BBC - My Family at War HD (2008) Part 4 Rolf Harris and Kirsty Wark
1918 - 2008 Ninety Years of Remembrance. The year 2008 marked the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War. On 11th November 1918 the Armistice was signed between the Allied and German armies ending a global war that lasted four years and extinguished millions of lives. Every year since then we have taken the opportunity to commemorate those that served, and more particularly gave their lives, both in that “Great” War and in subsequent wars and conflicts. A season of Remembrance. As the nation marks the 90th anniversary of the armistice of the First World War, BBC Learning celebrates and remembers with a season of programming across the BBC's television and radio networks, at local events across the country. 1918 - 2008 Ninety Years of Remembrance aims to personalise the Act of Remembrance and bring World War One in particular vividly alive in the present. On screen, some of the country's best-loved television personalities seek out their personal family wartime experiences in My Family At War, where our eight TV presenters uncover some extraordinary and emotional stories from their own families. Personalities featured include Rolf Harris, Kate Silverton, Eamonn Holmes, Natalie Cassidy, Phil Tufnell, Matthew Kelly, Kirsty Wark and Dan Snow.
Part 4 Rolf Harris and Kirsty Wark
Rolf Harris has been singing Two Little Boys for 40 years. Until now, he had no idea just how much the song mirrors the story of his dad and uncle in the Great War. In this programme, Rolf fulfils a lifetime's ambition by travelling to the Western Front to find out the truth behind his hit song. He takes an emotional voyage when he follows his father's and uncle's journey through Northern France, where they both came to fight in the First World War with the ANZACS. On the boat over to France, Rolf recalls how, in 1969, he had chart-topping success with the song Two Little Boys but never understood why his aunt found it too emotional to listen to. With the help of a team of researchers and historians, Rolf retraces his father's and uncle's movements to the same battlefields where they fought side by side. On learning their full histories, Rolf at last fully understands why his song had so much resonance for his aunt. Kirsty Wark, meanwhile, uncovers the brutal reality of her great uncle's life in the machine gun corps. She already had photos, mementoes and letters from the First World War, but they only told half a story. Through My Family At War, Kirsty goes in search of the truth behind the letters.
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