The BackTracker History Show

BTP724. SS Stella (Part Two) Season: 7 Episode: 24 Often called the "Titanic of the Channel Islands", the SS Stella met a tragic end when it struck the Casquets reef in thick fog on Easter Thursday 1899. In Part Two, we move beyond the disaster itself to explore the remarkable personal stories of those who lived through it, and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. From the courage of stewardess...

The Sinking of the S.S Stella Season: 7 Episode: 23 On Easter Thursday 1899, the SS Stella set sail from Southampton bound for Guernsey. Just hours later, in thick fog, the luxury passenger steamer struck the notorious Casquets reef and sank within minutes, claiming more than 100 lives in one of Britain's worst Victorian maritime disasters. CAST Mr James Parton - Steve Sheperd Man in Dinghy - Guy...

Postman's Park Season: 7 Episode: 22 Postman’s Park is a peaceful green oasis in the heart of the City of London, free for everyone to enjoy. Tucked away from the surrounding busy streets, it is best known for its moving Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice, which honours ordinary people who lost their lives while saving others. CAST George Watts - Steve Sheperd Alice's Memorial - Sam Roberts Mandell...

The Tragic Murder of Alice Hole Season: 7 Episode: 21 The murder of Alice Hole sent shockwaves through Bristol, becoming one of the city's most talked-about crimes of the Victorian era. As news of the killing spread through the narrow streets of Temple, horror quickly turned to fascination. By morning, crowds had gathered, rumours were rife, and newspapers carried lurid accounts of the tragedy. Be...

Victorian Street Sweepers Season: 7 Episode: 20 Before modern roads and pavements, crossing a busy city street could be filthy, dangerous, and sometimes impossible without help. In the crowded towns and cities of the 19th century, horse-drawn traffic left roads thick with mud, waste, and grime, creating an opportunity for one of Victorian Britain’s most overlooked jobs, the crossing sweeper. CAST...

Christina Keith: Frontline Teacher Season: 7 Episode: 19 She crossed into a shattered world few dared to witness. In the final days of the First World War, Scottish academic and author Christina Keith travelled to France, not as a soldier, but as a lecturer sent to inspire weary troops standing in the shadow of history’s bloodiest conflict. But what she encountered would stay with her forever. As...

Capt. Bertram Dickson: Aviating Pioneer Season: 7 Episode: 18 Captain Bertram Dickson FRGS, RHA, was one of the great daredevils of the early flying age, a pioneering Scottish aviator who became the first British serviceman to earn a pilot’s licence. At a time when flight was still dangerous and experimental, Dickson thrilled crowds with his fearless displays in fragile aircraft of wood and canvas...

Inverness Season: 7 Episode: 17 In this week's show, we’re heading to the Scottish Highlands, to the city of Inverness and its striking landmark, Inverness Castle. Overlooking the River Ness, this historic site has witnessed centuries of power struggles, royal intrigue, and legend. From medieval beginnings to its place in stories like that of Macbeth, Inverness and its castle hold a rich and drama...

The Horfield Horror Season: 7 Episode: 16 In 1841, Horfield was rocked by the violent murder of Martha Shedden, a crime that drew intense attention across the country. Suspicion fell on a young former servant, and the case quickly became tangled in conflicting witness accounts and uncertain evidence. As the investigation unfolded, it raised more questions than answers, leaving the truth of what ha...

Titanic’s Bristolians (pt2) Season: 7 Episode: 15 In Part One of this tale, we covered the life and death of Rev. Robert Bateman. A man born in Bristol who emigrated to America and used his skills as a preacher and stonemason to help make a difference in the lives of many people. In this episode, we cover the tale of his Sister-in-Law, Ada Balls, who was encouraged to travel with him to America on...

Titanic's Bristolians Season: 7 Episode: 14 Among the thousands who departed from Southampton, bound for a new life in America, was one man whose story embodies both the hope and the heartbreak of that journey, Red. Robert James Bateman. As the great liner pushed across the Atlantic, everything changed in a single, devastating moment, when an iceberg tore through her hull, sealing her fate, and th...

Death in the Beaufort Arms Season: 7 Episode: 13 On Saturday 20 July 1878, an ordinary evening at the Beaufort Arms in Barton Hill, Bristol, turned deadly, when a gathering of local workers, including Alfred Theophilus Freeguard and Frank Ferris, erupted into violence. CAST Edwin Jones - Simon Criddle Frank Ferris - Jon Locke Alfred Freeguard - Guy Pass Witness’s brother - Julian Kendell John Sout...

Two Social Reformers Season: 7 Episode: 12 Susanna Morgan and Jessie Stephen were two determined voices for change, social reformers who challenged injustice and fought to improve the lives of others, from campaigning for women’s rights to standing up for workers and the vulnerable, their efforts helped shape a fairer society and left a lasting mark on history. CAST Staffordshire Advertiser - Andr...

The Seven Stars Pub Season: 7 Episode: 11 Hidden in Redcliffe, Bristol, the Seven Stars pub isn’t just a place for a pint—it’s a site of history. In the late eighteenth century, its landlord, William Thompson, quietly helped sailors returning from brutal Atlantic voyages and welcomed the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson as he gathered evidence against the slave trade. From this unassuming tavern, stor...

Young Gentleman Harry Season: 7 Episode: 10 From petty theft to highway robbery, the life of Henry Simms was a whirlwind of crime, deception, and daring escapes. Schemes, robberies, and a fabricated tales kept him in the spotlight until his dramatic final moments at Tyburn. This article explores the chaotic life and notorious end of one of the eighteenth century’s most audacious criminals. CAST Ge...

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...