The First World War: The People’s Story - Season 1 Episode 3 The Fight To The End

The Fight to The End tells the story of the terrible battles of 1917 and 1918 and how Britain and her Allies turned a looming defeat into victory. As recruitment levels fell conscription was introduced- one of them was Harry Patch who went onto live to the age of 111 and was the last British survivor of WW1. These were years when German U-Boats attempted to starve Britain into surrender and there were serious food shortages on the home front. We hear dramatic stories of the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 - a battle fought in a quagmire of mud. In the Spring Offensive of 1918 the German army made huge advances and almost won the war. Some of our survivors were taken prisoner and worked as ‘slave labour’ in Germany. But, with the help of the United States, there was a final push to victory. The sacrifice involved in this total war changed the world forever.