Steven Broomfield Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 I saw about 10 minutes of a discussion with Kirsty someone (the one who does Desert Island Discs), Richard van Emden and two other historians, who seemed not to know very much. That was enough for a couple of hours and I've just turned on to see a performance by Dame Helen Mirren and other people. I can only assume from the comments above that I missed the good bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelcave Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 Well I think it was pretty good ( a useful [implied] dig at 'history by war poets') and on balance remarkably tasteful. I still shudder when I think of what happened at Verdun last year. Perhaps a bit more acknowledgement of the French in Third Ypres might have been appropriate, but ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towisuk Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 (edited) I'm a cynical old Bu***r.... but Ypres Town Square and the Cloth Hall put on a superb show!!! well done to one and all who took part and were involved with this production.... A shame the TV camera had to switch to a politician seated in the best seats in the house part of the way through the performance..... that really broke the spell !!!!! regards Tom Edited 30 July , 2017 by towisuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honora Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 Just back from our own commemoration in a quiet country cemetery for great uncle Ted: 2nd/Lt Edwin Horler 122nd MGC, killed in action 31 July 1917, aged 29, buried Voormezeele. He is commemorated on his little sister's gravestone, died 1 August 1911, aged eleven It is also the grave of my 21 year old son, died 12 July 2012. We (self, husband, two brothers and niece) spent an hour quietly remembering as dusk fell. We recorded tonight's programme to watch later Never forgotten Honora Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pighills Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 What a lovely way to commemorate, Honora. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Riley Posted 30 July , 2017 Share Posted 30 July , 2017 I assume that they had to delay by an hour to make the 'event' follow on to the Last Post as seamlessly as possible rather than there be a comfort gap as there actually was. It fooled me. I am in Ieper and have spent the day (and yesterday) navigating (or not) roads and squares closed off an hour earlier than advertised both on foot and by car. After being stuck on the wrong side of the Grote Markt yesterday and separated from my supper at the Trompet for 15 minutes, I elected to watch the Last Post on the hotel Telly rather than the big screen. Bad choice. Dan Snow was still woffling when I went across although Kirsty Young was doing the long intro as though it was in real time(maybe it was for her but not as it was broadcast). Consequently, I had to leave to eat before the LP showed up on BBC 2. Gather that the King of the Belgians was excellent. The event on the square was brilliant even though I was tucked away by the bus stop. Much better than I expected.Not a War Horse fan but seeing the automaton/puppet whatever was good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it was very well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garwood Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 Thought it was as good as it could be almost..... Pity the marching troops weren`t in period uniforms tho`,that would have been better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Davies Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 The Army doesn't do dressing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T8HANTS Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 Not anymore it probably hasn't got the money, but period uniform parades and commemorations are not unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyacinth1326 Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 What of the Studio discussions ? I thought Richard Van Emden was a sound choice. Agree with him or not, he is always worth listening to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 Why did Siegfried Sassoon call the Memin Gate "This sepulchre of Crime"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dust Jacket Collector Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 11 minutes ago, Ghazala said: Why did Siegfried Sassoon call the Memin Gate "This sepulchre of Crime"? Because it records the names of those killed in what he would have regarded as a needless slaughter, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyacinth1326 Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 (edited) Just watched the Victoria Derbyshire programme. They rolled out some poet to read Sassoon's 'Memorial Tablet'. The poet went on to describe how, in 1914/15 vast numbers of men were 'brow-beaten' into joining up by 'local squires' . Where does the BBC get them from ? Edited 31 July , 2017 by Hyacinth1326 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 2 hours ago, Dust Jacket Collector said: Because it records the names of those killed in what he would have regarded as a needless slaughter, I suppose. Good man Dusty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 can't believe my dear Grandfather saw this through the eyes of an 17 year old boy , he would never speak of it he was gassed later and sent home .he took so many secrets to his death. throughout his life he he was happy and an excellent joker. what a very brave man. his name Bill Caswell of Cheshire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bart150 Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 Tyne Cot Pretty good Only a token smidgen of religion - good One German rep reader – seemed a perfunctory token gesture; a few more, say three, would have seemed more sincere No French rep reader at all – although they had plenty of men in the battle – more even than the Anzacs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil andrade Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 Regarding the French, the BBC missed a chance here : what a fitting moment it would have been to cite Petain's verdict on the prospects of Haig's offensive Boche is bad, and mud is bad, but bosche and mud together ??! . If I've got that wrong , please correct me. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyH Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 (edited) Thought that last evenings event in Ypres was excellent. Some of today's ceremony most moving. During the segments from Tyne Cot, hosted by Kirsty Young, was anyone else conscious of a occasional but persistent background 'klicking' noise on both days broadcasts, maybe a door opening and closing? That did become a little annoying. Mike. Edited 31 July , 2017 by MikeyH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyacinth1326 Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 It may have been a branch striking the broadcast unit thingy as the noises seemed to coincide with a breeze catching poplars in the background Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horrocks Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 I thought that both the ceremonies of last night and of today were deeply moving. I felt that the Ypres event struck just the right balance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squirrel Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 26 minutes ago, horrocks said: I thought that both the ceremonies of last night and of today were deeply moving. I felt that the Ypres event struck just the right balance. Agree entirely - the only things that jarred with today's coverage was the first hour with the "experts" which was virtually a repeat of last night and why do they have to sing poems which speak for themselves? Also, the singing of Binyon's exhortation. No point in having it sung and then repeated in at the appropriate time. One or the other at the appropriate time surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapper D. Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 My tu'pennies worth: First half of the programme was too long and too slow. Too many speakers trying to cram as many 'nations' in a possible. I would have gone for 1 expert (RvE?) and 1 representative of the main 'players' (UK, Oz, Can, Fr, Bel & Ger). I was also confused by the "singing' of poetry, nor absolutely necessary as far as I'm concerned. The second half (the actual service) was v/good. But then again, with TC as a backdrop you cannot go far wrong - can you? What a place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyacinth1326 Posted 31 July , 2017 Share Posted 31 July , 2017 (edited) wonderfully atmospheric photographs. Edited 31 July , 2017 by Hyacinth1326 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Maria Posted 1 August , 2017 Share Posted 1 August , 2017 On 31/07/2017 at 08:11, Hyacinth1326 said: What of the Studio discussions ? I thought Richard Van Emden was a sound choice. Agree with him or not, he is always worth listening to. The Belgian historian made the comment about the lack of German presence in the landscape because there are so few German cemeteries in Flanders . But maybe if the Germans hadn't of invaded her country again twenty odd years later their presence would be a lot greater than it is today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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