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.