The History Chap Podcast

Send me a message The little-known Battle of Inyezane was fought on the 22nd January 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War. The first major encounter of the conflict, it resulted in a British victory. However, it was totally overshadowed (and consequently forgotten) in light of the British defeat at Isandlwana that same morning and the subsequent defence of Rorke's Drift. Join my Supporter's Cl...

Send me a message During the Jacobite Revolt of 1745, Hannah Snell, a woman from Worcester, dressed up as a man and joined the British army. Her amazing adventure saw her fighting in India alongside Robert Clive, and conducting DIY surgery to remove a musket ball from her groin so her cover wasn't blown. She is credited as the first woman to ever serve in the Royal Marines. Join My Supporter&...

Send me a message Robert Clive was The East India Company’s first governor of Bengal, victor at the battle of Plassey (episode 118)and arguably the founder of the British Empire in India. Yet he is also a highly controversial figure, not just now but in his own day too. Accused of accumulating huge personal wealth whilst presiding over a system that ruined the Bengal economy and cost the lives of...

Send me a message The assassination of British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval on 11th May 1812. The only British PM to ever have been assassinated. Join My Supporter's Club Keep in Touch  Support the show

Send me a message The Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron is a small and often forgotten part in the fight to end slavery. Join My Supporter's Club For 60 years, Royal Navy vessels, patrolled the west coast of Africa and the Atlantic capturing over 1,500 slave ships and liberating 150,000 slaves. It was an exercise which cost the lives of 1,600 Royal Navy sailors, one for roughly every 100 slav...

Send me a message Join my Supporter's Club Every year on the 12th July, Northern Ireland’s loyalist, protestant community celebrate the battle of the Boyne. A battle in 1690 between 2 kings involving nearly 60,000 troops, on the banks of a river in Ireland. One representing Irish Catholic hopes and the other, representing Protestant aspirations. But what actually happened at the Battle of the...

Send me a message Get My Newsletter The battle of Plassey, fought on the 23rd June 1757 changed India (& arguably Britain) forever. On that date, Robert Clive with an East India Company army of about 3,000 defeated 50,000 troops under the Nawab of Bengal. It effectively began the British Empire’s 200-year rule in India. But do you know what actually happened at the battle? Or how Clive overcam...

Send me a message This is the real story of behind the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" Support the show

Send me a message A colonial confrontation in Africa that nearly led to an all-out war between Britain & France. Get in touch at my website: thehistorychap.com Support the show

Send me a message Richard Todd - who played Major John Howard in the epic film about D-Day 1944 ("The Longest Day") was actually a D-Day veteran. Indeed, he was part of the airborne landings that had captured Pegasus Bridge, alongside Major Howard himself. This is the story of his D-Day experiences. Now listen to the full account of Major Howard and the battle of Pegasus Bridge  Get my f...

Send me a message The Battle of Pegasus Bridge was fought just after midnight on the 6th June 1944, when 180 British airborne troops, led by Major John Howard successfully captured 2 bridges in Normandy. This action, helped secure the eastern flank of the seaborne landings 6 hours later. The capture and then holding of those two bridges by the numerically outnumbered British airborne troops is a s...

Send me a message This is the little-told story about the weather forecasters who prevented a disaster on D Day 1944. Get my free weekly history newsletter Support the show

Send me a message Exercise Tiger was a large-scale dress rehearsal for the D-Day landings in 1944 that went horribly wrong. A friendly fire incident was compounded when high-speed German torpedo boats intercepted an American convoy off the coast of Southern England.  Over 700 men were killed, more than were killed on Utah beach on D-Day itself! Support my work by becoming a patron or simply get my...

Send me a message General Sir William Butler, was an enigmatic member of Sir Garnet Wolseley’s Ashanti Ring of officers in the British Army during the late 19th century. And yet, despite being part of Queen Victoria’s army as it painted large parts of the globe British red, he was also a passionate supporter of Irish Home Rule and of Boer Independence in South Africa. Indeed, there was a brief mom...

Send me a message Donald Pleasence, who starred in "The Great Escape" was actually a WW2 Prisoner of War (POW). He later found fame as Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and as Dr. Loomis in the cult horror film "Halloween". Support My Channel as a Patron: Donald Pleasence served in the RAF from 1940, particpating in 60 bombing missions. Eventually his Lancaster bomber was sho...

Send me a message Boudica, the legendary British queen of the Iceni who led a revolt against the  Romans in Ad 60/61, destroying 3 Roman towns (including London) and massacred all the inhabitants inside. Responsible for thousands of deaths was she a freedom fighter or a psychopath? Join my free weekly history newsletter Support the show

Send me a message Dick Turpin is without a doubt, Britain's most famous highwayman. But, exactly who was Dick Turpin, and why is he so famous? Join my Supporter's Club Support the show

Send me a message During the annihilation of the British Army by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 two British officers. Lt’s Melvill and Coghill made a desperate escape, trying to carry the Queen’s Colour to safety. But were they really heroes trying to save the colour, or were they merely trying to save their skins? Get my newsletter Support the show

Send me a message "Carry On" star, Peter Butterworth, had a wartime secret that only came out long after his death. Contact me Support the show

Send me a message Admiral Thomas Cochrane, was the inspiration for C.S. Forester’s naval hero Horatio Hornblower or Patrick O’Brian’s, Jack Aubrey (played by Russell Crow in the film, “Master and Commander”). Largely forgotten to the general public, yet he was one of the Royal Navy’s most audacious and feared commanders during the Napoleonic Wars, known to his enemies as the wolf of the sea and El...

Send me a message On the 22nd January 1879 in South Africa, the British suffered the greatest defeat ever inflicted upon them by a native African army - when a force of 1,500 was annihilated by the Zulus during the Anglo-Zulu war. Get in touch and get my weekly newsletter: Click here Chelmsford was quick to lay the blame for the defeat at Isandlwana on anyone but himself. Equally it could not be t...

Send me a message Between 1814-1816, the British and the Gurkhas fought a vicious bloody war - the Anglo Nepalese War. It was the only time they ever fought each other. The bravery shown by both sides built a mutual respect and a 200 year tradition of Gurkhas serving in the British Army began. It continues to this day. Get My Newslette r Support the show

Send me a message The Empire Windrush  brought 800 Caribbean immigrants to Britain in 1948. But have you heard the whole story about this ship? German Naval Vessel, British troopship and Holocaust vessel... Get My Newsletter Support the show

Send me a message The HMS Birkenhead disaster occurred off the coast of South Africa in 1852. Subscribe To My Newsletter A British troopship sank after hitting rocks and over 600 soldiers and sailors were cast into the shark infested waters on a dark February night. Scores were attacked and killed by Great White Sharks. Just 193 - a third -  survived. Support the show

Send me a message The Battle of Khambula, fought on the 29th March 1879, was the turning point in the Anglo-Zulu War. After three defeats the British finally turned the tide against an enemy that they had severely underestimated to their cost. It marked the beginning of the end for  Zulu independence. Get my free weekly newsletter Support the show