Tales from the Battlefields

In this episode, some of which was recorded on the battlefield, we travel from Boesinghe to Pilckem, following the Welsh Division that fought here on 31st July 1917. We discover 2 poets that died that day, and soldiers and airmen that died in the same area during World War 2. We find a German trench mortar on top of a bunker, and the soldier who was left on the battlefield for 6 days before being found alive. We travel to Dozinghem Military Cemetery where we find his grave, as well as several other emotional stories of loss and grief.

In this episode we talk to author Phil Cross about his book “The Other Trench”. Phil’s Great Great Grandfather served with the German Army throughout the Great War and kept a detailed diary of his experiences on the Western Front, and also the Russian and Italian battlefields. We hear how Phil discovered the diary and what it means to him. We discuss his German heritage and how he feels about Alexander. We discover how Alexander picked up postcards belonging to British soldiers and how Phil tracked down these men and visited their final resting places, as well as learning about the hell of Loos in 1915 from a German perspective. And we uncover a forgotten truce between German and Russian soldiers.

In this episode we hear the stories of men, and the nurses who treated them, who were wounded on the Western Front. We learn how the evacuation process operated and how advances in medical science saved so many lives. We look at new inventions such as blood transfusion, X Ray and the “Thomas” Splint. We also hear from Horace “Jock” Graffon, who was badly wounded on the Somme, had his foot amputated but lived a successful and extraordinary life until the age of 103.

In this episode we travel to the Somme to discover the story of 2 disastrous trench raids that took place in the Spring of 1916 before the “Big Push”. Why did they carry out raids and how did the soldiers feel about them? What happened on a raid and what became to the soldiers that were killed during these raids? And why was a German raid on British trenches at Fricourt such a disaster for the 6th Northampton’s?

In this episode we follow the story of Private Walter Cox from his home in Australia to Gallipoli to where he was badly wounded on the Somme. We discover how he was treated in the medical facilities before reaching a hospital in England where he died. We hear from the nurses who worked in the hospitals and Casualty Clearing Stations. And we talk to an Englishman who “adopted” Walter’s grave and visited his family in Victoria, Australia. It is a highly emotional journey.

This is a “live” episode, recorded on the Bellewaarde Ridge near Ypres. We discover, through the eyes of the soldiers on both sides of the wire, what happened here in June 1915 in a small, often forgotten action. We hear about the German medic who wrote to a dead British soldier’s family long after the war, and the photographer who took a famous photo in the German front line. And we discover the German soldier who was to become a leading player in the Holocaust a generation later.

In this episode we travel to Ypres and meet up with local historian Johan De Jonghe who takes us on a tour of the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing. We find out the link between a stately home in Yorkshire, a man remembered on the memorial and the famous Dam Busters raid in World War 2. Johan also explains the brave actions of 3 Victoria Cross recipients and the Northumberland Fusiliers whose names are still on the memorial but are buried in the cemetery. We also discover the tragic story of 3 brothers from New Zealand who never returned home.

In this episode we discover more untold stories from the Great War. We discover soldiers who died from their wounds long after the fighting had stopped. And we follow a family pilgrimage to Ypres following a soldier whose is now reunited with his wife Gertrude, who died 40 years after him. We also discover the story of 2 best friends. One was killed in 1918 and the other survived only to be told by his wife, on the eve of battle, that she didn’t love him.

In this special episode we look at Christmas 1914 from a different perspective. We look at the individual stories of several men who died on Christmas Day. William Pentelow took part in the Truce and exchanged personal details with a German. But what happened to him just after Christmas? And Harold Watts who was killed by the only bullet fired in his area on Christmas Day? And we hear the voice of a veteran who was there.

In this episode we talk to two of BBC Radio Northampton’s Presenters to discover the story of the Beasley brothers who both played sport for Northamptonshire before serving on the Western Front in the Great War. We look at how Joe Beasley’s path crossed with Ronald Poulton-Palmer, the England rugby captain who was killed at Ypres. And we discover the story of another soldier who played first class cricket having lost a leg in the war.