May 29, 2022
Despite being a volunteer force, 5DCLI (Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry) took part in some of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of World War two in North-West Europe. We'll hear verbatim from the diaries of some of the DCLI soldiers about their brave exploits. One was shot through the breast pocket but...
Jun 1, 2021
The huge contribution of servicemen and women of colour through the centuries and across the world bolstered British forces in nearly every conflict, and in supporting the building of the British Empire. But so often that skill and loyalty has been overlooked and at times even resented.
In this episode military...
Jan 19, 2021
War leaves mental scars as well as physical ones and for many veterans, the battle does not always end when the fighting stops. In this episode we chart the changing attitudes to mental health conditions caused by the impact of conflict; from Florence Nightingale's pioneering support for traumatised soldiers in...
Feb 27, 2020
It's now more than 20 years since the ban on gay people serving in the armed forces was lifted. But what was it like for gay and lesbian people serving before that? We hear about the lives of gay men in the two great wars, how the army was an escape from society's heterosexual norms for lesbians and what museums are...
May 20, 2019
It's 40 years this year since the Berlin Wall came down. Many fragments of it were taken by souvenir hunters. One of the biggest pieces in Britain ended up at Bodmin Keep museum in Cornwall. In this episode we'll hear from soldiers and civilians who were there when the wall went up at the height of the Cold War, and...