Tales from the Battlefields

In this episode we go back to 1932 and discover the story of the people involved in the design and construction of the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission anywhere in the world. We discover what inspired the architect Edwin Lutyens after a battlefield visit in 1917. We also look at the stories of several soldiers commemorated on the memorial, including a dying Sherwood Forester who wrote a...

In this episode we begin telling the story of one of “Kitchener’s Army” New Army battalions – 6th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment. During this series we will follow the story of this Battalion, from recruitment and training in 1914, to the Somme in the summer and winter of 1916/17, to Arras, the horrors of Ypres and the German Spring Offensive of 1918. And we will continue their journey...

Daddy Dear – I did not see you but Mummy taught me to love you.” In this episode we travel to one of the largest military cemeteries to discover the stories of the men, and one woman, who are buried there. We look at a battlefield pilgrimage from 1923, and discover the story of a Mother who arranged for her own ashes to be buried with her son. We also experience the sounds of nature, as we listen...

In this episode we travel to the Somme and discover how a group of historians from Cheshire have restored 2 forgotten memorials at Bazentin. What is their story? We also discover a new memorial to 16 Submariners who drowned off the coast of Norfolk in 1941. And we pay tribute to a member of the Royal Marines band who died recently.

In this episode we visit the Anglican church in Ypres that was built when Ypres was redeveloped in the 1920’s. Why did Ypres need a British church? Who were the worshippers? Why did they build a British school next door? And what happened in 1940 when the Germans occupied Ypres? How did the British people escape and what happened to the church? We go on a tour of the church and look at some of the...

In this week’s episode we travel to the small village of Le Paradis in Northern France to discover the awful story of a group of BEF soldiers who were murdered by the SS during the retreat to Dunkirk in May 1940. We listen to the words of the only 2 survivors and find out how another man escaped the shootings by going through a different door as the SS waited for them to surrender. We are joined b...

In this episode we once again travel to the Somme battlefield and discover the story of the 8th Battalion of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on the first day of the battle. We discover their story in their own words, rather than the history books. We find out what it was like to be stranded in No Man’s Land for several days, whilst being sniped at by German marksmen. And how a Mother, whos...

In this episode we talk to historian and battlefield guide Beth Moore about her local battalion on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. Why were they ordered to carry out a diversionary attack? What did they experience on that awful day? What happened to them in No Man’s Land? And Beth’s passionately defends their Commanding Officer who was blamed for the disaster that occurred.

In this episode we travel to the town of Bethune in Northern France to discover the stories of the men that died in a Casualty Clearing Station and are now at rest here. We find the final resting place of an NCO who was murdered by 2 of his men, who were executed for their crime and then buried a few hundred yards away from their victim. And who was the Indian soldier buried in Bethune who was pos...

In this episode we travel from the Yorkshire Moors to the Somme battlefield at Serre to discover the story of the Leeds Pals. Who were these men? Why is their training ground now a special place for them? We look at the extraordinary bravery of their young Officers and Other Ranks on the first day of this infamous battle, and read a letter written by the sister of a 16 year old Boy Soldier, beggin...

In this episode we travel to a small village near the French/Belgium border to discover some forgotten stories. We discover the tragic stories of 2 Australians buried here and how a Northampton man foretold his own death, leaving his 2 young daughters orphaned. And discover the incredible action of a Yorkshireman who was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the lives of many comrades here. We als...

In this episode we discover the stories of the Commonwealth soldiers buried in Dochy Farm Cemetery on the Ypres battlefield. Who were they? What was their story? And how was one Officer identified decades after he was buried in the cemetery? Who was the footballer buried there who scored the winning goal in the FA Cup Final? And we discover how I felt when I walked Hill 60 at dusk. And we listen t...

In this episode we look at the concept of distance and time in relation to the fallen of the Great War. And how the act of remembrance affects our emotions today. To do this we look at the fortunes of Ilston Stevenson’s parents after he disappeared whilst on patrol and was never seen again. We discover what it was like for a German soldier to be subjected to terrible artillery bombardment and how...

In this episode we travel to the Western Front following in the footsteps of 3 “ordinary” soldiers. We discover how a Welshman carried out a brave action that saw him awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and how another 2 men were killed in action, one in the mud of Passchendaele and the other during the last few days of the war. And we also follow the story of the parents of a young soldier wh...

In this episode we tour the Passchendaele battlefield with local guide Leen Van Meerbeek. We discover how the tanks floundered in the mud and slime. Leen explains the incredible action of Clement Robertson who was awarded the Victoria Cross and the story of the successful “Cockcroft” action. We also visit Pond Farm and discover a replica tank and also the graves of several “tankies” and tell their...

In this episode we hear the words of several German soldiers who fought in the horrors of Passchendaele in 1917. We discover what it was like to face the British attack on the first day of the battle, and how the artillery shells tore off the limbs of men who continued to live on. We learn how they dealt with the fear and loss of friends in battle, and the terrifying experience of being under a “c...

In this episode we travel to Crete and learn about the 1941 invasion of the island by German paratroopers. We hear from former Coldstream Guard, Will Tower, who explains how the British and Anzac troops tried to defend the airfields on the island in bitter fighting. We discover the story of New Zealander Leslie Andrew who had been awarded the Victoria Cross at Messines in World War 1 and hear abou...

In this episode we look at the stories of the families left behind by the casualties of the Great War. How did they cope? What happened to their sons in World War 2? We hear from writer Vera Brittain about how she felt when her fiancée died and what happened when she opened the parcel that contained his bloodstained kit. And we look at the story of Philip Wooding who died from shrapnel wounds a ye...

In this episode we travel to the Somme and look at the battle for Bazentin Ridge, through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We hear from war poet and author Robert Graves, who was reported as being dead but lived until he was over 80. We discover the awful artillery bombardment a signaller experienced at an old Windmill opposite High Wood. And we hear the words of several soldiers who took...

In this episode, some of which was recorded on the battlefield, we travel from Boesinghe to Pilckem, following the Welsh Division that fought here on 31st July 1917. We discover 2 poets that died that day, and soldiers and airmen that died in the same area during World War 2. We find a German trench mortar on top of a bunker, and the soldier who was left on the battlefield for 6 days before being...

In this episode we talk to author Phil Cross about his book “The Other Trench”. Phil’s Great Great Grandfather served with the German Army throughout the Great War and kept a detailed diary of his experiences on the Western Front, and also the Russian and Italian battlefields. We hear how Phil discovered the diary and what it means to him. We discuss his German heritage and how he feels about Alex...

In this episode we hear the stories of men, and the nurses who treated them, who were wounded on the Western Front. We learn how the evacuation process operated and how advances in medical science saved so many lives. We look at new inventions such as blood transfusion, X Ray and the “Thomas” Splint. We also hear from Horace “Jock” Graffon, who was badly wounded on the Somme, had his foot amputate...

In this episode we travel to the Somme to discover the story of 2 disastrous trench raids that took place in the Spring of 1916 before the “Big Push”. Why did they carry out raids and how did the soldiers feel about them? What happened on a raid and what became to the soldiers that were killed during these raids? And why was a German raid on British trenches at Fricourt such a disaster for the 6th...

In this episode we follow the story of Private Walter Cox from his home in Australia to Gallipoli to where he was badly wounded on the Somme. We discover how he was treated in the medical facilities before reaching a hospital in England where he died. We hear from the nurses who worked in the hospitals and Casualty Clearing Stations. And we talk to an Englishman who “adopted” Walter’s grave and vi...

This is a “live” episode, recorded on the Bellewaarde Ridge near Ypres. We discover, through the eyes of the soldiers on both sides of the wire, what happened here in June 1915 in a small, often forgotten action. We hear about the German medic who wrote to a dead British soldier’s family long after the war, and the photographer who took a famous photo in the German front line. And we discover the...