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00:01Here at the Repair Shop,
00:03countless treasures have been brought back to life.
00:08That reveal so much about who we are
00:12and where we're from.
00:15But there's so much more out there
00:17that's not yet made it to the barn.
00:20This is amazing.
00:22So the team are hitting the road.
00:25I just love getting up close and personal with the objects.
00:27And we're going to get a glimpse into some amazing heritage crafts.
00:31Yes. I cannot wait.
00:34On a unique adventure.
00:36Oh, yes.
00:37This is terrifying.
00:39To join forces with expert craftspeople.
00:43Whoa!
00:44If we don't point these joints, moisture's going to penetrate.
00:47On their most ambitious restorations, yes.
00:50To think every day you come up, this is your office.
00:52Wow! It's big!
00:54Keeping heritage crafts alive.
00:56Keep going, keep going.
00:58Yeah.
00:58It's getting hot in there.
01:00On precious restorations around the country.
01:03I can't even imagine what it looks like.
01:06Wow!
01:07There's a legacy here that needs to be protected.
01:16Today, a major repair job after a terrible act of vandalism.
01:21Somebody's really gone to town to try to destroy these.
01:25Will's shown the ropes of a heritage craft.
01:28Very impressed.
01:29Yes.
01:30Really?
01:30Yeah.
01:32And a cine projector restoration is loaded with memories.
01:36That awful, tragic episode has made me who I am today.
01:47Will and Dom are back on the road.
01:50This is going to be an inspiring day.
01:52It is indeed.
01:53Coming to the aid of a community with a proud military history in Chatham, Kent.
02:00Well, I'm on my way to meet Reverend Andrea, who has some memorial plaques that need attention.
02:06Oh.
02:06Yeah.
02:10Will is at a bronze foundry to meet Reverend Andrea Leonard, the priest in charge at Christchurch Luton.
02:18She needs help with two antique plaques that are in desperate need of attention.
02:24So, tell me a bit more about them.
02:26These are our First World War memorial plaques in honour of the 163 men who gave their lives in Luton
02:35in Chatham in the First World War.
02:37And they normally live in our Lich Gate in our church.
02:42They were put there on Remembrance Sunday, 1920.
02:46And then, at the end of May, they were stolen.
02:52Were they?
02:53And we thought, to be honest, we'd never see them again and they'd have been melted down fairly quickly.
02:59But a very kind scrap dealer who received that plaque immediately contacted the police.
03:07The theft caused a national outcry.
03:09But a social media campaign and swift police action meant both plaques were returned within a week of the robbery.
03:18The moment I was allocated this case, I just knew that there wasn't just one victim behind it, but a
03:24whole community.
03:25And therefore, it was just so important to us to, you know, put our all into getting these plaques back.
03:31One plaque had been badly damaged with an axe or angle grinder, leaving it warped and broken.
03:39So everyone must have been absolutely devastated when these disappeared.
03:43There were tears and, yeah, incredulity and a real sense of loss, not just in the church, but in the
03:53community.
03:54And because Chatham is still a military area, we have quite a few veterans associations.
03:58OK.
03:59It's part of our national history as well.
04:02Ideally, how would you like the plaques to look?
04:04I'd like this one to be back in one piece and flat.
04:07It would be fantastic if they could look as they looked when they were first put up in 1920,
04:13which might give them another hundred years or so of life.
04:18Yeah, it almost restarts the clock.
04:20Yes.
04:21OK, so all back intact, give the surface a clean and bring out some of these names because they are
04:26becoming quite faded.
04:28Every name on this plaque represents a precious life of somebody who bravely gave their life.
04:35And in fact, when they were stolen, I started to do a little bit of research and I just looked
04:41up one name and I had to stop because I was crying.
04:44And I shall get emotional now because they were men taken in their prime who left mums and dads and
04:53families, wives, children to go out and fight.
04:57And so many of them still have family and relatives living in the area who are proud of their people.
05:04When you look at the names, you don't sort of realise, you kind of forget that is a life.
05:09Exactly.
05:10Do justice to the names.
05:11That's the most important thing.
05:13Well, they're in the right place.
05:14But I'll catch up with you soon.
05:15Thanks so much, Will.
05:17Bye.
05:18These memorial plaques need expert care.
05:22So Will has called on specialists in bronze casting, John Bull and Paul Stocks from the Talos Art Foundry.
05:31Now, there's a lot of history behind this.
05:34Yeah.
05:34Clearly, yes.
05:35There's a lot of damage.
05:36Somebody's really gone to town to try to destroy these.
05:39So sad it's been done.
05:41It is sad.
05:42It's tragic, actually, isn't it?
05:44Yeah.
05:44But it's something we should be able to work on.
05:47It's going to take a bit of effort and a bit of care, but we will get there.
05:50Yeah.
05:51It is bronze.
05:52It's an older type of bronze.
05:54Probably got more lead content than we would use today.
05:56Is bronze quite hard to work with?
05:57It can be, especially when it's in a condition like this.
06:02It's going to be a lot of work, but it is a softer metal.
06:05It can be manipulated.
06:07We've got a flat plate here by the look of it.
06:09And then, obviously, a framework and a scroll work.
06:12So that would have all been made as separate items and then assembled together.
06:15In this case, it looks like they've been screwed together.
06:19What we'll do in this instance is restore that in the same fashion.
06:23John and Paul specialise in fabricating sculptures for contemporary artists.
06:29But today, they're turning their metalwork skills to something much older.
06:35We make all sorts, from very tiny items right the way up to full-size horses.
06:40We're both chasers, which is basically you're chasing the metal.
06:43You're using tools and equipment to replicate what the artist has done in the past.
06:49So we will chase this, repair this.
06:52So, basically, what you see in front of you now won't be visible.
06:56It will be a matching pair.
06:58Every piece we do is always unique, I suppose.
07:01Now, when it comes to finishing this, Andrea would like these to pretty much
07:06look like they would have when they were first made.
07:08It has this lovely kind of green patination to the surface.
07:12It would be really nice to clean them up so you can really see the names again.
07:15Yeah, no, we can take it back to how it would have looked originally.
07:20The patina is beautiful because it's evolved over time,
07:24but it will be back to its beautiful dark patina.
07:26Is this challenging for you?
07:28It certainly is.
07:29There's a lot of work involved on both of them, but especially as we can see on this one.
07:34It's challenging as well because of the importance of it.
07:36Yes, of course.
07:37It means a lot to a lot of people.
07:38We will do our very, very best to honour the gentlemen that are on here.
07:46While John and Paul size up the damaged plaques.
07:55Dom's meeting Dawn from London.
07:58She has a broken heirloom that holds special family memories.
08:03Dawn, hello.
08:04Lovely to meet you.
08:05What have you brought in for us then?
08:06Well, this is my dad's cine projector that he purchased in 1980.
08:12OK.
08:13With a video recorder and a cine camera.
08:15He liked the gadget.
08:17Great sound system, great TV.
08:19All the mod cons.
08:20All the mod cons for the 70s.
08:22So tell me a bit about your dad then.
08:23So my dad was born in formerly British Diana, which is South America.
08:28OK.
08:29And he came over to the UK when the Queen said we need some help after the Second World War.
08:34He came over in 1960.
08:36He came from a very wealthy family and he studied to be a civil engineer and worked for London Transport.
08:43You're just very proud to be British.
08:45Hard worker.
08:46Very much a hard worker.
08:48After qualifying as an engineer, Dawn's dad worked for some time in Zambia, where she was born.
08:55The family returned to the UK when Dawn was three.
09:00The film projector was always on, showing these happy times.
09:05It's a legacy.
09:07I mean, my dad gave it to me.
09:08I want to hand it down to my daughter, Eleanor, she's 17.
09:11She never met him because, sadly, he was killed in 1985.
09:18He was a victim of knife crime and he was stabbed to death and that's...
09:22Really?
09:23Yeah.
09:24So...
09:24So sorry.
09:25It was just a really, really awful time.
09:27I was 16.
09:30But that awful, tragic episode has made me who I am today.
09:37What do you mean by that?
09:38Well, I listened to what my dad said.
09:42That I could be anything that I wanted to be, regardless of my gender or my ethnicity.
09:47Was he right?
09:48He's absolutely right.
09:49I work in the legal system, which I thoroughly enjoy, and it's where my heart lies.
09:55I go into schools and I talk about knife crime, I talk about the consequences.
10:00How does that feel then, when you finish these talks and you see the room full of kids that need
10:05your help?
10:05Oh, wow.
10:07It's...
10:08Mind-blowing.
10:09And when they clap, tears come to my eyes because it's so emotional.
10:13But, yeah.
10:14But he would have done the same thing.
10:16None of us knew what was going to happen.
10:18My dad only died when he was 49.
10:20But he's always with me and he's with me in what we have here.
10:25In this film?
10:26In the film.
10:28Is there more than this?
10:29There is loads of it.
10:31Really?
10:31There is.
10:32Oh, and this is the splicer.
10:34Not many of these around, no one really...
10:37What does that do?
10:37So, when you wanted to edit, so you get one end, put another end on, put the liquid to stick
10:47it together.
10:48Yeah.
10:48And then you've got one whole reel.
10:51It bonds it together.
10:51It bonds it together.
10:52Yes.
10:52How do you know how to do that?
10:54Because my dad taught me.
10:55I'm starting to understand why this is all so important.
10:59It's so important.
11:02What's happened to it?
11:04So, the arm that would normally go in here...
11:09Oh, there's a piece missing here, is there?
11:11There's a piece missing.
11:12Okay.
11:12Yeah.
11:13That's what holds the film?
11:14That's what holds the film.
11:15The film goes in there, down there, through there.
11:19And then it comes out and the magic happens!
11:24Yes.
11:24So, when is the last time you've seen that magic happen?
11:2835 years.
11:29Really?
11:30Yes.
11:30My daughter's never seen her granddad.
11:33Only pictures.
11:34She's going to be stunned.
11:38Thank you for sharing your journey with me.
11:42Really, honestly, it's been lovely talking to you.
11:44We'll do the best we can.
11:48As Dom heads to the barn with Dawn's cine projector,
11:53in the bronze foundry,
11:57work on the First World War plagues is about to commence.
12:03So, what's the first task?
12:05We'll get that shot blasted, so we have a nice, clean, even finish,
12:09and then we've got to manipulate this with clamps,
12:13with presses, and we might even have to beat little areas of it gently.
12:18Oh, my.
12:19It sounds quite involved, but...
12:21Yeah, yeah.
12:21But all process is to get this flat, and that's our first task.
12:26John is flattening the plaques with a giant pair of G-clamps.
12:34And for those particularly stubborn parts, nothing quite beats a good old hammer.
12:44Surfaces levelled and prepped, the real repairs can begin.
12:51First to be welded is the badly damaged panel.
12:58Before John turns his hand to the half-moon relief.
13:08Small gaps are filled with lead and damaged lettering repaired with bronze,
13:13before work can begin on restoring the plaques to a colour that befits their grand old age.
13:26In the barn, Dom has a special delivery for electronics expert Mark Stuckey.
13:33Mark.
13:34Ooh.
13:35I have got a treat for you.
13:37This is very precious.
13:39Belongs to Dom.
13:40Right, okay.
13:41Do you want to take a look?
13:42Yeah.
13:42I know what it is.
13:43I recognise the name.
13:44Oh, don't cheat, Mark.
13:45Come on.
13:46Oh, wow.
13:47Oh, it's heavy.
13:49Well, a projector.
13:52Yeah.
13:52So Dawn has a huge collection of film that her father's created
13:56and she's desperate to show her daughter what's on these films,
13:59but she can't because the projector's not working.
14:02As yet.
14:03Exactly.
14:04Thanks, Dom.
14:06Before he can start any repair, Mark's first job is to assess the damage
14:11from the outside in.
14:14Well, this really is in a poor way.
14:17For example, we are missing at the front.
14:20There should be a way of presenting this reel to feed through.
14:23But importantly, the rear one, that has actually smashed out
14:27because the casing is totally damaged.
14:30If we go round to the back, that is freely moving.
14:34That should certainly not be freely moving.
14:36And on top of that, where we have the facility so we can adjust what we call the rake,
14:41the up and down motion of the projectors, that's broken off as well.
14:45Hence why it's sitting down.
14:48So what I need to do now is take the front and the rear panel off so we can have
14:52a better full picture.
14:54Pardon the pun.
14:59So we take that off.
15:00The belt is still connected.
15:03No superficial damage visible at this stage.
15:08Right.
15:08Let's see what we can see when I take the back off.
15:14Nothing directly is obvious.
15:19In this corner, the pickup reel is missing and the casing has been smashed.
15:28Can you repair that?
15:31Doubtful.
15:32That's the frightening bit because it's a major breakdown.
15:35It's like if you had like a very fast supercar and the head gasket goes,
15:41it is a major strip down to get everything off of it, to get into it, to replace it.
15:46The motor, which is a cooling fan, that seems to be okay.
15:50So I think probably the next stage will be to plug it in.
15:53It certainly won't do any damage by putting it on now.
15:56I expect the motor to come on first.
15:59Let's turn the power up a bit.
16:02Right.
16:03We're at full mains voltage and the fan is happily going quite quiet,
16:11which is really good because some of these can be quite noisy.
16:15I'm smelling just to make sure there is nothing apparent with burning,
16:21which doesn't seem to be.
16:23I think it looks fairly safe to actually turn the projector to run,
16:29which will be one of these.
16:32And it's not doing anything.
16:34Now that should be going.
16:39Oh, the light works.
16:42100 watts is quite bright.
16:44And those are not.
16:45There we go.
16:46Give it a help.
16:47Go on.
16:48Try to get going.
16:49Go on.
16:50But that is prophetically slow.
16:54We've got a lot of damage and I've got to sort that out.
16:57So I've got to do a few more tests on this motor to see how it's functioning.
17:01But we'll get there.
17:04While Mark gets on with the projector.
17:10Will's arrived at Chatham's historic dockyard.
17:16It's home to the oldest rope making facility in Britain.
17:21Operating on the same side for 400 years.
17:26Wow.
17:28Oh, my word.
17:30Look at this.
17:33Absolutely huge.
17:37Rope making is a highly skilled and ancient craft.
17:41Here in Chatham, they use traditional methods, Victorian machinery,
17:46and a very long aisle called a rope walk.
17:51All right.
17:52This was once one of four Royal Navy rope yards
17:56and produced up to 5,000 tonnes of rigging for nearly 1,000 ships.
18:02OK.
18:04And they continue making rope products to this day.
18:10That is amazing.
18:14Master rope maker Leanne Clark has worked here for 13 years.
18:19I've already got my steps in.
18:21How long is this place?
18:22It's a quarter of a mile from outside brick to outside brick.
18:25My word.
18:26What exactly does that machine do?
18:28So that's the closing machine.
18:29And that is dated from 1860.
18:33And it's essentially twisting the strands together to do the process of rope making.
18:38Right. And that skateboard thing you were riding on?
18:40That's the top cart, which is basically the important bit of rope making.
18:46OK.
18:46Both ends of the machines are twisting.
18:48But it's that top cart with what essentially makes the rope.
18:52We can make 1,000 metre coils.
18:55What?
18:56But otherwise, it comes in 220 metres.
18:58That's the standard.
19:00Now, who kind of buys the rope from here?
19:02Is that for sort of shipping or your scouts?
19:06A lot of scout groups, yes.
19:07Wooden ships still buy it.
19:09Historical ships.
19:11Gymnasiums, zoos.
19:12Anyone that needs a bit of rope.
19:14Ropes all around us.
19:15It really is, yeah.
19:16This is quite an involved process, isn't it?
19:18Yes, definitely.
19:19It takes about two and a half years to three years to become a fully trained rope maker.
19:23Really?
19:24Yes.
19:24It's quite dangerous with lots of rope moving quite quickly.
19:27It can be.
19:27And that's why it's so important to be fully trained.
19:31This is the more traditional way.
19:33And then we have the hands-on machine that we use to demonstrate how rope is made to the children.
19:38OK.
19:38I'd love to take a look.
19:39Yes, definitely.
19:40Let's go.
19:42The earliest ropes were made by twisting and braiding strands of plant fibre.
19:47And here in Chatham, the process has advanced from people power to steam power and now electric.
19:56Though the machines and methods have barely changed.
20:01However, the craft is in decline, with less than 20 professional rope makers left in Britain.
20:09So this is a smaller version of what we've just seen?
20:11Yes.
20:11A small version, yes.
20:13It takes three people.
20:14So we've got Stuart down the other end there.
20:16Right, Stuart.
20:17Right.
20:17There's a massive crank handle here.
20:19Yes.
20:20Is that a technical term?
20:21Yes.
20:22What you're going to do is just turn the wheel that way.
20:26Yeah.
20:26And Stuart is going to match your speed, turning the opposite way.
20:30More twist, the better the rope.
20:31OK.
20:32Here we go.
20:32You ready, Stuart?
20:33Yes, I am.
20:33OK.
20:35The yarn fibre is called Chatham hem, but it's actually flax, which is strong enough to
20:41pull three to four hundred kilos.
20:45Right, there we are.
20:47So we've now twisted the yarn to strands.
20:50And what we're going to do is twist in the opposite direction.
20:53Now we're going to go from strands to right.
20:54Exactly that.
20:55This is really clever, isn't it?
20:57It is very clever and very simple.
21:00OK, here we go.
21:01What?
21:04So?
21:05Leanne's wooden tool is carefully combining the three already twisted strands to form
21:11a rope.
21:13OK.
21:15That's a lovely bit of rope.
21:20There you go.
21:21Lovely.
21:21Look at that.
21:24I feel like a cowboy now.
21:27Do you love rope making?
21:28I love rope making.
21:29Do you?
21:29I really do.
21:31I started selling tickets at front of house.
21:33I walked in that door and I saw them zooming off down the rope walk floor on the top cart
21:38and the smell and the noise and everything and just went, that's what I want to do.
21:43And that's why somewhere like this is really important because for people to actually see
21:46the craft sparks the interest.
21:49Yes.
21:49And it keeps the craft alive.
21:51Definitely.
21:58In the barn, Mark's finished assessing the projector's condition.
22:03After stripping this down, the actual problem now that I can see is that the parts which
22:09are missing are an integral part of the actual case itself.
22:13And it's actually pretty serious.
22:15So this particular part, it actually holds both the spools and this type of machine.
22:21There's just no chance that this projector will ever work safely because of the extent
22:27of the damage.
22:28So the only option for me on this particular occasion, and it's one I don't want to go
22:33down but it's the only way I can see it, and that is I've managed to find a suitable
22:38replacement outer case which has that fitting and attachment on it.
22:42And what I'm going to have to do is strip out the whole unit piece by piece and incorporate
22:48it into the new case, which is no easy task by any means.
22:52I'm going to keep as much of this as I possibly can original.
22:56So then Dawn and her daughter will be able to enjoy all those happy memories which is on
23:02that film.
23:05The only silver lining is the fact why it's out, I can actually get easy into it to give
23:10it a really good service.
23:15The server starts with cleaning and lubricating the mechanical parts using liquid silicone oil.
23:22Everything in here is so tightly based, you can't really see what you're doing.
23:27Hang on.
23:28Let's try and do some grease next.
23:34Using a thicker silicone grease.
23:37What I do, I just put some on and then I just move all the wheels.
23:42So then they get lubricated.
23:45Now doing the back ones.
23:48His full service should give the internal moving parts a new lease of life.
23:54OK.
23:55That's good.
23:56Next is the delicate job of putting Dawn's vintage mechanism into the substitute case.
24:04That's the last of the mechanical components now fitted into the replacement chassis.
24:08I'm now ready to put some power through it and then that's really the moment of truth.
24:13Have I done it all correctly?
24:15Changing the chassis over is never an easy solution.
24:20When they've settled into their home for many years and you suddenly pull them out of it,
24:24they get a bit grumpy I find at times.
24:27Generally when there are problems with them, they go slow.
24:30So I'll turn the power to projector on.
24:33Turn the variac, which is a way to allow me to turn the voltage slowly up.
24:37So I can see if there's anything occurring which shouldn't be happening.
24:41So we just do this.
24:43And now fans coming up.
24:47That all sounds all good.
24:50We'll go up to full whack.
24:52Well that's all good.
24:55So what I'm going to do now is turn it on to run.
24:59And we'll get an idea if everything's synced together.
25:02All the cogs and wheels I've separated are all back in place.
25:09Which they seem to be.
25:11That sounds like a good speed.
25:13It's got a nice smooth melodic sound to it, which gives you an element of feel of confidence.
25:21So far so good.
25:23But it's not quite ready to project yet.
25:31At the foundry, Will is dropping in on John and Paul to check on progress with the plaques.
25:39Hi guys, good to see you again.
25:41This looks amazing.
25:42Is this the one that wasn't as bad or the one that was really bad?
25:45No, this is the really bad one.
25:46This is the bad one.
25:47Oh, you guys have been busy.
25:48It's completely changed colour.
25:51Yes.
25:51It has, yes.
25:52Why?
25:53This was the process of blasting off.
25:55So all that sort of hundred years of muck, corrosion, weather.
26:00It's all gone.
26:01And we will eventually brush the whole surface to get it prepared for the new colour.
26:06Get them both back to how they would have been when they left the foundry originally.
26:10So they both will look identical.
26:12We're going to end up with a matching pair.
26:13Yes, with a matching pair, fresh, dark, glossy, ready to go on the wall.
26:20It's going to look great is what you're trying to say.
26:22It will look great, yeah.
26:23Yeah.
26:24I still don't understand how you're going to be able to colour match this.
26:26I'll show you how.
26:28Okay, where?
26:28Follow me.
26:29Oh, brilliant.
26:32Whilst John and Paul share many skills, they also have individual specialisms.
26:39Paul is an expert in patination and he's trying to colour the repaired plaques with the same chemicals the original
26:47makers would have used.
26:48But he wants to carry out a test first.
26:52Right, what we're going to do is a sample patina on this piece of bronze.
26:59We'll apply this chemical, albeit diluted down, the potassium sulphide.
27:03It's all a chemical reaction.
27:04It is, yeah, yeah.
27:05This is one of the chemicals that reacts when it's cold and when it's hot.
27:10We'll go darker.
27:11Lovely.
27:11What we'll do, I will start off a little bit lighter and we can build it up as we need
27:15to.
27:16So I'll put this on cold.
27:17This smells a little bit as well.
27:19It's not great.
27:20Very eggy.
27:21How much are you applying?
27:22Is it like a thin coat?
27:23I haven't made it particularly strong, but what you'll see straight away is how the bronze takes the chemical, albeit
27:30the diluted chemical.
27:31OK.
27:35And you're just slapping it on there, aren't you?
27:36Yep.
27:38You can see instantaneously it goes a slightly warm brown colour.
27:46That's really quick.
27:47It is, it is.
27:48I mean, rub back, you can get a classic penny bronze colour just with this.
27:52Now I'll apply a bit of heat and we'll pop the chemical back on again when the surface of the
27:59metal is at a higher temperature.
28:02What difference is the heat going to make?
28:04What the heat will do is darken everything down and enrichen everything.
28:08There we are.
28:09Ooh.
28:12It's already beginning to change, isn't it?
28:14It is, even without adding any more.
28:17It's darkening down already.
28:20Oh.
28:21But you can see as soon as that goes on.
28:27So yeah, we just want to ensure we get a nice even coverage.
28:30I'll turn this off now.
28:32What we see there is a pre-waxed finish.
28:35So once we add wax to that, again, it's going to enrichen it.
28:38But it's always best to wax while it's hot as well.
28:41So the wax will seal everything in.
28:43There's a lot of thought that goes into this.
28:45And there's a lot of chemistry as well.
28:47I feel like I'm back in school.
28:48You guys have a real passion for what you do, right?
28:50Yes, yes.
28:51It's a great process.
28:52I love it.
28:53You know, it's an honour to work on these plaques because, you know, they mean so much.
28:56We can apply some wax to it, see how dark it goes if you want to.
28:59Yeah, please.
29:02Oh, that's a nice big tin of wax.
29:04It is a nice antique wax.
29:05I'll load the brush for you.
29:06While it's hot, you can just dab it on.
29:08Just dab, dab.
29:09Just dab, dab.
29:09Dab, dab, dab it on.
29:12You'll see it go instantly darker, richer.
29:15Wow.
29:15It's got a bit more depth to it.
29:17That is beautiful.
29:18And it will preserve it for the years to come.
29:21Lovely work.
29:22It's all down to the wax application.
29:24Oh, yeah, of course it is.
29:25Lovely.
29:26This is a really cool process, and I can't wait to see this on the actual plaques themselves.
29:30Yeah, me too.
29:30It's going to be fun.
29:31Right, well, I'm going to let you touch on a few patches that I missed.
29:35And I'm going to catch up with John.
29:36OK.
29:37John is preparing the surfaces of the plaques before Paul colours them.
29:43All right, John.
29:44Oh, I will.
29:46Is there anything I can do to help?
29:47Yeah, if you want to pick up a drill and do some wire brushing with me, that'd be fantastic.
29:51Yeah, definitely.
29:52Love getting stuck in.
29:53And having a wire brush on a drill definitely saves a bit of time.
29:57Yeah, much easier than doing it by hand, yeah.
30:00Right, here we go.
30:02OK, so if you want to work on that area there, that'd be fantastic.
30:05I'll be down here, and we'll get it done ready for Paul.
30:08Lovely.
30:15The First World War memorial plaques are progressing.
30:19And in the barn, Mark's getting ready to run an all-important test on Dawn's cine projector.
30:27I've now finished putting the projector all together.
30:32It's all back in, it looks really smart, full service.
30:36Now, Dawn left me a couple of her films here, so we'll try and look at one just to see
30:41how it goes.
30:49Just check the film, mainly to see if there's any breaks in the sprockets which can cause a problem.
30:55There may be some sound on this, but I won't know until I run it through the projector.
30:59Turn it on, and this is where we feed this in, and it should then just automatically take it.
31:05It comes out the other end.
31:07And what I have to do is now stop, feed this on, we do that, that's now ready to go.
31:14So, we'll continue.
31:16Let's see what we've got here.
31:20Well, there's certainly something there, and I can hear voices.
31:24Yeah, that's running a bit fast.
31:31So, it works forward, let's now try and reverse.
31:34That's all good.
31:36Excellent.
31:37But yes, it's working in reverse.
31:39I'm really happy with that.
31:40All I've got to do now is get all the covers on and get it ready so that Dawn and
31:45her daughter can have some really happy memories.
31:57For Dawn, who is awaiting a knee operation, it's a chance to show daughter Ellie moving images of her grandfather
32:04for the first time.
32:07Come on in, come on in. Welcome to the barn.
32:10Nice to see you.
32:11How are you feeling today, Dawn?
32:13Very nervous, actually.
32:14Nervous?
32:15Yes.
32:15Why?
32:16Because it means so much.
32:18He's no longer here, and that was 40 years ago, and he's still a part of me every single day.
32:23So, this is his legacy for me to pass on to my daughter.
32:28How does that feel, hearing that?
32:29Really great, yeah.
32:31I know how much it means to my mum, so I'm just excited to see it.
32:34Yeah.
32:35What are you hoping to see today, then?
32:37I'm hoping to see that the projector is working, and there's some images that both myself and Ellie can see
32:44of when I was back in Zambia.
32:47I was like two, three years old, and quite mischievous, and very much a copycat of my dad.
32:53So, yeah, I'm really excited.
32:54Are you both ready to take a look?
32:57Yes.
32:57Yeah.
32:58Yeah?
32:58Yes.
32:59Here we go.
33:02Whoa.
33:06It looks like the day that my dad bought it, to be fair.
33:09Well, that's lovely.
33:09Yeah, it does.
33:11Yeah, it just looks wonderful.
33:13Shall we try and plug it in?
33:14Please.
33:15Oh, look, already, look at that.
33:18I've turned that on.
33:20Ready?
33:20Yes, thank you.
33:25That's me!
33:27Can you see me?
33:28Yeah.
33:31That might be my birthday party.
33:36That's my friend Angela.
33:39That's Grandma.
33:41That's Uncle Nelson.
33:43That's my dad driving the Land Rover.
33:48Oh, my gosh!
33:49Oh, my gosh!
33:55Oh, my gosh!
34:01Oh, come on.
34:02Yeah, this is...
34:03So, we lived in, um, Kabwe, in Zambia, that's where I was born, and my dad made so many friends.
34:12And that's where this is?
34:14And this is, yeah.
34:17How are you feeling watching this now?
34:19He's never left me.
34:20No?
34:21Never.
34:22You're smiling, that's great.
34:23Yeah, he's never left me.
34:24And, Ellie, this is your family heritage.
34:27I know.
34:27It's so crazy, because I've seen pictures of this moment, but I've never seen it live.
34:32So, it's really amazing.
34:34It's very special.
34:38Wow!
34:40It's just...
34:43Well...
34:43That is a small...
34:45Just a little snip.
34:46A small glimpse of what else is on there.
34:49Yes.
34:49What did you think?
34:51I just stopped myself from crying at that point.
34:55Yeah.
34:57They're happy memories, happy tears.
34:59Wonderful.
35:00Yes.
35:02Really, really...
35:03Yeah.
35:05I'm just lost for words, which people will think that's unbelievable, but...
35:09And it looks like...
35:11Fresh.
35:11Fresh.
35:12Yeah.
35:13It works as good as a day your dad would have used it.
35:15Yeah.
35:16And brought it home.
35:17Wow.
35:17And it's there for you now to enjoy.
35:19I bet you cannot wait to get it home and watch the rest of that.
35:22Yeah.
35:22The family.
35:23Definitely.
35:25This is a party.
35:26Yeah.
35:26Gonna get the guys round, friends round.
35:28Hang the bed sheet on the wall.
35:30That's it.
35:31Exactly.
35:31Yeah.
35:32Turn all the lights out.
35:33You'll be back there.
35:35Thank you, Mark.
35:35Thank you, Don.
35:36Not at all.
35:37He would just be like, wow.
35:38To see him in film.
35:41Yeah.
35:42It's really, really, really good.
35:44I'm just so happy.
35:46Yes.
35:46I'm just really happy.
35:47Your smile says it all.
35:48Exactly.
35:49Yeah.
35:49Thank you, then.
35:51Bye-bye.
35:54Wasn't that magic?
35:55It was.
35:56It was great to do it.
35:58You know.
35:58Well done, Mark.
35:59Well done.
35:59Oh, wow.
36:01Um.
36:02It's what I dreamed of, really.
36:04So that I can pass the legacy on to Ellie of the importance of documenting and sharing
36:09your lives with others because none of us know what's around the corner.
36:13So it's important.
36:15It was really amazing to see my granddad for the first time because I've seen like pictures,
36:20but I've never seen the videos or the reels.
36:23So it was really great.
36:24It's very, very emotional because I didn't know what I was expecting, but he was there.
36:29My dad was there.
36:30Yeah.
36:40In Chatham, Will's arriving at Christchurch Luton, where John and Paul are waiting with the
36:48restored plaques.
36:53Oh, my word.
36:55They look amazing.
36:56They look absolutely amazing.
36:58This colour match is unbelievable.
37:00Are you both pleased?
37:02Yes.
37:03I mean, obviously one needed a little bit more work than the other one.
37:07I still can't believe it.
37:08They look absolutely fantastic.
37:11Now, there's lots of people about to come in to take a look.
37:13Let's get this covered up.
37:16This is a historic day for the rescued memorial plaques and the Chatham community.
37:24Reverend Andrea, veterans and locals are gathering to see the plaques and to take part in a special
37:31remembrance service.
37:33I'm feeling a great sense of anticipation about the plaques coming home.
37:40Excitement.
37:41And also, I think there'll be incredulity when I see them because I saw them when they were so badly
37:47damaged.
37:47Our uncle is on the plaque, Percy Leonard Swan.
37:51I think it's great that we can still remember people that we didn't even know.
37:57You know, they died.
37:58Everybody on the plaque died before anybody that's here today.
38:04Come in, come in.
38:12Wow.
38:13What a lovely bunch of people.
38:15Well, they're wonderful people from the community.
38:17We've got our wonderful police without whom we would not have the plaques back.
38:22Yeah.
38:26And I think most importantly, we have a wonderful bunch of veterans.
38:32APPLAUSE
38:36It was particularly galling to hear of the loss of these, but thrilling to learn of their restoration
38:44and repair.
38:45So it's absolutely terrific, terrific news.
38:49These two men here are fantastic people.
38:52This is John and Paul, and they've been working on the plaques.
38:55APPLAUSE
38:59It was always going to be an important project to work on.
39:03I'm very proud to work on it as well, also.
39:06Thankfully, they're back home where they should be.
39:09Exactly.
39:10Are you ready to take a look?
39:12Yes!
39:12Yes!
39:13Come on!
39:14Right.
39:17Oh!
39:19APPLAUSE
39:25What do you think?
39:26I had to look at the names to work out which was the one that was damaged.
39:30You've done such a brilliant job.
39:33So grateful.
39:34And they look as they would have looked in 1920, and you can read it clearly, and it's fantastic.
39:43Do we have any descendants here that want to come up and try and find your name?
39:47Yes, we'd like.
39:48Yeah?
39:49Well, come on up.
39:53Percy Leonard Swan.
39:56He was our uncle.
39:58There were three brothers who went to the First World War.
40:02Two came back unharmed, but poor Percy didn't.
40:06Well, his name will live on...
40:08He certainly will.
40:09Walter William Staff.
40:12He's our great uncle.
40:14He served with the Royal West Kent Regiment.
40:16He was killed in 1918 at a place called St Quentin in France.
40:22He was 27, I believe, when he was killed.
40:25So he left behind a wife and a young child.
40:31So, yeah, it's very important to us, very important to the family as well, and our children.
40:36Guys, thank you very much.
40:37Thanks very much.
40:38Brilliant.
40:38Thanks very much.
40:40The Batco.
40:42The Batco.
40:44Lord, we thank you with humble gratitude for those who gave their lives for our freedom.
40:52At the going down of the sun and in mourning, we shall remember them.
40:58We shall remember them.
40:59So I remind them of the
41:32When you go home, tell them of us and say,
41:35for your tomorrow, we give our today.
41:42Well, you guys have done a fantastic job at preserving
41:46those fallen men and those lives, so thank you so much.
41:51APPLAUSE
41:58It was great to see my uncle's name on the plaque
42:02and we know now that he will live on forever.
42:06There was no-one here today that was around when he was alive
42:10and yet we're still here in big numbers.
42:13The restoration really was quite astounding.
42:16Having seen the damage to the original ones and thinking,
42:20gosh, how on earth are they going to restore them?
42:22But it was a perfect job.
42:24To have something so mangled in the first place
42:28when it was initially stolen to how it is now is just unbelievable.
42:33Absolutely unbelievable.
42:34Fantastic. Yeah.
42:36I prayed that God would bring good out of the bad
42:39and that's happened so much more than we could have imagined.
42:45The plaques are a great link to the past,
42:47but actually there's this new connection with the community
42:51and the future and it's a positive one
42:53that has brought everyone here together today
42:55and as a community as a whole
42:57and that's such a beautiful thing.
43:02If you'd like to see more fantastic fixes and restorations,
43:06search BBC iPlayer for The Repair Shop on the road.
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