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Welcome to the latest episode!

In a slightly shorter episode than usual, we travel to Belgium and discover the story of two lieutenants, Lt Ronald Poulton Palmer and Lt Frederick "Tanky" Turner, rugby captains of England and Scotland respectively.

Rivals on the rugby pitch and comrades in the military, we look at the lives and careers of these two great characters, their deaths and the remarkable ceremony that brought a little piece of London to Belgium.

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Welcome to our first-ever questions and answers episode! In today's episode, we address questions posed by listeners and delve into a range of topics.

If you have a question you'd like answered, please email me at chocolatemenier1915@gmail.com, and we will see if we can get it into a future Q&A episode.

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Welcome to this latest episode!

Today we are in Belgium and walk the battlefield to the south of Ypres, beginning at Bedford House Cemetery and finishing at the Spanbroekmolen mine crater, the "Pool of Peace", created by the largest mine explosion from the Battle of Messines. We visit the cemeteries and memorials on this part of the battlefield to learn what happened, and what can still be seen.

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In this latest episode of Trench Talk, it's a pleasure to be joined by international cricketer, battlefield guide and WW1 fanatic Martin Barry.

Martin works as a battlefield guide and volunteer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, overseeing the vast military plot at Hastings Cemetery. In today's episode, he shares some of the personal and tragic stories of the men who lie buried in this small corner of Sussex.

We hear tales of murder most foul, tragic accidents, unfortunate events, and discover Martin's lifelong fascination with the Red Baron.

You can find Martin's website at https://www.thewargravesguy.com/

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Welcome to today's episode!

For the first time, we have created a listener's request podcast; I was contacted by a listener who discovered his Grandfather had been killed at Hill 70 while serving with the Cameron Highlanders at the Battle of Loos in 1915. The listener is planning his first-ever trip to the Western Front and wants to walk the battlefield where his Grandfather was killed. He asked if I could do a podcast about that area - your wish is my command!

We begin with an overview of the fighting on the Loos battlefield and then walk a circular route around Hill 70 and Bois Hugo to explore what happened and what remains to be seen to this day.

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Welcome to the first Trench Talk of the season, where Taff Gillingham joins me. Taff is a military historian and specialist historical advisor for the film, TV and theatre industries and has worked as an advisor on many well-known productions from Downton Abbey to the film 1917.

Taff is an expert on WW1 uniforms and kit, and in this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, he shares his encyclopedic knowledge.

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Welcome to the first episode of Season 8!

Today, we travel to the forgotten front and the village of Bois Grenier. The fields in this sleepy corner of agricultural France contain dozens of German bunkers and blockhouses from the time of World War I. The sector was a nursery sector - a relatively quiet location where new battalions could learn the regimes of trench warfare. The peace was shattered on the afternoon of the 25th September 1915 when a diversionary attack for the Battle of Loos had disastrous effects for the men of the 2nd Rifle Brigade and the Royal Berkshires.

We walk the fields and hear about the infamous "Dicky's Dash", the tragic end to the life of a Canadian flying ace, listen to stories of murder most foul and unbelievable gallantry, as well as boomerangs and the mystery and unknown fate of Clifford the monkey.

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Welcome to the final episode of Season 7!

In today's episode, we look at the little-studied role played by the Chinese Labour Corps during the Great War.

Over 90,000 Chinese labourers served in France and Belgium, engaged in manual labour and the dangerous work of clearing munitions and bodies from the battlefields.

Who were these men, and how did they end up so far from home?

The podcast will be back for Season 8 on Sunday July 6th 2025.

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