World War One

Latest Episodes:

WW1 At Home 19 - Tank Trials & Making Jam for the Frontline Oct 23, 2014

Show notes

The technical innovation that led to the birth of the tank, tales from the grandsons of the Guernsey soldier who travelled all over the world and the factory in Grimsby that supplied the frontline in jam.

Soldiers of the Empire 2/2 – The Fight in Fairyland Oct 22, 2014

Show notes

Santanu Das tells the story of the Indian Army on the Western Front, from disembarkation in Marseilles where the troops were greeted by excited crowds, to the grim reality of the trenches.

Soldiers of the Empire – Recruitment & Resistance Oct 20, 2014

Show notes

One and a half million Indian men were recruited from the villages and towns of British India to serve the Empire in the First World War. Santanu Das tells the story of how they were recruited to travel across the Kalopani, the "dark waters", to take part in the world's first industrial war.

St Petersburg: Revolution Oct 18, 2014

Show notes

The Romanovs ruled Russia for centuries until World War One brought revolution and an abrupt end to their imperial reign. Allan Little explores the legacy of revolution and the hidden impact of WW1 on Russian policy today.

WW1 At Home 18 - R&R for American Volunteers & a Bristol Love Song Oct 16, 2014

Show notes

A place in the heart of London where the American soldiers got a little taste of home; a project mapping the lives of nearly 2000 men in Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, who died in WW1 & a song to love and loss based on letters to a Bristolian wife.

Keep the Home Fires Burning Oct 11, 2014

Show notes

Don Black tells the fascinating story of Ivor Novello and the song that made his name. Keep The Home Fires Burning marks the centenary of a song that became popular both in the WW1 trenches and on the home front, and continued to be sung by soldiers in conflicts well into the 1950s. The programme features the best Ivor Novello tunes, some extraordinary Imperial War Museum archive and explores how music was used as a morale booster in the First World War.

WW1 At Home 17 - The Sikh Contribution & the Merseyside Ferries Oct 10, 2014

Show notes

The two Merseyside ferries who earned their 'Royal' title in a daring wartime raid, a Coventry memorial which marks the Sikhs role in World War One, and why thousands of mules trotted through the town of Minehead.

Episode 3 - Forgotten Heroes, The Indian Army in the Great War Oct 09, 2014

Show notes

In the third part of his documentary looking at the Asian contribution to WW1, Sarfraz Manzoor examines the effect of WW1 on India, nationally and locally. Through letters from servicemen and families, the loss to loved ones becomes clear - not just on an emotional level, but also leading to hardship for farming communities often losing their strongest workers. The beginnings of nationalism can be seen just before the war with the violent activities of the Ghadar party, but a more mainstream nationalist voice gathers increasing strength as the war comes to a close. Besides the contribution of men, in 1918 and 1919, India comes very close to famine as a result of the huge amount of foodstuffs it supplied for the war effort.

WW1 At Home 16 - The Chilwell Explosion & a Wartime Entertainer Oct 02, 2014

Show notes

Kate Adie reports on the Nottinghamshire munitions factory disaster. Also - the ambulance trains of Lowth & forces sweetheart, Gertie Gitana, who became a wartime music hall star.

WW1 At Home 15 - Pilot Hero Mick Mannock & Flora Sandes' Enlistment Sep 24, 2014

Show notes

Three WW1 characters. Flora Sandes, who enlisted and fought as a soldier in Serbia. Mick Mannock, the British 'Ace of Aces'; and 3 yr old Khaki George, who collected funds for the war effort on the streets of Halifax.

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