The Day the Guns Fell Silent

Exactly 80 years ago, the First World War approached its end on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The first instalment of this powerful, two-part documentary examines the impact of wartime experiences on British society. It is a sombre, compelling film that looks across the social spectrum, but leaves no doubt why the world changed after the Armistice. In the trenches, young men leamt a new cynicism as their leaders sacrificed thousands upon thousands of lives. Individual memories, contemporary records and archive footage build a powerful case to explain why the First World War was seen as "the war to end all wars".

By the time the war ended, a million British and Empire service personnel had died. Letters, diaries and the stories told by survivors demonstrate how the combatants felt when the guns stopped.