The History Chap Podcast

Send me a message Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life. The movie "Zulu"'s Greatest Injustice: The True Story of Henry Hook VC. Become A Patron Make A Donation If you've watched the classic 1964 film "Zulu," you'll remember Henry Hook as a drunken, cowardly malingerer who miraculously finds his courage during the Battle of...

Send me a message Chris Green is The History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history. The Forgotten Victory: Battle of Bomarsund 1854 - The Baltic Campaign That Shaped the Crimean War Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message Chris Green is The History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history. This is the story of Britain's forgotten naval port in China - Weihaiwei (1898-1930) Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The 1966 film "Khartoum" tells the story of General Charles Gordon and his battle with the Mahdi in Sudan. But how close to historical reality was the film? Chris Green is The History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message Why did Britain end up fighting Russia in the Crimean War, 1854-56? Chris Green, is the History Chap; telling forgotten stories from British history. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The story of the Anglo-Persian War of 1856-57 which still shapes Iranian attitudes towards Britain and the West. History casts a long shadow. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message In this episode, I uncover the remarkable story of Tristan da Cunha — a volcanic speck in the South Atlantic Ocean that became a strategic outpost during the final chapter of the Napoleonic Wars. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message Most people know the Duke of Wellington for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo. But when asked which battle truly tested him, Wellington didn’t name Waterloo. He said Assaye. Fought in the blistering heat of central India in 1803, the Battle of Assaye was Arthur Wellesley’s first major command—and one of the most audacious victories in British military history. Outnumbered seven to o...

Send me a message John Dartnell: Veteran of the Zulu War, Indian Mutiny, and Boer War – The Forgotten Soldier of Empire Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life. Please Support My Show Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The story of Yorkshireman, Stanley Hollis, the only man to be awarded a Victoria Cross on D-Day 1944. Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life. Please Support My Show Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The Last Stand of Richard Corfield: Britain's War with the Mad Mullah In August 1913, deep in the arid interior of British Somaliland, Captain Richard Corfield led a force of camel-mounted troopers into what would become one of the most dramatic—and overlooked—clashes of Britain’s colonial wars. Outnumbered nearly 30 to 1, Corfield and the Somaliland Camel Constabulary faced...

Send me a message Was James Bond real? Not exactly. But the man who created him was deeply involved in the shadowy world of wartime espionage. This documentary uncovers the true story of Ian Fleming’s secret war—and how it gave birth to 007. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message Become A Patron Make A Donation On the 16th May 1943, 19 Lancaster bombers form 617 Squadron RAF set out on one of the most daring bombing raids of WW2. Led by 24-year-old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, their mission waste destroy 3 dams in there industrial heartland of Germany. Immortalised in the 1955 film, starring Richard Todd;  This is the story of the Dam Busters. Listen to the...

Send me a message Become A Patron Make A Donation Did the film Zulu get it wrong? In the 1964 epic, Lieutenant Gert Adendorff rides into Rorke’s Drift with dire news of the disaster at Isandlwana. He explains Zulu tactics, warns of the impending attack—and when asked if he’ll stay to fight, replies: “Is there anywhere else to go?” But just a year later, Donald Morris’s classic book The Washing of...

Send me a message The Quiitinshill Rail Disaster. Britain's worst ever rail crash where over 220 people were killed including over 200 soldiers heading to Liverpool to embark for Gallipoli. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The story of the British expedition to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) to rescue British civilians being held captive by the Emperor Tewodros in his mountain fortress at Magdala. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message The story of the British Zouaves who fought in the 19th century Papal army. Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message In early 871, Wessex stood on the brink. The Great Heathen Army—an alliance of Viking warriors—had already devastated Northumbria and East Anglia, and now turned its full fury toward the last unconquered Anglo-Saxon kingdom. After a Viking victory at the Battle of Reading, King Æthelred of Wessex and his younger brother, Prince Alfred—later known as Alfred the Great—rallied their...

Send me a message In the year 865, a new and terrifying force arrived on English shores—not a raiding party, but a full-scale invasion. The Great Heathen Army, a coalition of battle-hardened Viking war bands, swept across the land with ruthless efficiency.  Northumbria, divided by internal strife, fell quickly. East Anglia offered tribute—then resistance—and paid dearly for it.  These early campai...

Send me a message Major General Robert Rollo Gillespie was described the by historian of the British Army as "the bravest man to ever wear a redcoat". But who was he and what did he do? Become A Patron Make A Donation Support the show

Send me a message In the year 793, the monks at Lindisfarne—one of the holiest sites in Anglo-Saxon England—were attacked by Viking raiders. It heralded the start of growing Viking raids and then invasions that would bring Anglo Saxon England to its knees. Become a Patron Make a  Donation Support the show

Send me a message In 1900, the British Empire launched what would become the final and most dramatic chapter in a decades-long struggle with the Ashanti people of West Africa—the War of the Golden Stool. Also known as the Fifth Anglo-Ashanti War, this conflict was sparked not by land or trade, but by a single, sacred object: the Golden Stool, the symbol of the Ashanti nation’s soul and unity. Beco...

Send me a message Charles Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic — and nearly three decades later, he took his own small boat to rescue soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk.  Listen to HMS Birkenhead Disaster (the origin of "Women & Children First") Support my Show Become a Patron Buy Me A Coffee Join my Free Newsletter Support the show

Send me a message The ‘Fighting Bradford’s” were 4 brothers from the north East of England who served in the First World War. The 4 brothers, 3 of whom were killed, were awarded 2 Victoria Crosses, 1 DSO, 2 Military crosses and numerous  Mentions in Dispatches, making them the most decorated British family in that war. You can support my show by... Become A Patron Buy Me A Coffee Support the show

Send me a message In this episode I look at "The Man Who Would Be King", a story by Rudyard Kipling and made into a film in 1975 starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. A ripping adventure yarn set on the wild frontiers of British India. But, was there any historical truth to the story? Related episode: James Brooke: The White Rajah of Sarawak Become a Patron Buy Me a Coffee Support the...