00:40:45,041
And I had this long hair,
and it had started to singe,
506
00:40:45,125 --> 00:40:47,083
and that was frightening.
507
00:40:51,708 --> 00:40:54,041
I thought, "I'm gonna get burnt alive!"
508
00:40:54,125 --> 00:40:56,125
[uneasy music fades]
509
00:41:07,750 --> 00:41:09,750
[indistinct chatter]
510
00:41:12,500 --> 00:41:15,583
I want to remind you
about how very important it is
511
00:41:15,666 --> 00:41:20,083
that all water should be boiled
before being used in Coventry.
512
00:41:20,666 --> 00:41:22,500
No matter where you get that water from,
513
00:41:22,583 --> 00:41:25,833
will you please see
that it is boiled before it is used?
514
00:41:26,333 --> 00:41:28,333
[foreboding music playing]
515
00:41:34,708 --> 00:41:38,375
[Frieda] We came back to Edinburgh
looking like refugees.
516
00:41:46,666 --> 00:41:48,500
I was a nervous wreck.
517
00:41:54,333 --> 00:41:58,333
And the first sirens that went
when I came back,
518
00:42:00,166 --> 00:42:02,458
I used to nearly go hysterical.
519
00:42:15,208 --> 00:42:17,291
{\an8}[newsreader 31] German aircraft
carried out attacks
520
00:42:17,375 --> 00:42:19,041
{\an8}on Great Britain last night.
521
00:42:19,125 --> 00:42:21,125
{\an8}[bombs booming]
522
00:42:21,208 --> 00:42:23,416
{\an8}[newsreader 31] The raids,
which lasted for several hours,
523
00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:25,791
{\an8}were scattered over many parts
of the country.
524
00:42:25,875 --> 00:42:27,708
{\an8}[air-raid siren wailing]
525
00:42:27,791 --> 00:42:30,291
[newsreader 31] Firebombs were dropped
in many places.
526
00:42:31,416 --> 00:42:32,916
Towns on the south coast…
527
00:42:51,041 --> 00:42:52,416
the west of England…
528
00:42:59,291 --> 00:43:00,416
the Midlands…
529
00:43:06,541 --> 00:43:07,666
the northwest.
530
00:43:23,125 --> 00:43:25,541
All the fires
have now been brought under control.
531
00:43:25,625 --> 00:43:26,958
[words echoing]
532
00:43:28,625 --> 00:43:31,833
[newsreader 32] Yesterday's German air
attacks, according to their High Command,
533
00:43:31,916 --> 00:43:36,125
were concentrated on Liverpool
to put Liverpool harbor out of commission.
534
00:43:37,666 --> 00:43:40,833
[newsreader 33] Hundreds of German bombers
concentrating on Liverpool
535
00:43:40,916 --> 00:43:44,916
and inflicted damage
even more impressive than at Coventry.
536
00:43:48,250 --> 00:43:52,291
[woman] Churchill was telling us,
you know, how brave we all were.
537
00:43:55,916 --> 00:43:57,833
We would never surrender.
538
00:44:00,833 --> 00:44:04,000
{\an8}The people in Liverpool, after that blitz,
539
00:44:04,083 --> 00:44:06,250
would have surrendered overnight.
540
00:44:06,750 --> 00:44:08,750
[haunting music playing]
541
00:44:14,041 --> 00:44:17,708
[Marie] It's all right
for people in authority, isn't it?
542
00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:25,333
You know, who are sitting
down in their steel-lined dugouts.
543
00:44:29,125 --> 00:44:33,166
I was so full of hatred
that the Germans could do this to us,
544
00:44:33,250 --> 00:44:36,208
and we couldn't do anything about it.
545
00:44:38,916 --> 00:44:42,041
We were just people
there waiting to be killed.
546
00:44:48,208 --> 00:44:50,791
What do you think about
this question of reprisals?
547
00:44:51,375 --> 00:44:53,708
Well, if I was a man, I'd go over there,
548
00:44:53,791 --> 00:44:56,166
and I'd give them the same
as what they've gave us here.
549
00:44:56,250 --> 00:44:59,375
After all this, what do you think
about us going over to Berlin
550
00:44:59,458 --> 00:45:01,000
and doing the same to them?
551
00:45:02,458 --> 00:45:03,916
I should think so too.
552
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:07,250
Bit worse than this, I hope,
with a wicked bugger like he is.
553
00:45:07,333 --> 00:45:09,875
And now, sir, do you think
we ought to bomb Berlin
554
00:45:09,958 --> 00:45:11,875
the same as they're doing to us in London?
555
00:45:11,958 --> 00:45:14,750
I definitely do, sir. Bomb 'em tenfold.
556
00:45:14,833 --> 00:45:16,625
I'm sorry for the women
and children of Berlin,
557
00:45:16,708 --> 00:45:19,125
but what about the women
and children of this country?
558
00:45:19,208 --> 00:45:21,208
[tense music playing]
559
00:45:28,416 --> 00:45:31,458
I am confident
we shall succeed in defeating
560
00:45:32,250 --> 00:45:34,416
this most tremendous onslaught.
561
00:45:37,291 --> 00:45:41,041
Whatever happens,
we will all go down fighting to the end.
562
00:45:45,583 --> 00:45:48,000
[newsreader 34] The twin towns
of Mannheim-Ludwigshafen,
563
00:45:48,083 --> 00:45:51,750
the second-largest inland port in Europe,
is about to receive its attack.
564
00:45:52,916 --> 00:45:55,333
With its maze of docks,
industrial installations,
565
00:45:55,416 --> 00:45:56,833
and chemical plants.
566
00:46:00,666 --> 00:46:02,666
[bombs whining]
567
00:46:10,666 --> 00:46:12,666
[booming]
568
00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:20,000
[tense music fades]
569
00:46:22,875 --> 00:46:25,375
[Edith] When you're living
amongst death like that…
570
00:46:25,875 --> 00:46:28,083
[plotter] Go stand by. Hostile…
571
00:46:28,166 --> 00:46:32,333
{\an8}[Edith] …I don't think you ever think
it's going to happen to you.
572
00:46:37,541 --> 00:46:40,916
But you begin to know,
and they begin to know,
573
00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,000
when the bullet's going to strike.
574
00:46:43,083 --> 00:46:44,875
[somber music playing]
575
00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:56,833
[Edith] And they seem
to get a sort of aura.
576
00:46:57,916 --> 00:47:01,458
And you think, "Ah,
you're not going to come home from this."
577
00:47:01,958 --> 00:47:03,541
And they know it as well.
578
00:47:04,041 --> 00:47:06,041
[chatter]
579
00:47:07,875 --> 00:47:09,625
[somber music swells]
580
00:47:15,791 --> 00:47:17,791
[music fades]
581
00:47:17,875 --> 00:47:20,666
[Edith] Denis said,
"When I next have some leave,
582
00:47:20,750 --> 00:47:22,666
could we spend it together?"
583
00:47:22,750 --> 00:47:25,125
And I said, "Well, yes, if you like."
584
00:47:27,833 --> 00:47:30,666
We arranged it, and we went to Cambridge.
585
00:47:33,916 --> 00:47:35,666
It was high romance.
586
00:47:36,291 --> 00:47:37,875
[hopeful music playing]
587
00:47:38,916 --> 00:47:39,916
It was…
588
00:47:41,666 --> 00:47:44,208
quite out of this world, quite literally.
589
00:47:54,625 --> 00:47:57,916
We had dinner and chatted like mad,
you know, like you do.
590
00:48:03,625 --> 00:48:07,208
And then he said,
"I've got something I want to say to you."
591
00:48:10,333 --> 00:48:11,666
And we went to my bedroom.
592
00:48:11,750 --> 00:48:15,208
Now, you never went
into a bedroom with a man.
593
00:48:20,000 --> 00:48:22,375
[woman] ♪ That certain night ♪
594
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,666
♪ The night we met… ♪
595
00:48:25,750 --> 00:48:28,166
[Edith] So he went
and got a bottle of champagne,
596
00:48:29,083 --> 00:48:30,250
and he said, uh…
597
00:48:31,333 --> 00:48:32,625
"Will you marry me?"
598
00:48:33,375 --> 00:48:35,166
So I said, "Of course."
599
00:48:38,916 --> 00:48:42,000
And off we went to our respective beds.
600
00:48:42,500 --> 00:48:44,125
It showed a great respect.
601
00:48:46,333 --> 00:48:47,541
He thought so much of me
602
00:48:47,625 --> 00:48:50,708
that he wasn't going to
compromise me in any way.
603
00:48:51,291 --> 00:48:55,083
♪ I may be right, I may be wrong… ♪
604
00:48:55,166 --> 00:48:59,125
[Edith] On the other hand,
I could probably have been persuaded
605
00:48:59,208 --> 00:49:03,708
because if you know
that somebody might not come back,
606
00:49:03,791 --> 00:49:06,041
are you going to miss the opportunity?
607
00:49:06,125 --> 00:49:07,625
'Cause you never get it again.
608
00:49:07,708 --> 00:49:11,250
♪ A nightingale sang ♪
609
00:49:11,333 --> 00:49:18,083
♪ In Berkley Square ♪
610
00:49:19,375 --> 00:49:21,375
[string chords droning]
611
00:49:27,041 --> 00:49:28,500
[music fades]
612
00:49:31,000 --> 00:49:34,500
[newsreader 35] It is Christmas Day
in the year of the Blitz.
613
00:49:36,625 --> 00:49:38,625
Holly and barbed wire.
614
00:49:39,833 --> 00:49:41,916
Guns and tinsel.
615
00:49:42,916 --> 00:49:44,916
[disquieting music playing]
616
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:49,208
[newsreader 35] The German embassy
in Washington
617
00:49:49,291 --> 00:49:51,125
says the British government
has been notified
618
00:49:51,208 --> 00:49:53,666
that the Germans
will not bomb England tomorrow,
619
00:49:53,750 --> 00:49:57,666
provided the British will refrain
from bombing any German territory.
620
00:50:04,083 --> 00:50:06,166
[newsreader 36] Between now
and next Christmas,
621
00:50:06,250 --> 00:50:09,875
there stretches 12 months
of increasing toil and sacrifice.
622
00:50:11,000 --> 00:50:13,333
A few blocks away,
in the underground shelters,
623
00:50:13,416 --> 00:50:15,916
entire families
were celebrating Christmas Eve.
624
00:50:16,000 --> 00:50:22,500
♪ Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel ♪
625
00:50:22,583 --> 00:50:26,583
♪ Born is the King of… ♪
626
00:50:26,666 --> 00:50:29,250
[Joan] I saw there was a big envelope
in the letterbox.
627
00:50:29,333 --> 00:50:31,375
[mournful music playing]
628
00:50:31,458 --> 00:50:33,875
I tore it open, and the nightmare sprang.
629
00:50:37,083 --> 00:50:39,958
Report for military service. Royal Navy.
630
00:50:44,625 --> 00:50:47,708
"Oh God," I thought, "Christmas alone."
631
00:50:49,916 --> 00:50:52,666
I wish I was dead. I want Rupert so much.
632
00:50:56,166 --> 00:50:59,791
Pubs are all full of happy,
drunken people singing "Tipperary."
633
00:50:59,875 --> 00:51:01,875
[group singing enthusiastically]
♪ To Tipperary ♪
634
00:51:01,958 --> 00:51:05,208
♪ It's a long way to go… ♪
635
00:51:05,291 --> 00:51:07,916
[Joan] I spent a dreary night
in an unheated room,
636
00:51:08,416 --> 00:51:10,625
sleeping in my clothes on a hard bed.
637
00:51:10,708 --> 00:51:13,166
- ♪ Sweetest girl I know… ♪
- [mournful music continues]
638
00:51:13,250 --> 00:51:15,500
[Joan] Talk about Christmas night
in the workhouse.
639
00:51:18,125 --> 00:51:21,000
[newsreader 37] The undeclared air truce
appears to be continuing,
640
00:51:21,083 --> 00:51:24,541
which in many European countries
is celebrated as a second Christmas.
641
00:51:24,625 --> 00:51:27,625
Both sides seem to have kept
their bombers on the ground.
642
00:51:36,875 --> 00:51:38,958
[newsreader 38] Standing guard
over the City of London,
643
00:51:39,041 --> 00:51:42,416
St Paul's Cathedral occupies
a unique place in all hearts.
644
00:51:43,208 --> 00:51:44,916
[car horn honking]
645
00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:49,250
[newsreader 39] Three times in history,
St Paul's has been destroyed by fire.
646
00:51:50,166 --> 00:51:52,083
[eerie music playing]
647
00:51:52,166 --> 00:51:54,291
{\an8}[Richard] St Paul's
was a place of worship.
648
00:51:56,291 --> 00:51:58,750
{\an8}It was a place of trust.
649
00:51:59,500 --> 00:52:00,583
God was there.
650
00:52:03,875 --> 00:52:06,333
If Hitler got St Paul's,
651
00:52:06,833 --> 00:52:10,125
he would break the spirit
of the London people
652
00:52:10,208 --> 00:52:11,875
and the rest of the country.
653
00:52:19,291 --> 00:52:23,791
{\an8}[in German] England
is the last island standing in Europe.
654
00:52:23,875 --> 00:52:25,083
[words echoing]
655
00:52:25,166 --> 00:52:27,166
[eerie music continues]
656
00:52:28,375 --> 00:52:30,333
[Hitler] The hour will come
657
00:52:30,833 --> 00:52:33,833
that one of us will crack…
658
00:52:33,916 --> 00:52:35,500
[words echoing]
659
00:52:36,166 --> 00:52:40,416
[Hitler] …and it will not be Nazi Germany!
660
00:52:40,500 --> 00:52:42,500
[cheering and applause]
661
00:52:46,375 --> 00:52:48,375
[booming]
662
00:52:52,416 --> 00:52:56,291
[in English] A heavy
incendiary bombing raid has occurred
663
00:52:56,375 --> 00:52:57,666
in the City area.
664
00:52:57,750 --> 00:52:59,041
[suspenseful music playing]
665
00:52:59,125 --> 00:53:00,708
[bell ringing]
666
00:53:03,125 --> 00:53:07,416
Control has been established
in St Paul's churchyard.
667
00:53:07,500 --> 00:53:09,416
[bell ringing]
668
00:53:09,500 --> 00:53:11,625
[shouting]
669
00:53:12,750 --> 00:53:16,208
- [firefighter 1] Hold it. Hold it!
- [firefighter 2] Stand clear below!
670
00:53:16,708 --> 00:53:18,416
[Richard] We got called out.
671
00:53:20,083 --> 00:53:25,291
Churchill had made it clear
to the fire chiefs. Save St Paul's.
672
00:53:26,208 --> 00:53:27,625
[indistinct]
673
00:53:29,583 --> 00:53:32,875
[Richard] He felt
that if that could be saved,
674
00:53:32,958 --> 00:53:35,541
we've got something to hold on to.
675
00:53:36,416 --> 00:53:38,416
[bombs whining]
676
00:53:51,375 --> 00:53:54,125
[Richard] It wasn't a fire.
It was a firestorm.
677
00:53:54,208 --> 00:53:56,208
[shouting]
678
00:54:00,750 --> 00:54:03,916
[Richard] There was incendiary bombs
coming through the air.
679
00:54:07,125 --> 00:54:11,083
There was thousands
being let down into London.
680
00:54:18,833 --> 00:54:20,333
The heat was so terrific…
681
00:54:23,083 --> 00:54:25,000
it would've got to St Paul's,
682
00:54:25,083 --> 00:54:28,291
and the dome itself
would've just collapsed.
683
00:54:38,708 --> 00:54:41,750
[Joan] The full blast of Nazi fury
hit the capital.
684
00:54:42,750 --> 00:54:46,083
They set the City on fire,
including six churches.
685
00:54:49,166 --> 00:54:50,875
The airplanes never stopped,
686
00:54:50,958 --> 00:54:53,750
and the sound of the engines dive-bombing
was deafening.
687
00:54:53,833 --> 00:54:55,875
[aircraft whining]
688
00:54:56,458 --> 00:54:58,708
[Joan] Flares lit up the street
like daylight,
689
00:54:59,208 --> 00:55:00,791
and the stars were all put out.
690
00:55:01,458 --> 00:55:03,458
[solemn music playing]
691
00:55:05,541 --> 00:55:07,750
[newsreader 40] Pictures that look
like hell on earth.
692
00:55:09,125 --> 00:55:12,916
The world will see pictures of a raid
that was not aimed at military objectives,
693
00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:16,041
only at the things that men and women
have loved for centuries.
694
00:55:17,041 --> 00:55:20,083
The famous buildings
of the civic company, the Guildhall.
695
00:55:24,666 --> 00:55:26,666
[shouting]
696
00:55:30,041 --> 00:55:32,750
{\an8}[Richard] I started to feel
that I was a man.
697
00:55:33,625 --> 00:55:37,416
{\an8}We was there doing a job
that was your life
698
00:55:37,500 --> 00:55:39,166
{\an8}or the life of your mate.
699
00:55:42,041 --> 00:55:46,416
I felt as though, "God,
when I get home, wait till I tell my mum."
700
00:55:52,833 --> 00:55:55,833
If we could keep the fire under control,
701
00:55:57,791 --> 00:56:01,416
it wasn't creeping towards St Paul's.
702
00:56:03,041 --> 00:56:05,083
[booming]
703
00:56:18,916 --> 00:56:20,500
[newsreader 41] This is London.
704
00:56:23,875 --> 00:56:25,375
Very quiet here.
705
00:56:25,458 --> 00:56:27,583
It's now almost one o'clock
in the morning.
706
00:56:33,416 --> 00:56:35,875
The wall of flames
which enclosed a large triangle
707
00:56:35,958 --> 00:56:39,375
in the main business section of London
has now been quenched.
708
00:56:42,958 --> 00:56:44,916
I watched the fires from a rooftop.
709
00:56:45,583 --> 00:56:49,500
It was not hard to imagine
how London must have looked 300 years ago
710
00:56:49,583 --> 00:56:52,250
when that historic Great Fire
raged across it.
711
00:56:57,791 --> 00:56:58,833
From where I was,
712
00:56:58,916 --> 00:57:01,625
one man seemed to throw
a sputtering firebomb off the roof
713
00:57:01,708 --> 00:57:03,041
with his gloved hand.
714
00:57:12,125 --> 00:57:15,625
[Richard] It's a miracle
that those bombs didn't hit St Paul's.
715
00:57:17,500 --> 00:57:21,166
I thought, "God, there's gotta be
somebody there saying,
716
00:57:21,250 --> 00:57:22,666
'You don't touch that.'"
717
00:57:24,375 --> 00:57:26,375
[contemplative music playing]
718
00:58:05,291 --> 00:58:06,833
It has now been proved
719
00:58:07,333 --> 00:58:12,625
that this form of blackmail
by murder and terrorism…
720
00:58:16,291 --> 00:58:20,375
so far from weakening the spirit
of the British nation,
721
00:58:20,458 --> 00:58:26,208
has only roused it
to a more intense and universal flame
722
00:58:26,833 --> 00:58:29,041
than was ever seen before.
723
00:58:35,083 --> 00:58:37,083
[music fades]
724
00:58:42,250 --> 00:58:45,000
[newsreader 42] How can we find words
to praise the RAF?
725
00:58:45,083 --> 00:58:47,416
Each day they fly into battle
against heavy odds.
726
00:58:47,500 --> 00:58:49,583
Each day they come home victorious.
727
00:58:51,625 --> 00:58:54,833
[newsreader 43] Britain prepares to repel
the long-threatened invasion.
728
00:58:59,583 --> 00:59:01,583
[newsreader 44] Eighty Nazi planes
came over.
729
00:59:01,666 --> 00:59:03,583
Twenty-five of these didn't get back.
730
00:59:03,666 --> 00:59:05,708
[agitated music playing]
731
00:59:09,208 --> 00:59:11,833
[newsreader 45] This may be
the turning point of the whole war.
732
00:59:11,916 --> 00:59:14,125
It is quality beating quantity.
733
00:59:14,208 --> 00:59:15,833
[hopeful music playing]
734
00:59:17,125 --> 00:59:19,125
{\an8}[plotter] Check one. One aircraft.
735
00:59:21,666 --> 00:59:24,791
[Edith] We didn't believe
that we would lose,
736
00:59:24,875 --> 00:59:26,916
and everybody felt like that.
737
00:59:27,000 --> 00:59:28,833
Well, on the station anyway.
738
00:59:31,458 --> 00:59:34,208
I mean, it was pretty naive.
739
00:59:40,791 --> 00:59:43,708
Denis and I,
we were sort of arranging the marriage
740
00:59:43,791 --> 00:59:46,125
'cause we wanted it to be soon.
741
00:59:49,416 --> 00:59:51,458
{\an8}He wanted it to be soon.
742
00:59:56,125 --> 00:59:58,125
The officers, they did say
743
00:59:58,625 --> 01:00:01,541
that they didn't like their pilots
to get engaged
744
01:00:01,625 --> 01:00:03,250
because they started being careful.
745
01:00:06,625 --> 01:00:09,708
And you can't be careful
when you're a fighter pilot.
746
01:00:10,833 --> 01:00:12,583
You have to go in full throttle
747
01:00:12,666 --> 01:00:16,000
and not be worrying
about some woman left at base.
748
01:00:18,583 --> 01:00:20,875
{\an8}- [air-raid siren wailing]
- [bell ringing]
749
01:00:25,583 --> 01:00:29,375
[Edith] There was a big attack
in the morning. I was actually on duty.
750
01:00:30,916 --> 01:00:35,458
I can't remember how many Germans
there were, but it was quite a lot.
751
01:00:36,166 --> 01:00:38,166
[tense music playing]
752
01:00:41,291 --> 01:00:42,541
[plotter] Keep open line.
753
01:00:42,625 --> 01:00:47,416
Hostile approaching from southeast.
In Sugar one five at zero feet.
754
01:00:47,500 --> 01:00:51,791
[officer] Area 243.
Hastings, Ashford, Dover.
755
01:00:51,875 --> 01:00:52,875
[pilot 1] Yeah.
756
01:00:53,791 --> 01:00:55,291
They're firing at us now.
757
01:00:55,958 --> 01:00:57,416
[pilot 2] That was a bit close.
758
01:00:57,500 --> 01:01:00,375
- I think we've been hit, personally.
- [pilot 3] Yeah.
759
01:01:02,625 --> 01:01:04,958
[officer] Have a check on the speed
of fighter 182.
760
01:01:05,041 --> 01:01:07,000
Check the speed on 182 carefully.
761
01:01:07,500 --> 01:01:10,125
[plotter] There's SOS on 207.
762
01:01:11,833 --> 01:01:14,166
[indistinct radio chatter]
763
01:01:14,250 --> 01:01:17,750
[Edith] Somebody said,
"There's a plane going down,
764
01:01:18,500 --> 01:01:20,333
and there's no parachute."
765
01:01:20,416 --> 01:01:22,416
[radio chatter]
766
01:01:27,000 --> 01:01:28,458
[plotter] Stand by.
767
01:01:28,541 --> 01:01:31,583
Hostile 8170 removed.
768
01:01:32,083 --> 01:01:37,041
Change hostile 8171. Do stand by. Hostile…
769
01:01:37,125 --> 01:01:38,708
[Edith] I knew who it was.
770
01:01:40,625 --> 01:01:41,708
I knew it.
771
01:01:43,250 --> 01:01:45,625
Don't ask me how I knew it, but I did.
772
01:01:48,208 --> 01:01:51,208
Our flight sergeant said, "Edith…"
773
01:01:53,416 --> 01:01:54,791
S… Sorry. [exhales sharply]
774
01:01:56,333 --> 01:01:57,583
Anyway, she said,
775
01:01:58,458 --> 01:01:59,833
"Denis is missing."
776
01:02:00,333 --> 01:02:01,833
I said, "Yes, I know."
777
01:02:05,041 --> 01:02:06,916
And how… [softly] Oh, shut up!
778
01:02:07,416 --> 01:02:09,416
[sorrowful music playing]
779
01:02:17,291 --> 01:02:18,916
[Edith] He went down in the sea.
780
01:02:21,166 --> 01:02:22,666
Nothing was ever found,
781
01:02:24,500 --> 01:02:25,625
which is what he wanted.
782
01:02:25,708 --> 01:02:29,625
He always said,
if he was shot down and killed,
783
01:02:29,708 --> 01:02:32,375
he didn't want
to have to have a military funeral.
784
01:02:35,708 --> 01:02:38,333
I do wish we'd been married.
That, I do wish.
785
01:02:40,666 --> 01:02:45,750
I wouldn't have cared if it was 24 hours
or two days or five months.
786
01:02:48,333 --> 01:02:49,666
I do regret that.
787
01:02:55,708 --> 01:02:57,708
[music fades]
788
01:02:57,791 --> 01:02:59,791
[cheering and applause]
789
01:03:03,541 --> 01:03:06,833
[commentator] A few members of the crowd
of more than 60,000 spectators
790
01:03:06,916 --> 01:03:09,625
waiting for the final
between Preston North End and Arsenal.
791
01:03:11,291 --> 01:03:14,250
The teams came out together,
Preston wearing dark shorts.
792
01:03:17,958 --> 01:03:21,208
A good deal has been said
against holding this cup final in wartime.
793
01:03:21,291 --> 01:03:24,500
At least it gave the opportunity
for the services and other war workers
794
01:03:24,583 --> 01:03:27,041
to refresh their minds
with complete change.
795
01:03:29,208 --> 01:03:30,250
[whistle blows]
796
01:03:32,125 --> 01:03:35,000
- [commentator] Preston attacking again.
- [air-raid siren wailing]
797
01:03:35,083 --> 01:03:36,250
[commentator] They score.
798
01:03:37,916 --> 01:03:40,208
But the game was destined
to finish in a draw.
799
01:03:41,416 --> 01:03:44,875
It's hard to decide if we can afford
this kind of festival today.
800
01:03:45,375 --> 01:03:47,375
[foreboding music playing]
801
01:03:51,416 --> 01:03:54,458
[newsreader 46] There's a ripe,
yellow moon riding over Britain tonight.
802
01:03:56,416 --> 01:03:57,750
The sirens have sounded.
803
01:03:57,833 --> 01:04:00,458
That monstrous roar of engines
is in the air.
804
01:04:01,166 --> 01:04:04,416
It looks as though
this will be a major raid on London.
805
01:04:09,833 --> 01:04:11,750
[newsreader 47] We turn now
to the British capital
806
01:04:11,833 --> 01:04:13,916
for the report of Edward R. Murrow.
807
01:04:15,333 --> 01:04:18,166
[Murrow] Occasionally there is the sound
of riotous singing
808
01:04:18,250 --> 01:04:21,041
or a plaintive voice shouting for a taxi.
809
01:04:22,166 --> 01:04:26,208
I visited a few air-raid shelters.
They were only about half full.
810
01:04:28,125 --> 01:04:31,958
On the surface, there are many signs
of cheerfulness and courage in London.
811
01:04:32,541 --> 01:04:34,541
[air-raid siren wailing]
812
01:04:36,083 --> 01:04:40,000
[Joan] I decided it was time to join up.
I've got through as a plotter.
813
01:04:42,541 --> 01:04:44,916
Before we go,
we get a long weekend's leave.
814
01:04:45,541 --> 01:04:47,583
Rupert writes he could come to London,
815
01:04:47,666 --> 01:04:49,916
although he could be recalled at any time.
816
01:04:55,333 --> 01:04:58,750
I suppose I could meet someone new,
a pilot or something.
817
01:04:58,833 --> 01:05:00,458
[jolly piano music playing]
818
01:05:00,541 --> 01:05:03,625
[Joan] I'm sure I shall never like him
half as much as Rupert.
819
01:05:07,333 --> 01:05:09,833
The party was being held in a vast studio.
820
01:05:11,041 --> 01:05:14,791
We could hear loud thumps in the distance,
but no one took any notice.
821
01:05:14,875 --> 01:05:17,500
- [forceful boom]
- [whining]
822
01:05:17,583 --> 01:05:20,541
[Joan] Suddenly, there was
the most tremendous whining noise.
823
01:05:21,166 --> 01:05:23,666
Outside, all hell seemed to be let loose.
824
01:05:23,750 --> 01:05:25,708
We were all too drunk to care.
825
01:05:25,791 --> 01:05:28,125
[booming]
826
01:05:28,208 --> 01:05:30,125
[booming intensifies]
827
01:05:32,083 --> 01:05:34,083
[booming in distance]
828
01:05:37,166 --> 01:05:40,750
[man] It was a strange night.
People were not scared.
829
01:05:45,625 --> 01:05:48,666
A news vendor had his stand outside…
830
01:05:48,750 --> 01:05:50,750
[vendor] Read all about it!
Read all about it!
831
01:05:50,833 --> 01:05:52,583
…and this bombing was going on.
832
01:05:55,083 --> 01:05:57,333
"Cup final result! Cup final result!"
833
01:05:57,416 --> 01:06:02,125
[vendor shouting] Arsenal-Preston!
Cup final result! Cup final result!
834
01:06:02,208 --> 01:06:03,958
[booming]
835
01:06:05,083 --> 01:06:08,625
[Ballard] There was a prostitute
coming up from Piccadilly.
836
01:06:09,916 --> 01:06:13,125
Uh, she was singing,
and she had an umbrella up.
837
01:06:14,541 --> 01:06:19,166
♪ I'm singing in the rain ♪
♪ I'm singing in the rain ♪
838
01:06:20,166 --> 01:06:22,625
[woman] ♪ I'm singin' in the rain ♪
839
01:06:22,708 --> 01:06:25,250
♪ Just singin' in the rain ♪
840
01:06:25,333 --> 01:06:27,416
♪ What a glorious feeling ♪
841
01:06:27,500 --> 01:06:29,791
♪ I'm happy again ♪
842
01:06:29,875 --> 01:06:31,875
[words echoing]
843
01:06:32,583 --> 01:06:34,583
[agitated music playing]
844
01:06:41,458 --> 01:06:44,375
[newsreader 48] There has been no estimate
of the number of persons killed,
845
01:06:44,458 --> 01:06:46,291
but the government has issued a communiqué
846
01:06:46,375 --> 01:06:49,208
which says that the number
of casualties is high.
847
01:06:49,291 --> 01:06:51,291
[solemn music playing]
848
01:06:54,375 --> 01:06:56,333
[newsreader 49] News has suddenly burst
from Europe
849
01:06:56,416 --> 01:06:59,708
that Germany has declared war on Russia.
850
01:07:02,708 --> 01:07:04,875
It means that Adolf Hitler
has given up all hope
851
01:07:04,958 --> 01:07:06,916
of any quick conquest of Britain.
852
01:07:08,083 --> 01:07:10,083
[music fades]
853
01:07:12,458 --> 01:07:14,458
[tentative music playing]
854
01:07:17,000 --> 01:07:20,041
[newsreader 50] There was
no German air activity last night.
855
01:07:20,125 --> 01:07:21,500
None today.
856
01:07:21,583 --> 01:07:24,291
It seems a long time
since we've heard the sirens.
857
01:07:27,083 --> 01:07:29,708
[newsreader 51] Cinemas
of Leicester Square are open,
858
01:07:29,791 --> 01:07:33,041
but precautions for the safety of London
are maintained.
859
01:07:34,750 --> 01:07:36,833
And though scarred,
860
01:07:36,916 --> 01:07:39,958
London still presents a smiling face.
861
01:07:46,791 --> 01:07:48,458
{\an8}The bombing had eased.
862
01:07:50,000 --> 01:07:54,916
{\an8}My mother decided
that she wanted us home immediately.
863
01:07:59,500 --> 01:08:01,875
So the family was complete again.
864
01:08:06,958 --> 01:08:10,541
First thing the next morning,
I wanted to go and look for shrapnel.
865
01:08:12,208 --> 01:08:14,458
I was delighted to be home.
866
01:08:20,750 --> 01:08:22,958
Kitty and I, we went off to school.
867
01:08:25,375 --> 01:08:27,708
And I went to the junior section…
868
01:08:29,666 --> 01:08:31,500
and she went to the senior.
869
01:08:34,250 --> 01:08:37,291
And to us,
it was just a normal school day.
870
01:08:37,375 --> 01:08:39,000
[school bell ringing]
871
01:08:42,291 --> 01:08:45,500
[Eric] We, um…
went down to the dining area,
872
01:08:45,583 --> 01:08:48,333
and we were having our sandwiches there.
873
01:08:51,666 --> 01:08:53,958
The next thing I knew,
874
01:08:54,041 --> 01:08:58,250
bursts of aeroplane engines
close overhead.
875
01:08:58,333 --> 01:09:00,583
[air-raid siren wailing]
876
01:09:01,458 --> 01:09:03,125
[children screaming]
877
01:09:03,208 --> 01:09:06,166
[Eric] The teacher screaming to us
to get under the table.
878
01:09:09,791 --> 01:09:14,875
I remembered Kitty bursting in
and rushing towards me.
879
01:09:16,125 --> 01:09:17,708
And then the bomb hit.
880
01:09:24,250 --> 01:09:26,583
[high-pitched whining]
881
01:09:31,000 --> 01:09:33,000
[whining fades]
882
01:09:37,708 --> 01:09:40,041
{\an8}[Eric] My mother's premonition
had come true.
883
01:09:40,666 --> 01:09:43,583
{\an8}Something terrible had happened
to Kitty and me.
884
01:09:45,500 --> 01:09:47,500
[emotional piano music playing]
885
01:09:49,666 --> 01:09:53,750
[newsreader 52] The news concerns the raid
by a lone German bombing plane.
886
01:09:56,333 --> 01:09:59,125
[newsreader 53] This was a case
of really sudden death.
887
01:09:59,708 --> 01:10:02,458
Nobody had a chance even to duck his head.
888
01:10:05,708 --> 01:10:07,791
[Eric] Thirty-eight kids were killed.
889
01:10:09,875 --> 01:10:11,375
And six teachers were killed.
890
01:10:19,208 --> 01:10:20,750
I was dug out.
891
01:10:30,250 --> 01:10:32,708
I was very severely injured.
892
01:10:37,333 --> 01:10:40,250
My mother would come to the hospital
to see me,
893
01:10:41,000 --> 01:10:44,458
and I kept on asking about Kitty.
894
01:10:52,625 --> 01:10:54,625
[music fades]
895
01:10:54,708 --> 01:10:57,125
[Eric] Kitty had come
into the dining area,
896
01:10:57,208 --> 01:10:59,208
and she was dashing towards me.
897
01:11:01,791 --> 01:11:03,625
Kitty had shielded me.
898
01:11:04,750 --> 01:11:06,083
And she were dead.
899
01:11:06,166 --> 01:11:07,166
[sniffles]
900
01:11:10,500 --> 01:11:11,500
[sniffles]
901
01:11:14,208 --> 01:11:17,500
If it hadn't been for Kitty,
uh, I'd be dead.
902
01:11:18,166 --> 01:11:20,125
I've no doubt about that
903
01:11:20,625 --> 01:11:24,958
because whatever killed her
would've killed me instead.
904
01:11:26,625 --> 01:11:28,375
So I'll never forget that.
905
01:11:33,041 --> 01:11:35,041
[poignant piano music playing]
906
01:11:40,375 --> 01:11:42,416
[Eric] In so many ways, I've been so lucky
907
01:11:42,500 --> 01:11:47,500
because, uh… I've always been able
to do so many things.
908
01:11:49,250 --> 01:11:51,000
Met a lovely girl, married her.
909
01:11:51,875 --> 01:11:53,333
Got three great kids.
910
01:11:59,708 --> 01:12:01,708
[music fades]
911
01:12:02,208 --> 01:12:03,750
[tense music playing]
912
01:12:13,125 --> 01:12:16,041
{\an8}[Bernard] When the war ended,
we were in a different world.
913
01:12:18,250 --> 01:12:22,458
Basically, we needed to pull together.
We needed to be unified.
914
01:12:25,250 --> 01:12:27,250
[dramatic music builds]
915
01:12:31,250 --> 01:12:33,250
[music fades]
916
01:12:33,333 --> 01:12:36,333
[Bernard] The class system broke down.
917
01:12:36,416 --> 01:12:37,833
[cheering]
918
01:12:37,916 --> 01:12:41,000
[Bernard] We thought
we deserved something else.
919
01:12:43,291 --> 01:12:44,625
Life did get better.
920
01:12:44,708 --> 01:12:46,708
[poignant piano music resumes]
921
01:12:57,625 --> 01:13:01,541
[Joan] Sometimes I feel the significance
of what is going on in the world,
922
01:13:02,041 --> 01:13:04,500
but even then, I can't put it into words.
923
01:13:04,583 --> 01:13:06,291
[moving music builds]
924
01:13:06,375 --> 01:13:09,291
[Joan] One half of the world
trying to destroy the other.
925
01:13:10,125 --> 01:13:12,250
Nothing will ever be the same again.
926
01:13:15,208 --> 01:13:18,041
But I don't feel any different
to how I did in peacetime,
927
01:13:18,541 --> 01:13:20,208
except that I'm a bit happier.
928
01:13:36,208 --> 01:13:38,875
[Edith] I don't think there's been
determination like that since.
929
01:13:40,791 --> 01:13:45,625
You see, we were protecting
our livelihood, our… our country,
930
01:13:45,708 --> 01:13:47,541
all our people, everybody.
931
01:13:48,291 --> 01:13:52,541
And that included the civilians.
Going to fight right to the bitter end.
932
01:13:56,041 --> 01:14:00,041
[Churchill] The final extinction
of a baleful domination
933
01:14:00,125 --> 01:14:05,166
will pave the way to a broader solidarity
934
01:14:05,250 --> 01:14:07,291
than we could ever have planned
935
01:14:08,750 --> 01:14:12,916
if we had not marched together
through the fire.
936
01:14:13,541 --> 01:14:15,541
[poignant music continues]