In this episode we look at the struggles of the soldiers who suffered from shell shock. Probably over 250,000 men suffered from ‘shell shock’ as result of the First World War. At the time it was believed to result from a physical injury to the nervous system during a heavy bombardment or shell attack, later it became evident that men who had not been exposed directly to such fire were just as traumatised. We listen to the voices of men who had seen others suffer from this condition, and from some of the soldiers directly affected. And we discover the story of a shell shocked Canadian soldier who murdered a girl in Liverpool.
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50:12
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50:12
150: The 2025 Frontline Walk
In this special episode we join The Army Benevolent Fund’s “Frontline Walk” from the Somme to Ypres, via Vimy Ridge. As we follow the fundraisers’ we visit a vast German Cemetery near Arras and hear from a walker whose relative is buried along the route. In Polygon Wood, we find an Australian grave with an emotional family inscription, and follow the route of the Canadians as they cross the Ravebeek in terrible conditions during the Battle of Passchendaele. We end with an emotional interview with Alix Hale, who father Mark was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2009.
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1:18:24
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1:18:24
149: A Pals Battalion on the Somme in 1915
In this episode we continue the story of 6th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment as they spend their first few months on the “quiet sector” of the Somme in 1915. We discover who their first casualty was and how the soldiers suffered with the mud and rats of the trenches. And they encounter mine warfare for the first time and the horrors and fear that it created. We also discuss the story of a soldier who divorced his wife who was having an affair with another soldier and find evidence of the close bond that developed between the comrades in the trenches. We end the episode at Christmas 1915. Did another truce take place.
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39:54
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39:54
148: The Children of the Fallen
In this episode we look at the very powerful and emotive stories of the children of the men that went off to World War 1 and never returned. How did they cope as young children? What happened to them in their adult lives? We hear from Ellen Elston whose Mother turned the portrait of her Father around because it upset her so much. And who was the WW2 airman who visited his father’s grave when he was 98 years old? How did it affect him? We also listen to the words of Gertrude Harris, who managed to get a pardon for her father who had been Shot at Dawn in 1916. And we discover the tragic story of father and son, mortally wounded just 5 miles apart from each other, 23 years apart and are buried in the same cemetery.
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59:57
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59:57
147: The 8th Lincolns at the Battle of Loos, with Nigel Atter
In this episode we commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Loos by talking to author Nigel Atter about the 8th Lincoln’s experience on the second day of the battle. We discuss how the Germans attacked them before they could go into action and how all of their Officers became casualties. We find out how one Officer was shot in the head, taken prisoner and held in captivity for over 3 years before returning home and resuming his business career. And we look at the claim that the battalion “threw their rifles away and bolted”. And much more too including the tragic story of twin brothers who died on that day.
Podcast telling the unheard stories of men who served on the Western Front during World War 1. Listen to the stories of soldiers told by Terry Whenham, battlefield guide and researcher. I have been researching these stories for over 20 years and can now share incredible experiences of ordinary men and women. Who were these soldiers? How did they die? What is their legacy? How do we remember them?
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