Tales from the Battlefields

Terry Whenham

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?

  1. A Stretcher Bearer at Passchendaele – Part 1

    13 小時前

    A Stretcher Bearer at Passchendaele – Part 1

    In this episode we follow the journey of Conscientious Objector Alfred Adams, who didn’t want to fight but became a Stretcher Bearer. We discover his story through a narrative and a series of emotional letters that he sent to his wife Alice, at home in England. How did his strong religious belief help him deal with the awful conditions at Passchendaele? We find out how he used the letters to reassure Alice that he was safe and sound, sparing her the dreadful truth. Alfred’s Grandson Geoff Allen reads his powerful words, and attempts to make sense of his Grandfather’s thoughts from over 100 years ago.

    42 分鐘
  2. The Monmouthshire’s at Ypres in May 1915

    5 天前

    The Monmouthshire’s at Ypres in May 1915

    In this episode we explore the story of the 3rd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment during 7 days on the Ypres battlefield in May 1915. We discover what Ypres looked like before it was destroyed by shellfire. We learn of the tragic story of the father and son who died on the same day. And how almost the entire battalion was wiped out, mainly because of a terrific artillery bombardment on their shallow trenches. We discover how a young Officer saved the life of one of his men by using his body as a shield, and the Welshman who was captured but returned home and celebrated 50 years of marriage in 1969.

    54 分鐘
  3. The Horror of Mouquet Farm

    2月12日

    The Horror of Mouquet Farm

    In this episode we visit the Somme battlefield and discuss what happened at Mouquet Farm in August and September 1916. But not through the history books. We drill down to the awful personal experiences of the soldiers who were there. An Australian explains how he was buried by a shell burst for an hour before being saved. How did that feel? And how the soldiers fought amongst the unburied bodies, and body parts, of friend and foe. We also hear from a British Officer who discovered a dead soldier still clinging to his Bible. And the Canadian soldier who wrote a letter to his Mother the day before he died, but it wasn’t delivered until 1928.

    55 分鐘
  4. Dooner Brothers

    2月6日

    Dooner Brothers

    In this episode we travel to the village of Zandvoorde and discover what happened to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on a single day during the 1st Battle of Ypres. Their story is made very personal as we find out how Nick Dooner, son of one of the Officers who died that day, found the grave of his ancestor in a cemetery at Hooge. Lt Alfred Dooner’s Commanding Officer, Lt Col Henry Cadogan, was also killed trying to help him. We learn about these two men, and discover Cadogan’s original grave marker in Buckinghamshire. We also have a discussion about the importance of remembrance and how these men impact on our lives today.

    1 小時 12 分鐘
  5. An Airman Above the Battlefields

    1月30日

    An Airman Above the Battlefields

    In this episode we discover the incredible story of Cecil Lewis, who lived a charmed and eventful life. We learn, through his own words, what it was like to take part in a dogfight with the Red Baron above the battlefields, and he describes how the Lochnagar and Y Sap mines were blown on the Somme battlefield, from his vantage point in the sky. He talks about the loss of good friends, including a Victoria Cross recipient, and how the airmen relaxed when out of the air. We then look into his eventful post war life, and how he helped create the BBC. And much more too.

    59 分鐘
  6. Harry Patch – The Last Fighting Tommy – with Richard Van Emden

    1月23日

    Harry Patch – The Last Fighting Tommy – with Richard Van Emden

    In this episode we talk to the best selling author, historian and broadcaster, Richard Van Emden about his friend Harry Patch, the Somerset man who was the last soldier to die (aged 111)  who could recall the fighting in the Great War. We learn what a character Harry was, and how Richard persuaded him, at the age of 100, to discuss his wartime memories and feelings. We hear from Harry himself as he talks about going “over the top” at Passchendaele in 1917 and how he was seriously wounded a few weeks later. And we learn how Harry planted some acorns at his nursing home, to remember the Germans who sacrificed their lives in the war.

    50 分鐘
  7. The Story of Richard “Windy” Gale – A Hero of Both World Wars

    1月15日

    The Story of Richard “Windy” Gale – A Hero of Both World Wars

    In this episode we look at the incredible story of a man who, after being given a white feather, served in the trenches during the Great War and masterminded the British Airborne operation on D Day during World War 2. A popular commander, known as a “soldier’s soldier”, we learn how he gave up his career in the City of London to become a junior Officer on the Western Front and had several close encounters with death. We discover how he established the 6th Airborne Division and why he was decorated for his bravery in both conflicts. We hear a recording of him guiding a battlefield tour to Normandy and learn how he slept on the glider during the crossing to the battlefield on D Day.

    1 小時 5 分鐘
  8. Albert – The Allied Garrison Town on the Somme

    1月5日

    Albert – The Allied Garrison Town on the Somme

    In this episode we travel to the small town on Albert that became so familiar to the Allied soldiers of the Great War. A location just behind the 1916 Somme battlefields, we find out why it was so important to them and what happened there. We hear from a soldier who saw his first dead body on the way up to the line from Albert, and how the famous Basilica was destroyed by shell fire, and then rebuilt again. And we then move the clock forward to discover what the veterans discovered when they returned to Albert after the war, and how war came again to Albert in 1940. We also discover the strange story of the ghostly wagon and horses, still travelling up the Bapaume road years after it was destroyed by a shell.

    57 分鐘
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簡介

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?

資訊

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