The fourth of seven fascinating and thought-provoking films produced by viewers of the Tyne Tees Television news programme North East Tonight presenting a range of thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears about moving into a new millennium. In this film written by Julie Ward from County Durham asks the question why, as we enter the Millennium, is it so hard to apologise for the wrongs committed by our forebears? The film tells the story of Lance Sergeant Joseph William Stone of the 19th Durham Light...

The fourth of seven fascinating and thought-provoking films produced by viewers of the Tyne Tees Television news programme North East Tonight presenting a range of thoughts, hopes, dreams and fears about moving into a new millennium. In this film written by Julie Ward from County Durham asks the question why, as we enter the Millennium, is it so hard to apologise for the wrongs committed by our forebears? The film tells the story of Lance Sergeant Joseph William Stone of the 19th Durham Light Infantry (DLI) who was court marshalled and shot for cowardice in 1917. The war memorial at Stanley Crook in County Durham on a hill overlooking the village below changes to archive of soldiers in the trenches during World War One and a young man’s voice talking about the Great War and its many sacrifices. The village of Stanley Crook below shrouded in mist and Tom Stone, William Stones great-nephew, talking about coming across his story purely by chance while doing family history. As Tom talks about all records of William being ‘expunged’ from the family bible out of shame, pages from the War Diary or Intelligence Summary relating to the action that brough William to court martial. At a derelict farm a recreation of the execution of Willam Stone which took place at Roellecourt in France on the 18th January 1917. Pages taken from Stone’s court martial are also used alongside various relevant words written on the Stanley Crook cenotaph. During this sequence a young man voice reads words written by William Stone in the days leading up to his execution. Over a montage of other war memorials in the area Tom Stone providing details with regards the action that led to Sgt Stones court martial for cowardice. A photograph of Lance Sgt Stone with Tom Stone talking about wanting to get a pardon for him and to let the world know he was unjustly murdered by his own country. A montage showing the Stanley Crook memorial alongside additional archive of the trenches during World War One. Again, the voice of the young man reading extracts from what is believed to be William Stones diary stating that as we march forward into the next millennium we do so with our eyes and ears closed, why is it so hard to apologise for the wrongs committed by our forebears? At the bottom of the cenotaph at Stanley Crook the name of Sgt Stone added beside other comrades. But what of the others, asks the voice as Tom Stone comes to stand on the hill looking down on the misty village below. Over a final view of the memorial the voice says that it is time to remove all blindfolds and enter the new era with greater humility and dignity. [NB: William Stone name was added to the Stanley Crook war memorial in 1997 and pardoned along with 305 other British soldiers executed during World War One in 2006.]