Memory and Valour

Samantha L.G. McCrea
  • 5.0 (1)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Memory and Valour is a Canadian history podcast exploring the legacy of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War and beyond. More than battles, it tells human stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience; reminding us that remembrance is about lives lived, families changed, and lessons carried forward. Each episode brings listeners closer to the human side of history. Through stories drawn from diaries, letters, archives, and community recollections, Memory and Valour reflects on how war touched every corner of Canadian life. Because where memory endures, valour lives on.

  1. 14 - The Last Charge: Canada’s Cavalry in the Great War

    2D AGO

    14 - The Last Charge: Canada’s Cavalry in the Great War

    In a war defined by trenches, machine guns, and industrial slaughter, Canada sent horsemen into the storm. This episode follows the Canadian Cavalry Brigade from the mud of the Western Front to the desperate charge at Moreuil Wood; an action often remembered as one of the last great cavalry charges in history. It’s a story of soldiers caught between eras, fighting a modern war with the tools of an older one, and proving that courage and adaptability could still shape the battlefield. Step into the saddle and ride through the final days of cavalry warfare in the Great War.

    48 min
  2. 13 - The Timberwolves’ Legacy: Indigenous Contributions in WWI Canada

    FEB 4

    13 - The Timberwolves’ Legacy: Indigenous Contributions in WWI Canada

    The 107th Battalion — known as The Timberwolves — was one of the most remarkable and overlooked units in Canada’s First World War history. Made up largely of First Nations soldiers, these men brought extraordinary skill, resilience, and cultural strength to a war that demanded everything from them… and then asked for more. In this episode, we uncover the story Canada rarely tells: how Indigenous soldiers carved roads through the impossible, built the very infrastructure of the Western Front, and fought with a loyalty that was never fully returned at home. Through history, testimony, and truth, we explore who the Timberwolves were, what they endured, and why their legacy matters now more than ever. This is the story of courage in the shadows, and the fight to bring it into the light.

    57 min
  3. 12 - Poison Wind: Canada and the First Gas Attack

    JAN 22

    12 - Poison Wind: Canada and the First Gas Attack

    When the air turned poisonous, the Canadians didn’t retreat; they stood and fought.This episode dives into the first poison‑gas attack at Ypres and the brutal legacy it left behind. From the shock of the green cloud to the lifelong scars of gas exposure, we follow the Canadians who faced a weapon the world had sworn never to use. A visceral journey into terror, survival, and the moment modern war crossed a line it could never uncross.

    1h 13m
  4. 11 - Knighthood, Chaos, and the Vanished Cemetery - Listener's Choice

    JAN 13

    11 - Knighthood, Chaos, and the Vanished Cemetery - Listener's Choice

    Four snapshots from Canada’s Great War: the lost Levi Cottage Cemetery now buried within Tyne Cot; Sir Arthur Currie’s fraught rise to knighthood; the deadly work of CEF runners threading messages through chaos; and the 107th Battalion, the Timberwolves, carving identity in the mud of the Western Front. A brief episode with the weight of a century behind it.

    45 min
  5. 10 - Beaumont-Hamel: Courage, Loss & the Newfoundland Regiment

    JAN 7

    10 - Beaumont-Hamel: Courage, Loss & the Newfoundland Regiment

    Beaumont‑Hamel marked one of the darkest moments in Newfoundland’s history. On the morning of July 1, 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment advanced across open ground during the first day of the Battle of the Somme, straight into unbroken German fire. Within minutes, the unit was devastated, suffering catastrophic losses that echoed across every community back home. Beaumont‑Hamel became a symbol of extraordinary courage, profound sacrifice, and a tragedy that shaped Newfoundland’s identity for generations.

    1h 8m
  6. 9 - Once A Patricia, Always A Patricia

    2025-12-31

    9 - Once A Patricia, Always A Patricia

    From Frezenberg to Kapyong, the Second World War, and the Medak Pocket to Afghanistan; this episode explores the courage, identity, and legacy of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Featuring the incredible story of Major Mike Levy.Once a Patricia, Always a Patricia is a tribute to more than a century of service, sacrifice, and identity, and to the enduring spirit that binds Patricias long after the fighting ends.

    1h 11m
  7. 8 - Voices in the Frost: The Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce

    2025-12-24

    8 - Voices in the Frost: The Story of the 1914 Christmas Truce

    In December 1914, British and German soldiers stepped out of their trenches to share songs, handshakes, and a brief moment of humanity in the frozen silence of No Man’s Land. This episode explores the Christmas Truce through the voices of the men who lived it; a fragile flicker of peace that stayed with them for the rest of their lives.

    1h 19m
  8. 7 - Life in the Trenches: In Their Own Words

    2025-12-20

    7 - Life in the Trenches: In Their Own Words

    In this episode, we step inside the trenches of the Western Front, where soldiers lived every day with mud at their boots, fear in their lungs, and the constant thunder of artillery overhead. Through their routines, their hardships, and the rare moments of fragile humanity, we explore what life was truly like for the men who endured one of the harshest environments of the First World War. From stand‑to at dawn to long nights of labour, from lice and rats to letters from home, this episode brings you into the world in which they survived, one day at a time.

    1h 17m
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About

Memory and Valour is a Canadian history podcast exploring the legacy of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War and beyond. More than battles, it tells human stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience; reminding us that remembrance is about lives lived, families changed, and lessons carried forward. Each episode brings listeners closer to the human side of history. Through stories drawn from diaries, letters, archives, and community recollections, Memory and Valour reflects on how war touched every corner of Canadian life. Because where memory endures, valour lives on.

Information

  • Creator
    Samantha L.G. McCrea
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Samantha L.G. McCrea
  • Show Website
    Memory and Valour

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