Footsteps of the fallen

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest episode. Today, we visit the battlefield at High Wood, one of the deadliest killing grounds of the Great War.  Over 8000 men died in the three months of fighting here and we discover what happened during those fateful months in 1916.

Send us Fan Mail In this latest episode, we visit one of the must-see locations on the Somme, the Newfoundland Park at Beaumont Hamel.   We hear the story of the fighting, discover what went so wrong for the men from Newfoundland and find out about the final capture of the village in November 1916. 

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest episode, in which we look at the opening salvos of the Great War, the so-called Battle of the Frontiers, in which the French suffered the greatest single-day loss of life of the entire War.

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest podcast.  In this episode, we begin by mulling over what it means to be English, and look at two of those bastions of Englishness - Test Match Special and the Shipping Forecast. We then follow the shipping forecast and look at the Battle of Dogger Bank, the January 1915 showdown between the Royal Navy and the German High Seas fleet.  We hear about the mysteri...

Send us Fan Mail On the afternoon of the 8th April 1917, a German plane flew over the small village of Achicourt near Arras, where preparations were underway for an attack to be made by the 56th Division the following day. The visit of the German plane set off a catastrophic chain of events that destroyed the village, killed countless soldiers and civilians, and resulted in one of the largest expl...

Send us Fan Mail In our latest podcast, we present an overview of the Battle of Aubers, which was delivered to the Great War Group earlier in March.   What was supposed to be a gentle stroll across the Artois countryside turned into one of the worst days of casualties of the Great War for the British, with over 11,000 men being killed, wounded or missing for no material gain, and the offensive was...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest podcast! In today's episode, we look at the work and perils of the Balloon Corps.  Vital for observation and artillery support, balloon work was one of the most dangerous jobs in the military, with a shockingly short life expectancy. We begin at Couin Military Cemetery, where a top hat and cane marked the grave of one of Edwardian theatre's most cel...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest podcast! In the first of a new themed series, we take a deep dive into some of the great questions of the First World War. Each episode is carefully researched, drawing on both primary and secondary sources to explore the truth — or the uncertainty — behind some of the conflict’s most important issues. In this episode, we examine the burial of the Unknown War...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest episode! Today we walk the battlefield from Ypres to Poelkappelle and discover the personal stories of some of the men who lie in the cemeteries in this part of the Salient, including that of the greatest French air ace, Georges Guynemer. Support the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog https:/www.patreon.com/footstepspod

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year! By July 1918, the German offensive was running out of steam; heavy losses, combined with overstretched supply lines, put the Germans in a perilous position.  The German Commander, Ludendorff, gambled everything on one final push, the so-called Friedenstrum, or Peace Offensive. The offensive failed and the door was opened to Allied Victory. In this episode, we look...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the final podcast of 2025! In our second question-and-answer episode, we answer some listeners' questions, covering topics including Home Front recruitment, the evolution of gas masks, rum jars, and the Carlisle Programme. Got a question you'd like answered? Please email me at chocolatemenier1915@gmail.com. Happy New Year! The podcast will be back in 2026!! Su...

Send us Fan Mail In our latest podcast, we meander across the battlefield to the east of Ypres, starting at Polygon Wood and heading south to Hill 60.  We look at the cemeteries and memorials and find out some of the personal stories of men who fought and died on this part of the salient.  I wish every one of you a very Happy Christmas and thanks for your support in 2025. Support the podcast: http...

Send us Fan Mail In November 1914, the British attempted to capture the strategically vital port of Tanga in German East Africa.  Poor planning, an indecisive commander, poorly trained troops and the fanatical idealism of brilliantly trained Askari troops combined to turn the operation into a disaster for the British. In this episode, we look at Germany's colonial history in East Africa, the...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this latest episode of Trench Talk! Today I sit and talk with Briana Gervat, an author and photographer who, in the aftermath of the COVID lockdown, decided to connect with history and walk the length of the Western Front. She documented her journey in a book, There Will Come Soft Rains, and in this wide-ranging discussion, we talk about her deeply spiritual journey acr...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest episode! In a slightly shorter episode than usual, we travel to Belgium and discover the story of two lieutenants, Lt Ronald Poulton Palmer and Lt Frederick "Tanky" Turner, rugby captains of England and Scotland respectively. Rivals on the rugby pitch and comrades in the military, we look at the lives and careers of these two great characters, their...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our first-ever questions and answers episode! In today's episode, we address questions posed by listeners and delve into a range of topics. If you have a question you'd like answered, please email me at chocolatemenier1915@gmail.com, and we will see if we can get it into a future Q&A episode.  Support the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this latest episode! Today we are in Belgium and walk the battlefield to the south of Ypres, beginning at Bedford House Cemetery and finishing at the Spanbroekmolen mine crater, the "Pool of Peace", created by the largest mine explosion from the Battle of Messines.  We visit the cemeteries and memorials on this part of the battlefield to learn what happened, a...

Send us Fan Mail In this latest episode of Trench Talk, it's a pleasure to be joined by international cricketer, battlefield guide and WW1 fanatic Martin Barry. Martin works as a battlefield guide and volunteer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, overseeing the vast military plot at Hastings Cemetery.  In today's episode, he shares some of the personal and tragic stories of the m...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to today's episode! For the first time, we have created a listener's request podcast; I was contacted by a listener who discovered his Grandfather had been killed at Hill 70 while serving with the Cameron Highlanders at the Battle of Loos in 1915.  The listener is planning his first-ever trip to the Western Front and wants to walk the battlefield where his Grandf...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first Trench Talk of the season, where Taff Gillingham joins me.  Taff is a military historian and specialist historical advisor for the film, TV and theatre industries and has worked as an advisor on many well-known productions from Downton Abbey to the film 1917. Taff is an expert on WW1 uniforms and kit, and in this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, he s...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode of Season 8! Today, we travel to the forgotten front and the village of Bois Grenier. The fields in this sleepy corner of agricultural France contain dozens of German bunkers and blockhouses from the time of World War I. The sector was a nursery sector - a relatively quiet location where new battalions could learn the regimes of trench warfare. The pea...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the final episode of Season 7! In today's episode, we look at the little-studied role played by the Chinese Labour Corps during the Great War. Over 90,000 Chinese labourers served in France and Belgium, engaged in manual labour and the dangerous work of clearing munitions and bodies from the battlefields. Who were these men, and how did they end up so far from home...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the penultimate episode of Season 7! Today we are on the Somme and walk the battlefield from Delville Wood to Courcelette via High Wood and Martinpuich. We begin we looking at "The Turning Point" a remarkable but little-known narrative of the Somme battle written by the eccentric Harold Perry-Robinson.  We visit Delville Wood cemetery and memorial and hear the...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the latest episode! Today, we walk the canal at Cuinchy, one of the forgotten battlefields of the Great War.  Cuinchy was the site of the infamous brickstacks and the scene of bitter fighting throughout the entire war. We walk the battlefield to discover the military history of what happened here, and hear the personal stories of the dead as we visit some of the nearby...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to this latest episode in which we walk the battlefield of Fromelles.  On the evening of the 19th July 1916, men of the newly arrived Australian 5th Division were thrown into battle against the heavily fortified village of Fromelles in Artois.  In one night, over 5000 men were killed, wounded or missing and the line remained staunchly in German hands. We begin at Pheasant...