Send a text

​How did a prince from the coast of Gujarat end up becoming a national hero in Poland?

​In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary life of Maharaja Jam Sahib Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji of Nawanagar. While the world was engulfed in the darkness of World War II, the "Good Maharaja" opened his heart—and his borders—to some 1,000 Polish children orphaned and displaced by the war.

Whether you're a history buff, a fan of untold WWII stories, or interested in Indian royalty, this is a tale of compassion that transcendeds borders and politics.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send a text

For fifteen-year-old Walter, the world was a small plot of land and the four walls of the family home in Poland. But in 1939, Nazi boots kicked in the front door and that world shattered in a heartbeat.

Walter, and his siblings, were forced to watch their father being dragged away towards the tree line, a walk from which no one ever returned.

This week we are joined by Rafal, Walter's stepson and our first ever guest on Honourable Mentions, as he tells his own life story and how, over time, Walter revealed more and more about the horrors and undiluted joys of his own time on earth. From arriving in the United States in 1951, to meeting Rafal's mom and arranging to adopt the nine-year-old boy who arrived at JFK airport in the late eighties without a word of English.

Rafal's tale is sad, funny, but above all life affirming and brimming over with optimism. It will leave you wishing we could all be a bit more Walter.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

A crimson triplane skims the Somme, a novice pilot runs for his life, and a nation’s legend closes in for the kill. Then a calm Australian sergeant on a Vickers machine gun waits for his moment, clears his own aircraft from the line of fire, and squeezes the trigger. What happened next reshaped air combat lore—and it likely didn’t come from the sky at all.

We chart Manfred von Richthofen’s path from young cavalry cadet to the Red Baron, Germany’s most feared ace and a potent symbol of wartime propaganda. You’ll hear the pivotal encounters, the April surge that cemented his reputation, and the head wound that shadowed his final year. From there we move groundward to the Australians braced along Morlancourt Ridge, where trajectories, medical findings, and rate-of-fire analysis converge on one name: Sergeant Cedric Bassett Popkin. His official statement, training background, and position relative to the flight path make a tight forensic case for the fatal burst coming from a Vickers pointing to treetop height.

Along the way, we keep the human scale in view. Popkin’s disciplined fire likely ended the Baron’s run; weeks later, shrapnel cost him his right leg and any hope of fanfare. Von Richthofen, only twenty-five, received full military honours from his enemies, a rare gesture that recognises skill and the strange chivalry of early aviation. The broader impact was immediate: a blow to German morale, a lift for Allied crews, and proof that even the brightest myth can be undone by patience and precision on the ground.

If you enjoy sharp storytelling, primary sources, and a myth-busting look at World War I aviation, hit follow, share this with a history-loving friend, and leave a review. What detail changed your view of the Red Baron’s last flight? We want to hear it.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

August 22nd, 1914, on a road near Casteau in Belgium, one member of the 4th Irish Royal Dragoon Guards raised his rifle, steadied his breath and changed history forever. Drummer and Cavalryman, Ernest Edward Thomas had just fired Europe's first shot of the First World War.

Join us as we tell his story, explain his connection with Brighton and The Duke of York's Picturehouse, and describe that fateful shot, taken the day before the first Battle of Mons.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

For our 13th Episode, we are taking a look at perhaps the unluckiest man there ever was, in the true story of Roy Sullivan, the Spark Ranger or Human Lightning Rod.

Between 1942 and 1977, Roy was struck by lightning seven times, and despite having his hair catch fire more than once and even coming round from a strike and immediately fighting off a bear, Roy lived to tell the tale. That is until he could no longer carry the weight of his bad luck.

But was it just bad luck? Was it science, or something more?

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

Discover the life and legacy of Caroline Kennedy, the last surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Often described as the most famous woman you know the least about, Caroline's journey is a story of resilience, diplomacy, and the weight of a monumental heritage.

​Follow her journey from being the celebrated "First Child" of the White House to her career as the US Ambassador to Japan and Australia. We explore the immense trauma of the JFK assassination and the death of her uncle, Bobby Kennedy, and the cultural shift of her mother’s marriage to Aristotle Onassis.

​Plus, we uncover the true story of hidden inspiration for one of the world's favorite sing-along hits. Join us for an intimate look at the Kennedy family history through the lens of the woman who carries the legacy forward.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

Discover the incredible true story of Henrietta Lacks, a young mother and poor tobacco farmer whose life changed the world forever without her knowledge. In this episode of Honourable Mentions, we explore the complex legacy of the woman behind the immortal cells that fueled decades of scientific breakthroughs.

​From the development of the polio vaccine to gene mapping, Henrietta’s cells have saved millions of lives—yet her story is also one of deep racial injustice in 1951 America. We dive into the medical ethics of the era, the critical importance of medical consent, and the ongoing conversation surrounding bodily autonomy.

​Join us as we pay tribute to the "Mother of Modern Medicine" and uncover how one woman’s unwitting contribution became the bedrock of contemporary science.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod

Send us a text

Imagine you’re driving a 7.5-ton double-decker bus across London’s most iconic bridge. The lights are green, the air is thick with 1952 smog, and twenty passengers are chatting behind you. Suddenly, the road in front of you doesn't just end—it rises.

​This week, we tell the heart-pounding true story of Albert Gunter, the Number 78 bus driver who found himself on a rising bascule of Tower Bridge. Faced with a split-second choice between a 30-foot plunge into the Thames or a leap of faith, Albert did the unthinkable: he floored it.

If you love vintage London, true stories of quick thinking, or the hidden secrets of the world’s most famous landmarks, this is an unexpecte adventure story that you won’t want to miss.

Email honourablementionspod@gmail.com

Website

honourablementions.buzzsprout.com

Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Instagram

honourablementionspod

TikTok

honourable.mentionspod