A film about remembering why it was supposed to be 'never again'

(UN)forgettable

These old men were all just young boys, sons & brothers

A heart-breaking reality for generations

World War 2 is all but forgotten. It is rarely mentioned in history lessons in school as it is deemed 'too recent' and there are roughly about 3% of combatants left alive, all in their nineties. The general public are split as to how much they know or understand about this 'conflict to end all conflicts'; a small minority are informed and the rest are either ambivalent or simply ignorant. As a result there is a really sharp contrast in how these remaining veterans are perceived, received and treated.

This story starts with an idea; to return a 94 year old D-Day veteran, who has lost both legs, to the very beach he landed on - and lived on for 3 months - as a 19 year old, in the same WW2 vehicle and relive an historical moment on the anniversary of D-Day morning. To organise this a team of volunteers come together; passion, expertise, generosity and goodwill all contribute to a journey that starts with this idea and en route explores exactly why we're in very real danger of forgetting the very lessons we supposedly learnt from those tragic years where so many people perished battling the dark forces of oppression, greed, hatred, racism and bigotry.

A level of expression rarely seen:

There have been countless films & series made about WWII so surely there are no more stories left to tell, right?

Well, it's true, many have been made but we are rapidly approaching the end of an era, an epoch, and with that comes a very different imperative for those who did so much and paid so a high price during that time and for ever after. After decades of locking down their emotions and maintaining a 'stiff upper lip' these grand old vestiges of countless incredible experiences are more open to relaying their truths before they are gone and it is too late. They are expressing themselves like never before in the hope that they can convince younger generations to re-learn the lessons of war before we forget completely.

The Story Starts

A simple idea; to return David to Juno beach in Normandy, with a Bedford QL vehicle to recreate his D-Day morning 70-odd years later! A bunch of enthusiasts and volunteers come together to try and make it happen...

David Teacher MBE

On D-Day morning he was one of the first to drive his truck ashore. He spent 3 months living on Juno beach and went on to serve alongside the famous 'Band of Brothers' in Bastogne. Witnessed the horrors of 'total war' at first hand but came through it with a remarkably intact moral compass, illustrated perfectly by decades of charity work after the war (for which he was awarded the MBE in later years).

Frank Tolley BEM

A bomb-aimer on the Lancaster heavy bomber, in his own words he broke the seventh commandment on each of those 22 missions over Germany; responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians. He found solace in dropping food parcels to the starving Dutch late in the war and has spoken at great length about how one deals with the ramifications of being a small but deadly cog in a huge, impersonal war machine.

Raymond Lord

A radio operator who found himself, with absolutely no combat training, stepping off a landing craft onto Sword beach and seeing his friends decimated by the fierce resistance. He was involved in a battle called the 'Bloodiest Square Mile in Normandy', was blown up by a mortar bomb and when he talks about killing other young boys you listen in a way that you have never done before.

Robert 'Bob' Izumi

Born to Japanese parents in California, interned with his entire family at the start of hostilities, Bob and his 5 brothers all went to war for America - against the Japanese and the Germans. A proud member of the 82nd/101st Airborne that went on to great fame during and after WW2 for their daring exploits. Went on to fight in Korea and Vietnam and says he would still be in the army if they would let him.

Freedom Celebrated in a Unique Way

Below is a short film (16 mins) where we followed some veterans who were invited back to the Netherlands to take part in their nationally observed Liberation Celebrations. The way the Dutch do remembrance is something of a revelation; the way they treat returning veterans is incredible; the way they integrate their past into their present is a lesson that every other country could learn from. It's only a 16 minute sample of some of the themes we touch upon in 'The Last of the Few' but, be advised, it is an emotionally charged short film and, as such, an indication of how gripping the final documentary will be.