The BackTracker History Show

Season:  4 Episode: 11 Bousquet, who boxed under the name of Del Fontaine, was convicted and sentenced at the Old Bailey. His subsequent appeal, on the grounds that he was " punch drunk" through boxing, and insane at the time of the crime was dismissed.  The good-looking Fontaine was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to death. The execution in London aroused great emotion. His frie...

Season:  4 Episode: 10 In this episode, we continue with the fascinating tale of the exploits of Captain Augustus Agar and his crew during the Russian Civil War when, during a mission to transport agents, they saw an opportunity to attack the enemy. All they had was a small motor boat and one torpedo. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Brist...

Season:  4 Episode: 9 The  British campaign in the Baltic 1918–1919  was a part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The codename of the Royal Navy campaign was  Operation Red Trek .  In this episode we hear from Captain Augustus Agar VC DSO RN (1902-03) and his recollections of his part in this great campaign which played a key role in enabl...

Season:  4 Episode: 8 James Ricketts had gone to Bristol to deliver a cartload of potatoes and was just heading back home at 4pm. He had stopped off at the Carpenter's Arms, Two Mile Hill for a drink where he was joined by a strange man whom he eventually left with. Whilst they had been in the pub, James had shown the man his canvas bag full of money from the sale of the potatoes. What h...

Season:  4 Episode: 7 Mary Kennedy of Baptists Mills in Bristol is one of an elite group of people who made landfall at Sydney Cove in January 1788. They numbered approximately 1,373 people, consisting of convicts, male and female, a few children, officials, marines and their wives and seamen. The voyage is known to history as ‘The First Fleet’.  THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specia...

Season:  4 Episode: 6 I recently visited this iconic landmark on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. The famous creaking sign sways back and forth over the cobbled patio and the warm glow of light guides you inside from the never-ending darkness of the moor. There aren’t many pubs in Cornwall that have a history and reputation like the Jamaica Inn.  THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edit...

Season:  4 Episode: 5 Sometime during the night of 29—30 June 1860, Francis Saville Kent, who was three years old, disappeared from his father's residence, Rode Hill House, in the village of Rode, then in Wiltshire. Francis' body was later found in the vault of a privy-house on the property. Detective Inspector Jonathan (Jack) Whicher of Scotland Yard was brought in to investigate t...

Season:  4 Episode: 4 The Davenport Hill sisters lived in Hillstow on the site of Dorset House from 1897 until their deaths. They were both involved in prison reform, especially of the treatment of juvenile delinquents and the children of the poor, and Rosamond was also involved in educational reform and Florence in women's suffrage. They came from an illustrious three-generational family of...

Season:  4 Episode: 3 A scheming salesman faked his father-in-law’s suicide to get his hands on the old man’s money – but bungled the job and was sent to the gallows at Bristol for his murder.  THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to suppor...

Season:  4 Episode: 2 A subject suggested by Julian Humphrys from Surrey who's a huge history fan. It also happens to be the 380th anniversary of this significant event. If the the outcome had been different, history as we know it would be considerably changed.  Sir Ralph Hopton's Royalist forces came across Waller's commanding position on Lansdowne Hill on 4 July and were unpleasantly s...

Season:  4 Episode: 1 Hidden on a private estate in Ross-shire, Ardross Castle has become one of the most talked-about locations in Scotland in recent weeks as the location of the hit BBC reality series, The Traitors. Find out more about this beautiful location and the people who lived in it before it became famous. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radi...

Season:  3 Episode: 46 As you can imagine from a land steeped in folklore and tradition, there are many customs associated with Christmas that have developed. Some are still going and, thankfully, some have long gone. Listen to just a few of them in this festive episode  THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If you...

Season:  3 Episode: 45 Every year, Nova Scotia sends the City of Boston a Christmas tree to thank them for the help they provided after the Halifax Explosion. In 1917, Halifax suffered a catastrophic event that nearly destroyed it when two ships collided in the harbour starting off a chain of events that would created the largest explosion before the atomic bomb. THIS PODCAST This podcast has...

Season:  3 Episode: 44 You've heard all about the history of this iconic London tourist attraction but how about it's darker side? In this podcast special, you'll hear about people and events that are not usually mentioned in the holiday brochures. From gangs to murders, Covent Garden had it all. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, E...

Season:  3 Episode: 43 On a recent trip to London with friends, we visited Covent Garden. Now if you haven't been there it's a vibrant area in the heart of the city with lots of little stalls selling crafts and gifts. In this show, we'll be exploring it's history and finding out more about this area of the West End. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radi...

Season:  3 Episode: 42 The 18th century English romantic poet Ann Yearsley, known also as "Lactilla" or "the Poetical Milkwoman of Bristol", was one of only a few working-class women of the era to gain prominence as a writer. She was remarkable in that she had no education to speak of, having grown up in a fairly rustic environment. She rose from destitution to become someone who's talents we...

Season:  3 Episode: 41 About 5 pm on that same day day, Thursday 10th September 1857, Beale and Charlotte were seen by witnesses taking a walk in Leigh Woods, near Bristol. Sometime later the sound of a gunshot was heard. What happened to the gentle Charlotte, known by her friends as being kind and generous? Find out more about this truly heinous crime committed on a woman with only drea...

Season:  3 Episode: 40 Remembrance honours those who serve to defend our democratic freedoms and way of life. We unite across faiths, cultures and backgrounds to remember the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community from Britain and the Commonwealth. this episode tries to highlight just a few of those brave souls who gave their present for our futures. THIS PODCAST This podcast has...

Season:  3 Episode: 39 HMS Glowworm was a G-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1930s. Under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gerard Roope, she found herself in a situation where she was outgunned, outnumbered and alone. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If you liked it please leave a rating and ma...

Season:  3 Episode: 38 William Champion’s Zinc and Brass Works was, in the 18th century, probably the largest industrial site in Europe. His methods enabled him to produce a much higher quality brass than his rivals. He prospered until his patent ran out, then his rivals started to use his processes and he went bankrupt. This episode not only tells you more about this remarkable characte...

Season:  3 Episode: 37 Even after her conviction, Sarah freeman claimed she was innocent as a lamb until the day she died, but there's no denying the death toll of people in the family of this woman described as having a vicious temper and character that caused her parent to worry THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If...

Season:  3 Episode: 36 It was supposed to be an evening of celebration. Two brothers, who'd been at war with each other, were sitting down in the home of their solicitor, Mr Jarrit Smith. One was Captain Samuel Goodere, the captain of Her Majesty's ship 'Ruby'. The argument was over the fact that Sir John Dinely Goodere, Baronet and Admiral had cut off his brother, Samuel Goodere from inherit...

Season:  3 Episode: 35 When war broke out in Europe in 1914, the United States of America adopted a policy of strict neutrality. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat in May 1915 that changed everything. 128 US citizens lost their lives and suddenly fury spread through the country. and they declared war on Germany. Listen to a few of the letters sent back home from the fron...

Season:  3 Episode: 34 When Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837, politics, religion, and family life were reformed throughout her 63-year reign. And as the times changed, so did the food that was placed on the table. Discover some of the weirder foods they ate as well as some of the ways unscrupulous merchants would try and make more money, with deadly consequences. THIS PODCAST This podca...

Season:  3 Episode: 33 With the sun shining on a wonderful Sunday evening, a group of friends wanted one last bathe in the sea. What happened next would leave their families shattered. THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the sho...