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World War II Programme For ITV
On September 3, ITV1 broadcasts - Outbreak - the story of events hour by hour on September 3, 1939, the day that would change the world forever.
It was the day that saw the bombing of Warsaw, the birth of Britain’s first war baby, the shock of the first air raid sirens and the torpedoing of innocent civilians aboard a passenger ship.
Famous Brits with vivid recollections of the day include Dame Vera Lynn, Richard, Lord Attenborough, Tony Benn, George Cole, Betty Driver and Sir Peter Blake. They all recall how they heard the news the country was going to war, and how they were affected by the dramatic change in the country’s circumstances.
And relatives of key figures who are no longer alive, such as Churchill’s daughter, Lady Soames, Neville Chamberlain’s grandson Francis, Charles de Gaulle’s nephew Bernard and the Countess Mountbatten of Burma share their memories.
The experiences of ordinary members of the public whose lives were torn apart on that fateful day are also recounted in the documentary which marks the 70th anniversary of September 3, 1939.
The final countdown to war ended when Britain received no reply from Hitler by the 11am deadline on September 3. In a radio broadcast to the nation, the Prime Minister announced the news that Britain was at war with Germany. The King and Queen listened to the speech in their private rooms at Buckingham Palace.
TV presenter Nicholas Parsons was a 15-year-old schoolboy away from home with his school friends. He recalls hearing the news on the wireless. “It’s such a shock when suddenly the prime minister comes on and says words that you’re never likely to hear and you’ve never heard before ‘this country is at war with Germany,” says Nicholas.
As actor George Cole is played the recording of the original broadcast, he says: “Just listening to it I felt very shivery the fear that one had then came back I think.”
Richard, Lord Attenborough says: “I don’t really think any of us would care to have predicted at that time as to what would happen.”
Outbreak has been made in association with Imperial War Museum London who have produced an accompanying exhibition.
waveguide.co.uk
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