Living History with Mat McLachlan

Mat McLachlan

Historian Mat McLachlan brings Australian history to life in this engaging, educational and entertaining podcast. From the ancient age to the modern world, take a trip through time with Living History! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. FEB 13

    Ep262: The Invasion of Singapore, 1942

    In February 1942, when the Japanese Imperial Army launched its assault on Singapore, 880 Australians would die in just four days—not in the surrender that followed, but in the desperate battle to defend the island. In this episode, Mat McLachlan reveals the forgotten story of the invasion of Singapore—four days in February 1942 that have been overshadowed by the surrender and the horrors of captivity that followed. Through authentic accounts and personal testimonies, we follow the opening days of the Japanese assault: the night of February 8th when 88,000 shells rained down on Australian positions; the 2/20th Battalion losing 548 men in twenty-four hours; and the burning oil at Kranji that sent the Imperial Guards through flames. From Lieutenant-General Percival's catastrophic refusal to build defenses because they were "bad for morale" to General Yamashita's stunning post-war admission that his entire attack was "a bluff—a bluff that worked," from Private Ray Colenso writing poetry about duty before dying on a northwestern beach to thirteen-year-old Soh Guan Bee surviving on sardines in a trauma that lasts eighty years, these soldiers and civilians faced an impossible situation with courage that has been largely forgotten. Why did Australian casualties make up seventy-three percent of battle deaths while forming only thirteen percent of the forces? How did the 2/20th Battalion hold a coastline they couldn't possibly defend? What happened when two million gallons of burning petrol sluiced into the Johore Strait? Mat explores these questions through the actual words of those who were there. A sobering testament to the Australians and civilians who fought during Singapore's opening days—and a reminder that before there were prisoners, there was a battle. Before there was defeat, there was courage. "My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten." - General Tomoyuki Yamashita Episode Length: 35 minutes Features: Accounts from the 2/18th, 2/19th, and 2/20th Battalions' war diaries, civilian testimonies from Singapore National Archives, General Yamashita's post-war admissions, and insights into the battle that history has quietly set aside. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk in the footsteps of those who fought at Singapore? Join Mat McLachlan on an exclusive tour to Singapore and the battlefields of Southeast Asia: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@MatMcLachlanHistory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    35 min

  2. FEB 5

    Ep261: Somme Winter, 1916-17

    In November 1916, when the great Somme offensive ground to its bloody halt, over 20,000 Australians would become casualties not from enemy fire, but from the winter itself. In this powerful episode, Mat McLachlan reveals the forgotten story of the Somme winter of 1916-17—an ordeal that historian Bill Gammage called "the worst experience the AIF ever endured." Through authentic accounts and personal testimonies, we follow Charles Bean through the devastated moonscape near Gueudecourt on Christmas Day, where the mud was so terrible he couldn't bring himself to wish the men a Merry Christmas; Private Albert Edwards enduring his first 56 hours in two feet of water on an empty stomach; and Private Herbert Harris, recording that most of his mates hadn't had dry feet for a month and some didn't even have socks. From the trench foot epidemic that claimed ninety percent of the 27th Battalion to the frozen nights when tea froze solid before reaching the front lines, from Captain Harry Murray's Victoria Cross action at Stormy Trench to the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, these men faced the most severe winter in northern France in thirty-six years. Why did more men become casualties from frostbite than from some battles? How did soldiers survive weeks in waterlogged trenches that sprouted grass from their sandbag walls? What kept them going through months of suffering designed to break them? Mat explores these questions through the actual words of the men who were there. A sobering testament to the Australians who held the line through the Somme's frozen hell—and a reminder that some victories come not from charging, but from simply refusing to break. "We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying." - Private Ted Lynch, 45th Battalion Episode Length: 28 minutes Features: Excerpts from Charles Bean's war diaries, Herbert Harris's diary entries, Albert Edwards's personal accounts, and on-location insights from the Somme battlefields Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk in the footsteps of those who endured the Somme? Join Mat McLachlan on an exclusive river cruise that visits the battlefields of Waterloo, WWI and WW2 in 2027: https://battlefields.com.au/history-cruises/ Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@MatMcLachlanHistory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min

  3. 11/17/2025

    Ep260: The Road to Passchendaele - The Final Reckoning (Part 5)

    On October 12th, 1917, Captain Clarence Jeffries led one hundred Australian troops toward a German machine gun position on the Passchendaele road. He'd already captured one pillbox that morning—exactly the kind of action that had worked brilliantly in September. But the ground had turned to liquid mud. The barrage was invisible. Everything was different. Jeffries was killed instantly, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for capturing ground that would be abandoned the next day. The Battle of Passchendaele represents the tragic final chapter of Third Ypres. In this episode, Mat McLachlan examines how an offensive that had proven the Western Front stalemate could be broken descended into one of history's ultimate symbols of futility. From the 66th Division's twelve-hour march through mud to reach their start line, to the 3rd Australian Division's 400-yard advance at the cost of 3,199 casualties, to General Currie's precise prediction of 16,000 Canadian losses—we witness the attacks that should never have happened. But we also confront the uncomfortable question: if September's battles taught the lessons that helped win the war in 1918, what does that mean for October's dead? Why did Field Marshal Haig continue attacking when every commander knew the ground was impossible? How did the same tactics that succeeded at Broodseinde fail so catastrophically at Passchendaele? What makes this battle both a vindication of tactical innovation and a monument to strategic delusion? "I thought the principle was to be 'hit, hit, hit, whenever the weather is suitable.' If so, that principle is thrown away at the first temptation." - General Hubert Gough, October 8th, 1917 Episode Length: 43 minutes Features: Captain Jeffries' Victoria Cross action, the sunk cost fallacy at GHQ, why Currie's prediction was exactly right, and the bitter irony of September's success drowning in October's mud. Series Conclusion: The final reckoning of Third Ypres—triumph and tragedy, lessons learned and lives lost. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat's exclusive European tours: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more history: https://www.LivingHistoryTV.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min

  4. 10/28/2025

    Ep259: The Road to Passchendaele - Broodseinde Ridge (Part 4)

    On October 4th, 1917 a thousand British guns opened fire on German positions along Broodseinde Ridge. What followed was described by Crown Prince Rupprecht as "the black day of the war." For the first time, German high command began to consider the unthinkable: that they might actually lose. The Battle of Broodseinde was the third and final success in General Plumer's carefully planned offensive. In this episode, Mat McLachlan reveals how a perfect convergence of tactics, timing and weather created what Charles Bean called "the most complete success so far won by the British Army in France." From the 3rd Australian Division's capture of the Tyne Cot blockhouse to the stunning double-blow of simultaneous attacks, we follow the forces that shattered German morale and captured the ridge that dominated the Ypres Salient. But we also witness what came after: the rains that turned the battlefield to porridge, and the attacks at Poelcappelle and Passchendaele that descended into nightmare. Why did German commanders panic after Broodseinde? How did tactics that worked perfectly on October 4th fail catastrophically days later? What makes the captured pillbox at Tyne Cot Cemetery the most significant monument on the Western Front? "We no longer know what to do." - Crown Prince Rupprecht's diary, October 4th, 1917 Episode Length: 42 minutes Features: The capture of the Tyne Cot blockhouse, Crown Prince Rupprecht's crisis of confidence, the weather that changed everything and why this single day's success could not be repeated. Next Episode: Passchendaele - the final, bloodiest phase of Third Ypres. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat's exclusive European tours: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more history: https://www.LivingHistoryTV.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    41 min

  5. 10/10/2025

    Ep258: The Road to Passchendaele - Polygon Wood (Part 3)

    On September 26th, 1917, at Polygon Wood, three cousins from the same Australian pioneering family waited in the pre-dawn darkness. Raymond Single would soon be shot by a sniper who saw his luminous watch glow. Within hours, Hubert Thompson and Wilfred Single would also be dead. At 5:50 AM, a thousand guns opened simultaneously in what Frank Hurley called "a blinding sheet of flame." The Battle of Polygon Wood had begun. Six days after the success at Menin Road, General Plumer launched his second "bite and hold" attack. In this episode, Mat McLachlan reveals how Polygon Wood became both a perfect victory and a terrible revelation: the British Empire had finally learned how to win battles, but winning provided no relief from the slaughter. From Pompey Elliott holding the line while his brother died, to Patrick Bugden's five rescue missions into no-man's land, we follow the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions through what Charles Bean called possibly Elliott's greatest achievement—and one of the bloodiest days in Australian military history. Why did German commanders admit they had "no idea what to do"? How did 21,000 men become casualties in a victorious battle? What made the 5th Division choose this costly triumph for their memorial? "We are living through truly abominable days." - Colonel von Thaer, German High Command Episode Length: 45 minutes Features: The Single family tragedy, German crisis conference at Roulers, Company Sergeant Major Dewey's eyewitness account, and the moment when even perfect tactics couldn't change the arithmetic of death. Next Episode: Broodseinde—the black day that ended in rain. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat's exclusive European tours: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more history: https://www.LivingHistoryTV.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min

  6. 10/03/2025

    Ep257: The Road to Passchendaele - Menin Road (Part 2)

    On September 20th, 1917, at the Battle of Menin Road, Private Roy Inwood lay in the mud east of Ypres. His brother had died at Pozières the year before. In three hours, Roy would earn the Victoria Cross. The day after, he'd be dead. Nearby, three brothers from Petersham waited with their unit. By nightfall, their mother would have lost all three sons. After weeks of catastrophic failures under General Gough, Field Marshal Haig transferred command to General Herbert Plumer. In this episode, Mat McLachlan reveals how Plumer's methodical genius transformed the offensive: three weeks of preparation, limited objectives, overwhelming firepower—one gun for every five yards of front—and revolutionary tactics that reversed traditional doctrine. From predawn assembly through torrential mist to the devastating creeping barrage, we follow the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions executing what Charles Bean called "probably their zenith"—the most perfectly coordinated attack of the war. Why did German counter-attacks fail so catastrophically? How did Plumer's "bite and hold" change tactical doctrine? What drove Roy Inwood to advance alone through his own barrage—twice? "Nothing I have heard in this world or can in the next could possibly approach its equal." - Australian soldier describing the barrage Episode Length: 42 minutes Features: Frank Hurley's battlefield diary, German assessments of defensive collapse, and the Seabrook brothers' final day. Next Episode: Polygon Wood—the high point of the offensive. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat's exclusive European tours: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more history: https://www.LivingHistoryTV.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min

  7. 09/26/2025

    Ep256: The Road to Passchendaele - The Gathering Storm (Part 1)

    When Field Marshal Douglas Haig launched his great Flanders offensive in July 1917, he believed he was unleashing the battle that would end the war. Instead, he condemned three-quarters of a million men to fight and die in what would become synonymous with the horror of the Western Front. In this opening episode, Mat McLachlan reveals how the stage was set for Third Ypres through a deadly convergence of strategic necessity and catastrophic weather. Through authentic accounts, we explore the crisis that made the battle inevitable: the French Army's collapse into mutiny after the disastrous Nivelle Offensive; the devastating U-boat campaign threatening to starve Britain into submission; and Haig's fateful decision to entrust his decisive battle to the aggressive General Hubert Gough rather than the methodical Herbert Plumer. From the spectacular success of Messines Ridge - where 19 massive mines vaporized 10,000 German soldiers in 19 seconds - to the opening disaster of July 31st when torrential rain transformed the battlefield, Mat captures the human drama and strategic miscalculations that defined the campaign's tragic opening. Why did Haig reject Plumer's plea to continue after Messines? How did catastrophically wrong weather predictions shape the battle? What drove Irish divisions from both sides of the religious divide to advance together into the slaughter at Langemarck? "In my opinion the war can only be won here in Flanders." - Field Marshal Douglas Haig, August 13, 1917 Episode Length: 43 minutes Features: Authentic diary entries, Crown Prince Rupprecht's battlefield assessments and firsthand accounts from German blockhouses to Irish trenches. Next Episode: The Australians enter the battle at Menin Road, testing new tactics against German steel and concrete. Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk the battlefields? Join Mat McLachlan's exclusive European battlefield tours: https://battlefields.com.au/ Find everything Mat is doing at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    43 min

  8. 09/19/2025

    Ep255: Australians at Arnhem, 1944

    When 35,000 Allied paratroopers dropped into Holland in September 1944, four Australians from opposite corners of the continent found themselves at the heart of one of World War Two's most catastrophic operations. In this remarkable episode, Mat McLachlan reveals the forgotten Australian stories of Operation Market Garden. Through authentic accounts and personal testimonies, we follow Keith Prowd from Gympie as his burning bomber falls from the sky at 550 feet; Alan Wood from Sydney, typing dispatches while German mortars explode around him; John Hackett from Perth, leading bayonet charges before being hidden by three Dutch sisters who risk everything to save him; and Tom Hall from Melbourne, whose Typhoon rockets try desperately to keep Hell's Highway open. From Prowd's Death March through frozen Poland to Hackett's months in hiding during the Hunger Winter, these four men experienced Market Garden from every angle - in the air, on the ground, and through the typewriter keys that would preserve its history. Their stories capture not just the military disaster, but the extraordinary humanity that emerged from catastrophe. Why did the de Nooij sisters risk execution to hide a stranger? How did Alan Wood keep typing as the battle raged? What drove Keith Prowd's mates to carry him through freezing temperatures when dropping him would save their own lives? Mat explores these questions through the actual words of the men who were there. A powerful testament to the Australians who fought at Arnhem - and the Dutch civilians who saved them. "If in years to come any man says to you, 'I fought with the Arnhem airborne force,' take your hat off to him and buy him a drink." - Alan Wood, September 1944 Episode Length: 24 minutes Features: First-hand accounts from Keith Prowd's 2003 interview, excerpts from personal memoirs and on-location insights from Arnhem and Oosterbeek Presenter: Mat McLachlan Producer: Jess Stebnicki Ready to walk in the footsteps of heroes? Join Mat McLachlan on an exclusive river cruise that visits the battlefields of Waterloo, WWI and WW2 in 2027: https://battlefields.com.au/history-cruises/ Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan For more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min
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4.8
out of 5
18 Ratings

About

Historian Mat McLachlan brings Australian history to life in this engaging, educational and entertaining podcast. From the ancient age to the modern world, take a trip through time with Living History! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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