The BackTracker History Show

The Murder of Billy the Tinker (Pt 1) Season:  6 Episode: 14 It’s March of 1880. In the sleepy Gloucestershire village of Bishopsworth, two colliers are out gathering primroses when they stumble upon something that will shake the entire region to its core — a body, lying in a gully, cold and decomposed. The victim? A man known as William Palmer Robinson — a traveling razor grinder, local ecce...

Lillian Bland: An Aviation Pioneer Season:  6 Episode: 13 Lilian Bland (28 September 1878 – 11 May 1971) was a trailblazing Anglo-Irish journalist and aviator who made history in 1910–11. Defying the conventions of her time, she became one of the first women in Great Britain and Ireland—and possibly the world—to design, build, and successfully fly her own aircraft, the Bland Mayfly. Her fearl...

Murder at Saxton Grange Season:  6 Episode: 12 In the dark, quiet hours before dawn on September 5, 1933, flames erupted from a barn at Saxton Grange Farm, just outside Tadcaster in Yorkshire. When the fire was finally doused, what emerged from the smouldering ruin was grim: the charred remains of 30-year-old Frederick Ellison Morton, the farm’s owner. But it wasn’t the fire that killed him....

The HMS Victoria Disaster (Pt 3) Season:  6 Episode: 11 HMS Victoria, the proud flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, collided with HMS Camperdown during a routine manoeuvre gone horribly wrong. The impact tore a massive hole in Victoria’s bow, and within just fifteen minutes, the ship rolled over and sank beneath the waves. A total of 358 souls were lost, including Vice-Admiral Sir George Try...

The HMS Victoria Disaster (Pt 2) Season:  6 Episode: 10 On 22 June 1893, HMS Victoria, flagship of the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet, collided with HMS Camperdown during manoeuvres in the Eastern Mediterranean. In part two of this tale, we continue to eavesdrop on the court martial to determine who exactly was to blame CAST Rear Admiral Markham - Steve Sheperd Captain Maurice Bourke - Joe...

The HMS Victoria Disaster (Pt 1) Season:  6 Episode: 9 At around 15:30 on 22 June 1893, disaster struck in the Eastern Mediterranean as HMS Victoria, the proud flagship of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet, collided with HMS Camperdown during fleet manoeuvres. Within moments, chaos unfolded, and the mighty warship began its tragic descent beneath the waves, sealing its fate in one of the m...

Emily J. Harding: Protesting Through Art Season:  6 Episode: 8 Emily Jane Harding Andrews (1850–1940) was a British artist, illustrator, and suffragette. Starting with miniatures, she shifted to children's book illustration in the 1880s. A committed activist, she joined the Artists' Suffrage League, designed posters for the movement, and spoke out against violence toward suffragettes. CAST Mu...

Martha Scriven: The Sad End of a Young Widow Season:  6 Episode: 7 Martha Scriven died on December 5, 1895. The cause of death was recorded as "exhaustion from peritonitis caused by punctured wound in the uterus and intestines." At the inquest, the attending doctor expressed doubt that Martha had been pregnant at the time of the procedure. Listen to her experience in her own words as she desc...

The Father of Australian Architecture Season:  6 Episode: 6 Francis Greenway (1777–1837) was a convict-turned-architect who shaped Australia’s early colonial architecture. Transported for forgery, he became Governor Macquarie’s chief architect, designing landmarks like Hyde Park Barracks and St. James’ Church, gaining him the moniker the "Father of Australian architecture". His legacy endures...

A Poor Victorian Family's Trauma Season:  6 Episode: 5 On Saturday 30th August 1858, J. B. Gandon, Esq., conducted an inquest on the body of the deceased at the George Tavern on Kingsland Road. Details revealed during the investigation brought to light disturbing circumstances surrounding the crime. CAST Elizabeth Pyne - Sam Roberts Isaac Pyne - Steve Yeo Eliza Pyne - Poppy Kendell Police Con...

Death of a Front Line Clergyman Season:  6 Episode: 4 He was charismatic, charming and passionate about his faith. Rev. Charles Edmund Doudney just wanted to make the world a better place for everyone, so when World War One required clergymen to offer their services, he didn't shy away and joined the British Army, serving as a chaplain at the front, to the 18th Field Ambulance. On the da...

The Bristol Dinosaur Season:  6 Episode: 3 In 1834, the bustling quarries of Clifton, Bristol, hid an incredible secret buried beneath their stone walls. As workers chipped away along Worrall Road, they stumbled upon strange bones unlike anything they’d ever seen. Little did they know, they had uncovered Thecodontosaurus, a creature that would later earn its place in history as one of the wor...

A Bristol Murder: Killer Boy Season:  6 Episode: 2 In a rash moment of teenage bravado, two young lives were changed forever. One ended tragically and the other's life would never be the same again. Listen to the story of 19-year-old William Braund and 14-year-old Alfred Dancey and the event that happened in 1849. Plus there's two quick news snippets from the papers published at the same time...

Cpl Theodore Veale VC: A WW1 Hero Season:  6 Episode: 1 Corporal Theodore William Henry Veale VC (11 November 1892 – 6 November 1980) was a British Army soldier renowned for his exceptional bravery during World War I, which earned him the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to British and Commonwealth forces. CAST Newspaper - Ceri...

Samuel Pepys Tour Around Bristol Season:  5 Episode: 44 Samuel Pepys was a prominent English diarist and naval administrator, renowned for his detailed and vivid Diary, which spans from January 1, 1660, to May 31, 1669. Pepys provides an invaluable account of Restoration London, covering its society, politics, and significant events such as the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. His w...

Death of a Policeman (pt2) Season:  5 Episode: 43 xxx CAST Elizabeth Paddock - Carrie Ball Mr. H. S. Wadborough - Marcus KP Mr. Thomas Henry Whitehouse Davies - Molly Jefferies PC John Harris - John Lock London Times - Steve Sheperd Poem - Cerise Reed THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England.  If you liked it please leave a r...

Death of a Policeman (pt1) Season:  5 Episode: 42 The murder that had shaken the city in April 1869 was no domestic one - common as they were in those times. In fact, if the victim had not been a policeman, it would have been forgotten long ago. PC 273, Richard Hill, a young Bristol constable who had died in the line of duty. What led up to this senseless assault, committed by a half-drunk yo...

Local Heroes: Bedminster Season:  5 Episode: 41 Once an independent town in Somerset until 1831, Bedminster’s roots go back even further than Bristol’s. When Bristol was just a river crossing, Bedminster was already an important settlement. Now though, it's a vibrant hub of creativity and independent charm. Well worth a visit. In this episode we take a look at just a few of the local heroes t...

The Exercise Tiger Tragedy Season:  5 Episode: 40 Training exercises for the Normandy Invasion, also known as Exercise Tiger, began in the Slapton Sounds, England, area starting on December 15, 1943. However, on April 28, 1944, the rehearsal turned deadly. German E-boats, having slipped past patrols from Cherbourg, France, launched a surprise attack on a convoy of eight U.S. tank landing ship...

The Dark History of Blackberry Hill Hospital Season:  5 Episode: 39 Blackberry Hill Hospital in Fishponds, Bristol sounds like an idyllic place from an Agatha Christie novel, but don't be fooled by it's sweet name as this place has seen it's fair share of torment and despair. The site first came into use as a prison in 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, when it was developed to hous...

Halloween Special: Ghost Tales of Bodmin Gaol Season:  5 Episode: 38 Bodmin Jail, built in 1779, looms on the edge of Bodmin Moor, a fortress of cruelty and misery. Erected by Napoleonic prisoners of war with 20,000 tons of granite hewn from the bleak moor, its walls bear the weight of centuries of suffering. In this week's episode, we take a spooky look at the stories behind some of the more...

The Notorious Lightfoot Brothers Season:  5 Episode: 37 Nevell Norway, a well-known and respected timber importer and shipping merchant in Wadebridge, Cornwall, was admired not only for his business acumen but also for his philanthropic work. His prominence in the community would become even more widely recognized due to his tragic murder  CAST The Royal Cornwall Gazette - Steve Yeo Dr....

The Devon Spy (Part Two) Season:  5 Episode: 36 John Henry Gooding had a criminal career which would eventually span decades with activities that ranged from fraud to intricate confidence tricks but it was his part in the turmoil during the Irish War of Independence that would eventually lead to his noteriety CAST Newspaper Description - Rose Haile THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially...

The Devon Spy Season:  5 Episode: 35 John Henry Gooding, alias Frank Digby Hardy (5 April 1868 – 28 October 1930), was a man of many faces: naval writer, journalist, soldier, career criminal, and a would-be spy in the shadowy depths of the Irish War of Independence.  CAST John Henry Gooding - David James Haile THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio...

Sir George White: The Father of British Aviation Season:  5 Episode: 34 George White's combination of vision, business acumen, and a deep understanding of the power of publicity allowed him to revolutionise Bristol's transport systems and create a lasting legacy through his various business enterprises. His influence was far reaching and can still be felt in the UK infrastructure and industri...