The History Syndicate Podcast

On this episode, Mark welcomes Richard Duckett to discuss his latest book about Lt Col Edgar Peacock DSO MC and Bar called 'Jungle Warrior: Britain's Greatest SOE Commander'. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War in Burma, Richard illustrates how Edgar was driven by a strong sense of duty to serve, despite his age in the difficult conditions the 14th Army faced. Reflecting on the servic...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Wendy Holden to the podcast to discuss her recent book 'The Teacher of Auschwitz'. The novel, based on the experience of 'Fredy' Hirsch, a German Jew who grew up loving nature, sport and supporting youth movements, who then had to flee from the Nazis but subsequently found himself in Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, aka Terezin, and then Auschwitz. Fredy, was able...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Dr Harry J Sanderson to the podcast to discuss the British approach and public perspectives to recruiting or volunteering for military service in the First and Second World Wars. Their discussion begins with the perceptions of Victorian society on military service and how there is a difference between motivations for volunteer service in 'peacetime' and 'wartime'. Mo...

On this episode, Mark welcomes back Simon Shephard to the syndicate to discuss 'The Gunners' aka the Royal Regiment of Artillery at the Battle of Passchendaele (1917) aka 3rd Ypres. Simon expertly leads on discussing the strategic context, to the ground and then into the nuances of the battle itself. Originally the most well known battles of the First World War, particularly by veterans, it become...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Alessio Cavatore previously of Games Workshop where he designed supplement games for the brand and more recently with his own company River Horse games. As the co-designer for Warlord Games' World War Two game Bolt Action, Mark was very keen on interviewing Alessio for the pod particularly on how history influences wargame design. Replicating history in wargaming is...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Dr Nic Morton onto the syndicate to discuss the Teutonic Order, in particular, the Teutonic Knights who crusaded in the Middle East but also in Northern Prussia, modern day the 'Baltic States'. A complex and diverse population interacting in the 'Crusader States' during the 13th and 14th century, factionalism is rife that required peacemaking but ultimately it came d...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Frank Pleszak back to the syndicate to discuss Operation Manna that took place in Holland beginning in April 1945. Coupled with Operation Chowhound from the USA and Operation Faust, humanitarian aid was delivered by air and road into Holland to prevent starvation amongst the civilian populations. Having run events at the Avro Heritage Museum in Manchester with vetera...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Salina B Baker to the syndicate to discuss General Nathanael Greene via her historical fiction book, 'The Line of Splendor'. A deep dive into the American Revolution and War of Independence they discuss the seminal moments in General Greene's life, including his motivations, successes and near crippling debt incurred for trying to do the right thing by his soldiers....

On this episode, Mark welcomes Niall Devitt to discuss the shelters of the London Underground during the First and Second World Wars. Niall was proudly raised from a London Underground railway family and studied history for five years at King's London. A tour de force on the subject combining his passions and interests about all trains, history, TV and comedy, Niall depth of knowledge and research...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Nick Skinner from the 'Two Fat Lardies' to the syndicate to discuss historical wargaming. While trying to understand what 'the Lard' actually is, they both discuss how wargaming can be used to understand the past alongside what soldiers felt as they went through their experiences. Offering a wide range of game rules, the 'Lardies' off different ways to get after unde...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Andy Taylor to discuss the Herefordshire Light Infantry. With a heritage dated back several hundred years, established as a militia due to the threat of invasion to the British Isles, this band of rifle volunteers, marksmen and motivated individuals, formed the core of a trained unit that would find itself deployed in the Anglo-Boer war (1899-1902), The First world W...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Mark Green to discuss the Victoria Cross and particularly those awarded for the Battle of Arnhem (17th-26th September 1944) during the Second World War as discussed in his book 'Arnhem VCs'. They discuss the background to the Victoria Cross from it's investiture, the big picture around Arnhem, and also the five recipients of that award for valour as a result of their...

On this episode, Mark welcomes back Jon Cresswell to the syndicate to discuss the third part of the Second World War story of Besancon in occupied France. Previously, Jon had discussed the women in blue (Ep 10) and the Liberation of Besancon (Ep 20). This story sits between those two events. It is a story of an RAF Air Raid gone wrong that leads to the bombing of Besancon and the destruction of pa...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Dr Robert Lyman the co-author of a recent release 'Korea: War Without End'. They discuss the origins of the Korean War (1950-1953) that resulted from the in-balance between the hubris of rising and withdrawing powers in the Korean peninsular post the Second World War. That the war itself was effectively split into two wars that speak to the historical lessons for mil...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Karl Grevatt from Charlecote Mill and he is the miller at the still functioning flour mill in Hampton Lucy, Warwickshire. It's known that there was a mill servings the local area in the Domesday book (1086) and although many of the mill's records were burned, many clues remain in source documents and the mill itself about its history. From local crime and punishment...

On this episode, Mark welcomes back Ben Mayne to discuss the Battle of Bosworth Field 22nd August 1485 on the 540th anniversary of the battle. The discussion ranges from the background to the War of the Roses, mentions of some of the other significant battles, the road to Bosworth and a talk through of the battle itself. A great topic about one of the most seminal moments in the British history th...

On this episode, Mark welcomes back Dr Eric Hollister to the podcast and they discuss the importance of the wrist watch during the First World War. Eric had previously been on the podcast on Ep 12 While you were Sleeping, Pearls of wisdom from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. They discuss the reasoning for keeping time, the development of the pocket and pendant watches onto the wri...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Professor Michael Snape to discuss religion and the Western Allies in the World War. Their conversation takes them from the soldiers of D-Day, to the roots of their beliefs anchored in times such as the British Civil Wars. Mike discusses these linkages into the welfare and educational provisions that arose as a result of the welfare state concurrent to the rest of th...

On this episode, Mark welcomes fellow podcaster Jack Bowsher form the Forgotten War Burma WW2 Pod to the syndicate to discuss the Second World War Burma campaign towards Meiktila in 1945. That the Imperial Japanese Army is not finished, indeed, many of the units involved had not been fully part of the disastrous 1944 campaigns to Imphal and Kohima. However, the Allies, and in particularly Field Ma...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Warlord Games’ John Stallard to the syndicate to discuss the relationship between wargaming and history. John discusses his recollection Brigadier Peter Young and his time in the Sealed Knot, to the writing of historical wargames for the First World War, the Boer War and into the realms of 'what ifs' concerning Konflict '47. The conversations revolve from Mark's inte...

On this episode, Mark welcomes the excellent Matt Taylor onto the pod to discuss his recent book 'Black Redcoats: The Corps of Colonial Marines 1814-16'. This was a fascinating chat that offers a new perspective, derived from the historical contemporary primary sources, about the events around the war and in particular, at the Battle of Bladensburg (24th August 1814). Moat notably, it focusses on...

On this episode, Mark welcomes Frances Quinn to the syndicate to discuss her historical fiction, The Lost Passenger. A journey of a young woman called Eleanor, who is from an bourgeois family, marries into aristocracy, to a journey on the Titanic that leads to a new life in New York. Frances discusses her research and characters in this episode, as well as the reasons behind her plot points. A fab...

On this episode, Mark welcomes battlefield guide and Liberation Route Europe UK Team Managing Director Ben Mayne to the syndicate to discuss Operation CHARNWOOD. They discuss the plans and the actions of the Canadian 3rd, British 3rd and 59th Divisions', supported by significant airforce, naval and artillery assets in and around Caen between 7-10th July 1944. Caen was a D-Day objective in the Norm...

On this episode, Mark Turnbull from the pod 'Cavaliercast' comes onto the syndicate to discuss Prince Rupert of the Rhine, which is the topic of his recently released book. Rupert is discussed alongside the First English Civil War and the Battle of Marston Moor, as well as his dog boye, his successes and drawbacks, his relationship with King Charles I and providing the royalist cause with resolve...

On this episode, Mark welcomes back Jon Cresswell to tell the syndicate more of his research related to the French town of Besancon. This time they discuss the Battle of Besancon in September 1944 as the US 3rd Infantry Division fought and liberated the town, supported by the 45 US Division, French 1st Armoured and 3rd Divisions, alongside 3rd French SAS Squadron Garrison troops and elements of 11...