Tales from the Battlefields

In this weeks' podcast we travel once again to the battlefields of the Western Front in the footsteps of 5 men who fought there. We follow in their footsteps as I take 3 family members on an emotional tour to find out what happened to these men.

This week's podcast features the ABF The Soldiers' Charity "Frontline Walk" and we talk to the charity about this incredible event that, for the last 8 years, has raised over £1.4 million for our soldiers, veterans and their families. The walk covers 100k in just 3 days from Lochnager Crater on the Somme to the Menin Gate in Ypres, via Vimy Ridge. Along the way we discover the stories of these infamous battles and the soldiers who fought in them 

In this week's episode we travel to Poperinge to talk to the the manager of Talbot House, a beautiful Belgian house that offered sanctuary to hundreds of thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers during the Great War. Simon tells the story of the house and "Tubby" Clayton, the incredible inspiration behind the house.

In this week's podcast we take the microphone to the 1915 Loos battlefield and, along with his Grandson, walk in the footsteps of a soldier who was badly wounded there. What happened to him and how did his descendant feel as he walked the ground? We also visit Lochnager Crater on the Somme and talk to the working group, including the owner Richard Dunning, who spent the weekend restoring the Crater.

Mollie Dunkley's is 94 and her father Charlie, who served in the Great War, was wounded 3 times and survived his troop ship being sunk. In this week's episode, we talk to Mollie about her memories of her father and how he coped with the affects of his Great War experience. Mollie also talked about life in a small Northamptonshire village during the 2nd World War. This episode is a social history record as well as a military one.

This week's podcast is from the Somme. It includes an interview with the custodians of the Ulster Memorial Tower and we tell the story of the 36th Ulster Division on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

In this week's episode, we look at the work of the CWGC's team of gardeners throughout the world. We examine the stories of the some of the gardeners who remained on the Western Front after the Armistice, and include an interview with one of the current gardeners, Diego Blondel.

 In this week's podcast we look at the work of Julie and David Thomson who moved to the Somme battlefield in 2012 and opened a Bed & Breakfast on the old German front line in La Boisselle. 
They explain why they moved to the Somme, what it is like to live and work there, the stories of 3 soldiers who were awarded the Victoria Cross for their efforts in the village. Julie explains her own family connection with one of these VC men." 

In this week's podcast we mark the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Arras by looking at the story of the battle through the eyes of the soldiers who were there. We look at 2 men who died on 2 key days during the battle - 9th and 23rd April, and look at what happened using eye witness accounts of the veterans.

In this episode we look at how a 45 year old man, Fabian Ware, set up the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and we discuss the stories of the youngest and oldest soldiers who are commemorated by the Commission. The podcast also includes an interview with Megan Kelleher, Public Engagement Co-ordinator for the Commission.