Valour

By Richard Boalch

Discover forgotten leaders, battles, heroes and villains on the Valour podcast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf

... more

· History

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Valour:

How many episodes does Valour have?

The podcast currently has 56 episodes available.

Valour episodes:

July 08, 2025 Broken But Never Beaten
Martin O'Meara a strapping young lad from Lorra Ireland Migrated to Australia to make his way in the world A VC action and significant injury at Mouquet Farm subsequent woundings at Bullecourt and Messines Ridge all took their toll. O'Meara's story testament to the everyday heroism and the everyday trauma of the Western Front.

Sources: Australian War Memorial, Australian Dictionary of Biography (Richard E. Reid, 1988), London Gazette (September 9, 1916), Ian Loftus’s The Most Fearless and Gallant Soldier I Have Ever Seen, National Museum of Ireland, Irish Times.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
12min
July 06, 2025 Also Known As
A young man, an adventurous spirit and 3 different wars in South Africa.

Sources Australian War Memorial, Australian Dictionary of Biography (Merrilyn Lincoln, 1981), London Gazette (December 23, 1915)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
15min
July 03, 2025 John Leake
John Leake single handedly cleared a German machine gun post at Pozieres. His subsequent desertion speaks volumes to the traumas that soldiers suffered, particularly on the Somme.
Sources: Australian War Memorial, London Gazette (September 9, 1916), Wikipedia, InDaily, National WWII Museum.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
21min
June 29, 2025 The Gunbar Raider
William Jackson's story during a trench raid near Armentieres is truly remarkable. Join us for his amazing story.
Sources: Draws on Australian War Memorial records, London Gazette (September 9, 1916), Harry Willey’s biographies, and Hay Historical Society research.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
12min
June 27, 2025 Our Little Somme of Horrors
Pozieres was Australia's horrific Somme experience an experience that saw approximately 20% of the AIF become casualties in a period of 6 weeks.
Script draws on Charles Bean’s Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Australian War Memorial records, and secondary sources like Pozières: The Anzac Story by Scott Bennett.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
16min
June 23, 2025 The Worst of Both Wars
Arthur Blackburn had a unique experience encompassing the most awful locations Australians found themselves in both world wars. Blackburn was a scout at Gallipoli and made it further inland on day 1 than any other Australian soldier in the whole campaign. He then won the VC at Pozieres before being invalided home with pleurisy. Pursuing a legal career between wars Blackburn packed away the wig and robes to command a machine gun battalion in WW2 where he fought the Vichy French in Syria and the Japanese in Java. Blackburn was taken prisoner by the Japanese and spent 3 years in POW camps.

Sources: Information drawn from the Australian War Memorial, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Anzac Portal, and Wakefield Press’s Arthur Blackburn, VC by Andrew Faulkner.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
11min
June 16, 2025 The Somme
Rich and Dave give a high level round up of the battle of the Somme to give some context to the Australian involvement.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
26min
June 12, 2025 From Hell
March 1916 the ANZACS arrive in France and are deployed to the Nursery Sector near Armentieres. In July 1916 they are engaged in a diversionary action intended to draw German reserves away from the Somme. The result is a one sided slaughter. Australia's heaviest loss of life in any single day of combat. Charles Bean referred to the battle of Fromelles as a "tactical abortion" The diggers just called it "From Hell".
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
10min
June 05, 2025 Setting the Stage
In this episode we pick up on the Western front from March 1915 to April 1916. We also look at the reconstruction of the AIF after Gallipoli. It is this return to Egypt for training, expansion and specialisation that gave the ANZACS the foundation to build an elite fighting force.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
26min
June 01, 2025 Conscription
The issue of replacing killed and injured troops leads to intense debate which split Australia with Church and Union leaders pitched against conservative politicians. The outcomes of the conscription referenda would echo through Australia throughout the twentieth century.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
...more
28min

FAQs about Valour:

How many episodes does Valour have?

The podcast currently has 56 episodes available.