1 00:00:10,055 --> 00:00:12,795 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 2 00:00:12,922 --> 00:00:15,368 was born on the 3rd January, 1892. 3 00:00:16,441 --> 00:00:18,129 He and his brother Hilary, experienced 4 00:00:18,177 --> 00:00:20,420 a difficult childhood; when Tolkien was 5 00:00:20,420 --> 00:00:22,178 just four, they lost their father, Arthur, 6 00:00:22,182 --> 00:00:24,420 to rheumatic fever. 7 00:00:24,574 --> 00:00:26,001 As a widow with low income, his mother 8 00:00:26,103 --> 00:00:28,805 Mabel, home school the brothers and played 9 00:00:28,805 --> 00:00:31,576 a vital role in their early education and 10 00:00:31,576 --> 00:00:33,255 development. 11 00:00:33,420 --> 00:00:34,797 Tolkien was a smart young boy, with a 12 00:00:35,450 --> 00:00:37,721 fascination and thirst for languages. 13 00:00:40,230 --> 00:00:41,918 Tolkien sat the entrance exam for King 14 00:00:41,918 --> 00:00:44,529 Edward's School, Birmingham and passed. 15 00:00:44,926 --> 00:00:46,823 From the Autumn of 1900, for a fee of 16 00:00:46,981 --> 00:00:49,040 12 pounds a year, Tolkien would be 17 00:00:49,186 --> 00:00:52,336 educated in an environment that would help 18 00:00:52,474 --> 00:00:54,179 fulfil his academic potential. 19 00:00:55,704 --> 00:00:57,113 [John Garth] Going to King Edward's was vitally 20 00:00:57,250 --> 00:00:59,448 important to Tolkien; he was an 21 00:00:59,448 --> 00:01:02,111 exceptionally talented boy. King Edward's 22 00:01:02,111 --> 00:01:05,306 offered him a vast amount of scope and also 23 00:01:05,306 --> 00:01:07,498 the company of other boys who were 24 00:01:08,032 --> 00:01:09,507 similarly talented. 25 00:01:10,562 --> 00:01:12,163 Which was probably quite hard for Tolkien 26 00:01:12,429 --> 00:01:13,581 to find. 27 00:01:15,777 --> 00:01:17,343 [Simon Stacey] Not only did he play rugby but 28 00:01:17,499 --> 00:01:20,749 he was a leading light in the debating society 29 00:01:20,865 --> 00:01:23,952 and the literary society; he was the life and 30 00:01:24,141 --> 00:01:27,567 soul really and he missed the school a 31 00:01:27,672 --> 00:01:29,199 great deal, I think, when he finally had 32 00:01:29,199 --> 00:01:30,359 to leave. 33 00:01:30,594 --> 00:01:33,231 [VO] At the age of just 11, Tolkien and his 34 00:01:33,363 --> 00:01:35,443 brother Hilary, lose their mother, Mabel, 35 00:01:35,595 --> 00:01:38,647 to diabetes. Grief stricken, he plunges 36 00:01:38,806 --> 00:01:41,097 himself into school life more energetically 37 00:01:41,264 --> 00:01:44,505 than before. Academically he excels, but 38 00:01:44,664 --> 00:01:47,386 in 1905, meets his intellectual rival, 39 00:01:47,508 --> 00:01:49,065 Christopher Wiseman. 40 00:01:50,822 --> 00:01:53,082 [John Garth] Tolkien met his greatest friend 41 00:01:53,082 --> 00:01:54,954 at King Edward's, Christopher Wiseman on 42 00:01:54,954 --> 00:01:58,916 the rugby pitch. A musician, a mathematician; 43 00:01:59,067 --> 00:02:00,293 quite different from Tolkien. 44 00:02:01,597 --> 00:02:03,161 They developed such a strong bond on the rugby 45 00:02:03,293 --> 00:02:04,842 field that they called themselves; 46 00:02:04,950 --> 00:02:06,734 "The Great Twin Brethren", which was a phrase 47 00:02:06,734 --> 00:02:09,375 from "Lays of Ancient Rome" by Lord 48 00:02:09,502 --> 00:02:10,315 Macauley. 49 00:02:11,284 --> 00:02:13,448 [Simon Stacey] They also were friendly rivals 50 00:02:13,631 --> 00:02:15,105 in the school, both being very academic 51 00:02:15,231 --> 00:02:17,328 boys. Wiseman had a formidable intellect 52 00:02:17,470 --> 00:02:19,120 and he was interested in a lot of the things 53 00:02:19,269 --> 00:02:20,785 that Tolkien was getting interested in; 54 00:02:21,035 --> 00:02:23,765 languages, I think he was looking at 55 00:02:23,928 --> 00:02:26,639 Egyptian and was looking at hieroglyphics. 56 00:02:26,796 --> 00:02:28,519 [John Garth] Tolkien and Wiseman must have 57 00:02:28,644 --> 00:02:29,977 helped define each other through their 58 00:02:30,079 --> 00:02:31,618 teenage years because they would argue; 59 00:02:31,780 --> 00:02:33,248 they would argue strongly about all their 60 00:02:33,303 --> 00:02:34,569 beliefs in life. 61 00:02:35,471 --> 00:02:36,658 [Simon Stacey] Wiseman was a very talented 62 00:02:36,999 --> 00:02:39,580 musician; Tolkien was supposed to be tone 63 00:02:39,715 --> 00:02:41,382 deaf but that didn't stop them getting on! 64 00:02:42,904 --> 00:02:44,654 [VO] Tolkien also befriends, son of the 65 00:02:44,933 --> 00:02:46,652 headmaster, Rob Gilson. Tolkien, Wiseman 66 00:02:46,871 --> 00:02:50,778 and Gilson, form a strong bond which will 67 00:02:50,886 --> 00:02:53,680 last throughout their school years and beyond. 68 00:02:56,108 --> 00:02:58,147 Outside of King Edward's, Tolkien's life is 69 00:02:58,250 --> 00:03:00,146 about to change, yet again. 70 00:03:01,610 --> 00:03:03,018 [John Garth] Tolkien was living in lodgings 71 00:03:03,165 --> 00:03:05,031 with his brother, Hilary, and when he was 16 72 00:03:05,145 --> 00:03:09,971 he met fellow lodger, Edith Bratt, who was 19 73 00:03:10,129 --> 00:03:13,260 at the time. And she was a beautiful young 74 00:03:13,416 --> 00:03:17,630 girl; talented pianist and also an orphan. 75 00:03:17,799 --> 00:03:20,419 And the two of them bonded on their shared 76 00:03:20,419 --> 00:03:23,108 sadnesses but also on their hopes and dreams. 77 00:03:23,867 --> 00:03:27,721 The difficulty for Ronald, as she called him, 78 00:03:28,166 --> 00:03:30,897 and Edith, was that he was a Roman Catholic 79 00:03:31,024 --> 00:03:33,209 and she was an Anglican. 80 00:03:34,089 --> 00:03:36,189 [VO] Tolkien's Guardian, Father Francis Morgan, 81 00:03:36,337 --> 00:03:38,217 a Catholic Priest, feels this is major 82 00:03:38,346 --> 00:03:40,969 divide; and also believes that Edith will 83 00:03:41,091 --> 00:03:42,988 distract Tolkien from his attempts to get 84 00:03:43,106 --> 00:03:44,549 into Oxford University. 85 00:03:45,712 --> 00:03:47,687 [John Garth] Father Francis Morgan, forbade 86 00:03:47,832 --> 00:03:49,727 them from seeing each other, or even from 87 00:03:49,860 --> 00:03:53,037 communicating. He was thrown back upon his 88 00:03:53,174 --> 00:03:55,916 friendships at King Edward's and it was 89 00:03:56,050 --> 00:03:58,502 this final phase of his time here, that he 90 00:03:58,943 --> 00:04:03,472 began to flourish and make the place his 91 00:04:03,599 --> 00:04:06,689 own; he and his friends ruled the roost. 92 00:04:07,936 --> 00:04:09,629 [VO] Making the most of his final year at 93 00:04:09,794 --> 00:04:11,476 King Edward's and the friendships he has 94 00:04:11,590 --> 00:04:13,866 formed, Tolkien and his peers create an 95 00:04:14,033 --> 00:04:16,213 informal society. 96 00:04:19,780 --> 00:04:21,787 These young intellectuals gather in the school 97 00:04:21,935 --> 00:04:24,150 library and do what they are forbidden to do: 98 00:04:24,298 --> 00:04:28,073 brew tea. Outside of school hours, they meet 99 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,362 in a cafe at Barrow's Stores in Birmingham 100 00:04:30,521 --> 00:04:33,651 and so, self-mockingly, they call themselves 101 00:04:33,820 --> 00:04:36,410 the "Tea Club and Barrovean Society" 102 00:04:36,483 --> 00:04:38,597 or the TCBS for short. 103 00:04:38,662 --> 00:04:39,680 (nostalgic music) 104 00:04:39,971 --> 00:04:41,667 [John Garth] The core of the TCBS was probably 105 00:04:41,799 --> 00:04:43,860 Tolkien and Wiseman and the others 106 00:04:43,977 --> 00:04:47,731 gravitated around them. There was Robert 107 00:04:47,872 --> 00:04:49,743 Quilter Gilson, the son of the headmaster 108 00:04:49,845 --> 00:04:53,797 here; Rob was a cultured and sociable chap, 109 00:04:53,929 --> 00:04:56,343 he was perhaps the social glue of the group; 110 00:04:56,529 --> 00:04:59,488 he would welcome anyone and find common 111 00:04:59,590 --> 00:05:02,610 cause with them. A gentle artistic fellow 112 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:04,656 who loved to sketch. 113 00:05:05,448 --> 00:05:08,549 [Simon Stacey] He was a gifted artist and 114 00:05:08,689 --> 00:05:10,230 had ambitions to be an architect. 115 00:05:10,826 --> 00:05:13,855 There was a late arrival, Geoffrey Bache Smith, 116 00:05:13,989 --> 00:05:19,116 who was fascinated by mythology, Celtic 117 00:05:19,116 --> 00:05:21,232 mythology; so this gave him common ground 118 00:05:21,232 --> 00:05:22,891 with Tolkien; it was another of Tolkien's 119 00:05:22,891 --> 00:05:23,523 passions. 120 00:05:23,742 --> 00:05:25,308 [Simon Stacey] Smith was quite an accomplished 121 00:05:25,465 --> 00:05:28,509 and advanced poet who recommended contemporary 122 00:05:28,667 --> 00:05:31,513 poetry to Tolkien. When he started writing 123 00:05:31,641 --> 00:05:34,037 poetry, Tolkien was to a certain extent, 124 00:05:34,185 --> 00:05:37,227 inspired by Smith and the wider group. 125 00:05:37,329 --> 00:05:39,659 And that was really the beginnings of 126 00:05:39,789 --> 00:05:41,195 Tolkien as a writer. 127 00:05:41,367 --> 00:05:43,538 [John Garth] From the beginnings which were 128 00:05:43,671 --> 00:05:47,296 mostly about fun, later on, during the war years, 129 00:05:47,414 --> 00:05:50,819 this developed into a fellowship from which 130 00:05:50,967 --> 00:05:53,574 each of them drew tremendous strength and 131 00:05:53,676 --> 00:05:54,476 comfort. 132 00:05:55,465 --> 00:05:57,722 [VO] Later that year, Tolkien's time at 133 00:05:57,859 --> 00:05:59,927 King Edward's comes to an end and he begins 134 00:06:00,063 --> 00:06:02,115 his first term at Oxford, having successfully 135 00:06:02,209 --> 00:06:03,707 gained entrance. 136 00:06:05,916 --> 00:06:08,362 On the eve of his 21st birthday, and his 137 00:06:08,488 --> 00:06:10,298 independence from Father Francis Morgan, 138 00:06:10,432 --> 00:06:13,000 Tolkien writes to Edith and less than a 139 00:06:13,089 --> 00:06:16,040 week later, they are re-united. 140 00:06:16,128 --> 00:06:18,048 Edith is engaged to marry another man, 141 00:06:18,048 --> 00:06:19,820 but despite almost certain ridicule, 142 00:06:19,820 --> 00:06:22,363 she agrees to break the engagement to be 143 00:06:22,373 --> 00:06:23,673 with her Ronald. 144 00:06:24,891 --> 00:06:26,775 Over the next few months, a growing sense of 145 00:06:26,879 --> 00:06:28,635 trouble brews across Europe and on the 28th 146 00:06:28,635 --> 00:06:34,066 of June, 1914, everything changes. 147 00:06:35,421 --> 00:06:37,647 (gun shot sound) 148 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:40,279 (solemn music) 149 00:06:40,779 --> 00:06:42,590 Gavrillo Princip is arrested for the 150 00:06:42,766 --> 00:06:45,182 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 151 00:06:45,319 --> 00:06:50,048 A diplomatic crisis ensues and within weeks, 152 00:06:50,241 --> 00:06:52,863 Europe's major powers are at war. 153 00:06:54,558 --> 00:06:57,318 Germany invades Belgium and Britain declares 154 00:06:57,453 --> 00:07:00,837 war on Germany. Parliament issues a call 155 00:07:00,987 --> 00:07:02,704 to arms from the British public. 156 00:07:04,087 --> 00:07:04,994 [Paul Golightly] There isn't a rush to the 157 00:07:05,151 --> 00:07:08,130 colours straight away. It becomes much more 158 00:07:08,248 --> 00:07:09,555 obvious that people are willing to join 159 00:07:09,665 --> 00:07:12,128 up when atrocity stories start to emerge, 160 00:07:12,728 --> 00:07:14,962 then you get a much more concerted rush 161 00:07:15,111 --> 00:07:15,861 to join. 162 00:07:16,459 --> 00:07:17,664 [John Garth] There was an air of excitement 163 00:07:17,796 --> 00:07:20,473 about the war, there was a naive sense that 164 00:07:20,633 --> 00:07:23,085 this would allow young men to fulfil their 165 00:07:23,188 --> 00:07:25,350 potential in a way that wasn't possible in 166 00:07:25,503 --> 00:07:27,637 peace time. There was a tremendous sense 167 00:07:27,796 --> 00:07:30,331 of patriotism and a sense of duty towards 168 00:07:30,467 --> 00:07:33,195 whatever England, or Britain, stood for. 169 00:07:34,287 --> 00:07:35,790 [Paul Golightly] They are attracted to the 170 00:07:35,943 --> 00:07:37,909 idea of a settling of accounts with the Germans, 171 00:07:38,064 --> 00:07:39,651 or at least some of them will be. On the 172 00:07:39,812 --> 00:07:41,331 whole, they thought they were going to give 173 00:07:41,461 --> 00:07:42,599 the Germans a bloody nose. 174 00:07:43,267 --> 00:07:44,830 [John Garth] "The Germans has been dastardly" 175 00:07:44,989 --> 00:07:48,480 and needed to dealt with and shown their place. 176 00:07:49,298 --> 00:07:50,247 [Paul Golightly] Men join up out of economic 177 00:07:50,402 --> 00:07:52,865 necessity and you'll find that in any war. 178 00:07:53,850 --> 00:07:57,324 Life is not very exciting and the romance 179 00:07:57,475 --> 00:08:00,422 and colour of joining the army and being 180 00:08:00,569 --> 00:08:03,118 part of something very big indeed, I'm sure 181 00:08:03,285 --> 00:08:04,474 has some allure. 182 00:08:05,340 --> 00:08:06,674 (solemn music) And they see things 183 00:08:06,808 --> 00:08:09,030 in rather romantic ways, which of course is 184 00:08:09,181 --> 00:08:11,608 doomed to fail; we all know what the First 185 00:08:11,775 --> 00:08:14,431 World War turns into. It's not a war of 186 00:08:14,620 --> 00:08:16,840 movement, of dash and élan; it's not cavalry 187 00:08:16,996 --> 00:08:20,376 charges and distant trumpets; I'm afraid 188 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:22,768 it's the pitter-patter of machine gun fire 189 00:08:22,935 --> 00:08:24,916 and the crump of artillery that's going to 190 00:08:25,031 --> 00:08:25,711 dominate. 191 00:08:29,879 --> 00:08:31,696 So they, I think, have expectations about what 192 00:08:31,851 --> 00:08:33,663 the war will be like, and I think their main 193 00:08:33,780 --> 00:08:36,137 emotion was, will it be over before I can 194 00:08:36,278 --> 00:08:37,219 get to France. 195 00:08:39,335 --> 00:08:41,652 [John Garth] Tolkien, who's reading covered 196 00:08:41,803 --> 00:08:46,154 ancient heroic literature, that is surprisingly 197 00:08:46,325 --> 00:08:50,708 frank about what happens in war, went into 198 00:08:50,851 --> 00:08:55,232 the war much more open-eyed. He described 199 00:08:55,364 --> 00:08:57,052 himself as a "young man with too much 200 00:08:57,165 --> 00:09:00,229 imagination" and so he did not relish battle 201 00:09:00,366 --> 00:09:01,182 in any sense. 202 00:09:01,970 --> 00:09:02,984 [Paul Golightly] And I think that applies 203 00:09:03,140 --> 00:09:05,298 to, not just men like Tolkien who fought in it, 204 00:09:05,431 --> 00:09:07,996 but also the politicians and generals who 205 00:09:08,110 --> 00:09:10,197 directed it; I think a lot of people 206 00:09:10,348 --> 00:09:12,311 understood that this war could be terrible. 207 00:09:13,580 --> 00:09:15,333 [Simon Stacey] What you get in the letters 208 00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:18,070 between Gilson, Tolkien and Wiseman and 209 00:09:18,163 --> 00:09:20,934 then in Smith's poetry, is a serious 210 00:09:21,093 --> 00:09:25,328 determination to do their duty and that they 211 00:09:25,445 --> 00:09:27,126 should be prepared to give their lives. 212 00:09:27,937 --> 00:09:30,642 A realistic appreciation that this is a dark time 213 00:09:30,788 --> 00:09:33,049 and that they've got to come through it. 214 00:09:34,948 --> 00:09:37,047 [VO] G.B. Smith and Rob Gilson both join 215 00:09:37,174 --> 00:09:40,466 the army in 1914, Tolkien's brother, Hilary, 216 00:09:40,592 --> 00:09:43,542 signs up as a bugler and Christopher Wiseman 217 00:09:43,667 --> 00:09:48,372 joins the navy. Tolkien however, faces a 218 00:09:48,463 --> 00:09:49,555 dilemma. 219 00:09:50,990 --> 00:09:52,553 [Simon Stacey] Tolkien was in a difficult 220 00:09:52,657 --> 00:09:54,901 position when war broke out; he had a year 221 00:09:55,049 --> 00:09:57,704 of his degree at Oxford to run and Tolkien 222 00:09:57,860 --> 00:10:00,684 needed a degree badly because he wanted to 223 00:10:00,818 --> 00:10:03,516 pursue an academic career; he didn't have 224 00:10:03,636 --> 00:10:07,830 any money in his family unlike Gilson and 225 00:10:07,967 --> 00:10:11,559 therefore, having committed three years to 226 00:10:11,715 --> 00:10:13,405 the degree it was very important that he 227 00:10:13,543 --> 00:10:16,049 completed it. So he discovered a scheme 228 00:10:16,208 --> 00:10:18,929 whereby he could undergo some training 229 00:10:19,056 --> 00:10:21,183 in the Officer Training Core whilst 230 00:10:21,359 --> 00:10:23,515 completing his degree, which he did triumphantly 231 00:10:23,667 --> 00:10:25,450 with a first at Oxford. 232 00:10:26,382 --> 00:10:28,104 [VO] He follows good friend, G.B.Smith, into 233 00:10:28,227 --> 00:10:30,924 the Lancashire Fusiliers in the hope of being 234 00:10:31,066 --> 00:10:32,472 posted to the same battalion. 235 00:10:34,089 --> 00:10:35,246 [John Garth] Tolkien was looking for something 236 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,595 in the army through which he could use his 237 00:10:38,729 --> 00:10:40,387 particular talents, and his particular talents 238 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:43,570 were languages and writing systems; he was 239 00:10:43,705 --> 00:10:45,763 fascinated by codes and so forth. So it was 240 00:10:45,853 --> 00:10:49,070 only natural that he would train up as a 241 00:10:49,213 --> 00:10:50,117 signaller. 242 00:10:50,367 --> 00:10:51,462 [Paul Golightly] It would have meant that 243 00:10:51,611 --> 00:10:53,280 Tolkien was exposed to the technology 244 00:10:53,404 --> 00:10:55,346 available at the time and it must have 245 00:10:55,469 --> 00:10:58,999 interested him; so the use of the radio, the 246 00:10:59,140 --> 00:11:02,398 use of signals, of semaphore. 247 00:11:03,256 --> 00:11:05,032 [Simon Stacey] He learnt morse code, 248 00:11:05,155 --> 00:11:07,864 he learnt how to use signalling lamps, field 249 00:11:08,016 --> 00:11:10,286 telephones; which of course went on largely 250 00:11:10,401 --> 00:11:12,643 to be ineffective or not to work. 251 00:11:13,175 --> 00:11:14,448 [John Garth] He became Battalion Signalling 252 00:11:14,572 --> 00:11:18,328 Officer for his Battalion. Tolkien had to 253 00:11:18,465 --> 00:11:20,771 oversee the communications of a Battalion 254 00:11:20,898 --> 00:11:23,575 of between 600 and 1,000 men depending on 255 00:11:23,710 --> 00:11:25,854 manpower at the time. 256 00:11:26,612 --> 00:11:27,614 [Paul Golightly] His basic job of course 257 00:11:27,767 --> 00:11:30,010 was to act as a link between the various 258 00:11:30,161 --> 00:11:32,690 layers of command, and that he would be 259 00:11:32,849 --> 00:11:35,626 responsible for incoming orders and making sure 260 00:11:35,802 --> 00:11:37,293 that the right people got those and of course 261 00:11:37,481 --> 00:11:40,619 he'd be responsible for telling command further 262 00:11:40,781 --> 00:11:43,368 up the line about the situation on his sector. 263 00:11:43,773 --> 00:11:45,633 [John Garth] So he was an absolute lynch pin 264 00:11:45,784 --> 00:11:49,215 in a war which depended absolutely on how 265 00:11:49,324 --> 00:11:51,521 much information you had about your enemies 266 00:11:51,675 --> 00:11:52,342 position. 267 00:11:53,217 --> 00:11:55,139 [VO] In March of 1916 as his training nears 268 00:11:55,266 --> 00:11:57,627 its completion, both Tolkien and Edith 269 00:11:57,770 --> 00:11:59,854 become aware that he will soon be sent to 270 00:12:00,009 --> 00:12:03,555 the Front. They marry and just over two 271 00:12:03,712 --> 00:12:06,193 months later, Tolkien is shipped off to France. 272 00:12:07,076 --> 00:12:09,617 The two of them part, not knowing if they 273 00:12:09,716 --> 00:12:11,421 will ever see each other again. 274 00:12:20,449 --> 00:12:36,420 (Loud battle sounds, Guns Firing, Shouting) 275 00:12:37,207 --> 00:12:39,754 (ominous music) 276 00:12:40,196 --> 00:12:41,978 [VO] When Tolkien arrives at the Front, the 277 00:12:42,089 --> 00:12:44,177 War has been raging for almost two years. 278 00:12:45,038 --> 00:12:46,217 The cost of the War is clear; 279 00:12:46,334 --> 00:12:49,156 the countryside is scarred and the casualties 280 00:12:49,293 --> 00:12:50,556 high. 281 00:12:51,910 --> 00:12:53,352 After a virtual stalemate of trench warfare 282 00:12:53,496 --> 00:12:57,354 throughout 1915, and with a new wave of 283 00:12:57,509 --> 00:13:00,259 thousands of freshly trained recruits, it is 284 00:13:00,406 --> 00:13:02,613 clear the Big Push is imminent. 285 00:13:03,273 --> 00:13:04,693 (marching feet) 286 00:13:05,137 --> 00:13:07,497 Tolkien's Battalion remains in reserve, but 287 00:13:07,601 --> 00:13:09,513 he fears for the lives of his old school 288 00:13:09,639 --> 00:13:10,963 friends who are at the Front. 289 00:13:13,132 --> 00:13:14,915 Within a month of his arrival in France 290 00:13:15,030 --> 00:13:17,107 the Allies launch the Somme Offensive. 291 00:13:18,548 --> 00:13:21,988 At 7.30am, on Saturday 1st of July, 292 00:13:22,135 --> 00:13:24,011 the troops in the British Frontline, 293 00:13:24,149 --> 00:13:25,698 go over the top. 294 00:13:26,583 --> 00:13:30,435 (whistle sound echoes) 295 00:13:45,886 --> 00:13:47,953 On the first day of the Offensive alone, 296 00:13:48,331 --> 00:13:51,998 20,000 men are killed, 35,000 are wounded 297 00:13:52,368 --> 00:13:55,121 and over 2,000 are reported missing. 298 00:13:58,751 --> 00:14:00,630 [Paul Golightly] The first casualty was 299 00:14:00,834 --> 00:14:03,496 the plan. It started to fall apart very 300 00:14:03,624 --> 00:14:06,480 rapidly. Tragically for the men caught out 301 00:14:06,583 --> 00:14:09,104 in the open, it was a death sentence. 1 in 5 302 00:14:09,227 --> 00:14:11,596 men who went into combat on the 1st of July 303 00:14:11,743 --> 00:14:12,868 was killed. 304 00:14:14,210 --> 00:14:15,943 [John Garth] It was the most disastrous day 305 00:14:16,098 --> 00:14:19,390 in the history of the British Army, and 306 00:14:19,767 --> 00:14:23,847 a tragedy for the entire country. There were 307 00:14:23,959 --> 00:14:27,523 villages that had lost all their young men. 308 00:14:29,537 --> 00:14:30,858 [Paul Golightly] It's marked as a loss of 309 00:14:30,940 --> 00:14:34,855 innocence, that the 20,000 that were killed 310 00:14:34,991 --> 00:14:37,657 represent a turning point in British 311 00:14:37,769 --> 00:14:40,520 consciousness and the relationship perhaps 312 00:14:40,672 --> 00:14:42,949 between those who make decisions and those 313 00:14:43,070 --> 00:14:44,765 who are forced to carry them out. 314 00:14:50,716 --> 00:14:52,399 (soft piano music) 315 00:14:53,895 --> 00:14:55,458 [VO] Among the many men that are lost on that 316 00:14:55,595 --> 00:15:00,128 day, is dear friend and TCBS member, 317 00:15:00,444 --> 00:15:02,285 Robert Gilson. 318 00:15:03,795 --> 00:15:06,110 [John Garth] He led his Platoon over the top 319 00:15:06,231 --> 00:15:10,774 took charge of his Company, but was shot 320 00:15:10,941 --> 00:15:13,112 in the middle of No Man's Land. 321 00:15:16,871 --> 00:15:18,717 [Paul Golightly] He was in the fourth wave. 322 00:15:19,301 --> 00:15:21,157 He saw the first wave go in and fail, 323 00:15:22,093 --> 00:15:24,346 the second wave go in and fail, 324 00:15:24,627 --> 00:15:26,585 the third wave go in and fail. 325 00:15:28,358 --> 00:15:30,840 And he, as a part of the fourth wave, had 326 00:15:30,975 --> 00:15:34,684 to go in; and they still went. And that 327 00:15:34,828 --> 00:15:37,041 I think is the most poignant and probably 328 00:15:37,181 --> 00:15:39,151 the most tragic thing about the 1st of July 329 00:15:39,282 --> 00:15:45,127 1916. That this generation, had so much faith 330 00:15:45,254 --> 00:15:48,139 in their superiors, probably had so much 331 00:15:48,275 --> 00:15:50,503 commitment to their fellows that they were 332 00:15:50,654 --> 00:15:52,554 prepared to go, even though it meant certain 333 00:15:52,905 --> 00:15:53,407 death. 334 00:15:57,633 --> 00:15:58,983 [John Garth] Tolkien heard about this 335 00:15:59,130 --> 00:16:02,014 after his first action on the Somme a couple 336 00:16:02,135 --> 00:16:05,045 of weeks later; and he was devastated. 337 00:16:06,110 --> 00:16:07,819 It shook him to the foundations of his 338 00:16:07,977 --> 00:16:11,084 beliefs. He had, as all of the members of 339 00:16:11,222 --> 00:16:14,631 the TCBS had, built up their group as a 340 00:16:14,779 --> 00:16:19,192 fellowship, with ideas and a spirit that had 341 00:16:19,347 --> 00:16:22,126 something to give to the World. In which 342 00:16:22,285 --> 00:16:26,210 all four of them were vital parts, and now 343 00:16:26,369 --> 00:16:28,090 one of them was dead. So what did that mean 344 00:16:28,227 --> 00:16:30,847 about their overall purpose? And also his 345 00:16:31,006 --> 00:16:32,169 purpose. 346 00:16:33,063 --> 00:16:34,352 [Simon Stacey] Geoffrey Smith wrote him a 347 00:16:34,462 --> 00:16:39,199 letter in which, clearly Smith experiences 348 00:16:39,326 --> 00:16:42,861 feelings of devastation and a sense that the 349 00:16:42,999 --> 00:16:47,644 fellowship had been broken. Rob would never 350 00:16:47,772 --> 00:16:51,539 become an architect, he would never fulfil 351 00:16:51,683 --> 00:16:55,217 his part in whatever they dreamed of. 352 00:16:56,563 --> 00:16:57,440 [John Garth] And I think it took him quite 353 00:16:57,593 --> 00:17:02,065 some time to recover from that. The other 354 00:17:02,235 --> 00:17:04,959 two members, Wiseman and Smith, were 355 00:17:05,044 --> 00:17:08,004 determined to persuade him that, no, the TCBS 356 00:17:08,167 --> 00:17:10,373 purpose continued and I think eventually 357 00:17:10,531 --> 00:17:12,423 Tolkien took heart from that. 358 00:17:14,051 --> 00:17:16,247 [VO] Tolkien writes to Rob's father, Headmaster 359 00:17:16,373 --> 00:17:19,865 at King Edward's school to offer his 360 00:17:19,973 --> 00:17:23,113 condolences. The TCBS lost a bright young 361 00:17:23,251 --> 00:17:25,965 man, a talented artist and most painfully 362 00:17:26,101 --> 00:17:29,420 of all; a dear friend. 363 00:17:33,954 --> 00:17:36,757 Tolkien's war has well and truly started and 364 00:17:36,865 --> 00:17:38,565 over the coming months he is subject to the 365 00:17:38,696 --> 00:17:40,633 many hardships of trench warfare. 366 00:17:41,745 --> 00:17:43,843 [John Garth] He spent his time in and out 367 00:17:43,978 --> 00:17:47,022 of the trenches. Battalions would be rotated 368 00:17:47,185 --> 00:17:50,445 from the Frontline to the reserve trenches 369 00:17:50,588 --> 00:17:54,119 to rest, as they laughably called it, but 370 00:17:54,275 --> 00:17:56,046 it wasn't really rest, it was training. 371 00:17:56,764 --> 00:17:58,417 Tolkien talked about the universal weariness 372 00:17:58,583 --> 00:18:01,731 of all this war. But during this period he 373 00:18:01,851 --> 00:18:04,537 was involved in three attacks, he was 374 00:18:04,663 --> 00:18:07,384 very fortunate not to have to go through the 375 00:18:07,495 --> 00:18:09,805 first day of the Somme; he was a few miles 376 00:18:09,963 --> 00:18:11,866 back from the Frontline at that time. 377 00:18:12,694 --> 00:18:14,073 His Battalion moved forward for a second 378 00:18:14,216 --> 00:18:16,183 wave of attacks, they were launched against a 379 00:18:16,318 --> 00:18:18,527 village called Ovier; which had been the 380 00:18:18,648 --> 00:18:21,600 German Frontline. One of the first things that 381 00:18:21,727 --> 00:18:24,547 he encountered was, complete chaos in the 382 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,634 battlefield communications system. It was very 383 00:18:27,811 --> 00:18:31,253 primitive. It was only partly built; damaged 384 00:18:31,365 --> 00:18:34,264 by the fortunes of battle. He had signallers 385 00:18:34,389 --> 00:18:38,518 going across No Man's Land carrying flares 386 00:18:38,656 --> 00:18:42,046 to say, we have arrived. Further flares - 387 00:18:42,169 --> 00:18:44,079 "we have taken prisoners", they carried 388 00:18:44,217 --> 00:18:46,445 pigeons; pigeons were about the most reliable 389 00:18:46,602 --> 00:18:49,046 method of communication. One of Tolkien's 390 00:18:49,718 --> 00:18:52,542 signallers won a military medal for managing 391 00:18:52,669 --> 00:18:56,035 to get his pigeons across No Man's Land and 392 00:18:56,167 --> 00:18:57,488 do the job correctly. 393 00:18:58,309 --> 00:18:59,748 [VO] The attack is a success and many 394 00:18:59,892 --> 00:19:02,332 prisoners are captured. Of all the combat 395 00:19:02,483 --> 00:19:05,214 Tolkien encounters, one of the most significant 396 00:19:05,358 --> 00:19:08,298 battles is also one of his last; an attack 397 00:19:08,462 --> 00:19:10,554 on Regina Trench. 398 00:19:11,441 --> 00:19:12,824 [John Garth] This was in October, by which 399 00:19:12,985 --> 00:19:15,065 time the battlefield had been reduced to mud. 400 00:19:15,242 --> 00:19:19,093 The attack had been delayed by heavy rain 401 00:19:19,174 --> 00:19:22,225 but on October 21st there was a cold snap 402 00:19:22,336 --> 00:19:25,434 so the ground was frozen hard and the 403 00:19:25,502 --> 00:19:26,999 attack was able to go ahead. 404 00:19:27,740 --> 00:19:33,542 (Deep boom. Loud Artillery Fire) 405 00:19:33,980 --> 00:19:41,671 (Gunfire, bullets zipping by) 406 00:19:42,176 --> 00:19:46,730 (solemn music) 407 00:19:48,029 --> 00:19:51,630 [John Garth] He saw violent death, he also 408 00:19:51,755 --> 00:19:54,286 saw and felt extreme terror. 409 00:19:56,907 --> 00:19:59,571 He never, as far as we know, described at 410 00:19:59,738 --> 00:20:03,559 length what trench warfare was like but he 411 00:20:03,714 --> 00:20:05,583 summed it up in two words, in one of his 412 00:20:05,744 --> 00:20:08,045 letters, and this was; "animal horror". 413 00:20:09,871 --> 00:20:13,378 It would reduce you from humanity and 414 00:20:13,524 --> 00:20:16,785 turn you into a retched beast desperate only 415 00:20:16,935 --> 00:20:20,156 to cower and survive. And it's very 416 00:20:20,282 --> 00:20:22,198 interesting if you look in The Lord of The Rings 417 00:20:22,287 --> 00:20:25,104 whenever the characters are in situations of 418 00:20:25,278 --> 00:20:27,465 extreme fear, they're always described as 419 00:20:27,594 --> 00:20:34,634 stooping and stupefied, un-manned by terror. 420 00:20:36,021 --> 00:20:37,240 [Paul Golightly] A lot of British trenches 421 00:20:37,389 --> 00:20:39,072 were deliberately uncomfortable because 422 00:20:39,214 --> 00:20:41,046 the Generals wanted the men to believe 423 00:20:41,194 --> 00:20:42,796 that they were only temporary, that they 424 00:20:42,942 --> 00:20:44,603 would be advancing beyond this, that this 425 00:20:44,763 --> 00:20:46,116 wasn't their home. 426 00:20:48,237 --> 00:20:50,174 [VO] Out on the Western Front, Tolkien feels 427 00:20:50,325 --> 00:20:53,008 isolated from home and letters to, and from, 428 00:20:53,125 --> 00:20:56,328 Edith are a lifeline. For reasons of 429 00:20:56,446 --> 00:20:58,723 strategic importance Tolkien is forbidden 430 00:20:58,842 --> 00:21:02,169 from sharing his location in his letters, so 431 00:21:02,282 --> 00:21:04,558 he devises a code of dots to keep Edith 432 00:21:04,708 --> 00:21:06,400 informed of where he is. 433 00:21:07,433 --> 00:21:08,843 [John Garth] He simply found the letters 434 00:21:08,948 --> 00:21:12,189 of the alphabet within what he wrote to her 435 00:21:12,331 --> 00:21:14,410 and put a dot above the relevant ones to 436 00:21:14,546 --> 00:21:16,704 spell out the name of the place where he was 437 00:21:16,841 --> 00:21:20,964 currently located. And Edith kept a map 438 00:21:21,121 --> 00:21:24,119 on her wall and pins to show where he was 439 00:21:24,291 --> 00:21:25,690 at that time. 440 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,134 [VO] After the successful attack on Regina 441 00:21:30,306 --> 00:21:32,221 Trench, the Battalion is withdrawn from the 442 00:21:32,393 --> 00:21:34,915 front and paraded in front of the top brass. 443 00:21:35,594 --> 00:21:37,996 Tolkien however, falls ill. 444 00:21:38,801 --> 00:21:40,361 [John Garth] It was trench fever. And this 445 00:21:40,495 --> 00:21:43,649 was a louse born disease due to the unhygienic 446 00:21:43,764 --> 00:21:44,935 conditions in the trenches. 447 00:21:45,167 --> 00:21:47,018 [Paul Golightly] It spread through contact 448 00:21:47,168 --> 00:21:50,229 with lice and it symptoms aren't very pleasant 449 00:21:50,344 --> 00:21:53,596 It gives you a headache, you can have stomach 450 00:21:53,726 --> 00:21:56,375 cramps, you can have pain in you joints 451 00:21:56,528 --> 00:21:59,155 and in your bones, you can get lesions on 452 00:21:59,439 --> 00:22:02,494 your skin; it's not fatal but it can become 453 00:22:02,629 --> 00:22:04,877 very debilitating. So debilitating you can't 454 00:22:05,003 --> 00:22:08,283 be an effective soldier. Tolkien got a very 455 00:22:08,395 --> 00:22:10,524 bad case, so bad that he had to be invalided 456 00:22:10,700 --> 00:22:12,695 "back to Blighty" as they put it. 457 00:22:13,222 --> 00:22:14,705 And in fact it was the end of his war. 458 00:22:14,994 --> 00:22:16,483 [John Garth] It saved Tolkien's life, it took 459 00:22:16,585 --> 00:22:20,072 him out of the battlefield and back to Britain. 460 00:22:20,426 --> 00:22:23,469 He was shipped home to Birmingham, to 461 00:22:23,604 --> 00:22:25,626 The First Southern General Hospital as it 462 00:22:25,732 --> 00:22:27,734 was called at the time, which was actually set 463 00:22:27,864 --> 00:22:29,803 up in the grounds of Birmingham University. 464 00:22:30,605 --> 00:22:33,302 And it was there that Tolkien was re-united 465 00:22:33,427 --> 00:22:36,919 with his wife, Edith and where he began 466 00:22:37,058 --> 00:22:40,189 writing the first stories of Middle-Earth. 467 00:22:41,513 --> 00:22:44,015 His re-union with Edith was deeply emotional 468 00:22:44,122 --> 00:22:47,559 and was an inspiration for various pieces of 469 00:22:47,681 --> 00:22:49,677 writing in his mythology, notably the 470 00:22:49,826 --> 00:22:53,001 story of Luthien and Beren; which features 471 00:22:53,146 --> 00:22:54,886 in the Silmarillion and is mentioned in 472 00:22:54,999 --> 00:22:57,193 The Lord of The Rings. A love story between 473 00:22:57,310 --> 00:23:00,740 a mortal man and an immortal elf. 474 00:23:01,600 --> 00:23:03,075 (Gentle Piano Music) 475 00:23:03,766 --> 00:23:05,932 [VO] However, Tolkien's respite is short lived. 476 00:23:06,096 --> 00:23:08,879 Shortly after returning to Birmingham, Tolkien 477 00:23:09,022 --> 00:23:10,673 learns from Christopher Wiseman, that 478 00:23:10,836 --> 00:23:14,153 good friend G.B.Smith has been killed. 479 00:23:18,533 --> 00:23:19,692 [John Garth] The Battle of the Somme was 480 00:23:19,811 --> 00:23:22,977 over, and Smith had been organising a 481 00:23:23,137 --> 00:23:25,739 football match for his men about four miles 482 00:23:25,890 --> 00:23:28,551 behind the Frontline, when a stray shell 483 00:23:28,707 --> 00:23:30,142 exploded near him. 484 00:23:31,955 --> 00:23:35,619 He was hit by shrapnel and developed what 485 00:23:35,758 --> 00:23:38,115 they called Gas Gangrene, which killed 486 00:23:38,265 --> 00:23:41,919 him within a few days. Early in 1916, while 487 00:23:42,047 --> 00:23:44,143 Tolkien was still in training, he had a letter 488 00:23:44,299 --> 00:23:47,513 G.B.Smith, who by that time was in the trenches 489 00:23:47,643 --> 00:23:49,827 in France. 490 00:23:49,968 --> 00:23:52,284 [VO] Smith was about to go out on Night Patrol. 491 00:23:52,397 --> 00:23:54,320 The officer who had led the patrol the night before 492 00:23:54,444 --> 00:23:57,087 had been captured and most likely killed. 493 00:23:58,615 --> 00:23:59,931 [John Garth] It was about the most dangerous 494 00:24:00,067 --> 00:24:02,699 activity that you could do on the Western Front 495 00:24:02,833 --> 00:24:04,627 and Smith was about to go into it and he took 496 00:24:04,761 --> 00:24:07,749 the opportunity to write to Tolkien, and 497 00:24:07,945 --> 00:24:14,303 tell him; "I'm about to go out on Night Patrol, 498 00:24:14,415 --> 00:24:19,085 I am a wild and wholehearted admirer of 499 00:24:19,191 --> 00:24:22,145 what you've written and what you will write" 500 00:24:23,269 --> 00:24:25,180 He told Tolkien, "you I'm sure are chosen, 501 00:24:25,344 --> 00:24:30,424 and you must publish." 502 00:24:33,835 --> 00:24:35,558 Smith was essentially the first Middle-Earth 503 00:24:35,698 --> 00:24:36,603 fan. 504 00:24:38,176 --> 00:24:39,868 [Simon Stacey] Smith says in the letter that 505 00:24:40,002 --> 00:24:44,884 death couldn't put an end to the TCBS, to 506 00:24:44,996 --> 00:24:48,502 the "immortal four" as he put it, that Tolkien 507 00:24:48,632 --> 00:24:53,153 may say the things that he had wanted to 508 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:56,178 say, long after he is there to say them. 509 00:24:56,328 --> 00:25:00,932 That's very moving because Tolkien, although 510 00:25:01,067 --> 00:25:05,170 very much his own individual artistic self, 511 00:25:05,341 --> 00:25:08,662 I think did see his later career as an 512 00:25:08,820 --> 00:25:11,296 attempt to fulfil the artistic dreams that 513 00:25:11,433 --> 00:25:12,961 they'd shared. 514 00:25:13,838 --> 00:25:16,634 [John Garth] He was able to gather his strength 515 00:25:16,796 --> 00:25:24,389 and perhaps see Smith as an ideal to be lived up to. 516 00:25:25,592 --> 00:25:27,912 [VO] In the summer of 1918, Tolkien and 517 00:25:28,073 --> 00:25:30,649 Wiseman gather some of Smith's poems and 518 00:25:30,802 --> 00:25:32,743 have them published in a small volume, 519 00:25:32,881 --> 00:25:36,295 entitled; "A Spring Harvest". 520 00:25:38,272 --> 00:25:40,497 Tolkien's war is over, but the impact of his 521 00:25:40,601 --> 00:25:43,427 experiences will stay with him forever, and 522 00:25:43,557 --> 00:25:46,053 will even feature in his future writings. 523 00:25:46,626 --> 00:25:48,256 [John Garth] The whole experience of the War 524 00:25:48,389 --> 00:25:51,840 had an ongoing affect on much of Tolkien's 525 00:25:51,956 --> 00:25:54,548 mythology. As soon as Tolkien returned from 526 00:25:54,666 --> 00:25:56,115 the Somme he started writing a story called, 527 00:25:56,239 --> 00:25:58,529 "The Fall of Gondolin" which was the first 528 00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,302 element of his mythology that dealt with battle. 529 00:26:02,687 --> 00:26:04,725 And the fascinating thing about it is that the 530 00:26:04,866 --> 00:26:08,235 attacking forces use things that are termed 531 00:26:08,349 --> 00:26:10,596 by Tolkien, "dragons" or "beasts" or "monsters" 532 00:26:10,684 --> 00:26:13,957 but they're described as metallic and rolling 533 00:26:14,531 --> 00:26:16,612 and they spout fire and some of them have 534 00:26:16,737 --> 00:26:18,855 troops inside them, and it's pretty clear that 535 00:26:18,986 --> 00:26:22,377 this is a kind of mythologising of the Tank. 536 00:26:22,681 --> 00:26:24,565 Which was Britains secret weapon, which 537 00:26:24,706 --> 00:26:26,428 had just been launched on the Somme while 538 00:26:26,536 --> 00:26:27,420 Tolkien was there. 539 00:26:28,375 --> 00:26:31,304 The Lord of The Rings focusses on a fellowship, 540 00:26:31,416 --> 00:26:33,682 they're separated on different battlefronts, 541 00:26:33,812 --> 00:26:35,548 much like the TCBS were. 542 00:26:35,986 --> 00:26:37,052 [Simon Stacey] It's almost unimaginable that, 543 00:26:37,222 --> 00:26:39,743 in writing of the breaking of the fellowship, 544 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:42,275 in The Lord of The Rings, that Tolkien wouldn't 545 00:26:42,422 --> 00:26:45,798 have been influenced by his own loss during 546 00:26:45,935 --> 00:26:47,745 the First World War and the breaking of the 547 00:26:47,892 --> 00:26:49,480 TCBS fellowship. 548 00:26:50,538 --> 00:26:53,043 There is a late letter in which he mentions 549 00:26:53,177 --> 00:26:55,729 that the dead marshes, through which Frodo, 550 00:26:55,859 --> 00:26:59,685 Sam and Gollum travel, owe something to 551 00:26:59,877 --> 00:27:02,105 northern France, in the area of the Somme 552 00:27:02,234 --> 00:27:03,520 where he fought. 553 00:27:04,241 --> 00:27:06,321 [John Garth] Frodo and Sam are very much 554 00:27:06,470 --> 00:27:10,152 the equivalent of an officer and his batman; his 555 00:27:10,251 --> 00:27:13,144 servant. And Tolkien actually said that, "my 556 00:27:13,261 --> 00:27:17,857 Sam Gamgee is inspired by the Privates and 557 00:27:17,968 --> 00:27:21,246 Batmen I knew in the First World War". 558 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:25,523 Frodo represents really, the feelings of a young 559 00:27:25,659 --> 00:27:28,215 man like Tolkien himself, thrown into a war 560 00:27:28,307 --> 00:27:30,715 unwillingly and having to shoulder a terrible 561 00:27:30,853 --> 00:27:34,541 burden; a burden of duty. You can see that 562 00:27:34,604 --> 00:27:40,118 Frodo develops symptoms of what we would now 563 00:27:40,264 --> 00:27:42,931 call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or 564 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,202 War Trauma, or what they called then, 565 00:27:45,351 --> 00:27:48,310 Shell Shock. He becomes withdrawn from 566 00:27:48,462 --> 00:27:51,722 the World, increasingly enclosed within himself 567 00:27:51,832 --> 00:27:55,583 he says he can't remember what grass was like, 568 00:27:55,714 --> 00:27:57,118 what sunlight was like. 569 00:27:58,059 --> 00:28:00,250 When the war is over in The Lord of The Rings, 570 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,514 Frodo does not strut his stuff as a hero, 571 00:28:03,669 --> 00:28:05,760 he is visibly traumatised by the whole 572 00:28:05,888 --> 00:28:09,371 experience. This was very true of many of the 573 00:28:09,516 --> 00:28:11,653 soldiers who returned from the Western 574 00:28:11,811 --> 00:28:14,819 Front, unable to talk about the experiences 575 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:17,845 that had affected them so deeply. 576 00:28:18,689 --> 00:28:20,494 (retrospective piano music) 577 00:28:23,457 --> 00:28:24,441 [Paul Golightly] The generation that fights 578 00:28:24,571 --> 00:28:27,339 the First World War, should be called courageous. 579 00:28:28,516 --> 00:28:30,066 [Simon Stacey] The sacrifice of that generation 580 00:28:30,209 --> 00:28:31,808 was extraordinary. 581 00:28:32,685 --> 00:28:35,169 [John Garth] It was a tragic loss not only for 582 00:28:35,303 --> 00:28:38,766 families, for friends, but for civilisation as 583 00:28:38,903 --> 00:28:45,844 a whole. It shook long-held beliefs and 584 00:28:45,993 --> 00:28:48,614 assumptions in honour and glory. 585 00:28:48,748 --> 00:28:51,478 [Simon Stacey] It is the first thorough 586 00:28:51,614 --> 00:28:56,488 going war of the machines. So many 587 00:28:56,636 --> 00:28:59,459 thousands and ultimately millions of men 588 00:28:59,620 --> 00:29:03,541 could be wiped out, could be destroyed without 589 00:29:03,722 --> 00:29:06,869 necessarily facing their individual enemy. 590 00:29:07,359 --> 00:29:08,352 [Paul Golightly] These men don't have 591 00:29:08,531 --> 00:29:11,584 the privilege of dying one at a time, they die 592 00:29:11,772 --> 00:29:15,634 on mass; and it's those numbers that I think 593 00:29:15,808 --> 00:29:17,524 traumatise us so much. That's why we have 594 00:29:17,614 --> 00:29:20,921 the memorials at Thiepval and Menin Gate; 595 00:29:21,297 --> 00:29:23,840 where it's just one long list of names. 596 00:29:24,796 --> 00:29:27,102 These bodies have simply disappeared, and 597 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,758 they're all separate lives but they've all 598 00:29:28,891 --> 00:29:30,461 vanished at once. 599 00:29:31,899 --> 00:29:33,527 [John Garth] When you read the King Edward's 600 00:29:33,641 --> 00:29:37,848 School Chronicle, as I have to research 601 00:29:37,998 --> 00:29:42,892 Tolkien's life here, you get to know the boys 602 00:29:43,029 --> 00:29:45,511 with whom he grew up and you see their 603 00:29:45,627 --> 00:29:47,654 achievements, you see what they were learning, 604 00:29:47,790 --> 00:29:50,609 you see how wonderfully intelligent, potentially 605 00:29:50,773 --> 00:29:54,781 creative and brilliant they were. And then 606 00:29:54,937 --> 00:29:57,161 the First World War; and you see that they're 607 00:29:57,311 --> 00:29:58,382 heading for this. 608 00:29:59,899 --> 00:30:01,208 [Paul Golightly] These young men, with their 609 00:30:01,356 --> 00:30:03,868 whole lives in front of them, have, yes it's 610 00:30:03,997 --> 00:30:06,183 a phrase that we all know, have been cut off 611 00:30:06,321 --> 00:30:08,486 in their prime. They were full of potential, 612 00:30:08,767 --> 00:30:10,768 full of life, full of vigour, full of plans, 613 00:30:10,881 --> 00:30:13,020 full of ambition; wanting to do all kinds of 614 00:30:13,146 --> 00:30:14,854 things with their professional lives and 615 00:30:14,999 --> 00:30:17,124 their personal lives, and denied that opportunity. 616 00:30:17,996 --> 00:30:19,115 [John Garth] When you look at the fortunes 617 00:30:19,271 --> 00:30:21,005 of war, it's quite astonishing that Tolkien 618 00:30:21,164 --> 00:30:23,914 survived and went on to produce the great 619 00:30:24,059 --> 00:30:26,657 works of literature that he did; works that 620 00:30:26,807 --> 00:30:28,637 have shaped our culture. And one does 621 00:30:28,786 --> 00:30:32,680 wonder how many others didn't survive, 622 00:30:32,814 --> 00:30:35,103 what potential was locked inside them that 623 00:30:35,290 --> 00:30:38,036 they never had time to bring out of themselves. 624 00:30:39,234 --> 00:30:42,774 So there is an uncountable loss there. 625 00:30:45,106 --> 00:30:47,607 [Simon Stacey] G.B.Smith gives a brief glimpse 626 00:30:47,773 --> 00:30:52,796 of a young life snuffed out and only very 627 00:30:52,940 --> 00:30:56,778 incompletely communicating its dreams. 628 00:30:58,176 --> 00:30:59,273 [Paul Golightly] This is a generation that did 629 00:30:59,421 --> 00:31:01,755 not talk about the way it felt. So in that 630 00:31:01,911 --> 00:31:04,449 sense I think the psychological affect was 631 00:31:04,584 --> 00:31:07,589 long lasting. A number of veterans surived 632 00:31:07,735 --> 00:31:10,361 the war only to find that they couldn't survive 633 00:31:10,474 --> 00:31:11,977 the peace. 634 00:31:12,765 --> 00:31:14,807 [VO] In the chapel at King Edward's School, 635 00:31:14,970 --> 00:31:17,079 eight brass plaques hold the names of 636 00:31:17,231 --> 00:31:21,307 245 Old Edwardians who lost their lives during 637 00:31:21,434 --> 00:31:24,881 the First World War. Tolkien and his TCBS 638 00:31:25,026 --> 00:31:27,079 friends, are just four of almost 639 00:31:27,221 --> 00:31:29,562 fifteen hundred Old Edwardians who answered 640 00:31:29,689 --> 00:31:32,810 their country's call and fought in The Great War, 641 00:31:33,659 --> 00:31:36,454 and each of their stories is worth telling. 642 00:31:37,810 --> 00:31:38,905 [Paul Golightly] The graveyards that you can 643 00:31:39,026 --> 00:31:41,907 walk around in northern France now have become 644 00:31:42,069 --> 00:31:45,585 almost 21st century cathedrals; where some 645 00:31:45,742 --> 00:31:48,026 really important questions need to be ask about 646 00:31:48,194 --> 00:31:50,512 the nature of war and the nature of 647 00:31:50,669 --> 00:31:56,710 sacrifice, and in the First World War's case, 648 00:31:56,848 --> 00:32:01,005 the scale of that sacrifice. Whether any war 649 00:32:01,195 --> 00:32:03,954 could be worth that.