In this episode we talk to historian Beth Moore about the 46th Division attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 13th October 1915. We discuss who these men were and what went wrong to cause such awful casualties in a single day. We also learn about the experiences of the soldiers who were there, in their own words.
In this episode we tell the awful story of how the Germans tricked the 1st Northamptonshire's into believing they were surrendering during the Battle of the Aisne in September 1914. But it was a trap and we discover how the Germans then machine gunned them in a rare example of this sort of incident. We also learn about the German born man in Northampton who was run out of town after this incident. And we have a report from Loos where 2 British soldiers were reburied in the new Cemetery Extension...
In this episode we continue our tour of Arnhem looking at what happened in and around the Hartenstein Hotel, the Oosterbeek Church, St Elisabeth Hospital and we look at some of the incredible stories of the casualties buried in the CWGC cemetery. We also examine the legacy of the battle through the eyes of the Dutch people and British veterans.
In this episode we travel to Arnhem to mark the 80th anniversary of this battle in September 1944. In part 1 we look at the story of the parachute drops through the eyes of the men who were there. We then follow their route to the road bridge and discover, through the words of Major General John Frost and other veterans, what happened during those dramatic few days.
In this episode we go on a stroll around Ypres. Along the way we walk to a member of the Last Post Association about the iconic ceremony at the Menin Gate. We discover the story of the "Wipers Times" and visit the beautiful Ramparts Cemetery. We also find out the story of the local Resistance who hid Allied airmen in a hotel during World War 2. And discuss opposing thoughts about the construction of the Menin Gate during the 1920's, including a controversial Siegfried Sassoon poem.
In this episode we talk to author and former RAF Tornado Navigator and Gulf War prisoner-of-war John Nichol. Over one million British Empire soldiers were killed during the First World War. More than a century later, more than half a million still have no known grave. The scale of the fighting, the destructive power of high explosive, and the combination of relentless military engagement and glutinous mud meant that many of the dead were never recovered or identified. Names were left without bod...
In this episode we travel around the Ypres battlefield and discover the stories of 2 men who were awarded the Victoria Cross, several soldiers who were executed by the British Army, some professional footballers who gave up their careers and were killed in action and other incredible stories, including a dreadful gas attack in August 1916.
In this episode we walk the 1917 3rd Battle of Ypres battlefield from St Julien, along the Steenbeek, to Langemarck and onto Poelcapelle. We discover forgotten stories along the way and find out what is was like to be there in 1917, through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We come across the site of an old German war cemetery and the site of 2 Victoria Cross actions along the way, and a disastrous tank attack.
In this episode we return to High Wood on the Somme but not in 1916 but in August 1939 when a World War 1 veteran returns to the wood and explores the the scene of his nightmares from 20 years before. It is the eve of World War 2 and the veteran discovers what the French landowner thinks about the impending war with Germany. We also learn about a man whose parents claimed he was killed in France but had deserted and lived until 1972. And we have news from the Somme about the Butte de Warlencourt...
In this episode we mark the 107th anniversary of the opening day of the 3rd Battle of Ypres by discussing the horrific experiences of the 1st Battalion, Hertfordshire Regiment on that day. We talk to author and historian Paul Johnson, who explains who these men were, what happened to them and the incredible bravery of them all. We also look at what happened through the eyes of the soldiers, both British and German.
In this episode we mark the beginning of the Paris Olympics by looking at the story of Frederick Kelly. Frederick, known as Cleg, was an Olympic gold medal winner at the 1908 London Olympics. He then became a composer before joining the Royal Naval Division at the beginning of the Great War. Find out how he became friends with poet Rupert Brooke and how he was killed in action during the Battle of the Ancre in November 1916. We look at this battle in detail, following Cleg's story, and through t...
Well known for being the only recipient of the Victoria Cross for actions on D-Day, Company Sergeant Major Stan Hollis was a true leader of men and a superb soldier. However, that only just scratches the surface of a man who was recommended for not just the Victoria Cross twice, but also the Military Medal and the Distinguished Conduct Medal. In this episode we talk to author Mark Green who tells the story of Stan, a man wounded five times, only to shun publicity and state "anyone would have don...
In this episode we discuss the incredible story of Captain Gilbert Nobbs. He was shot through the head, blinded, but survived and captured during the Battle of the Somme. We use his memoirs “ On the Right of the British Line” to tell his story. Why does he describe the women at home as heroes, what was it like to be shot and blinded? How did he live a very successful life for 54 years after being so seriously wounded? And who was his upper class pal who surprised him with such personal bravery?
In this episode we travel to the Somme and discover what happened over a period of 2 months in High Wood. Find out, through the eyes of the veterans, what happened in the summer of 1916. We hear from soldiers who encountered hell on earth. How did it make them feel? What were their thoughts? How did they survive? We find out as the veterans tell us in their own words.”
In this episode we continue our journey along the Normandy beaches and go inland to discover what happened on Hill 112 in dreadful scenes that resembled the static battles from the Great War. We also discover the heartbreaking stories of the 3 Westlake brothers from Toronto, Canada who all died in Normandy. What happened when I told their story at their graves? And the serviceman who, while the landings were happening, was executed for murder on D Day.
In this episode we travel along Juno and Gold Beaches and tell the story of the landings through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We hear from Bill Dunn whose tank “Charlie One” still sits close to the location where it broke down on Juno Beach. We find out what happened to his mates that day and how they sang to keep their spirits up as the German mortars rained down on them. We go to the British Normandy Memorial and see the “Standing with the Giants” exhibition and tell the story of t...
In this first special episode, we travel to Normandy to tell the stories of the D Day landings on the 80th anniversary of this incredible historical achievement by the Allies. We tour the beaches and listen to the story of the Pegasus Bridge through the eyes of Major John Howard, and listen to Piper Bill Millin on Sword Beach. Why did he play his pipes? We visit the Montgomery memorial before going to Ranville to discover the story of the first casualty on D Day and find the stories of several s...
In this episode we discover the stories of men who died in the Great War but were not correctly remembered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission until recently. We find out about the Officer whose named was added to the Thiepval Memorial just 20 years ago because his parents refused to accept his death during their lifetime. We also look at the tragic story of the young soldier who couldn’t face going to war and took his own life. And the victim of poison gas on the Somme, who died at home a...
In this episode we travel to the Western Front following the story of a typical British soldier between 1916 and 1918, when he was killed in action. We travel from the Somme, to Arras and Passchendaele, before finding the location of where he died during the Lys Offensive in April 1918. What did he experience? How horrific were the conditions at Passchendaele? How did they achieve their objectives at Arras and how was his battalion almost wiped out during the German 1918 Spring Offensive. We fin...
In this episode we feature the story of a young British infantry officer and his experiences on the Somme in July 1916. Jack Lidsey then became an Observer in the Royal Flying Corps. Through his words in his personal diary, we look at what happened to him in the skies above the Western Front. Jack’s story ends when he became the 29th victim of the Red Baron. The story is discussed with the author of a book about Jack, historian and battlefield guide Andrew White
In this episode we talk to Mark Connolly about how battlefield tours evolved during and after World War 1. We discuss who these first pilgrims were and what they saw and emotionally experienced on the old Western Front battlefields? Who was the schoolteacher who went across to France on a battlefield tour in 1914 and how did charitable organisations arrange and fund the initial post war private tours?
In this episode we continue the story of the Accrington Pals at Serre on 1st July 1916. We listen to the music that was inspired by those young men and discover more of the stories of the lads from that Northern town on the 1st day of the Somme. What is their story? We find out through the eyes of the soldiers who were there.
In this episode we travel to the Somme and walk in the footsteps of the Accrington Pals. We tell their story through the eyes of the Pals who were there. Who were they? What happened to them? Who was their CO who survived the day but died in tragic circumstances decades later. And who was the underage Officer who lost his leg but refused to leave the army? And the story of the heartbroken girl Amelia who wrote a beautiful poem to her fiancée Walter.
In this episode we talk to Rebecca Clarke about her husband’s Grandfather Arnold Clarke who was on board HMS India when it was torpedoed and sunk in August 1915. Arnold was one of the survivors and was interned in a camp in neutral Norway. How did he cope with being imprisoned for 3 years? How did they keep themselves occupied? We find out. We also discuss my tribute to 2 soldiers who died on the Western Front and look at the family pilgrimages that we carried out to their graves on Terry’s Tour...
In this week’s podcast we travel to Lincolnshire for a very emotional ceremony at the site of a crashed Lancaster Bomber on the 80th anniversary of this awful incident. What happened on that day and who were those victims on board the Lancaster? We discover the answers by talking to the witnesses of the accident, including my own Mum who was 6 years old. We also talk to Megan Maltby from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission about “War Graves Week” that is taking place next month.
In this episode we travel to the Somme and follow in the footsteps of a Collingwood Aussie Rules Footballer, Percy Rowe. Percy went to France alongside his best mate Doc Seddon. He left behind his new wife Louie and newborn son. When Percy died of wounds Doc promised he would look after his widow and son. He fulfilled that promise and we tell this incredible love story whilst walking the ground where Percy fought and died. We also have news from Ypres about the Menin Gate Ceremony.
In this episode we are taken on a guided walk from the Ulster Tower into the original trenches within Thiepval Woods where the 36th Ulster Division advanced from on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. We discover the stories of several soldiers who were awarded the Victoria Cross on that day and our guide Rocky explains what happened on 1st July 1916, whilst discussing some artefacts they have found in the wood, including a spoon that saved a man’s life.
In this episode we visit the Commission’s Headquarters in Arras and go on a guided tour of the Visitor Centre where we discover how the headstones are created and maintained. Lucie also talks about the work of the Commission’s craftsmen and gardeners who look after the cemeteries and create the features such as the entrance gates and boundary walls that we are familiar with. We also get an update on the new path that is being constructed around the Lochnager Crater.
In this episode we travel to the Somme village of Courcelette that was captured in a single day by the Canadians in September 1916. We look at the stories of the soldiers from both sides of the wire and discover the horror of hand to hand fighting. We also talk to local historian Poppy Mercier who explains what it is like to live on the battlefield and how it has established a connection between her and the soldiers who fought there.
In this episode we look at the personal stories of the ANZAC forces that landed at Gallipoli on 25th April 1915. We hear from the soldiers themselves as they explain what happened on that fateful day and we examine the story of Lieutenant-Colonel Lancelot Fox Clarke who was killed leading his men into action. We also talk to historian and broadcaster Graham McKechnie who tells the story of Blair Swannell, a Northampton Saints and British Lion rugby player who also played for Australia before lay...
