In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History

Tom Trumble

A narrative history podcast about people pushed to the absolute edge. Hosted by Australian author Tom Trumble (Penguin Random House), In Extremis tells longform stories from WWII, the Cold War, and beyond — survival, mutiny, betrayal, leadership under pressure. Military history told as gripping human narrative. Coming soon: Shackleton and Mawson in Antarctica. Nancy Wake — the White Mouse. The assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The Cuban Missile Crisis. Chernobyl. The Mutiny on the Batavia. Also coming: Amelia Earhart. Vivian Bullwinkel. Captain Richard de Crespigny. The Thai cave rescue.

  1. 1d ago

    Shackleton - Part 4: Elephant Island

    Shackleton scours the seas for the missing Dudley Docker. She's still afloat, but out of sight. Skippering the Docker, Frank Worsley hasn't slept in 80 hours. When the crew finally reaches solid ground, relief turns to despondency. There will be no rescue in this frozen wasteland. Shackleton must prepare for another - more dangerous - open boat journey across the Drake Passage. As the 6 men selected prepare to depart immediately, Shackleton writes a letter to Frank Wild, instructing him to abandon the camp if rescue doesn't come. Within days, the James Caird will sail 800 nautical miles across the Drake Passage, attempting one of the greatest small boat journeys in maritime history. SOURCES Lansing, Alfred. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Basic Books, 1959. Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Knopf, 1998. Jarvis, Tim. Shackleton's Epic. BBC, 2009. Shackleton, Sir Ernest. South: The Endurance Expedition. Penguin Classics, 1919. Worsley, Frank Shackleton's Boat Journey , 1933

    Shackleton - Part 4: Elephant Island

  2. Aug 14

    Shackleton - Part 3: Of Salt, Sacrifice, Leadership and Floebergs

    When the ice beneath them fractures in the dead of night, Shackleton acts without hesitation—pulling Ernie Holness from the freezing water in a moment that sets the tone for everything that follows. But rescue from the ice is only the beginning. As the three small boats—the James Caird, Stancomb Wills, and Dudley Docker—push into open water during a severe gale, the men face conditions that test not just their bodies but their minds. A floeberg that seems solid becomes a death trap. Navigation reveals they've drifted backward 30 miles. The ocean itself conspires against them: unseen currents, waves that freeze mid-air, temperatures dropping to -22°C. Through it all, Shackleton stands visible at the bow without mittens—a symbol of endurance and an inspiration to the men. And as the three boats draw within 10 miles of Elephant Island, Shackleton makes a fateful decision... SOURCES: Lansing, Alfred. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Basic Books, 1959. Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition. Knopf, 1998. Jarvis, Tim. Shackleton's Epic. BBC, 2009. Koehn, Nancy. Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times. Crown Business, 2017. Shackleton, Sir Ernest. South: The Endurance Expedition. Penguin Classics, 1919.

    Shackleton - Part 3: Of Salt, Sacrifice, Leadership and Floebergs

  3. Aug 7

    Shackleton - Part 2: The Drift of the Ice

    After the Endurance sank, Shackleton faced three possible drift patterns. None guaranteed rescue. What he could control was morale. Life on the floe brought constant suffering: constipation, sodden ice, eyes burned raw by wind and reflection, wind madness. When calculations showed they were drifting away from land, Shackleton ordered a march west dragging two boats. Progress: six miles in five days. Christmas came and went. Carpenter Harry McNish turned on the commander, claiming the ship's sinking had terminated his contract. Shackleton lied, claiming the articles remained binding. McNish backed down. Days later, fearing the boats would be damaged, Shackleton abandoned the march and established Patience Camp. Shackleton's strength lay not just in care for his men, but in understanding each one's psychology. He managed difficult personalities - the egotistical Hurley, the anxious storekeeper Orde-Lees - by isolating them strategically. Yet Orde-Lees, though eccentric, was possibly the strongest: a former Royal Marines PT director who survived a 12-foot, 1,100-pound leopard seal attack only by Frank Worsley's rifle. By April, the floe had shrunk to 50 yards across. On April 9, Shackleton ordered the boats launched. They cleared the pack as a tide rip—150 feet of surging ice—roared past. That night on a new floe, Shackleton awoke at 11 p.m. A deep rumble. A crack opened directly beneath his tent. The men scrambled out unharmed. Then the shout: "Somebody's missing!!!" Sources "Endurance", By Alfred Lansing "The Endurance", By Caroline Alexander "Shackleton's Epic", By Tim Jarvis "Forged in Crisis", By Nancy Koehn

    Shackleton - Part 2: The Drift of the Ice

  4. Jul 31

    Shackleton - Part 1: What the ice gets, the ice keeps

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION November 21, 1915. The Endurance, trapped in Antarctic pack ice for months, finally breaks apart under impossible pressure. Sir Ernest Shackleton watches his ship—his home, his sanctuary—succumb to the ice and slip beneath the surface. The dream of crossing Antarctica is over. Now, 28 men face a new ordeal: survival on a drifting ice floe, hundreds of miles from any land, with no radio contact and no one knowing their fate. This is the moment Shackleton's true test begins—not conquest, but command of men in hopelessness. Part 1 of the Shackleton arc opens in the ice, where a 41-year-old explorer must decide who they will become when everything is stripped away. PEOPLE Sir Ernest Shackleton — 41-year-old expedition commander; Irish-born; haunted by his previous Antarctic failure and Amundsen's triumph; driven by ambition, financial pressure, and an unshakeable belief in his own leadershipFrank Worsley — Ship's captain, Endurance; masterful navigator; described as "delighted in nothing more than barreling into the ice"Frank Hurley — Photographer and filmmaker; documented the expedition; conducted lantern slide shows during the long winter darknessDr. Alexander Macklin — Scottish surgeon; specialist in recognizing morale declineThe 28-man crew — Scientists, sailors, dog handlers; men of different nationalities, classes, and skillsRoald Amundsen — Norwegian explorer; first to reach the South Pole (1911); overshadowed Shackleton's achievementsSir Robert Falcon Scott — British explorer; reached the South Pole a month after Amundsen; died on the return journey; iconic figure of the Heroic AgeAdrian de Gerlache — Belgian expedition commander; first to overwinter in Antarctica aboard the Belgica (1897-1899)Frederick Cook — American photographer, surgeon, and fraud; relieved crew sanity during the Belgica winter through psychological tacticsRESOURCES Books: Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition (1959) — Definitive narrative account; based on expedition diaries and crew interviewsNancy Koehn, Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times (2017) — Analytical framework for Shackleton's leadership psychologyTim Jarvis, Shackleton's Epic (2014) — Modern expedition retracing Shackleton's journey; first-hand understanding of the conditionsCaroline Alexander, The Endurance: Shackleton's Iconic Antarctic Expedition (1998) — Illustrated history; combines narrative with Frank Hurley's photographsJulian Sancton, Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into Darkness (2021) — Historical precedent; psychology of polar crews

    Shackleton - Part 1: What the ice gets, the ice keeps

  5. Jul 24

    The Old Man and the Longest Race - Part 2: Shuffling to Glory

    Day 2 begins with chaos: Wally oversleeps, Cliff wakes at 2:30am instead of 6am, and runs unprepared on baked beans and two hours of sleep. What follows is an extraordinary five-day journey across 875 kilometres as a 61-year-old potato farmer defies every odd, battles injury and exhaustion, outwits his rivals, and becomes a national icon. This is the story of how Cliff Young won Australia's most grueling ultramarathon—and changed running forever. PEOPLE Cliff Young – 61-year-old potato farmer, Beech Forest, Victoria; unlikely heroWally Zunneberg – Cliff's trainer, Colac Football Club massage man; gruff mentor figureTerry "Wobbles" McCarthy – Support car driver; conflict with WallyGeorge Perdon – Elite runner, race favourite; "Gentleman George"Joe Record – Cliff's training partner, second-place finisher; strategic rivalJohn Hughes – New Zealand detective, cocky frontrunner, previous record holderTony Rafferty – Irish expat, elite runner, fifth-place finisherSiggy Bauer – World-class ultramarathoner, fourth-place finisherNeil Kearney – Channel 10 journalist; pivotal TV momentJohn Toleman – Race director, organiserMartin Noonan – Westfield marketing executive, race visionaryMary Young – Cliff's mother; presents garland at finish lineEunice & Lorraine – Cliff's sisters; provide sustenance during raceBob Hawke – Australian Prime Minister; sends congratulations telegramJeff Kennet – Victorian Opposition Leader; attends finish celebrationMartin Thompson – Public servant runner who quits from exhaustionKeith Swift – Runner whose crew is hit by car; pulls out injuredTOPICS The 1983 Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon (875km)Wally's alarm mistake (2:30am vs 6am start)Cliff's physical challenges: shoulder pain, massive blisters, minimal sleepThe "Cliff Young Shuffle" – revolutionary running techniqueCelebrity and adulation: Goulburn, Jugion, media coverageSupport crew dynamics: Wobbles' drinking, Wally's frustrationNeil Kearney's TV moment: Cliff eating pears straight from canChannel 10 coverage and newspaper articles during the raceNutrition strategy: baked beans, pumpkin, potatoes, pearsThe psychology of leading: Cliff's determination to hold the leadJoe Record's Wodonga betrayal: waking Cliff mid-sleepThe shin-splints moment: how Joe broke mentallyGeorge Perdon's demoralisation from Cliff's early 2am startWally's knife-and-methylated-spirits blister treatment (Albury)The broken support car 5km from finish lineBurke Street finish: kids nearly killing him with encouragementThe 10,000-person Melbourne CBD crowd (11:34pm Monday night)Cliff's $10,000 prize and decision to split it with other runnersReactions from elite runners: Hughes, Rafferty, Bauer, PerdonPost-race celebrity: Don Lane Show, Michael Parkinson, Parliament HouseThe gumboot statue memorial in Beach ForestDebunking myths: gumboots training, no formal training, the tortoise-and-hare fallacyLegacy: the Young-Shuffle adopted by subsequent winnersCliff's later career: subsequent races, marriage to Mary Howell, decline, stroke (2000), death (2003) Sources: Julietta Jameson, "Cliffy: The Cliff Young Story", Text, 2010 Cliff Young, "Cliffy's Book", High Country Publishing, 1995 Australian Story, ABC, How potato farmer Cliff Young outran the world’s best athletes | Australian Story

    The Old Man and the Longest Race - Part 2: Shuffling to Glory

  6. Jul 17

    The Old Man and the Longest Race - Part 1: The potato farming, gumboot wearing, ultradistance runner.

    SHOW NOTES - CLIFF YOUNG EPISODE 1 The Underdog In April 1983, a 61-year-old potato farmer from Beech Forest lined up alongside elite ultramarathoners for the inaugural Westfield Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathon—864 kilometres across Australia. Nobody took him seriously. Except the runners themselves. This is the story of how an old bloke in gumboots almost didn't make it through the first night, nearly hit by a semi-trailer and forced to rest on baked beans, setting up one of sport's greatest comebacks. PEOPLE Cliff Young – 61-year-old potato farmer, Beech Forest, VictoriaSiggy Bauer – 1000-mile record holderRobert Bruner – 200km Sri Chinmoy Festival championGeorge Perdon – Australian ultradistance runner, Fremantle to Sydney recordTony Rafferty – Irish expat, rival ultramarathonerJohn Hughes – New Zealand runner, cocky frontrunnerJohn Toleman – Running coach, race organiserMartin Noonan – Westfield marketing executiveWally Zunneberg – Cliff's trainer and support crewMary Young – Cliff's motherTOPICS The 1983 Westfield Sydney to Melbourne ultramarathonCliff's failed 1000-mile run attempt (November 1982)The water tank incident (January 1983)Ultramarathon training and preparationSupport crews and logisticsThe psychology of the underdogRunning on the Hume Highway in 1983TIMESTAMPS (approximate) 0:00 – Opening: Westfield Shopping Centre, April 26, 19833:45 – The field: Siggy Bauer, Robert Bruner, George Perdon, Tony Rafferty7:20 – Cliff Young introduced10:15 – How the race came to be: Toleman, Perdon, Rafferty rivalry15:30 – Martin Noonan's vision18:00 – The test run: Noonan and Cliff22:15 – The gumboots press conference26:00 – The 1000-mile run (November 1982)30:15 – The water tank disaster (January 1983)34:00 – Race day begins36:45 – The mad dash: Hughes, the cracking pace38:30 – The semi-trailer near-miss and Wally's alarm mistake40:00 – END OF PART 1RESOURCES "Cliffy: The Cliff Young Story" by Julietta Jameson"Cliffy's Book" by Cliff Young

    The Old Man and the Longest Race - Part 1: The potato farming, gumboot wearing, ultradistance runner.

  7. Jul 1

    The Man Who Saved the World — Part 2: 85 Seconds to Midnight

    On the night of September 26th, 1983, Stanislav Petrov stood alone in a Soviet bunker outside Moscow while every alarm in the building screamed that America had launched its missiles. He didn't make the call. This is the second and final part of the story of the man who may have saved human civilisation.. and was punished for it. In this episode: What was the Perimeter system — and why did the Soviets build it? The answer reveals everything about how close the world came to automated annihilation, and why the decision that night rested on one man's shoulders rather than a machine's. Why was Petrov different from every other officer in that bunker? His upbringing, his education, and the family trauma that shaped him all suggest the system had produced exactly one person capable of doing what he did. What happened when he was proved right? A reprimand. And what became of Petrov after the Soviet Union collapsed is covered. Primary and secondary sources for this episode: The principal secondary sources for this episode and its companion are: Taylor Downing, 1983: Reagan, Andropov and a World on the Brink (2018) — the most comprehensive single-volume account of the 1983 war scare. Nate Jones (ed.), Able Archer 83: The Secret History of the NATO Exercise that Almost Triggered Nuclear War (2016) — a collection of declassified primary documents, including CIA assessments, NSA intercepts, and internal NATO communications, assembled by the National Security Archive. Additional material drawn from: Petrov's own interviews, particularly his 2013 BBC interview on the thirtieth anniversary of the incident, and the 2014 documentary The Man Who Saved the World. David Hoffman, The Dead Hand (2009) — Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Soviet nuclear programme and the 1983 war scare.

    The Man Who Saved the World — Part 2: 85 Seconds to Midnight

  8. Jun 25

    The Man Who Saved the World — Part 1: Stanislav Petrov and the most dangerous moment of the Cold War

    Shortly after midnight on the 27th of September 1983, a forty-four-year-old Soviet military officer named Stanislav Petrov was sitting in a reclining chair in a bunker eighty miles south of Moscow when his early warning system told him that the United States had launched a nuclear missile at the Soviet Union. He had minutes to decide whether to believe it. This is the first of a two-part episode on Stanislav Petrov and the most dangerous moment of the Cold War that almost nobody has heard of. In this episode we set the scene: who Stanislav Petrov was, what he was doing in that bunker, and why the autumn of 1983 was the most terrifying season of the entire Cold War. Along the way we cover: The OKO satellite network — the Soviet early warning system that Petrov had helped build, and that he was now being asked to trust with the fate of civilisation. The near-misses that preceded 1983 — Vasili Arkhipov and the Soviet submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the man who refused to authorise a nuclear torpedo launch when his captain was convinced the war had already started. And Zbigniew Brzezinski, who in 1979 got out of bed at 3am and decided not to wake his wife before calling the president to recommend a retaliatory nuclear strike — only to be told, thirty seconds later, that someone had accidentally loaded a training tape into a NORAD computer. The state of the world in 1983, Reagan's Evil Empire speech, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the deployment of Pershing II missiles to West Germany, and why the Soviet Union read all of these not as defensive posturing but as the systematic assembly of a first-strike capability. Yuri Andropov: the former KGB chief who succeeded Nikita Brezhnev as General Secretary in November 1982. A dying man, conducting the business of running a nuclear superpower from a hospital clinic, connected to a dialysis machine, watching Ronald Reagan describe his country as the focus of evil in the modern world. Korean Air Lines Flight 007: shot down by a Soviet interceptor on the 1st of September 1983, killing 269 people including a US Congressman. The event that poisoned an already toxic relationship just weeks before Petrov's night in the bunker. And Reagan himself: who despite his bellicose rhetoric was privately horrified by Pentagon officials who believed nuclear war was winnable. "I can't believe that this world can go on beyond our generation," he said in a radio address from Camp David, "without someday some fool or some maniac or some accident triggering the kind of war that is the end of the line for all of us." The episode ends where it began — in Serpukhov-15, with Stanislav Petrov staring at a screen that now reads not launch, but missile attack. What he does next is the subject of Part 2. Content note: this episode contains discussion of nuclear weapons, mass casualty scenarios, and Cold War geopolitical history. No graphic content. Primary and secondary sources for this episode: The principal secondary sources for this episode and its companion are: Taylor Downing, 1983: Reagan, Andropov and a World on the Brink (2018) — the most comprehensive single-volume account of the 1983 war scare. Nate Jones (ed.), Able Archer 83: The Secret History of the NATO Exercise that Almost Triggered Nuclear War (2016) — a collection of declassified primary documents, including CIA assessments, NSA intercepts, and internal NATO communications, assembled by the National Security Archive. Additional material drawn from: Petrov's own interviews, particularly his 2013 BBC interview on the thirtieth anniversary of the incident, and the 2014 documentary The Man Who Saved the World. The Reagan Presidential Library's archive of public papers and radio addresses. David Hoffman, The Dead Hand (2009) — Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Soviet nuclear programme and the 1983 war scare.

    The Man Who Saved the World — Part 1: Stanislav Petrov and the most dangerous moment of the Cold War
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About

A narrative history podcast about people pushed to the absolute edge. Hosted by Australian author Tom Trumble (Penguin Random House), In Extremis tells longform stories from WWII, the Cold War, and beyond — survival, mutiny, betrayal, leadership under pressure. Military history told as gripping human narrative. Coming soon: Shackleton and Mawson in Antarctica. Nancy Wake — the White Mouse. The assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The Cuban Missile Crisis. Chernobyl. The Mutiny on the Batavia. Also coming: Amelia Earhart. Vivian Bullwinkel. Captain Richard de Crespigny. The Thai cave rescue.

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