1 00:00:09,460 --> 00:00:15,713 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, was born on the 3rd January, 1892. 2 00:00:15,713 --> 00:00:19,009 He and his brother Hilary, experienced a difficult childhood. 3 00:00:19,009 --> 00:00:22,494 When Tolkien was just four, they lost their father, Arthur, 4 00:00:22,494 --> 00:00:24,030 to rheumatic fever. 5 00:00:24,030 --> 00:00:26,950 As a widow with low income, his mother Mabel, 6 00:00:26,950 --> 00:00:30,642 home schooled the brothers and played a vital role in their early education 7 00:00:30,642 --> 00:00:31,827 and development. 8 00:00:32,987 --> 00:00:38,208 Tolkien was a smart young boy, with a fascination and thirst for languages. 9 00:00:39,911 --> 00:00:44,419 Tolkien sat the entrance exam for King Edward's School, Birmingham and passed. 10 00:00:45,209 --> 00:00:49,058 From the Autumn of 1900, for a fee of 12 pounds a year, 11 00:00:49,058 --> 00:00:51,559 Tolkien would be educated in an environment 12 00:00:51,559 --> 00:00:54,505 that would help fulfil his academic potential. 13 00:00:55,485 --> 00:00:56,640 John Garth: Going to King Edward's was 14 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,582 vitally important to Tolkien; he was an exceptionally 15 00:00:59,582 --> 00:01:04,756 talented boy. King Edward's offered him a vast amount of scope 16 00:01:04,756 --> 00:01:09,659 and also the company of other boys who were similarly talented. 17 00:01:10,159 --> 00:01:13,161 Which was probably quite hard for Tolkien to find. 18 00:01:15,431 --> 00:01:19,000 Simon Stacey: Not only did he play rugby but he was a leading light 19 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,285 in the debating society and the literary society. 20 00:01:23,285 --> 00:01:25,247 He was the life and soul really, 21 00:01:25,247 --> 00:01:29,725 and he missed the school a great deal, I think, when he finally had to leave. 22 00:01:30,695 --> 00:01:34,059 VO: At the age of just 11, Tolkien and his brother Hilary 23 00:01:34,059 --> 00:01:37,491 lose their mother Mabel to diabetes. 24 00:01:37,491 --> 00:01:40,123 Grief stricken, he plunges himself into school life 25 00:01:40,123 --> 00:01:43,982 more energetically than before. Academically he excels, 26 00:01:43,982 --> 00:01:48,687 but in 1905 meets his intellectual rival, Christopher Wiseman. 27 00:01:50,547 --> 00:01:53,570 John Garth: Tolkien met his greatest friend at King Edward's, 28 00:01:53,738 --> 00:01:56,438 Christopher Wiseman on the rugby pitch. 29 00:01:56,731 --> 00:02:00,361 A musician, a mathematician; quite different from Tolkien. 30 00:02:00,991 --> 00:02:03,643 They developed such a strong bond on the rugby field 31 00:02:03,883 --> 00:02:06,133 that they called themselves; "The Great Twin Brethren", 32 00:02:06,169 --> 00:02:10,529 which was a phrase from "Lays of Ancient Rome" by Lord Macauley. 33 00:02:10,734 --> 00:02:13,674 Simon Stacey: They also were friendly rivals in the school, 34 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:17,820 both being very academic boys. Wiseman had a formidable intellect 35 00:02:17,820 --> 00:02:19,266 and he was interested in a lot of the things 36 00:02:19,276 --> 00:02:21,443 that Tolkien was getting interested in; 37 00:02:21,453 --> 00:02:26,525 languages, I think he was looking at Egyptian and was looking at hieroglyphics. 38 00:02:26,525 --> 00:02:28,735 John Garth: Tolkien and Wiseman must have helped define each other 39 00:02:28,785 --> 00:02:31,065 through their teenage years because they would argue; 40 00:02:31,081 --> 00:02:34,311 they would argue strongly about all their beliefs in life. 41 00:02:35,069 --> 00:02:37,799 Simon Stacey: Wiseman was a very talented musician; 42 00:02:37,827 --> 00:02:42,326 Tolkien was supposed to be tone deaf but that didn't stop them getting on! 43 00:02:42,326 --> 00:02:46,626 VO: Tolkien also befriends, son of the headmaster, Rob Gilson. 44 00:02:46,670 --> 00:02:50,670 Tolkien, Wiseman and Gilson, form a strong bond 45 00:02:50,683 --> 00:02:53,873 which will last throughout their school years and beyond. 46 00:02:55,792 --> 00:03:00,062 Outside of King Edward's, Tolkien's life is about to change, yet again. 47 00:03:01,305 --> 00:03:04,245 John Garth: Tolkien was living in lodgings with his brother, Hilary, 48 00:03:04,249 --> 00:03:10,965 and when he was 16 he met fellow lodger, Edith Bratt, who was 19 at the time. 49 00:03:11,635 --> 00:03:17,850 And she was a beautiful young girl; talented pianist and also an orphan. 50 00:03:17,850 --> 00:03:21,070 And the two of them bonded on their shared sadnesses 51 00:03:21,089 --> 00:03:23,945 but also on their hopes and dreams. 52 00:03:23,945 --> 00:03:28,815 The difficulty for Ronald, as she called him, and Edith, 53 00:03:28,842 --> 00:03:33,242 was that he was a Roman Catholic and she was an Anglican. 54 00:03:33,242 --> 00:03:37,418 VO: Tolkien's Guardian, Father Francis Morgan, a Catholic Priest, 55 00:03:37,418 --> 00:03:41,847 feels this is major divide; and also believes that Edith will distract Tolkien 56 00:03:41,847 --> 00:03:45,023 from his attempts to get into Oxford University. 57 00:03:45,023 --> 00:03:49,443 John Garth: Father Francis Morgan, forbade them from seeing each other, 58 00:03:49,443 --> 00:03:51,773 or even from communicating. 59 00:03:51,773 --> 00:03:55,032 He was thrown back upon his friendships at King Edward's 60 00:03:55,032 --> 00:04:01,753 and it was this final phase of his time here, that he began to flourish 61 00:04:01,753 --> 00:04:06,603 and make the place his own; he and his friends ruled the roost. 62 00:04:07,711 --> 00:04:10,494 VO: Making the most of his final year at King Edward's 63 00:04:10,494 --> 00:04:12,733 and the friendships he has formed, 64 00:04:12,733 --> 00:04:15,743 Tolkien and his peers create an informal society. 65 00:04:19,575 --> 00:04:22,104 These young intellectuals gather in the school library 66 00:04:22,104 --> 00:04:26,119 and do what they are forbidden to do: brew tea. 67 00:04:26,119 --> 00:04:30,769 Outside of school hours, they meet in a cafe at Barrow's Stores in Birmingham 68 00:04:30,769 --> 00:04:36,039 and so, self-mockingly, they call themselves the "Tea Club and Barrovean Society" 69 00:04:36,044 --> 00:04:38,288 or the TCBS for short. 70 00:04:38,288 --> 00:04:39,444 (nostalgic music) 71 00:04:39,444 --> 00:04:41,374 John Garth: The core of the TCBS was probably 72 00:04:41,374 --> 00:04:43,988 Tolkien and Wiseman and the others 73 00:04:43,988 --> 00:04:47,290 gravitated around them. There was Robert 74 00:04:47,290 --> 00:04:49,603 Quilter Gilson, the son of the headmaster 75 00:04:49,603 --> 00:04:53,761 here; Rob was a cultured and sociable chap, 76 00:04:53,761 --> 00:04:56,371 he was perhaps the social glue of the group; 77 00:04:56,371 --> 00:04:59,165 he would welcome anyone and find common 78 00:04:59,165 --> 00:05:02,785 cause with them. A gentle artistic fellow 79 00:05:02,795 --> 00:05:04,618 who loved to sketch. 80 00:05:04,618 --> 00:05:08,788 Simon Stacey: He was a gifted artist and 81 00:05:08,788 --> 00:05:10,345 had ambitions to be an architect. 82 00:05:10,345 --> 00:05:14,876 There was a late arrival, Geoffrey Bache Smith, 83 00:05:14,876 --> 00:05:19,242 who was fascinated by mythology, Celtic 84 00:05:19,242 --> 00:05:21,193 mythology; so this gave him common ground 85 00:05:21,193 --> 00:05:22,733 with Tolkien; it was another of 86 00:05:22,733 --> 00:05:23,383 Tolkien's passions. 87 00:05:23,390 --> 00:05:25,925 Simon Stacey: Smith was quite an accomplished 88 00:05:25,925 --> 00:05:28,865 and advanced poet who recommended contemporary 89 00:05:28,866 --> 00:05:31,183 poetry to Tolkien. When he started writing 90 00:05:31,183 --> 00:05:34,543 poetry, Tolkien was to a certain extent, 91 00:05:34,543 --> 00:05:37,276 inspired by Smith and the wider group. 92 00:05:37,276 --> 00:05:38,276 And that was really the beginnings of 93 00:05:38,276 --> 00:05:40,776 Tolkien as a writer. 94 00:05:40,776 --> 00:05:43,426 John Garth: From the beginnings which were 95 00:05:43,426 --> 00:05:46,756 mostly about fun, later on, during the war years, 96 00:05:46,756 --> 00:05:50,756 this developed into a fellowship from which 97 00:05:50,756 --> 00:05:53,166 each of them drew tremendous strength and 98 00:05:53,166 --> 00:05:54,646 comfort. 99 00:05:54,646 --> 00:05:56,726 VO: Later that year, Tolkien's time at 100 00:05:56,726 --> 00:05:59,236 King Edward's comes to an end and he begins 101 00:05:59,236 --> 00:06:02,176 his first term at Oxford, having successfully 102 00:06:02,176 --> 00:06:03,536 gained entrance. 103 00:06:05,548 --> 00:06:08,008 On the eve of his 21st birthday, and his 104 00:06:08,008 --> 00:06:10,438 independence from Father Francis Morgan, 105 00:06:10,438 --> 00:06:12,768 Tolkien writes to Edith and less than a 106 00:06:12,768 --> 00:06:15,468 week later, they are re-united. 107 00:06:15,468 --> 00:06:17,748 Edith is engaged to marry another man, 108 00:06:17,748 --> 00:06:19,878 but despite almost certain ridicule, 109 00:06:19,878 --> 00:06:22,008 she agrees to break the engagement to be 110 00:06:22,008 --> 00:06:23,408 with her Ronald. 111 00:06:24,430 --> 00:06:26,900 Over the next few months, a growing sense of 112 00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:29,960 trouble brews across Europe and on the 28th 113 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:34,020 of June, 1914, everything changes. 114 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:38,830 (gun shot sound) 115 00:06:38,830 --> 00:06:40,450 (solemn music) 116 00:06:40,450 --> 00:06:42,270 Gavrillo Princip is arrested for the 117 00:06:42,270 --> 00:06:46,779 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 118 00:06:46,779 --> 00:06:50,409 A diplomatic crisis ensues and within weeks, 119 00:06:50,409 --> 00:06:54,272 Europe's major powers are at war. 120 00:06:54,272 --> 00:06:57,360 Germany invades Belgium and Britain declares 121 00:06:57,360 --> 00:07:00,610 war on Germany. Parliament issues a call 122 00:07:00,610 --> 00:07:03,270 to arms from the British public. 123 00:07:03,270 --> 00:07:05,163 Paul Golightly: There isn't a rush to the 124 00:07:05,163 --> 00:07:07,803 colours straight away. It becomes much more 125 00:07:07,803 --> 00:07:09,503 obvious that people are willing to join 126 00:07:09,503 --> 00:07:11,752 up when atrocity stories start to emerge, 127 00:07:11,752 --> 00:07:14,552 then you get a much more concerted rush 128 00:07:14,552 --> 00:07:15,732 to join. 129 00:07:15,732 --> 00:07:17,572 John Garth: There was an air of excitement 130 00:07:17,572 --> 00:07:20,402 about the war, there was a naive sense that 131 00:07:20,402 --> 00:07:23,152 this would allow young men to fulfil their 132 00:07:23,152 --> 00:07:25,382 potential in a way that wasn't possible in 133 00:07:25,382 --> 00:07:27,312 peace time. There was a tremendous sense 134 00:07:27,312 --> 00:07:30,612 of patriotism and a sense of duty towards 135 00:07:30,612 --> 00:07:33,522 whatever England, or Britain, stood for. 136 00:07:33,522 --> 00:07:35,532 Paul Golightly: They are attracted to the 137 00:07:35,532 --> 00:07:37,832 idea of a settling of accounts with the Germans, 138 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:39,462 or at least some of them will be. On the 139 00:07:39,462 --> 00:07:41,192 whole, they thought they were going to give 140 00:07:41,192 --> 00:07:42,532 the Germans a bloody nose. 141 00:07:42,532 --> 00:07:45,132 John Garth: "The Germans has been dastardly" 142 00:07:45,132 --> 00:07:48,372 and needed to dealt with and shown their place. 143 00:07:48,383 --> 00:07:50,173 Paul Golightly: Men join up out of economic 144 00:07:50,173 --> 00:07:53,593 necessity and you'll find that in any war. 145 00:07:53,593 --> 00:07:57,323 Life is not very exciting and the romance 146 00:07:57,323 --> 00:08:00,403 and colour of joining the army and being 147 00:08:00,403 --> 00:08:03,113 part of something very big indeed, I'm sure 148 00:08:03,113 --> 00:08:04,373 has some allure. 149 00:08:04,397 --> 00:08:06,367 (solemn music) And they see things 150 00:08:06,367 --> 00:08:08,967 in rather romantic ways, which of course is 151 00:08:08,967 --> 00:08:11,357 doomed to fail; we all know what the First 152 00:08:11,357 --> 00:08:14,077 World War turns into. It's not a war of 153 00:08:14,077 --> 00:08:16,697 movement, of dash and élan; it's not cavalry 154 00:08:16,697 --> 00:08:20,327 charges and distant trumpets; I'm afraid 155 00:08:20,327 --> 00:08:22,947 it's the pitter-patter of machine gun fire 156 00:08:22,947 --> 00:08:24,457 and the crump of artillery that's going to 157 00:08:24,457 --> 00:08:25,517 dominate. 158 00:08:29,341 --> 00:08:31,821 So they, I think, have expectations about what 159 00:08:31,821 --> 00:08:33,701 the war will be like, and I think their main 160 00:08:33,701 --> 00:08:36,001 emotion was, will it be over before I can 161 00:08:36,001 --> 00:08:37,521 get to France. 162 00:08:38,961 --> 00:08:42,101 John Garth: Tolkien, who's reading covered 163 00:08:42,101 --> 00:08:45,841 ancient heroic literature, that is surprisingly 164 00:08:45,841 --> 00:08:49,921 frank about what happens in war, went into 165 00:08:49,921 --> 00:08:54,781 the war much more open-eyed. He described 166 00:08:54,781 --> 00:08:56,831 himself as a "young man with too much 167 00:08:56,831 --> 00:09:00,031 imagination" and so he did not relish battle 168 00:09:00,031 --> 00:09:01,211 in any sense. 169 00:09:01,211 --> 00:09:03,041 Paul Golightly: And I think that applies 170 00:09:03,041 --> 00:09:05,021 to, not just men like Tolkien who fought in it, 171 00:09:05,021 --> 00:09:07,721 but also the politicians and generals who 172 00:09:07,721 --> 00:09:09,851 directed it; I think a lot of people 173 00:09:09,851 --> 00:09:12,441 understood that this war could be terrible. 174 00:09:13,352 --> 00:09:15,562 Simon Stacey: What you get in the letters 175 00:09:15,562 --> 00:09:17,793 between Gilson, Tolkien and Wiseman and 176 00:09:17,793 --> 00:09:20,693 then in Smith's poetry, is a serious 177 00:09:20,693 --> 00:09:25,443 determination to do their duty and that they 178 00:09:25,443 --> 00:09:27,613 should be prepared to give their lives. 179 00:09:27,613 --> 00:09:31,023 A realistic appreciation that this is a dark time 180 00:09:31,023 --> 00:09:33,233 and that they've got to come through it. 181 00:09:34,371 --> 00:09:36,581 VO: G.B. Smith and Rob Gilson both join 182 00:09:36,581 --> 00:09:40,351 the army in 1914, Tolkien's brother, Hilary, 183 00:09:40,351 --> 00:09:43,577 signs up as a bugler and Christopher Wiseman 184 00:09:43,577 --> 00:09:47,717 joins the navy. Tolkien however, faces a 185 00:09:47,717 --> 00:09:48,597 dilemma. 186 00:09:50,503 --> 00:09:52,243 Simon Stacey: Tolkien was in a difficult 187 00:09:52,243 --> 00:09:54,273 position when war broke out; he had a year 188 00:09:54,273 --> 00:09:57,693 of his degree at Oxford to run and Tolkien 189 00:09:57,693 --> 00:10:00,183 needed a degree badly because he wanted to 190 00:10:00,183 --> 00:10:03,493 pursue an academic career; he didn't have 191 00:10:03,493 --> 00:10:08,263 any money in his family unlike Gilson and 192 00:10:08,263 --> 00:10:11,723 therefore, having committed three years to 193 00:10:11,723 --> 00:10:13,283 the degree it was very important that he 194 00:10:13,283 --> 00:10:15,543 completed it. So he discovered a scheme 195 00:10:15,543 --> 00:10:18,943 whereby he could undergo some training 196 00:10:18,943 --> 00:10:20,843 in the Officer Training Core whilst 197 00:10:20,843 --> 00:10:23,453 completing his degree, which he did triumphantly 198 00:10:23,453 --> 00:10:25,393 with a first at Oxford. 199 00:10:25,486 --> 00:10:27,886 VO: He follows good friend, G.B.Smith, into 200 00:10:27,886 --> 00:10:30,796 the Lancashire Fusiliers in the hope of being 201 00:10:30,796 --> 00:10:33,916 posted to the same battalion. 202 00:10:33,916 --> 00:10:34,926 John Garth: Tolkien was looking for something 203 00:10:34,926 --> 00:10:38,256 in the army through which he could use his 204 00:10:38,256 --> 00:10:40,176 particular talents, and his particular talents 205 00:10:40,176 --> 00:10:43,116 were languages and writing systems; he was 206 00:10:43,116 --> 00:10:45,473 fascinated by codes and so forth. So it was 207 00:10:45,473 --> 00:10:48,923 only natural that he would train up as a 208 00:10:48,923 --> 00:10:49,683 signaller. 209 00:10:49,683 --> 00:10:50,683 Paul Golightly: It would have meant that 210 00:10:50,683 --> 00:10:52,853 Tolkien was exposed to the technology 211 00:10:52,853 --> 00:10:54,593 available at the time and it must have 212 00:10:54,593 --> 00:10:58,593 interested him; so the use of the radio, the 213 00:10:58,593 --> 00:11:01,403 use of signals, of semaphore. 214 00:11:02,213 --> 00:11:04,193 Simon Stacey: He learnt morse code, 215 00:11:04,193 --> 00:11:07,523 he learnt how to use signalling lamps, field 216 00:11:07,523 --> 00:11:10,163 telephones; which of course went on largely 217 00:11:10,163 --> 00:11:12,583 to be ineffective or not to work. 218 00:11:12,583 --> 00:11:14,380 John Garth: He became Battalion Signalling 219 00:11:14,380 --> 00:11:18,070 Officer for his Battalion. Tolkien had to 220 00:11:18,070 --> 00:11:20,870 oversee the communications of a Battalion 221 00:11:20,870 --> 00:11:24,460 of between 600 and 1,000 men depending on 222 00:11:24,463 --> 00:11:26,133 manpower at the time. 223 00:11:26,133 --> 00:11:27,463 Paul Golightly: His basic job of course 224 00:11:27,463 --> 00:11:29,883 was to act as a link between the various 225 00:11:29,883 --> 00:11:33,253 layers of command, and that he would be 226 00:11:33,253 --> 00:11:35,671 responsible for incoming orders and making sure 227 00:11:35,671 --> 00:11:37,681 that the right people got those and of course 228 00:11:37,681 --> 00:11:40,391 he'd be responsible for telling command further 229 00:11:40,391 --> 00:11:42,751 up the line about the situation on his sector. 230 00:11:42,751 --> 00:11:44,831 John Garth: So he was an absolute lynch pin 231 00:11:44,831 --> 00:11:48,831 in a war which depended absolutely on how 232 00:11:48,831 --> 00:11:51,016 much information you had about your enemies 233 00:11:51,016 --> 00:11:52,396 position. 234 00:11:52,396 --> 00:11:55,126 VO: In March of 1916 as his training nears 235 00:11:55,126 --> 00:11:57,463 its completion, both Tolkien and Edith 236 00:11:57,463 --> 00:11:59,823 become aware that he will soon be sent to 237 00:11:59,823 --> 00:12:03,363 the Front. They marry and just over two 238 00:12:03,363 --> 00:12:06,523 months later, Tolkien is shipped off to France. 239 00:12:07,023 --> 00:12:10,073 The two of them part, not knowing if they 240 00:12:10,073 --> 00:12:13,083 will ever see each other again. 241 00:12:20,086 --> 00:12:24,086 (Loud battle sounds, Guns Firing, Shouting) 242 00:12:37,076 --> 00:12:38,986 (ominous music) 243 00:12:39,105 --> 00:12:41,577 VO: When Tolkien arrives at the Front, the 244 00:12:41,577 --> 00:12:44,457 War has been raging for almost two years. 245 00:12:44,457 --> 00:12:46,397 The cost of the War is clear; 246 00:12:46,397 --> 00:12:49,467 the countryside is scarred and the casualties 247 00:12:49,467 --> 00:12:51,237 high. 248 00:12:51,237 --> 00:12:53,627 After a virtual stalemate of trench warfare 249 00:12:53,627 --> 00:12:57,117 throughout 1915, and with a new wave of 250 00:12:57,117 --> 00:13:00,097 thousands of freshly trained recruits, it is 251 00:13:00,097 --> 00:13:02,347 clear the Big Push is imminent. 252 00:13:02,347 --> 00:13:04,307 (marching feet) 253 00:13:04,307 --> 00:13:07,107 Tolkien's Battalion remains in reserve, but 254 00:13:07,107 --> 00:13:08,427 he fears for the lives of his old school 255 00:13:08,427 --> 00:13:12,607 friends who are at the Front. 256 00:13:12,607 --> 00:13:14,737 Within a month of his arrival in France 257 00:13:14,737 --> 00:13:17,827 the Allies launch the Somme Offensive. 258 00:13:17,827 --> 00:13:21,827 At 7.30am, on Saturday 1st of July, 259 00:13:21,827 --> 00:13:23,747 the troops in the British Frontline, 260 00:13:23,747 --> 00:13:25,547 go over the top. 261 00:13:25,547 --> 00:13:29,547 (whistle sound echoes) 262 00:13:46,207 --> 00:13:48,077 On the first day of the Offensive alone, 263 00:13:48,077 --> 00:13:51,950 20,000 men are killed, 35,000 are wounded 264 00:13:51,950 --> 00:13:55,950 and over 2,000 are reported missing. 265 00:13:58,243 --> 00:14:00,373 Paul Golightly: The first casualty was the plan. 266 00:14:00,373 --> 00:14:03,103 It started to fall apart very rapidly. 267 00:14:03,103 --> 00:14:06,183 Tragically for the men caught out in the open, it was a death sentence. 268 00:14:06,183 --> 00:14:09,183 1 in 5 men who went into combat on the 1st of July was killed. 269 00:14:13,619 --> 00:14:16,269 John Garth: It was the most disastrous day 270 00:14:16,269 --> 00:14:19,159 in the history of the British Army, and 271 00:14:19,159 --> 00:14:23,289 a tragedy for the entire country. There were 272 00:14:23,289 --> 00:14:27,368 villages that had lost all their young men. 273 00:14:29,268 --> 00:14:30,378 Paul Golightly: It's marked as a loss of 274 00:14:30,378 --> 00:14:35,383 innocence, that the 20,000 that were killed 275 00:14:35,383 --> 00:14:37,613 represent a turning point in British 276 00:14:37,613 --> 00:14:40,193 consciousness and the relationship perhaps 277 00:14:40,193 --> 00:14:42,853 between those who make decisions and those 278 00:14:42,853 --> 00:14:44,543 who are forced to carry them out. 279 00:14:44,543 --> 00:14:48,543 (soft piano music) 280 00:14:53,162 --> 00:14:54,762 VO: Among the many men that are lost on that 281 00:14:54,762 --> 00:14:59,602 day, is dear friend and TCBS member, 282 00:14:59,602 --> 00:15:03,082 Robert Gilson. 283 00:15:03,082 --> 00:15:07,862 John Garth: He led his Platoon over the top 284 00:15:07,862 --> 00:15:10,672 took charge of his Company, but was shot 285 00:15:10,672 --> 00:15:13,532 in the middle of No Man's Land. 286 00:15:15,871 --> 00:15:18,731 Paul Golightly: He was in the fourth wave. 287 00:15:18,731 --> 00:15:21,441 He saw the first wave go in and fail, 288 00:15:22,221 --> 00:15:24,571 the second wave go in and fail, 289 00:15:24,571 --> 00:15:26,271 the third wave go in and fail. 290 00:15:27,896 --> 00:15:30,506 And he, as a part of the fourth wave, had 291 00:15:30,506 --> 00:15:34,469 to go in; and they still went. And that 292 00:15:34,469 --> 00:15:36,919 I think is the most poignant and probably 293 00:15:36,919 --> 00:15:39,269 the most tragic thing about the 1st of July 294 00:15:39,269 --> 00:15:44,839 1916. That this generation, had so much faith 295 00:15:44,839 --> 00:15:48,069 in their superiors, probably had so much 296 00:15:48,069 --> 00:15:50,339 commitment to their fellows that they were 297 00:15:50,339 --> 00:15:52,749 prepared to go, even though it meant certain 298 00:15:52,749 --> 00:15:55,759 death. 299 00:15:57,061 --> 00:15:58,721 John Garth: Tolkien heard about this 300 00:15:58,721 --> 00:16:01,691 after his first action on the Somme a couple 301 00:16:01,691 --> 00:16:04,761 of weeks later; and he was devastated. 302 00:16:05,761 --> 00:16:07,621 It shook him to the foundations of his 303 00:16:07,621 --> 00:16:10,541 beliefs. He had, as all of the members of 304 00:16:10,541 --> 00:16:14,281 the TCBS had, built up their group as a 305 00:16:14,281 --> 00:16:18,971 fellowship, with ideas and a spirit that had 306 00:16:18,971 --> 00:16:21,279 something to give to the World. In which 307 00:16:21,279 --> 00:16:25,549 all four of them were vital parts, and now 308 00:16:25,549 --> 00:16:27,899 one of them was dead. So what did that mean 309 00:16:27,899 --> 00:16:30,709 about their overall purpose? And also his 310 00:16:30,709 --> 00:16:32,939 purpose. 311 00:16:32,939 --> 00:16:34,319 Simon Stacey: Geoffrey Smith wrote him a 312 00:16:34,319 --> 00:16:39,789 letter in which, clearly Smith experiences 313 00:16:39,789 --> 00:16:43,856 feelings of devastation and a sense that the 314 00:16:43,856 --> 00:16:47,106 fellowship had been broken. Rob would never 315 00:16:47,106 --> 00:16:52,166 become an architect, he would never fulfil 316 00:16:52,166 --> 00:16:55,031 his part in whatever they dreamed of. 317 00:16:56,054 --> 00:16:57,644 John Garthm: And I think it took him quite 318 00:16:57,644 --> 00:17:01,994 some time to recover from that. The other 319 00:17:01,994 --> 00:17:04,514 two members, Wiseman and Smith, were 320 00:17:04,514 --> 00:17:07,704 determined to persuade him that, no, the TCBS 321 00:17:07,704 --> 00:17:10,044 purpose continued and I think eventually 322 00:17:10,044 --> 00:17:12,784 Tolkien took heart from that. 323 00:17:13,619 --> 00:17:16,339 VO: Tolkien writes to Rob's father, Headmaster 324 00:17:16,339 --> 00:17:18,639 at King Edward's school to offer his 325 00:17:18,639 --> 00:17:21,959 condolences. The TCBS lost a bright young 326 00:17:21,959 --> 00:17:25,779 man, a talented artist and most painfully 327 00:17:25,779 --> 00:17:28,599 of all; a dear friend. 328 00:17:33,641 --> 00:17:36,501 Tolkien's war has well and truly started and 329 00:17:36,501 --> 00:17:38,301 over the coming months he is subject to the 330 00:17:38,301 --> 00:17:41,021 many hardships of trench warfare. 331 00:17:41,487 --> 00:17:43,485 John Garth: He spent his time in and out 332 00:17:43,485 --> 00:17:47,805 of the trenches. Battalions would be rotated 333 00:17:47,805 --> 00:17:50,288 from the Frontline to the reserve trenches 334 00:17:50,288 --> 00:17:54,266 to rest, as they laughably called it, but 335 00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:56,376 it wasn't really rest, it was training. 336 00:17:56,376 --> 00:17:59,066 Tolkien talked about the universal weariness 337 00:17:59,066 --> 00:18:01,388 of all this war. But during this period he 338 00:18:01,388 --> 00:18:04,198 was involved in three attacks, he was 339 00:18:04,198 --> 00:18:06,478 very fortunate not to have to go through the 340 00:18:06,478 --> 00:18:08,798 first day of the Somme; he was a few miles 341 00:18:08,798 --> 00:18:11,478 back from the Frontline at that time. 342 00:18:11,478 --> 00:18:13,638 His Battalion moved forward for a second 343 00:18:13,638 --> 00:18:15,874 wave of attacks, they were launched against a 344 00:18:15,874 --> 00:18:18,070 village called Ovillers; which had been the 345 00:18:18,070 --> 00:18:21,410 German Frontline. One of the first things that 346 00:18:21,410 --> 00:18:25,233 he encountered was, complete chaos in the 347 00:18:25,233 --> 00:18:27,705 battlefield communications system. It was very 348 00:18:27,705 --> 00:18:31,245 primitive. It was only partly built; damaged 349 00:18:31,245 --> 00:18:35,233 by the fortunes of battle. He had signallers 350 00:18:35,233 --> 00:18:38,703 going across No Man's Land carrying flares 351 00:18:38,703 --> 00:18:41,537 to say, we have arrived. Further flares - 352 00:18:41,537 --> 00:18:43,994 "we have taken prisoners", they carried 353 00:18:43,994 --> 00:18:46,394 pigeons; pigeons were about the most reliable 354 00:18:46,394 --> 00:18:49,025 method of communication. One of Tolkien's 355 00:18:49,025 --> 00:18:52,195 signallers won a military medal for managing 356 00:18:52,195 --> 00:18:55,604 to get his pigeons across No Man's Land and 357 00:18:55,604 --> 00:18:57,161 do the job correctly. 358 00:18:57,423 --> 00:18:59,633 VO: The attack is a success and many 359 00:18:59,633 --> 00:19:02,127 prisoners are captured. Of all the combat 360 00:19:02,127 --> 00:19:05,027 Tolkien encounters, one of the most significant 361 00:19:05,027 --> 00:19:08,941 battles is also one of his last; an attack 362 00:19:08,941 --> 00:19:10,041 on Regina Trench. 363 00:19:10,041 --> 00:19:12,551 John Garth: This was in October, by which 364 00:19:12,551 --> 00:19:15,152 time the battlefield had been reduced to mud. 365 00:19:16,459 --> 00:19:19,459 The attack had been delayed by heavy rain 366 00:19:19,459 --> 00:19:21,794 but on October 21st there was a cold snap 367 00:19:21,794 --> 00:19:23,705 so the ground was frozen hard and the 368 00:19:23,705 --> 00:19:25,974 attack was able to go ahead. 369 00:19:25,974 --> 00:19:30,444 (Deep boom. Loud Artillery Fire) 370 00:19:30,444 --> 00:19:32,525 (Gunfire, bullets zipping by) 371 00:19:32,525 --> 00:19:47,715 (solemn music) 372 00:19:47,715 --> 00:19:51,665 John Garth: He saw violent death, he also 373 00:19:51,665 --> 00:19:54,505 saw and felt extreme terror. 374 00:19:56,642 --> 00:19:59,579 He never, as far as we know, described at 375 00:19:59,579 --> 00:20:02,699 length what trench warfare was like but he 376 00:20:03,140 --> 00:20:05,460 summed it up in two words, in one of his 377 00:20:05,460 --> 00:20:08,430 letters, and this was; "animal horror". 378 00:20:09,276 --> 00:20:12,988 It would reduce you from humanity and 379 00:20:12,988 --> 00:20:16,758 turn you into a retched beast desperate only 380 00:20:16,758 --> 00:20:19,998 to cower and survive. And it's very 381 00:20:19,998 --> 00:20:22,188 interesting if you look in The Lord of The Rings 382 00:20:22,188 --> 00:20:25,198 whenever the characters are in situations of 383 00:20:25,199 --> 00:20:28,279 extreme fear, they're always described as 384 00:20:28,279 --> 00:20:34,744 stooping and stupefied, un-manned by terror. 385 00:20:34,820 --> 00:20:36,630 Paul Golightly: A lot of British trenches 386 00:20:36,630 --> 00:20:38,670 were deliberately uncomfortable because 387 00:20:38,670 --> 00:20:40,590 the Generals wanted the men to believe 388 00:20:40,590 --> 00:20:42,476 that they were only temporary, that they 389 00:20:42,476 --> 00:20:44,369 would be advancing beyond this, that this 390 00:20:44,369 --> 00:20:45,699 wasn't their home. 391 00:20:47,365 --> 00:20:50,385 VO: Out on the Western Front, Tolkien feels 392 00:20:50,395 --> 00:20:53,065 isolated from home and letters to, and from, 393 00:20:53,066 --> 00:20:56,146 Edith are a lifeline. For reasons of 394 00:20:56,146 --> 00:20:58,576 strategic importance Tolkien is forbidden 395 00:20:58,576 --> 00:21:01,696 from sharing his location in his letters, so 396 00:21:01,934 --> 00:21:04,554 he devises a code of dots to keep Edith 397 00:21:04,554 --> 00:21:06,454 informed of where he is. 398 00:21:06,454 --> 00:21:09,144 John Garth: He simply found the letters 399 00:21:09,144 --> 00:21:11,994 of the alphabet within what he wrote to her 400 00:21:11,994 --> 00:21:13,964 and put a dot above the relevant ones to 401 00:21:13,964 --> 00:21:16,684 spell out the name of the place where he was 402 00:21:16,684 --> 00:21:20,941 currently located. And Edith kept a map 403 00:21:20,941 --> 00:21:24,554 on her wall and pins to show where he was 404 00:21:24,554 --> 00:21:27,324 at that time. 405 00:21:27,324 --> 00:21:29,824 VO: After the successful attack on Regina 406 00:21:29,824 --> 00:21:32,365 Trench, the Battalion is withdrawn from the 407 00:21:32,365 --> 00:21:35,255 front and paraded in front of the top brass. 408 00:21:35,255 --> 00:21:37,555 Tolkien however, falls ill. 409 00:21:37,555 --> 00:21:40,225 John Garth: It was trench fever. And this 410 00:21:40,225 --> 00:21:43,282 was a louse born disease due to the unhygienic 411 00:21:43,282 --> 00:21:44,450 conditions in the trenches. 412 00:21:44,450 --> 00:21:46,770 Paul Golightly: It spread through contact 413 00:21:46,797 --> 00:21:51,049 with lice and it symptoms aren't very pleasant 414 00:21:51,049 --> 00:21:53,719 It gives you a headache, you can have stomach 415 00:21:53,719 --> 00:21:56,526 cramps, you can have pain in you joints 416 00:21:56,526 --> 00:21:59,400 and in your bones, you can get lesions on 417 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:02,740 your skin; it's not fatal but it can become 418 00:22:02,740 --> 00:22:05,560 very debilitating. So debilitating you can't 419 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,052 be an effective soldier. Tolkien got a very 420 00:22:08,052 --> 00:22:10,512 bad case, so bad that he had to be invalided 421 00:22:10,513 --> 00:22:12,384 "back to Blighty" as they put it. 422 00:22:12,384 --> 00:22:13,813 And in fact it was the end of his war. 423 00:22:13,813 --> 00:22:15,638 John Garth: It saved Tolkien's life, it took 424 00:22:15,638 --> 00:22:19,838 him out of the battlefield and back to Britain. 425 00:22:19,838 --> 00:22:23,008 He was shipped home to Birmingham, to 426 00:22:23,008 --> 00:22:24,825 The First Southern General Hospital as it 427 00:22:24,825 --> 00:22:27,503 was called at the time, which was actually set 428 00:22:27,503 --> 00:22:29,838 up in the grounds of Birmingham University. 429 00:22:29,838 --> 00:22:33,418 And it was there that Tolkien was re-united 430 00:22:33,425 --> 00:22:37,040 with his wife, Edith and where he began 431 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,430 writing the first stories of Middle-Earth. 432 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:43,967 His re-union with Edith was deeply emotional 433 00:22:43,967 --> 00:22:47,034 and was an inspiration for various pieces of 434 00:22:47,034 --> 00:22:49,376 writing in his mythology, notably the 435 00:22:49,376 --> 00:22:52,971 story of Luthien and Beren; which features 436 00:22:52,971 --> 00:22:54,863 in the Silmarillion and is mentioned in 437 00:22:54,863 --> 00:22:57,843 The Lord of The Rings. A love story between 438 00:22:58,263 --> 00:23:01,094 a mortal man and an immortal elf. 439 00:23:01,094 --> 00:23:01,957 (Gentle Piano Music) 440 00:23:01,957 --> 00:23:05,157 VO: However, Tolkien's respite is short lived. 441 00:23:05,157 --> 00:23:07,649 Shortly after returning to Birmingham, Tolkien 442 00:23:07,649 --> 00:23:10,202 learns from Christopher Wiseman, that 443 00:23:10,202 --> 00:23:14,452 good friend G.B.Smith has been killed. 444 00:23:17,354 --> 00:23:19,284 John Garth: The Battle of the Somme was 445 00:23:19,293 --> 00:23:22,619 over, and Smith had been organising a 446 00:23:22,619 --> 00:23:25,699 football match for his men about four miles 447 00:23:25,702 --> 00:23:28,312 behind the Frontline, when a stray shell 448 00:23:28,312 --> 00:23:31,212 exploded near him. 449 00:23:31,212 --> 00:23:34,902 He was hit by shrapnel and developed what 450 00:23:34,902 --> 00:23:37,834 they called Gas Gangrene, which killed 451 00:23:37,834 --> 00:23:41,572 him within a few days. Early in 1916, while 452 00:23:41,572 --> 00:23:44,892 Tolkien was still in training, he had a letter 453 00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:47,742 G.B.Smith, who by that time was in the trenches 454 00:23:47,742 --> 00:23:48,722 in France. 455 00:23:48,722 --> 00:23:51,760 VO: Smith was about to go out on Night Patrol. 456 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:53,774 The officer who had led the patrol the night before 457 00:23:53,774 --> 00:23:57,468 had been captured and most likely killed. 458 00:23:57,468 --> 00:23:59,540 John Garth: It was about the most dangerous 459 00:23:59,540 --> 00:24:02,007 activity that you could do on the Western Front 460 00:24:02,007 --> 00:24:04,136 and Smith was about to go into it and he took 461 00:24:04,136 --> 00:24:08,006 the opportunity to write to Tolkien, and 462 00:24:08,020 --> 00:24:15,660 tell him; "I'm about to go out on Night Patrol, 463 00:24:15,665 --> 00:24:18,475 I am a wild and wholehearted admirer of 464 00:24:18,475 --> 00:24:22,675 what you've written and what you will write" 465 00:24:22,675 --> 00:24:28,965 He told Tolkien, "you I'm sure are chosen, 466 00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:32,968 and you must publish." 467 00:24:33,276 --> 00:24:35,956 Smith was essentially the first Middle-Earth 468 00:24:35,956 --> 00:24:37,086 fan. 469 00:24:37,086 --> 00:24:39,496 Simon Stacey: Smith says in the letter that 470 00:24:40,906 --> 00:24:44,516 death couldn't put an end to the TCBS, to 471 00:24:44,522 --> 00:24:48,522 the "immortal four" as he put it, that Tolkien 472 00:24:49,334 --> 00:24:52,904 may say the things that he had wanted to 473 00:24:52,904 --> 00:24:56,989 say, long after he is there to say them. 474 00:24:56,989 --> 00:25:00,914 That's very moving because Tolkien, although 475 00:25:00,914 --> 00:25:04,984 very much his own individual artistic self, 476 00:25:05,545 --> 00:25:08,915 I think did see his later career as an 477 00:25:08,915 --> 00:25:12,165 attempt to fulfil the artistic dreams that 478 00:25:12,165 --> 00:25:13,177 they'd shared. 479 00:25:13,177 --> 00:25:17,351 John Garth: He was able to gather his strength 480 00:25:17,351 --> 00:25:23,391 and perhaps see Smith as an ideal to be lived up to. 481 00:25:24,659 --> 00:25:27,769 VO: In the summer of 1918, Tolkien and 482 00:25:27,769 --> 00:25:30,003 Wiseman gather some of Smith's poems and 483 00:25:30,003 --> 00:25:32,423 have them published in a small volume, 484 00:25:32,430 --> 00:25:36,670 entitled; "A Spring Harvest". 485 00:25:37,493 --> 00:25:40,054 Tolkien's war is over, but the impact of his 486 00:25:40,064 --> 00:25:43,126 experiences will stay with him forever, and 487 00:25:43,126 --> 00:25:46,028 will even feature in his future writings. 488 00:25:46,028 --> 00:25:47,740 John Garth: The whole experience of the War 489 00:25:47,740 --> 00:25:52,200 had an ongoing affect on much of Tolkien's 490 00:25:52,200 --> 00:25:53,627 mythology. As soon as Tolkien returned from 491 00:25:53,627 --> 00:25:55,571 the Somme he started writing a story called, 492 00:25:55,571 --> 00:25:58,455 "The Fall of Gondolin" which was the first 493 00:25:58,455 --> 00:26:01,325 element of his mythology that dealt with battle. 494 00:26:02,026 --> 00:26:04,292 And the fascinating thing about it is that the 495 00:26:04,292 --> 00:26:07,555 attacking forces use things that are termed 496 00:26:07,555 --> 00:26:09,661 by Tolkien, "dragons" or "beasts" or "monsters" 497 00:26:09,661 --> 00:26:13,940 but they're described as metallic and rolling 498 00:26:13,940 --> 00:26:16,267 and they spout fire and some of them have 499 00:26:16,267 --> 00:26:18,697 troops inside them, and it's pretty clear that 500 00:26:18,697 --> 00:26:22,040 this is a kind of mythologising of the Tank. 501 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:23,849 Which was Britains secret weapon, which 502 00:26:23,849 --> 00:26:26,290 had just been launched on the Somme while 503 00:26:26,290 --> 00:26:27,366 Tolkien was there. 504 00:26:27,366 --> 00:26:31,168 The Lord of The Rings focusses on a fellowship, 505 00:26:31,168 --> 00:26:33,614 they're separated on different battlefronts, 506 00:26:33,614 --> 00:26:34,944 much like the TCBS were. 507 00:26:34,944 --> 00:26:37,435 Simon Stacey: It's almost unimaginable that, 508 00:26:37,435 --> 00:26:39,619 in writing of the breaking of the fellowship, 509 00:26:39,619 --> 00:26:42,214 in The Lord of The Rings, that Tolkien wouldn't 510 00:26:42,214 --> 00:26:45,444 have been influenced by his own loss during 511 00:26:45,461 --> 00:26:47,820 the First World War and the breaking of the 512 00:26:47,820 --> 00:26:49,470 TCBS fellowship. 513 00:26:49,876 --> 00:26:53,082 There is a late letter in which he mentions 514 00:26:53,082 --> 00:26:56,112 that the dead marshes, through which Frodo, 515 00:26:56,139 --> 00:27:00,148 Sam and Gollum travel, owe something to 516 00:27:00,148 --> 00:27:02,432 northern France, in the area of the Somme 517 00:27:02,432 --> 00:27:03,483 where he fought. 518 00:27:03,483 --> 00:27:06,713 John Garth: Frodo and Sam are very much 519 00:27:06,739 --> 00:27:10,289 the equivalent of an officer and his batman; his 520 00:27:10,289 --> 00:27:12,835 servant. And Tolkien actually said that, "my 521 00:27:12,835 --> 00:27:17,655 Sam Gamgee is inspired by the Privates and 522 00:27:17,821 --> 00:27:21,621 Batmen I knew in the First World War". 523 00:27:21,899 --> 00:27:24,639 Frodo represents really, the feelings of a young 524 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,234 man like Tolkien himself, thrown into a war 525 00:27:28,324 --> 00:27:31,208 unwillingly and having to shoulder a terrible 526 00:27:31,208 --> 00:27:35,478 burden; a burden of duty. You can see that 527 00:27:35,493 --> 00:27:39,493 Frodo develops symptoms of what we would now 528 00:27:40,368 --> 00:27:42,644 call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or 529 00:27:42,644 --> 00:27:44,804 War Trauma, or what they called then, 530 00:27:44,804 --> 00:27:48,926 Shell Shock. He becomes withdrawn from 531 00:27:48,926 --> 00:27:52,410 the World, increasingly enclosed within himself 532 00:27:52,410 --> 00:27:55,200 he says he can't remember what grass was like, 533 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,320 what sunlight was like. 534 00:27:57,756 --> 00:28:00,976 When the war is over in The Lord of The Rings, 535 00:28:01,102 --> 00:28:03,882 Frodo does not strut his stuff as a hero, 536 00:28:03,886 --> 00:28:05,782 he is visibly traumatised by the whole 537 00:28:05,782 --> 00:28:09,406 experience. This was very true of many of the 538 00:28:09,406 --> 00:28:11,595 soldiers who returned from the Western 539 00:28:11,595 --> 00:28:14,990 Front, unable to talk about the experiences 540 00:28:14,990 --> 00:28:17,803 that had affected them so deeply. 541 00:28:17,803 --> 00:28:22,306 (retrospective piano music) 542 00:28:22,306 --> 00:28:24,131 Paul Golightly: The generation that fights 543 00:28:24,131 --> 00:28:27,244 the First World War, should be called courageous. 544 00:28:27,244 --> 00:28:30,374 Simon Stacey: The sacrifice of that generation 545 00:28:30,374 --> 00:28:31,434 was extraordinary. 546 00:28:31,434 --> 00:28:35,234 John Garth: It was a tragic loss not only for 547 00:28:35,272 --> 00:28:39,396 families, for friends, but for civilisation as 548 00:28:39,396 --> 00:28:45,476 a whole. It shook long-held beliefs and 549 00:28:45,476 --> 00:28:48,386 assumptions in honour and glory. 550 00:28:48,386 --> 00:28:51,567 Simon Stacey: It is the first thorough 551 00:28:51,567 --> 00:28:56,777 going war of the machines. So many 552 00:28:56,786 --> 00:28:59,580 thousands and ultimately millions of men 553 00:28:59,580 --> 00:29:04,087 could be wiped out, could be destroyed without 554 00:29:04,087 --> 00:29:05,845 necessarily facing their individual enemy. 555 00:29:05,845 --> 00:29:08,185 Paul Golightly: These men don't have 556 00:29:08,185 --> 00:29:11,503 the privilege of dying one at a time, they die 557 00:29:11,503 --> 00:29:14,106 on mass; and it's those numbers that I think 558 00:29:14,106 --> 00:29:17,202 traumatise us so much. That's why we have 559 00:29:17,202 --> 00:29:20,820 the memorials at Thiepval and Menin Gate; 560 00:29:20,820 --> 00:29:24,100 where it's just one long list of names. 561 00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:26,685 These bodies have simply disappeared, and 562 00:29:26,685 --> 00:29:28,593 they're all separate lives but they've all 563 00:29:28,593 --> 00:29:29,990 vanished at once. 564 00:29:30,730 --> 00:29:33,479 John Garth: When you read the King Edward's 565 00:29:33,479 --> 00:29:38,119 School Chronicle, as I have to research 566 00:29:38,119 --> 00:29:42,809 Tolkien's life here, you get to know the boys 567 00:29:42,934 --> 00:29:45,353 with whom he grew up and you see their 568 00:29:45,353 --> 00:29:47,319 achievements, you see what they were learning, 569 00:29:47,319 --> 00:29:50,309 you see how wonderfully intelligent, potentially 570 00:29:50,332 --> 00:29:55,027 creative and brilliant they were. And then 571 00:29:55,027 --> 00:29:57,324 the First World War; and you see that they're 572 00:29:57,324 --> 00:29:58,766 heading for this. 573 00:29:58,766 --> 00:30:01,160 Paul Golightly: These young men, with their 574 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,690 whole lives in front of them, have, yes it's 575 00:30:03,700 --> 00:30:05,830 a phrase that we all know, have been cut off 576 00:30:05,830 --> 00:30:08,225 in their prime. They were full of potential, 577 00:30:08,225 --> 00:30:10,370 full of life, full of vigour, full of plans, 578 00:30:10,370 --> 00:30:12,485 full of ambition; wanting to do all kinds of 579 00:30:12,485 --> 00:30:14,118 things with their professional lives and 580 00:30:14,118 --> 00:30:16,499 their personal lives, and denied that opportunity. 581 00:30:16,499 --> 00:30:18,928 John Garth: When you look at the fortunes 582 00:30:18,928 --> 00:30:21,390 of war, it's quite astonishing that Tolkien 583 00:30:21,390 --> 00:30:24,063 survived and went on to produce the great 584 00:30:24,063 --> 00:30:26,235 works of literature that he did; works that 585 00:30:26,235 --> 00:30:28,542 have shaped our culture. And one does 586 00:30:28,542 --> 00:30:33,016 wonder how many others didn't survive, 587 00:30:33,016 --> 00:30:35,199 what potential was locked inside them that 588 00:30:35,199 --> 00:30:39,069 they never had time to bring out of themselves. 589 00:30:39,069 --> 00:30:43,272 So there is an uncountable loss there. 590 00:30:44,189 --> 00:30:47,729 Simon Stacey: G.B.Smith gives a brief glimpse 591 00:30:47,733 --> 00:30:52,703 of a young life snuffed out and only very 592 00:30:52,703 --> 00:30:56,792 incompletely communicating its dreams. 593 00:30:56,792 --> 00:30:59,070 Paul Golightly: This is a generation that did 594 00:30:59,070 --> 00:31:01,438 not talk about the way it felt. So in that 595 00:31:01,438 --> 00:31:04,578 sense I think the psychological affect was 596 00:31:04,578 --> 00:31:07,998 long lasting. A number of veterans surived 597 00:31:07,998 --> 00:31:10,633 the war only to find that they couldn't survive 598 00:31:10,633 --> 00:31:11,413 the peace. 599 00:31:11,873 --> 00:31:14,531 VO: In the chapel at King Edward's School, 600 00:31:14,531 --> 00:31:18,795 eight brass plaques hold the names of 601 00:31:18,795 --> 00:31:21,350 245 Old Edwardians who lost their lives during 602 00:31:21,350 --> 00:31:24,977 the First World War. Tolkien and his TCBS 603 00:31:24,977 --> 00:31:26,821 friends, are just four of almost 604 00:31:26,821 --> 00:31:29,475 fifteen hundred Old Edwardians who answered 605 00:31:29,475 --> 00:31:32,820 their country's call and fought in The Great War, 606 00:31:32,820 --> 00:31:35,860 and each of their stories is worth telling. 607 00:31:36,603 --> 00:31:38,976 Paul Golightly: The graveyards that you can 608 00:31:38,976 --> 00:31:42,427 walk around in northern France now have become 609 00:31:42,427 --> 00:31:45,447 almost 21st century cathedrals; where some 610 00:31:45,448 --> 00:31:47,663 really important questions need to be ask about 611 00:31:47,663 --> 00:31:50,434 the nature of war and the nature of 612 00:31:50,434 --> 00:31:55,264 sacrifice, and in the First World War's case, 613 00:31:55,997 --> 00:32:01,067 the scale of that sacrifice. Whether any war 614 00:32:01,067 --> 00:32:05,913 could be worth that. 615 00:32:13,317 --> 00:32:27,917 (Piano Solo)