other place that has become the focus of national attention. yes, and it has only been here for ten yea rs and it has only been here for ten years since it was first dedicated, and it is an important part of armistice day and also remembrance sunday is well. they are getting ready for this enemy, which begins shortly. guests arriving, and we're expecting the royal party shortly. probably the star of today's events is this veteran who i'm going to talk to. he was born before the end of the first world war and served in the second world war. your 99 today. what happened to you? you were fighting in north africa in your tank came under fire. yes, into an jay—z. yes, into anjay—z. about yes, into an jay—z. about a week before the campaign finished, we we re before the campaign finished, we were going up to the mountains. we got through the gap and we got about 12 times through the gap and as we

we re 12 times through the gap and as we were lining up ready to go into action, they opened fire with 80 millimetre guns, anti—tax guns and not six tanks out. i was in one of them. it's set on fire and i received burns to hands handsome face and chest. my left arm was shot away at the elbow. it was on the bottom of the tank. i picked it up and put it on my shoulder to save it. then after i got conscious, i got through the hall at the top of the tank. then you were shot by a machine gun in the back. yes, then i slid down the front of the tank. you will effectively unconscious for a

24 will effectively unconscious for a 2a hours before you were found lying there in the desert with your arm hanging off, but here is you are, 99 yea rs hanging off, but here is you are, 99 years old, you have the use of your left arm, you have everything back. what does it mean to you to think about your comrades who were killed that day? i am very emotional about them, because they were very good pals, very good mates and i think about everybody that was killed in the war. army, navy, air force, everyone. thanks very much for talking to me. graham, your son is here. graham took his dad to visit the graves of his comrades in 2012. it's a great moment for les to come

to this service and be the star of the show. the weather now. the further north you are, the colder the weather. this afternoon, still cloudy to the south, slightly milder, with temperatures in double figures in the south west and south wales, but not really feeling it with the rain and the wind. further north, clear skies and sunshine, but the chillier feel. the colder will eventually chase away the wet weather. in two remembrance sunday and the cold weather comes out, but also sunshine. a lot of sunshine through the day, some showers in the west. top temperatures six or 7

degrees, feeling colder in the wind. hello. this is bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for the travel show. this week on the travel show — as the world marks armistice day, we are in america to explore a fleet of abandoned first world war ships. creating a national tourism resource which brings people from all over the world. these ships were involved in saving the world from totalitarianism. we meet the spider men and women of guizhou in china. and go behind the scenes at a new show were the cast members

have to get used to performing in a downpour. obviously, this is due bias there is no expense spared in the staging. we are talking 65 world—class artists, athletes and performers and best of all, in the middle of the desert, you can even get rain. the potomac passes some of washington, dc‘s

most iconic landmarks. george washington, founding father and original president of the united states, lived on its banks. but follow the river just 30 miles south and you will discover a section that is a world away from the capital's boulevards and monuments. this is mallows bay and it is a paradise for kayakers. when you look around, you can see why. so much natural beauty here and the wildlife is amazing. when the bay is full, you might assume it isjust another beauty spot. but as the tide rolls out, its secrets are revealed. this is what remains of potentially the largest group of world war i ships anywhere in the world. and i am here a century after the united states entered the conflict.

the wreckage of around 100 war—era vessels can be discovered here. to find out how they ended up 30 miles south of washington, dc, i've arranged to meet marine expert donald shomette. hello, there. hello. how are you going? lovely to meet you. when we entered the war, we didn't have much of an army or a navy or much of anything and when we asked the prime minister of england, lloyd george, what can we do, he said ships, ships and more ships because one out of every two ships was being lost per week that sailed from england to france and the supply line was stretched. there was the threat of starvation. by 1918, we outstripped the united kingdom, great britain, in shipbuilding.

while the makeshift vessels were built at a breathtaking speed, they were completed too late to play a major part in the war. after the armistice, the world was in economic turmoil and the wooden ships, obsolete. with few commercial prospects, the us government sold them off to a salvage company. the company eventually brought them over here in this burning basin over here, they take the ships, burn them down and try and get the maximum metal out of them. so this is a graveyard for ships? yeah. and it's notjust first world war vessels which can be found here. donald claims the oldest wreck goes all the way back to the american war of independence, 240 years ago. in total, it is estimated the area holds the remains of almost 200 ships. this wreck is a latecomer. she is called the accomac and she was built in the late 1920s as a passenger ferry. the crazy thing is,

even though this ship has died, there is so much living stuff on it. on the surface, the wrecks might look like an environmental disaster but they have been left alone long enough to be reclaimed by nature. back in my kayak, i am joined by conservationist joel dunn. you can see why they call these shipwrecks flowerpots. in the uk, people pay good money to have biodiversity like this on the roofs of their houses. what sort of wildlife can i expect to see? bald eagles and ospreys and great blue heron and otters and beavers

and lots of fish below the water. so you could be eaten by the wildlife if you go back into the bush there? the bay is a relatively shallow water body with a typically muddy bottom so the shipwrecks create structure and from structure, you get diversity and from diversity, you get magic. joel, donald and other conservation groups have teamed up to have mallows bay recognised as a national marine sanctuary. if approved, the site's wildlife and history will come under the protection of noaa, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration. so there's 13 national marine sanctuaries in the country, we want this to be the 14th. it will bring it more attention, partners in funding and some level of protection from people who may be harvesting historical artefacts. the biggest thing it does, though, is it creates a national tourism resource that brings people

from all over the world. but opinions are divided on these new protections. nearby, i meet some commercial fishermen making their living from the river's teeming wildlife. slimy gross thing. it is heavy, isn't it? oh, yes, definitely happy. it is going on forever. these are the blue catch. they are ugly suckers, aren't they? not real pretty. they migrated down. it's a million—and—a—half dollar industryjust on this river alone... they are concerned that turning mallows bay into a national marine sanctuary could down the line lead to restrictions on our fishing. our problem is the unknowns. we want it to put in writing that they that will never bother our industry because our

livelihoods depend on it as they will not give it to us, they say, "we can't do it." they say they have no plans to do it. won't the extra tourism benefit you? no. people go into the restaurants who will want to eat, there'll be demand for more fish, won't there? our sales will not increase that much in that area. people will be going back to dc. the organisations behind the nomination insist their plans won't impact fishing. the final decision is expected next year. donald is adamant about the benefits that sanctuary status will bring to mallows bay. the visitation will enlarge enormously after it becomes a national marine sanctuary. we want americans to see this, we want the world to see this. this is a world—class site. these ships were involved in saving the world from totalitarianism. this is important. since the project began

45 years ago, in 1972, there have been 13 marine sanctuaries designated all across the united states. you can find the first site off the coast of north carolina. the final resting place of the uss monitor. the monitor fought on the union side in the american civil war and took part in the first ever naval battle between ironclad ships. diving down to the wreck requires a permit so if you don't want to make the plunge, you can head to neighbouring virginia where a full—size replica is on display at the visitor centre. for those who prefer warm waters, florida keys is home to one of the world's largest living barrier coral reefs. there is also estimated to be 1,000 shipwrecks spread across the ocean floor. it was declared a sanctuary in 1990

and the protection zone takes in almost 3,000 square nautical miles. over on the west coast, near california's big sur, is monterey bay. it is a popular site in for nature watchers and has been called the serengeti of the sea, a reference to tanzania's famous wildlife reserve. and if you want to visit a marine safari, from around november to february, you can spot elephant seals during their breeding season. the seals are a triumphant conservation story. once they were almost hunted to extinction but now there are more than 200,000 worldwide. coming up on the travel show, we head to china

to meet the spider men and women of guizhou. anyway, it's off to dubai to take a look behind the scenes at a new show where the performers also need to have a good head for heights. thousands of artists were auditioned from across the world. we chose 65 of them to come here and they came from 23 different countries. so don't go away. the travel show, your essential guide wherever you are headed. next up, we are travelling to guizhou in china,

home of the miao minority, where for centuries they have climbed the region's sheer cliff faces without ropes. in the past they did it to collect herbs for chinese medicines, but we heard that they are now putting their skills to a different use. so we went to meet them, and it goes without saying, please don't try this at home. the incredible spider men and women of guizhou in china. and we are finishing this week by meeting another group of people with a great head for heights. this time in dubai, home of the world's tallest building, the burj khalifa, and is also the venue of a new show where gymnasts and athletes are turning years of training into an art form. we sent rajan to meet them. dubai might be known for its skyscrapers and luxury

lifestyles, but it is here in this basement rehearsal room that the emirates' latest attraction takes shape. new york—based artistic director tara young is responsible for leading this team of talented gymnast and performers. thousands of artists were auditioned from across the world. we chose 65 of them to come here, they came from 23 different countries. and after months of extensive training and rehearsal, they've opened a production called la perle, staged in a new purpose built home here in the heart of the city. i need to be a little bit, a little bit pointe and no inside, straight. ranging in age from 17 to 37, these championship level gymnasts have a daily training

schedule, perfecting and maintaining their skills. on a day—to—day basis, the artists train for 8—12 hours a day, depending on the day. what's unique now, in operation, is that we are now operating between eight and ten shows a week, so on top of their performance schedule they are also doing training. you can see from watching the action, there is a huge amount of trust that is built between these two. nick and hayley met when they arrived here, but they are both specialists in what they do. but they had never worked together before, so they had to learn to work together. i myself trained at gymnastics since the age of seven, like many of the performers in the show, we did gymnastics from a young age. with gymnastics it's very important the technical side of things, which helps you perform, or do the skills, and make them look effortless.

and that's a really big part of ourjob as artists, to really give intention to what we're doing, but also to make it look effortless. and obviously after many years of training it does become fairly effortless. we obviously have to put effort in, but it is making it look clean and simple to the audience, to make them feel that they could maybe try that skill and succeed, but obviously it is a lot harder than it looks. working at height brings its own challenges, and it can take many months for the artists to get used to performing in the specially designed harnesses that lift them off the ground. in the show i am classed as a flyer, so i work a lot with the guys, they lift us, they throw us in the air, somersault, catch, the opening act that we do, we are flying in harnesses and we come in from the top of the stage, and interact with the other performers on the ground,

and that's a good feeling. because you are flying up from high, a big height, so it gives you a little bit of a rush. this show is the first theatrical production to take up permanent residence here in dubai. and its home is a new purpose built io—storey theatre complex kitted out with a state of the art lighting and sound system. the show was conceived and curated by franco dragone, the man behind cirque du soleil, and it draws its inspiration from the story of dubai and how it transformed from a humble pearl trading outpost to the global city it has become today. but audiences are encouraged to interpret the story with their own meaning, mixing fantasy with reality accompanied by a specially composed score. unique to the staging is this — the water pit, which can be filled or drained in seconds, and forms an integral part of the set, and means that the performers have to be adept at working both wet and dry.

obviously, this is dubai, so there is no expense spared in the staging. we are talking 65 world—class artists, athletes and performers. we are talking motorcycles circling round in a bowl in midair. and best of all, in the middle of a desert, we can even get rain. next year, cirque du soleil completes its 20th anniversary in residence in las vegas, and the creators of la perle are hoping that their production will be equally as successful in its new permanent home here in dubai.

but in the meantime, no matter how many shows they give, for the performers pushing their bodies to the limit high above the stage, no day is ever the same. you have to say there is always challenges in live theatre, but that is what makes it exciting for us. every day, there's new things that can happen to us, a new audience comes in, so every day is new show. technically there will always be challenges in a new theatre, but we have the most amazing crew they can overcome this, and artistically we have a really strong cast that can roll with it, and when there is a change at last minute they can actually improvise — it's because they're so skilled that that can happen, so it's all good. that's it for this week.

coming up next week: carmen is injapan, learning about what is being done to help save one of the country's most beautiful train lines. i never expected this tiny station to be so busy. i don't think we're going to get a seat! and we're off to new york to join a dinner party with a difference as we drop in on the gastronaut‘s club, which specialises in eating some of the strangest and scariest food in the world. oh, dear. one of the biggest misconceptions about the gastronauts is that we just eat crazy things just for the sake of eating crazy things — that's not true, the things that we eat are actually really delicious. and don't forget you can keep up with us in real—time by following all our social media feed. all the details should be on your screens right now. but for now from me and all

the travel show team here in maryland, it's goodbye. hello there. some rather mixed fare weather—wise for the british isles today. for tomorrow, a more uniform picture, but a colder one at that. what do i mean? today, we've still got some cloud around for the southern half of the british isles, bringing some heavy rain even on into this evening. tomorrow, much brighter prospects for all, but it will feel considerably colder,

particularly in the south. here we are this afternoon, still with cloud across the southern half of england and wales. more rain for south wales and the south—west of england, some strong winds as well in devon and cornwall, particularly around the coasts. meanwhile, as we move further east and north, we see that things become drier and hopefully a bit brighter through the afternoon. sunshine for east anglia and parts of the midlands, and northern england and scotland throughout the day, they are doing very well in terms of sunshine. brightening as well for northern ireland, but much chillier to the north of the british isles, partly because of the wind, but also because we've got much colder air associated with the clearer skies. for the rugby, hopefully a little bit of brighter weather around at murrayfield this afternoon, but it looks like we'll see some rain and into the evening for that match saving cardiff. rain and into the evening for that match in cardiff. let's wind the clock on now and you'll see the rain turning heavier again across south wales

and southern england through the evening and into the small hours of sunday. strong winds as well along the south coast. that rain eventually starts to pull away. then the colder air moves in for all sunday. isobars to set up directly north to south, opening the floodgates for a cold beer to come straight down from the arctic. cold air pushing its way away so across the british isles. the cold air and the wind will mean he chilly day for sunday, a chilly day for sunday, the cenotaph a high of 7 degrees with some sunshine. he chilly day across the british isles, the wind carrying some showers to wales on the south—west of england through the morning. i think we'll see those peter out during the afternoon. perhaps some of these in the north sea coast getting further inland to the likes of east anglia through the afternoon.

perhaps a wintry shower across the hills of scotland and achilly feel for all. we stick with the cold into the beginning of next week, a frosty start for monday, but more cloud and some wetter weather arriving and milder conditions as the week goes on. in just over one minute from now, at 11 o'clock, on the 11th day of the 11th month, millions of people will stop what they're doing, observing a silent tribute to commemorate the fallen of world war i, world war ii and the conflicts which have taken place since. this is bbc news.