Footsteps of the fallen

In our latest episode of "Trench Talk" it's a real pleasure to sit down and chat with Dr Irfan Malik.  Dr. Malik grew up with stories of the men from his home village of Dulmial who went off to fight for the British in WW1 in greater numbers than from any other Indian village.

In this wide-ranging chat, we hear about how a chance conversation with one of his patients led Dr. Malik on a research journey that has given him unparalleled knowledge of the contribution made by Muslim soldiers during World War One.  We hear about how Dulmial became known as "the village with the gun", how the British accommodated the particular dietary and spiritual needs of Muslim soldiers on the battlefield,  the medical care provided to the wounded, and the multi-faith approach to burial that ensured that wherever possible the requirements of the Islamic faith were afforded to the dead.

We hear about a mosque built in a German POW camp, turbans, spices, and cooking, and discover why being a goat in France and Belgium probably wasn't a very appealing prospect.

For so long the contribution of the soldiers of India has been overlooked, and Dr.Malik explains why it's so important to remember those who came so far and gave so much.

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Our journey today begins in Unicorn Cemetery near Vendhuile, just outside St Quentin at the headstone of Lt. David Clemetson.  The wealthy son of Jamaican banana traders, he enlisted into the Army from Cambridge University and served with the Pembroke Yeomanry.  Commissioned as an officer, he can, perhaps, lay claim to being the first black officer to serve in the British Army.  History points to Walter Tull, the former professional footballer as holding this honour, but Clemetson's case is compelling.

In this episode we look at the views held by the British military establishment about black soldiers, hear the story of 2nd Lt George Bemand who was forced to lie about his heritage to gain a commission, and the man refused a commission even though his application was supported by the Governor-General of Jamaica on the grounds that he was "too black".

Despite these challenges, men like George Bemand, Walter Tull, and David Clemetson broke through the barriers of prejudice, and sadly all paid the ultimate price.  This is their story.

Recommended reading:

Please see our podcast recommended reading page https://footstepsofthefallen.com

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In this episode, we look at the fighting at Festubert in November 1914 where men of the Indian Army found themselves out-manned, out-gunned, and out-supplied by a rampaging German army.

Despite this, the Indian Corps fighting together as a full Corps for the first time on the Western Front stopped the Germans from getting through.  We hear about the remarkable actions of Derwan Singh Negi who won the Victoria Cross for his near-suicidal bravery when clearing German trenches, the race to develop the perfect hand grenade, the origins of the "tickle-bomb", and the story of Lt Frank de Pass the first Indian officer, and the first member of the British Jewry to be awarded a VC during WW1.

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In this latest episode we head back to Flanders for another walk around the battlefield near the canal at Boesinghe.

Starting at Little Swan Farm we look at a wonderful project aiming to restore the ancient elms of Flanders. Our journey takes in many of the tiny battlefield cemeteries that litter this part of the battlefield, including Colne Valley, where two mysterious epitaphs catch our imagination. We hear about the perils of building trenches on farmland, visit Dragoon Camp Cemetery to hear about a disastrous trench raid, discover how Caesar's Nose got its name, and follow in the footsteps of two literary heavyweights who both served in this sector of the line.

Our podcast concludes with reflections on thirty years of visiting the battlefields, and contemplates why remembrance still matters.

Recommended reading:

Storm of Steel - Ernst Junger
In Parenthesis - David Jones
Francis Ledwidge; a life of the poet - Alice Curtayne
Boesinghe (Battleground Ypres) - Stephen McGreal

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In our latest episode, it's a real pleasure to be joined by military historian, podcaster, writer, and broadcaster, Paul Reed.

A professional military historian for over 30 years, Paul has worked as a historical consultant for many television programs including Meet the Ancestors and Who do you think you are? In this podcast, we talk about his career as a military historian and podcaster, some of the Great War veterans he's met and interviewed, why boy bands and history don't mix, as well as some of the highlights of his career both in front of and behind TV cameras.

Link: www.oldfrontline.co.uk

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 In today's podcast, we take a walk through two small but fascinating cemeteries in Artois, La Targette British Cemetery near Neuville St Vaast, and Le Trou Aid Post located near Fleurbaix.  Not necessarily on the itinerary of many battlefield visitors, they contain men whose stories are fascinating, and in this episode, we look at some of them.

We hear about the staggering losses suffered by the French during the offensives of 1915 and the story of a remarkable piece of deception, performed by a British officer using a stolen German helmet and a large pile of turnips, which enabled him to escape from German custody.  We look at sets of brothers who died including a remarkable epitaph on the grave of a fallen soldier, and the sad story of a horse's final journey back to Canada.

In Le Trou Aid post we hear the story of a cricketing painter who fell victim to the wily bowling of the creator of Sherlock Holmes, a one-legged Wimbledon champion, as well as the remarkable connection between an officer of the Rifle Brigade and English literature's most famous little girl.

Recommended reading:
Vimy by Pierre Berton
The lost legions of Fromelles - Peter Barton
A visitors guide - The battles of Arras North - Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland

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Of all areas of warfare that developed during the Great War, the advances in technology that accompanied the development of flight were surely the most dramatic.

Our story of the Royal Flying Corps at war begins in a residential street in east London, where a non-descript house carries a unique place in the history of aerial warfare.  We hear about the German Zeppelin raids in London before looking at the changing role played by aircraft.  From being viewed as a quirky novelty in 1913, to being an essential part of military planning by 1915, men rushed to join the glamour of flight.

We follow the life of a young British officer, Oswald Nixon, who joined the RFC and had been qualified as a pilot for just six days when he had the great misfortune to come across a squadron from Jasta 2, the elite fighter group of the German air force.  We hear the tragic tale of the German airman who shot Nixon down, the discovery of some macabre pictures in the German archives,  and we look at the myth of the "twenty-minuters".

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As the sun set on the Somme battle, over 125,000 Allied soldiers lay dead on the fields of Picardy.  Every inch of ground that had been gained had been paid for in blood.

The Germans, badly mauled from their experiences both in Picardy and Verdun, and concerned by Austrian failures against the Italians took the remarkable decision to withdraw their armies from the Somme to a newly constructed defensive line, a remarkable feat of precision German defensive engineering, the Siegfriedstellung or Hindenburg Line.

Codenamed Operation Alberich, after the malevolent dwarf King from German mythology, the withdrawal was a tactical masterstroke, that left the Allies both bemused and stranded in a desolate wilderness of scorched earth.  Why did the Germans make this decision?  What did their commanders think, and what was the strategic impact on the Allies' planning? Find out all in our first episode of Season 3. 

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In our 50th podcast, we return to the Somme battlefield and look at one of the lesser-known areas of the fighting, Bernafay Wood.

While there were no major battles per se, the wood itself turned into a mincing machine for the Allied infantry.  While successfully captured on the 3rd July, the wood was no prize for the Allies.  Shelled constantly by the Germans, as well as being subjected to gas attacks the wood was a dismal place to be a soldier. 

The weather, which proved to be almost a dangerous an enemy as the Germans took a heavy toll on the battlefield which soon turned into a sea of liquid mud.  What happened in the fighting, why was the wood so strategically important and what was it like to fight there?

Find out all in this final episode of Season 2.

Recommended reading:

We band of Brothers - GW Warwick
Field Guns in France - Major Neil Fraser-Tytler
Turning Point - HP Robinson
Triple Challenge - Hugh Wansey Bayley
Other ranks - W V Tilsley

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On this, the 106th anniversary of the Battle of Loos, it's an absolute pleasure to be joined by Michelle and Wayne Young, two avid battlefield visitors, who, like me, share a real passion for the battlefields of Artois and 1915.

Any soldier who fought at this section of line near Vermelles in France, would have recognised The Lone Tree, a solitary cherry which stood in the middle of this strip of murdered nature.  The tree disappeared after WW1, but thanks to the amazing efforts of Wayne and Michelle, a lone tree now stands once again in the fields near Le Rutoire Farm.

In this informal and friendly chat, we talk about the battlefields of Artois, how the project came about, and the importance of a good lump hammer when stuck on the Autoroute near Calais.

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