Harry Patch

The RN veteran did not see action prior to 11.11.18.

The Canadian did not serve overseas.

Frank Buckles served with the AEF in France, but never in the front line. More on him here:

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp-stories/l...c2001001.01070/

Well his family have that one wrong then. They were on Sky news last night talking about his WW1 Royal Navy service. Just go's to show you cannot always believe what you hear.

I believe BBC World were also doing Frank Buckles war service today. In fact the US Ambassador to UK was speaking likewise.

Will we ever know indeed. :unsure:

Did anybody watch the BBC coverage on News 24 ???
Leaving the funeral service before the end just to get the 1 o'clock news?????
Where do the BBC get these people from that make such STUPID decisions!!!!
OUR national Broadcaster, and we and Harry are treated with total disrespect,
OUR last Tommy, OUR Harry, and the BBC think the interest rate is more important then a once in a lifetime occasion!!!!!

If I could stop my payments to this corporation it would be done tommorow,
Harry deserved more from our national broadcaster, he and all the boys who died in the Great War should have been shown more respect.

Last November the BBC delivered us the series on people involved in WW1 in which Paul played a prominent part, excellent!

Then some idiot in the corporation decides to cut short Harry's funeral service on the only BBC channel running it....the News at one is more important!!!!!

What a state of affairs our national broadcaster has got itself into................

Our last Tommy, rest in peace with your mates Harry.
Tom

Tom, I'm sorry you feel like that.

Obviously I can't explain or excuse cutting the service short, but if it was to go to the news on the hour, that may have something to do with a legal obligation to do that. You would not believe how regulated the BBC's broadcasting is at times.

I am surprised they didn't have a rolling programe going between 1 and 2 and News 24, but as I say I don't know who has planned what and when.

While I understand your frustration in wanting to not pay your licence fee in protest, all I would say is that many of the programmes you do admire could never have been made in the way they were if there was no licence fee. Having spent nearly 10 years working in and around TV, and seen both the public and commercially funded side of things, personally I feel that we need to safeguard institutions like the BBC. If it didn't exist so many things would never get made - the excellent drama I saw on BBC4 last night about Spanish Flu is a good example. ITV or C4 would never have made that.

But this is a debate that could go on and on.

I suspect the BBC will be better prepared for the National Day of Remembrance of the WW1 Generation that is planned for October.

Paul,

I can see both sides of the points being made on this, but didn't they move all sorts of programmes about the ensure full coverage of the tennis at Wimbledon this year and should a football match run over, etc ...........!

As I said I can see both sides but I would really have thought they could have put the news on a little later it was a very unique ocassion for the nation.

Martyn

Yes, it does seem odd that no continuous programme was made. But as I say the how and why of that is not within my remit.