Tales from the Battlefields by Terry Whenham

06.20.2024

93: D Day 80 – Episode 3

In this episode we continue our journey along the Normandy beaches and go inland to discover what happened on Hill 112 in dreadful scenes that resembled the static battles from the Great War. We also discover the heartbreaking stories of...

06.14.2024

92: D Day 80 – Episode 2

In this episode we travel along Juno and Gold Beaches and tell the story of the landings through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We hear from Bill Dunn whose tank “Charlie One” still sits close to the...

06.11.2024

91: D Day 80 - Episode 1

In this first special episode, we travel to Normandy to tell the stories of the D Day landings on the 80th anniversary of this incredible historical achievement by the Allies. We tour the beaches and listen to the story of...

06.06.2024

90: Forgotten but now Remembered

In this episode we discover the stories of men who died in the Great War but were not correctly remembered by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission until recently. We find out about the Officer whose named was added to the...

05.31.2024

89: On the Trail of an Infantryman on the Western Front

In this episode we travel to the Western Front following the story of a typical British soldier between 1916 and 1918, when he was killed in action. We travel from the Somme, to Arras and Passchendaele, before finding the location...

05.22.2024

88: From Trenches on the Somme to the Battlefield Above – the Story of Jack Lidsey with Andrew White

In this episode we feature the story of a young British infantry officer and his experiences on the Somme in July 1916. Jack Lidsey then became an Observer in the Royal Flying Corps. Through his words in his personal diary,...

05.16.2024

87: Battlefield Pilgrimages Between the Wars with Professor Mark Connolly

In this episode we talk to Mark Connolly about how battlefield tours evolved during and after World War 1. We discuss who these first pilgrims were and what they saw and emotionally experienced on the old Western Front battlefields? Who...

05.09.2024

86: The Accrington Pals at Serre Part 2

In this episode we continue the story of the Accrington Pals at Serre on 1st July 1916. We listen to the music that was inspired by those young men and discover more of the stories of the lads from that...

05.02.2024

85: The Accrington Pals at Serre Part 1

In this episode we travel to the Somme and walk in the footsteps of the Accrington Pals. We tell their story through the eyes of the Pals who were there. Who were they? What happened to them? Who was their...

04.25.2024

84: Sunk at Sea and Interned - with Rebecca Clarke

In this episode we talk to Rebecca Clarke about her husband’s Grandfather Arnold Clarke who was on board HMS India when it was torpedoed and sunk in August 1915. Arnold was one of the survivors and was interned in a...

04.18.2024

83: The Tragedy of a Crashed Lancaster – 80 Years On

In this week’s podcast we travel to Lincolnshire for a very emotional ceremony at the site of a crashed Lancaster Bomber on the 80th anniversary of this awful incident. What happened on that day and who were those victims on...

04.11.2024

82: A Promise Fulfilled – From the Somme to Melbourne and Collingwood Football Club

In this episode we travel to the Somme and follow in the footsteps of a Collingwood Aussie Rules Footballer, Percy Rowe. Percy went to France alongside his best mate Doc Seddon. He left behind his new wife Louie and newborn...

04.02.2024

81: A Walk in the Footsteps of the 36th Ulster Division in Thiepval Woods

In this episode we are taken on a guided walk from the Ulster Tower into the original trenches within Thiepval Woods where the 36th Ulster Division advanced from on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. We discover...

03.28.2024

80: The Commonwealth War Graves Visitor Centre with Lucie Boidin

In this episode we visit the Commission’s Headquarters in Arras and go on a guided tour of the Visitor Centre where we discover how the headstones are created and maintained. Lucie also talks about the work of the Commission’s craftsmen...

03.19.2024

79: The Canadians at Courcelette with Poppy Mercier

In this episode we travel to the Somme village of Courcelette that was captured in a single day by the Canadians in September 1916. We look at the stories of the soldiers from both sides of the wire and discover...

03.08.2024

78: 24 Hours at Anzac Cove

In this episode we look at the personal stories of the ANZAC forces that landed at Gallipoli on 25th April 1915. We hear from the soldiers themselves as they explain what happened on that fateful day and we examine the...

03.01.2024

77: Boy Soldiers with Richard Van Emden

In this episode we talk to historian and author Richard Van Emden about the underage “boy soldiers” who enlisted in the Great War. We discover what motivated them, how they got through the enlistment process and what happened to them...

02.23.2024

76: Tales from the Menin Gate

As the names of the missing on the Menin Gate are currently out of sight, in this week's episode we look at some of the stories behind the canvas tarpaulin. We discuss the "teddy from the trenches" given to her...

02.16.2024

75: The Missing of Fromelles with Lambis Englezos

In this episode we talk to an Australian amateur historian, Lambis Englezos, who discovered the remains of 250 Australian soldiers killed in the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916. Lambis talks passionately about how he proved that the men were...

02.12.2024

74: Interview with a World War 2 Veteran - John Morris

In this bonus episode we talk to World War 2 veteran John Morris who is 101 years old and served in North Africa, Italy and the Balkans. With is crystal clear memory he talks about his service as an anti...

02.07.2024

73: Battle of Le Quesnoy

In this episode we talk to New Zealand military historian Chris Pugsley. We discuss the battle of Le Quesnoy. In November 1918, the New Zealanders captured the German held fortified town without causing a single civilian casualty by climbing a...

02.05.2024

72: Tribute to Martin Middlebrook - The First Day on the Somme

In this special mini episode, we remember the famous military historian Martin Middlebrook who died last week. We look at how his book inspired so many people and the legacy that he has left behind.

01.29.2024

71: Discovering the Forgotten

In this episode we discover how 2 soldiers' have been discovered decades after they had been forgotten. Fred Smith died 3 years after he was badly wounded and was never commemorated until recently. John Butt was thought to be one...

01.16.2024

70: New Zealanders on the Somme - September 1916

In this episode we follow in the footsteps of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Flers during the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. We look at what happened in this successful operation through the eyes of the soldiers...

01.08.2024

69: The "Baby Killers" from the Sky - Zeppelin

In this episode we look at the story of the German Zeppelin airships that caused so much devastation during the Great War. We explain how civilians were targeted for the first time in history and examine the personal stories of...

12.29.2023

68: The Salonika Campaign in 1918

In this episode we travel to Greece with Chris Loader, who goes on a pilgrimage to visit the location where his relative, Private Henry Loader 10th Hampshire's, was mortally wounded in September 1918. We follow in the footsteps of the...

12.22.2023

67: The Christmas Truce Through the Eyes of the Soldiers

Christmas 1914 saw the famous truce on the frozen Western Front when soldiers from both sides put down their guns and met in No Man's Land. In this podcast we tell the story through the eyes of the men who...

12.15.2023

66: RBL Great Pilgrimage to the Battlefields 1928 and 2018

In 1928, the British Legion organised for 11,000 veterans and war widows to visit the battlefields, before marching to the Menin Gate in Ypres. 90 years later, the Great Pilgrimage 90 saw 1,150 branches, and thousands of members and representatives...

12.08.2023

65: The Missing of the Great War

In this episode we discover how the bereaved families from the Great War coped with, not just the loss, but dealing with the double tragedy of having no known grave for their fallen loved ones. We also look at how...

12.01.2023

64: A Moonlight Massacre

In this week's episode we speak to Michael LoCicero, the author of the book called "A Moonlight Massacre". Michael tells the story of what happened on 2nd December 1917 when the BEF launched another offensive against German positions on the...

11.24.2023

63: Return to the Battlefields Between the Wars

In this episode we discover what the Great War battlefields looked like in the 1920's and 1930's through the eyes of the veterans who returned to follow in their own footsteps on the Western Front. We also discover their emotions...

11.20.2023

62: The Butte de Warlencourt

In this week's episode we tell the story of the horror of the Butte de Warlencourt at the end of the Battle of the Somme in October and November 1916. Through the eyes of the British, South African and German...

11.10.2023

61: The Capture of Crest Farm and Passchendaele Village

In this episode we look at the story of the fight for Crest Farm and the village of Passchendaele itself in November 1917. We tell the story through the eyes of the soldiers who were there and discuss the story...

11.02.2023

60: A Son's Pilgrimage to the Western Front

In this episode we join the son of a World War soldier as we follow in 2nd Lt Herbert Dudley's footsteps across the Western Front in 1916 and 1918. What did we discover on this emotional tour? How did Herbert...

10.24.2023

59: The 2023 Frontline Walk

In this episode we walk from the Somme to Ypres with ABF The Soldiers' Charity "Frontline Walk". We hear the stories of the fallen as we pass their graves. Listen to an emotional interview with a British Army veteran, who...

10.12.2023

58: Father and Son

In this episode we tell the tragic stories of fathers and sons who served in the Great War. We examine the unbreakable bond between father and son and how some of them died together on the battlefields of the Western...

10.05.2023

57: England Cricketer Jack Russell and his World War 1 Heritage

In this episode we talk to former England cricketer Jack Russell about his relative Edward Hogg who died in the Great War. Jack talks emotionally about how Edward died near Ypres and he describes how a pilgrimage to the location...

09.26.2023

56: The Triumph of Thiepval

Through the eyes of the soldiers who were there we tell the story of how the German fortress finally fell to the 18th Division on 26th September 1916. This hill top bastion had been attacked several times but discover how...

09.15.2023

55: The Coming of the Tanks

In this episode we follow the story of the tanks from their design and manufacture in Lincoln, to the testing fields in Suffolk where a mock battle was held. We then go to the Somme and discover, through the eyes...

09.04.2023

54: The Killing Fields of Guillemont

After weeks of horrendous and brutal fighting, what was left of the village of Guillemont fell on 3rd September 1916. The terrible story of the Guillemont is told through the eyes of the soldiers from both sides of the wire...

08.29.2023

53: The Story of Walter Tull with Graham McKechnie

Walter Tull was one of Britain's first black army officers and was killed in action in March 1918. He was also one of the first black professional footballers, appearing for Tottenham and Northampton Town. His incredible story, from orphan to...

08.21.2023

52: The 1918 Battle of Amiens

In this episode we look at the story of the opening day of the 100 Day Offensive that saw the Allies put into practice the lessons they had learned in earlier battles. We tell the story of 8th August 1918...

08.15.2023

51: Ghosts on the Somme - Part 2

In the 2nd part of this episode we return to the Somme and the interview with historian Steve Roberts. We continue our chat with Steve and reveal how the famous battle was filmed by Geoffrey Malins. We take a closer...

08.08.2023

50: Ghosts on the Somme - the story of the Film

In the 50th episode we talk to historian and author Steve Roberts about how the famous film "The Battle of the Somme" was filmed in 1916. Who were the cameramen? What did they see? How did they film the footage...

08.01.2023

49: The Pain of Pozieres

In this week's episode we visit the key sites around Pozieres and look at the battle for the village through the eyes of the Australian soldiers who were there, including 2 Victoria Cross recipients. We also look at the story...

07.24.2023

48: The Battle of Fromelles

In this episode we travel to Fromelles to tell the story of this tragic 24 hour battle through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We walk the battlefield and visit the Australian Memorial Park on the old German...

07.18.2023

47: Tales from Cologne Cemetery and the Prisoner of War experience of Alec Waugh

In this episode we travel to Germany and walk around a WW1 Prisoner of War camp in Mainz Citadel and also look at the stories of the soldiers who are buried in Cologne Southern Cemetery, many of whom died in...

07.10.2023

46: Tales From Ypres

In this episode, we travel back to Ypres and discover the very emotional story of the "Brothers in Arms" memorial at Polygon Wood. We talk to the cafe owner who discovered the body of Jack Hunter who was buried by...

06.30.2023

45: The First Day of the Somme

In this episode we travel to the Somme to tell the story of what happened on this infamous day through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. Ginger Byrne was wounded in No Man's Land and he tells his...

06.15.2023

44: Scoundrels, murderers, liars and charlatans from the Great War

In this episode we tell the stories of several World War 1 soldiers who were not heroes. Such as Frederick Cherry who tried to kill his girlfriend and then died himself on the Somme. And the famous "burning car" murderer...