PODCAST

Footsteps of the fallen

Matt Dixon

A journey through the Great War

history

All Episodes

60:07

"I can't find the damned things!" - Ploegsteert to...

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2025/01/26

Send us a textWelcome to the first episode of 2025!Today, we head to Belgium and walk a less-trodden route south of Plugstreet Wood towards the hamlet of Le Gheer. From the village of Ploegsteert, we head south and east across the farmer's fields to discover the long-lost history of this part of the battlefield. These seemingly bare fields tell the story of the rank and file of the Allied infantry who fought and died in this so-called quiet sector of the front. There is much...

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61:53

Out of money and out of luck - life beyond the trenches

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/12/31

Send us a textWelcome to the final episode of 2024!One of the great misnomers of WW1 is that soldiers spent all their time in the trenches fighting. Fighting battles took up a tiny amount of soldiers' time, so what did soldiers do when not in the line?In this episode, we look at life behind the lines, where soldiers had the opportunity to spend their pay on treats to make soldiering more bearable. Many soldiers indulged in the age-old vices of women and gambling; gambling was technicall...

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57:35

Feeding Tommy

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/12/08

Send us a textA famous saying asserts that an army marches on its stomach, and in this episode, we examine food and drink for men on the front line. The challenge of feeding an army was immense, and the war office employed science to calculate the exact calorific intake needed by a soldier to survive.Feeding the men was one thing; feeding them something palatable was something else. We look at trench rations, from the infamous Army Biscuits to cans of "dog vomit," and see that the culin...

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68:56

Liquid fire

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/11/24

Send us a textIn the early hours of the 30th July 1915, men of the Rifle Brigade and Kings Royal Rifle Corps were attacked near Hooge by German soldiers using a new and appalling weapon of war - liquid fire. The subsequent counter-attack that afternoon by the British was a military disaster that could have been avoided had the protests of senior commanders in the line been listened to.We examine what happened that day, discover the story of the man who won the first VC for the new armie...

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68:22

He is not missing, he is here.

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/10/27

Send us a textWelcome to this latest episode, in which we explore the history behind one of the world's great monuments, the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in the Belgian city of Ypres.We hear the history of the Last Post, look at the famous lions and their connection to Australia, hear the stories of some of the dead, and contemplate what makes this an iconic place of remembrance.Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallenhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

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79:58

I can't say my prayers on a stolen carpet..

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/10/13

Send us a textWelcome to the latest episode!In today's episode, we look at the role played by Army Chaplains during the Great War. Responsible for the spiritual and personal welfare of soldiers, the Chaplain was a source of great comfort for men during the hell of trench warfare.We look at the history of the Army Chaplain Department and discover the massively important role that Chaplains had in the lives of men at war and meet some of them, including the famous Woodbine Willie, "Tubby" Clayt...

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73:07

The black lions of Cantigny

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/09/29

Welcome to this latest podcast, in which we travel to the southern part of the Somme battlefield, a shell-cratered morass on which the men of Canada, Australia and France died in their thousands in the final 100 days of the War.We tour the battlefield and visit the cemeteries and memorials, which bear testament to the sacrifice of so many who fell so close to the end of four years of conflict. Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallenhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/footste...

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72:46

A potato and a propellor - Amiens at war

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/09/08

In today's podcast, we journey through Amiens and its surrounding areas, uncovering the deep connections to the Great War.We start in the village of Naours, exploring caves that hold a remarkable record of soldiers from the conflict. Next, we delve into the history of Amiens Cathedral and discover a moving poem, "The Song of Amiens," written by a lesser-known poet of the Great War. A British Chaplain shares a story of divine intervention after "borrowing" a standard lamp from the cathedral.&n...

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63:53

Here we fight, and here we die!

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/08/25

In this latest episode, we answer a couple of listener questions and then tour the battlefield near St. Quentin. We hear the story of the tragic death of two British soldiers shot for spying by the Germans, stand on the very trenches from which the offensive began, and visit some of the redoubts which stood in the way of the German onslaught. Our journey concludes with the story of Manchester Hill and the heroic efforts of Lt Col Wilfrith Elstob VC DSO MC. Support the podcast:http...

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64:02

The black day of the German army

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/08/11

In this episode we look at the Kaiserschlact, or Kaiser's Battle which was launched by the Germans in March 1918, a final roll of the dice to win the war before American superiority in arms and men came to the fore.Logistical problems tempered initial successes, and by early summer, the advance had faltered. On the 8th of August, the Allies counter-attacked with an offensive near Amiens that captured nearly 15,000 men and saw estimated German losses of 30,000. Ludendorff described...

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65:06

All roads lead to Ypres

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/07/28

Why do we always do the same thing? This question was posed during a work call last week, and it got me thinking about travelling around the battlefields and why I always seem to take the easy route to Ypres.In this episode, we meander up the coast from Calais to Nieupoort, taking in Zuydcoote, Adinkerke, Coxyde, Nieupoort and Ramskappelle to see what Great War history can be found when heading to Ypres along a road less travelled.Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefall...

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66:09

A mile and a half of history - White House to...

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/07/14

Welcome to this latest episode.We find ourselves in Ypres, on a part of the salient that offers real bang for the buck regarding military history. Our journey today covers just over a mile and a half from White House Cemetery to Kitchener's Wood, and we hear the stories of the cemeteries and memorials on this part of the old front line.We visit White House Cemetery, where we also discover the social history behind a small wooden house opposite the cemetery entrance. We visit Oxford Road, the ...

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78:03

Unseen and unwanted - a colonial soldier's war

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/06/30

In this latest episode, we look at colonial soldiers' experiences in the Great War. Britain and France made full use of the human capital of their global empires to provide extra manpower for their armed forces.Our journey begins in an art gallery in Belgium, and we look at the work of the famous German artist Karl Goetz and his most scandalously infamous medallion depicting "The Black Shame."We examine the role played by French colonial troops and discover the story of the most decorated Div...

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67:41

The man they couldn't kill.

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/06/16

In this episode, we travel to the Somme and begin our journey at one of the most iconic sites on the battlefield, the Basilica at Albert. We hear about its founding and discover more about the legend of the Golden Virgin.We leave Albert, head onto the battlefields over the Tara and Usna line, and visit the Lochnagar Crater at La Boiselle. Just to the right of the crater on the 2nd of July 1916, a Victoria Cross was won by one of the great characters of the First World War. A...

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76:01

Palestine

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/05/26

In this episode, we visit one of the forgotten fronts of the Great War and look at the fighting in Palestine in 1917-1918. This was an unforgiving landscape that saw numerous battles, the removal of a Corps Commander and one of the most impressive military victories in history.Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallenhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

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67:47

Festubert - a walk round a battlefield

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/05/12

In this episode, recorded live on the battlefields, we are at Festubert, the forgotten battle of 1915, and we visit some of the cemeteries around the battlefield to hear the personal stories of the men buried within them. Support the podcast:https://www.patreon.com/footstepsofthefallenhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

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67:58

The Devil's breath

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/04/28

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74:17

The farm cemeteries - Ypres

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/03/31

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72:49

Trench Talk - Tom Isitt and the Italian Front

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/03/17

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69:02

Fricourt

Footsteps of the fallen ·

2024/03/03

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Footsteps of the fallen

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