9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was born on the 3rd January, 1892. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He and his brother Hilary, experienced 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a difficult childhood; when Tolkien was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 just four, they lost their father, Arthur, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to rheumatic fever. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 As a widow with low income, his mother 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Mabel, home school the brothers and played 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a vital role in their early education and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 development. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien was a smart young boy, with a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fascination and thirst for languages. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien sat the entrance exam for King 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Edward's School, Birmingham and passed. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 From the Autumn of 1900, for a fee of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 12 pounds a year, Tolkien would be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 educated in an environment that would help 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fulfil his academic potential. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Going to King Edward's was vitally 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 important to Tolkien; he was an 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 exceptionally talented boy. King Edward's 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 offered him a vast amount of scope and also 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the company of other boys who were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 similarly talented. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Which was probably quite hard for Tolkien 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to find. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] Not only did he play rugby but 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he was a leading light in the debating society 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the literary society; he was the life and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 soul really and he missed the school a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 great deal, I think, when he finally had 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to leave. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] At the age of just 11, Tolkien and his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 brother Hilary, lose their mother, Mabel, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to diabetes. Grief stricken, he plunges 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 himself into school life more energetically 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 than before. Academically he excels, but 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in 1905, meets his intellectual rival, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Christopher Wiseman. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien met his greatest friend 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at King Edward's, Christopher Wiseman on 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the rugby pitch. A musician, a mathematician; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 quite different from Tolkien. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They developed such a strong bond on the rugby 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 field that they called themselves; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "The Great Twin Brethren", which was a phrase 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 from "Lays of Ancient Rome" by Lord 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Macauley. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] They also were friendly rivals 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the school, both being very academic 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 boys. Wiseman had a formidable intellect 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and he was interested in a lot of the things 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that Tolkien was getting interested in; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 languages, I think he was looking at 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Egyptian and was looking at hieroglyphics. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien and Wiseman must have 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 helped define each other through their 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 teenage years because they would argue; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they would argue strongly about all their 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 beliefs in life. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] Wiseman was a very talented 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 musician; Tolkien was supposed to be tone 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 deaf but that didn't stop them getting on! 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Tolkien also befriends, son of the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 headmaster, Rob Gilson. Tolkien, Wiseman 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and Gilson, form a strong bond which will 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 last throughout their school years and beyond. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Outside of King Edward's, Tolkien's life is 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about to change, yet again. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien was living in lodgings 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with his brother, Hilary, and when he was 16 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he met fellow lodger, Edith Bratt, who was 19 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at the time. And she was a beautiful young 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 girl; talented pianist and also an orphan. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And the two of them bonded on their shared 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sadnesses but also on their hopes and dreams. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The difficulty for Ronald, as she called him, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and Edith, was that he was a Roman Catholic 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and she was an Anglican. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Tolkien's Guardian, Father Francis Morgan, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a Catholic Priest, feels this is major 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 divide; and also believes that Edith will 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 distract Tolkien from his attempts to get 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 into Oxford University. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Father Francis Morgan, forbade 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 them from seeing each other, or even from 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 communicating. He was thrown back upon his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 friendships at King Edward's and it was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this final phase of his time here, that he 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 began to flourish and make the place his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 own; he and his friends ruled the roost. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Making the most of his final year at 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 King Edward's and the friendships he has 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 formed, Tolkien and his peers create an 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 informal society. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These young intellectuals gather in the school 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 library and do what they are forbidden to do: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 brew tea. Outside of school hours, they meet 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in a cafe at Barrow's Stores in Birmingham 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and so, self-mockingly, they call themselves 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the "Tea Club and Barrovean Society" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or the TCBS for short. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (nostalgic music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] The core of the TCBS was probably 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien and Wiseman and the others 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 gravitated around them. There was Robert 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Quilter Gilson, the son of the headmaster 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 here; Rob was a cultured and sociable chap, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he was perhaps the social glue of the group; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he would welcome anyone and find common 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 cause with them. A gentle artistic fellow 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who loved to sketch. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] He was a gifted artist and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 had ambitions to be an architect. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There was a late arrival, Geoffrey Bache Smith, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who was fascinated by mythology, Celtic 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 mythology; so this gave him common ground 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with Tolkien; it was another of Tolkien's 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 passions. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] Smith was quite an accomplished 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and advanced poet who recommended contemporary 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 poetry to Tolkien. When he started writing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 poetry, Tolkien was to a certain extent, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 inspired by Smith and the wider group. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And that was really the beginnings of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien as a writer. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] From the beginnings which were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 mostly about fun, later on, during the war years, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this developed into a fellowship from which 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 each of them drew tremendous strength and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 comfort. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Later that year, Tolkien's time at 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 King Edward's comes to an end and he begins 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his first term at Oxford, having successfully 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 gained entrance. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 On the eve of his 21st birthday, and his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 independence from Father Francis Morgan, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien writes to Edith and less than a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 week later, they are re-united. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Edith is engaged to marry another man, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but despite almost certain ridicule, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 she agrees to break the engagement to be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with her Ronald. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Over the next few months, a growing sense of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 trouble brews across Europe and on the 28th 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of June, 1914, everything changes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (gun shot sound) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (solemn music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Gavrillo Princip is arrested for the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 A diplomatic crisis ensues and within weeks, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Europe's major powers are at war. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Germany invades Belgium and Britain declares 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 war on Germany. Parliament issues a call 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to arms from the British public. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] There isn't a rush to the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 colours straight away. It becomes much more 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 obvious that people are willing to join 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 up when atrocity stories start to emerge, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 then you get a much more concerted rush 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to join. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] There was an air of excitement 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about the war, there was a naive sense that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 this would allow young men to fulfil their 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 potential in a way that wasn't possible in 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 peace time. There was a tremendous sense 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of patriotism and a sense of duty towards 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 whatever England, or Britain, stood for. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] They are attracted to the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 idea of a settling of accounts with the Germans, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or at least some of them will be. On the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 whole, they thought they were going to give 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Germans a bloody nose. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] "The Germans has been dastardly" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and needed to dealt with and shown their place. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] Men join up out of economic 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 necessity and you'll find that in any war. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Life is not very exciting and the romance 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and colour of joining the army and being 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 part of something very big indeed, I'm sure 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 has some allure. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (solemn music) And they see things 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in rather romantic ways, which of course is 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 doomed to fail; we all know what the First 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 World War turns into. It's not a war of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 movement, of dash and élan; it's not cavalry 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 charges and distant trumpets; I'm afraid 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's the pitter-patter of machine gun fire 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the crump of artillery that's going to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 dominate. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So they, I think, have expectations about what 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the war will be like, and I think their main 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 emotion was, will it be over before I can 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 get to France. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien, who's reading covered 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 ancient heroic literature, that is surprisingly 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 frank about what happens in war, went into 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the war much more open-eyed. He described 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 himself as a "young man with too much 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 imagination" and so he did not relish battle 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in any sense. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] And I think that applies 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to, not just men like Tolkien who fought in it, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but also the politicians and generals who 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 directed it; I think a lot of people 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 understood that this war could be terrible. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] What you get in the letters 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 between Gilson, Tolkien and Wiseman and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 then in Smith's poetry, is a serious 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 determination to do their duty and that they 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 should be prepared to give their lives. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 A realistic appreciation that this is a dark time 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that they've got to come through it. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] G.B. Smith and Rob Gilson both join 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the army in 1914, Tolkien's brother, Hilary, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 signs up as a bugler and Christopher Wiseman 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 joins the navy. Tolkien however, faces a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 dilemma. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] Tolkien was in a difficult 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 position when war broke out; he had a year 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of his degree at Oxford to run and Tolkien 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 needed a degree badly because he wanted to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 pursue an academic career; he didn't have 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 any money in his family unlike Gilson and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 therefore, having committed three years to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the degree it was very important that he 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 completed it. So he discovered a scheme 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 whereby he could undergo some training 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the Officer Training Core whilst 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 completing his degree, which he did triumphantly 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with a first at Oxford. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] He follows good friend, G.B.Smith, into 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Lancashire Fusiliers in the hope of being 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 posted to the same battalion. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien was looking for something 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the army through which he could use his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 particular talents, and his particular talents 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 were languages and writing systems; he was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fascinated by codes and so forth. So it was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 only natural that he would train up as a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 signaller. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] It would have meant that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien was exposed to the technology 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 available at the time and it must have 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 interested him; so the use of the radio, the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 use of signals, of semaphore. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] He learnt morse code, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he learnt how to use signalling lamps, field 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 telephones; which of course went on largely 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to be ineffective or not to work. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] He became Battalion Signalling 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Officer for his Battalion. Tolkien had to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 oversee the communications of a Battalion 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of between 600 and 1,000 men depending on 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 manpower at the time. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] His basic job of course 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was to act as a link between the various 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 layers of command, and that he would be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 responsible for incoming orders and making sure 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that the right people got those and of course 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he'd be responsible for telling command further 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 up the line about the situation on his sector. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] So he was an absolute lynch pin 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in a war which depended absolutely on how 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 much information you had about your enemies 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 position. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] In March of 1916 as his training nears 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 its completion, both Tolkien and Edith 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 become aware that he will soon be sent to 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Front. They marry and just over two 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 months later, Tolkien is shipped off to France. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The two of them part, not knowing if they 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 will ever see each other again. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Loud battle sounds, Guns Firing, Shouting) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (ominous music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] When Tolkien arrives at the Front, the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 War has been raging for almost two years. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The cost of the War is clear; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the countryside is scarred and the casualties 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 high. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 After a virtual stalemate of trench warfare 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 throughout 1915, and with a new wave of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 thousands of freshly trained recruits, it is 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 clear the Big Push is imminent. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (marching feet) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien's Battalion remains in reserve, but 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he fears for the lives of his old school 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 friends who are at the Front. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Within a month of his arrival in France 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the Allies launch the Somme Offensive. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 At 7.30am, on Saturday 1st of July, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the troops in the British Frontline, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 go over the top. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (whistle sound echoes) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 On the first day of the Offensive alone, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 20,000 men are killed, 35,000 are wounded 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and over 2,000 are reported missing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] The first casualty was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the plan. It started to fall apart very 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 rapidly. Tragically for the men caught out 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the open, it was a death sentence. 1 in 5 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 men who went into combat on the 1st of July 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was killed. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] It was the most disastrous day 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the history of the British Army, and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a tragedy for the entire country. There were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 villages that had lost all their young men. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] It's marked as a loss of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 innocence, that the 20,000 that were killed 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 represent a turning point in British 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 consciousness and the relationship perhaps 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 between those who make decisions and those 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who are forced to carry them out. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (soft piano music) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Among the many men that are lost on that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 day, is dear friend and TCBS member, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Robert Gilson. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] He led his Platoon over the top 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 took charge of his Company, but was shot 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the middle of No Man's Land. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Paul Golightly] He was in the fourth wave. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 He saw the first wave go in and fail, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the second wave go in and fail, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the third wave go in and fail. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And he, as a part of the fourth wave, had 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to go in; and they still went. And that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I think is the most poignant and probably 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the most tragic thing about the 1st of July 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 1916. That this generation, had so much faith 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in their superiors, probably had so much 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 commitment to their fellows that they were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 prepared to go, even though it meant certain 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 death. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] Tolkien heard about this 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 after his first action on the Somme a couple 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of weeks later; and he was devastated. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It shook him to the foundations of his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 beliefs. He had, as all of the members of 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the TCBS had, built up their group as a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fellowship, with ideas and a spirit that had 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 something to give to the World. In which 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 all four of them were vital parts, and now 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 one of them was dead. So what did that mean 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 about their overall purpose? And also his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 purpose. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [Simon Stacey] Geoffrey Smith wrote him a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 letter in which, clearly Smith experiences 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 feelings of devastation and a sense that the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 fellowship had been broken. Rob would never 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 become an architect, he would never fulfil 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 his part in whatever they dreamed of. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] And I think it took him quite 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 some time to recover from that. The other 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 two members, Wiseman and Smith, were 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 determined to persuade him that, no, the TCBS 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 purpose continued and I think eventually 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien took heart from that. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] Tolkien writes to Rob's father, Headmaster 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 at King Edward's school to offer his 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 condolences. The TCBS lost a bright young 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 man, a talented artist and most painfully 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of all; a dear friend. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien's war has well and truly started and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 over the coming months he is subject to the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 many hardships of trench warfare. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] He spent his time in and out 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of the trenches. Battalions would be rotated 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 from the Frontline to the reserve trenches 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to rest, as they laughably called it, but 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it wasn't really rest, it was training. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien talked about the universal weariness 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of all this war. But during this period he 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 was involved in three attacks, he was 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 very fortunate not to have to go through the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 first day of the Somme; he was a few miles 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 back from the Frontline at that time. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 His Battalion moved forward for a second 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 wave of attacks, they were launched against a 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 village called Ovier; which had been the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 German Frontline. One of the first things that 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 he encountered was, complete chaos in the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 battlefield communications system. It was very 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 primitive. It was only partly built; damaged 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 by the fortunes of battle. He had signallers 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 going across No Man's Land carrying flares 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to say, we have arrived. Further flares - 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "we have taken prisoners", they carried 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 pigeons; pigeons were about the most reliable 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 method of communication. One of Tolkien's 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 signallers won a military medal for managing 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 to get his pigeons across No Man's Land and 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 do the job correctly. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [VO] The attack is a success and many 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 prisoners are captured. Of all the combat 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Tolkien encounters, one of the most significant 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 battles is also one of his last; an attack 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 on Regina Trench. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 [John Garth] This was in October, by which 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 time the battlefield had been reduced to mud. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The attack had been delayed by heavy rain 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but on October 21st there was a cold snap 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 so the ground was frozen hard and the 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 attack was able to go ahead. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Deep boom. Loud Artillery Fire)