The BackTracker History Show

The Welsh Buccaneer (pt 2) Season: 7 Episode: 9 In the first part of this tale, we looked at Henry Morgan's first steps into the life of a privateer. Now we see how his confidence sees him take on bigger risks. His greatest exploit came in 1671 with the sack of Panama, a triumph that cemented his legend. CAST Alexandre Exquemelin - Guy Pass THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from...

The Welsh Bucanneer (Pt 1) Season: 7 Episode: 8 He was a Welsh farm boy who rose to become the terror of the Spanish Main and later a knight of England. Henry Morgan carved his name into history through daring raids, brutal battles, and cunning strategy, from the fevered frontiers of Jamaica to the burning streets of Panama, blurring the line between pirate and patriot, and leaving a legacy that e...

The Cornish Logan Stone Season: 7 Episode: 7 Perched high above the Cornish cliffs, the famous Logan Rock at Treen once rocked so gently that a single hand could set it swaying. Then, in 1824, a reckless act sent the eighty-ton boulder crashing down, sparking outrage across the country. In this episode, we uncover the dramatic story of the man who toppled it, the costly and dangerous effort to rai...

Shepton Mallet Prison (pt2) Season: 7 Episode: 6 Part two of this series turns the spotlight on more of the condemned men who passed through the gates of Shepton Mallet Prison, each arriving under guard, each leaving for the scaffold. Their crimes varied, from calculated murder to acts born of jealousy, desperation or sudden violence, but their final destination was the same stark yard within thos...

Shepton Mallet Prison (pt1) Season: 7 Episode: 5 Built in 1610, Shepton Mallet Prison is Britain’s oldest jail, a grim stone fortress still standing today. Over the centuries it has held French prisoners of war, guarded national treasures in wartime, and witnessed the darkest moments of justice. This is a place of cells and secrets, and of lives that ended on the gallows. In this series, we tell t...

The Tintagel Miracle Season: 7 Episode: 4 High above the roaring Atlantic, Tintagel clings to the rugged north coast of Cornwall, a place where sea mist wraps itself around ancient stone and legend never feels far away. Dominated by Tintagel Castle, inseparable from the myths of King Arthur, it draws travellers, dreamers and romantics from around the world. Yet on 6 July 1979, this storied village...

Murder at Two Mile Hill Season: 7 Episode: 3 In February 1869, a young widow was trying to get home after a few too many drinks at her local pub in Two Mile Hill, Kingswood, Bristol. She never made it and what happened next shocked her local community CAST Mr. W. Gaisford (Coroner) - Marcus Kepple-Palmer Mr. Nurse - Julian Kendall Isaac Wiltshire - Simon Criddle Jane Cottle - Mili Beniams Emma Rog...

The Staple Hill Tunnel Season: 7 Episode: 2 Bristol’s hunger for coal sparked a bold idea, drive a railway straight from the pits at Coalpit Heath into the city. With Royal Assent granted on 19th June 1828, the Bristol & Gloucestershire Railway was born. One of the line’s most ambitious features was the Staple Hill Tunnel, begun in 1834. In this episode, we look at a few tales behind this loca...

Bristol's King David Hotel Season: 7 Episode: 1 This time, we’re stepping inside the story of the King David Hotel. Built in 1893 on the site of the original King David Inn, this striking three-storey building of yellow and red brick spent a century welcoming drinkers, travellers, and locals alike. By the 1990s, its role had changed completely, taken over by the Hospital, but its walls had already...

Somerset Artist & Suffragette Season:  6 Episode: 40 Welcome to the show, where we step into the vivid world of Ivy, a celebrated artist and passionate suffragette who championed gender equality. Part of the pioneering generation of women finally able to study art, she launched a dazzling career creating Christmas cards, postcards and calendars that soon became treasured favourites and are no...

Francis Eaton's Adventure Season:  6 Episode: 39 Francis Eaton was born ca. 1596 in Bristol, England, and died in the autumn of 1633 in Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He, with his wife and son, were passengers on the historic 1620 voyage of the Mayflower. His signature appears on the Mayflower Compact Francis Eaton’s story begins long before the Mayflower set sail, and when woven togethe...

The Mystery In The Village Season:  6 Episode: 38 Unearth the astonishing tale of how the tiny North Dorset village of Gussage St Michael, home to only a few hundred souls, suddenly found itself splashed across front pages around the world in 1913. From Britain to Australia and New Zealand, its story raced across continents, turning a quiet rural corner into an international sensation. Step i...

Filton's War Heroes Season:  6 Episode: 37 Nestled in the quiet churchyard of St Peter’s in Filton, Bristol, stands a solemn granite memorial, its rough-hewn Latin cross reaching skywards as a tribute to local men who gave their lives in the First World War. Later additions commemorate those lost in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts, a poignant reminder of the sacrifices woven int...

Bristol's Code Breaker: Gordon Welchman Season:  6 Episode: 36 Dive into the extraordinary mind behind the unseen machinery of Allied codebreaking. In this episode, we explore how Gordon Welchman’s quiet brilliance reshaped the war effort, the birth of traffic analysis, and why his ideas still echo through modern intelligence work. If you’ve ever wondered how the hidden architecture of Bletch...

The Captain With Two Victoria Crosses! Season:  6 Episode: 35 As part of our Lest We Forget November series of show, we visit the story of Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse, a doctor, a soldier, and one of only three people in history to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice. His compassion on the battlefield and his courage under fire remind us what true heroism looks like, not just in grand gestu...

Remembrance Day 2025 Season:  6 Episode: 34 Each November, as the nation falls silent, we remember them, the men and women who gave everything in the service of others. Their names are carved in stone, whispered in churches, and carried in the hearts of families across generations. But behind every name lies a story of bravery, sacrifice, and humanity in the darkest of times. As we honour all...

Joe Rogers and the Royal Charter Season:  6 Episode: 33 It was the night of 25 October 1859, when the wind began to howl across the Irish Sea. By midnight it had grown into a monstrous storm, one so fierce it would later be remembered as the worst of the nineteenth century. Waves rose like dark mountains, tearing at the coast of Anglesey and battering ships caught in its fury. Out there, stru...

Halloween Special 2025 Season:  6 Episode: 32 Welcome to the Halloween edition of The Backtracker History Show, where we uncover the true origins of this haunting night. Long before costumes and sweets, Halloween was a sacred bridge between the living and the dead, when ancient Celts lit fires to keep spirits at bay. Join us as we journey through centuries of folklore, from Samhain to All Hal...

The Locked Bank Mystery Season:  6 Episode: 31 The curious case of the Welshman murdered inside a locked bank. He was found shot dead, a bullet hole in the window, and a haul of cash and silver missing. This wasn’t a detective show plot — it was a real crime scene uncovered by detectives just over 100 years ago. CAST Abraham “Jack” Goldenberg - Joe Wilson ' M' Letter - Sam Roberts South Wales...

The Robber's Stone Season:  6 Episode: 30 Discover the story behind The Robbers’ Stone , a Grade II listed memorial in West Lavington, Wiltshire. It marks a dramatic 1839 highway robbery and the capture of the culprits—a real-life tale of law triumphing over highwaymen. Tune in to hear how Mr. Dean of Imber was robbed, the pursuit that followed, and the legacy left in stone. CAST John Baish -...

The Looting of SS Ettrick Season:  6 Episode: 29 In 1924, the SS Ettrick met a dramatic fate on the River Avon — she ran aground and refused to budge. As the tide turned and the crew gave up hope, the ship capsized overnight, belly-up in the murky waters. By morning, the riverbank was swarming with locals, not to rescue, but to scavenge: tobacco, cigarettes, sweets, and boots bobbed temptingl...

Eric Harper: WW2 Life in the Royal Airforce Season:  6 Episode: 28 At just eighteen, Eric Ronald Harper swapped the classroom for the cockpit. By May 1940 he was in uniform, training as an Air Observer—what we’d now call a Navigator—with 207 Squadron, 5 Group, Bomber Command. From Penarth to Melksham, then Bridgnorth in Shropshire, his journey into the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve had be...

More Short Tales Season:  6 Episode: 27 From an unusual change of mind to a woman with bizarre eating habits, here are just a few of the shorter tales in my archive. All interesting enough to share with you. CAST Dr. Hocking - Steve Sheperd Mary Ann Carroll - Carrie Ball Magistrates' Clerk - Steve Sheperd THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in B...

The Dickin Medal Season:  6 Episode: 26 They call it the animals’ Victoria Cross—the PDSA Dickin Medal. Created in 1943, it honours the bravery of animals who served in war. Since then, more than 70 animals have received it, the highest honour for courage in the face of danger. And here are just a few of the 12 recipients buried at the Ilford PDSA Cemetery in London. Here's the story of just...

The Cheltenham Torso Mystery Season:  6 Episode: 25 The Cheltenham torso mystery, a chilling enigma that gripped the nation, remains one of Gloucestershire's most infamous unsolved crimes. It made national headlines and sparked a massive police manhunt, but despite tantalising clues and relentless investigation, the truth was never uncovered. CAST Bradford Observer - Andrea Reid Gardener - Co...