Tales from the Battlefields

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 Alfred Rouse who was wounded in action in 1915.

We also discuss the incredible story of Digger Pugh and the tale of a man who claimed, wrongly, to have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

In this episode we talk to historian Simon Jones about the "Myths of Messines". Were 10,000 Germans really killed by the explosions? Did the Prime Minister hear the explosions in London? Were Irishmen killed by the falling debris? All of these mysteries are explained, and much more too.

In this episode we travel to the Western Front with the relatives of the 2 brothers from Lancashire who died a year apart but in the same circumstances - trying to save wounded comrades in No Man's Land. How did the family discover their stories? What does it mean to them? Could we find a grave for one of them who is still missing?  And what artefacts did we discover on the battlefields where they died?

In this week's episode we commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Aubers Ridge through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We use previously untold accounts of this disastrous single day battle in May 1915. We learn how the men were cut down as soon as they went "over the top" and how they spent all day avoiding German fire up to their necks in ditch water. We also have news from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission about a new cemetery and War Graves Week.

In this episode we tell the story of this successful battle through the eyes of the Australian and German soldiers who fought against each other in April 1918. We visit the Sir John Monash Centre and also a school in Villers-Bretonneux that was rebuilt from funds raised by the veterans of Australia. 

In this episode we commemorate the anniversary of the gas attack at Ypres in April 1915, through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We hear from the Canadian and British defenders and how they plugged the gap in the line, and also the terrible scenes that the German attackers witnessed as they attacked. There is also the tragic story of a entire family of civilians killed by shellfire.

In this week's episode, we travel to Ypres Reservoir Cemetery to discover the stories of the men buried here. We find a Victoria Cross recipient, 3 men "shot at dawn", 2 brothers exhumed from far off graves and now buried together, what happened to a group of men who were killed in St Martin's Cathedral, and the story of the victims of a terrible fire in the ramparts. 

In this week's episode we follow the story of an 18 year old German soldier, Edwin Kuhns, who was conscripted in 1917 and kept a diary through the 1917 Battle of Cambrai and the 1918 campaigns. He graphically explains how he narrowly missed death, the terrible sights he saw and how he felt during the conflict. There is an emotional account of how he met his Father behind the lines. He then sees action again in the 2nd World War before moving to England in 1948. We then look at the story of an English lady who became the model for the Mother of Canada memorial at Vimy.

This episode was recorded on a Somme battlefield walk where we tell the stories behind the headstones. We travel to several cemeteries and discover what happened to the men buried there. We also find some private memorials at Guillemont and look at the story of Charles Dickens' Grandson near Ginchy. We then walk up to Lochnager Crater and discover some of the stories played out there. 

In this week's episode we travel to the famous Sunken Lane on the Somme and view the battlefield from the German side of the wide. We  listen to the words of a Lancashire Fusilier who was there on that day and we speak to Terry Berry from the The Hawthorn Crater Association, who gives us a guided tour of the area.