Category: Military history audio
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West Africa and the First World War
The First World War had a great impact on West Africa, as Britain ordered the invasion of German colonies in Cameroon and Togoland, using its own colonies as ba... read more
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UFO files at The National Archives
Originally set up at the request of Winston Churchill, the Ministry of Defence’s UFO Desk ran for over 60 years, collating mysterious sightings and records... read more
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Suffrage 100: Did militancy help or hinder the fight for the franchise?
By 1912, militancy associated with the Suffragette movement hit its peak, with regular arson attacks, window-smashing campaigns and targeting of MP’s houses.... read more
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Sylvia Pankhurst: suffragette, socialist and ‘scourge of the empire’
From militant suffragette at the beginning of the 20th century to campaigner against colonialism in Africa after the Second World War, Sylvia Pankhurst dedicate... read more
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Black Power and the state
The late 1960s and early 1970s witnessed the flourishing of Black Power, a movement of major global impact. In Britain, black radical campaigns were monitored b... read more
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‘Corner of a Foreign Field’: a play about the burial of Indian Muslim troops at the time of the First World War
It is October 1914 and Maulana Sadr Ud-Din is battling with General Barrow, the Military Secretary to the India Office, over the appropriate burial grounds for... read more
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‘Step Child’: a play about the surveillance of First World War Indian dissenters
The British Government promises that all British subjects are equal before the law. But when America begins blocking the growing number of Indian Sikhs seeking... read more
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‘Cama’: a play about a female Indian revolutionary at the time of the First World War
In a trench in Marseille the loyalty of three Indian soldiers is tested when the legendary Madame Cama asks them to surrender for the good of the motherland. Wi... read more
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‘The Radicalisation of Vir Singh’: a play about the challenges of serving as an Indian soldier in the First World War
Arjun sits restless and scared as he prepares to enter the battlefield for the first time. Inspired by compatriot Vir’s legends of mighty Sikh warriors, A... read more
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‘Smile’: a play about Indian soldiers at the Brighton Pavilion Hospital during the First World War
Three Indian soldiers recover at the iconic Brighton Pavilion hospital. Every detail is provided for but something isn’t quite right. The soldiers question wh... read more
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Bombs, bulls and civilian bravery
In this podcast The National Archives’ Principal Military Specialist reveals some of his favourite stories about civilian gallantry from the First and... read more
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‘A Bit of a Scratch’, a radio drama about the battle against Venereal Disease during the First World War
‘A Bit of a Scratch’ explores the first recorded prosecution under the Venereal Diseases Act 1917. The legislation was introduced due to the large n... read more
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‘Dadland’: the father who was also an undercover guerrilla agent
Keggie Carew discusses her book ‘Dadland’, a story about a madcap English childhood, the poignant breakdown of a family, and dementia. The novel cen... read more
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Black British politics and the Anti-Apartheid struggle
In 1948, from the introduction of apartheid in South Africa, racial discrimination galvanized the international community into protest. British people and black... read more
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From the Somme to Arras
Andrew Lock discusses the progress made by the British Expeditionary Forces between the battles of the Somme (1916) and Arras (1917). Although lessons were lear... read more