Afleveringen
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Today we’re demob happy as holidays are upon us, and I’ve teamed up with the fabulous History Book Buffs pod to discuss our favourite history or historical fiction books to read on the sunbed so do come in, relax and listen to Antonia Senior, Roger Moorhouse and myself as we chat our happy space for books – and all the time ably marshalled by Antonia.
The Trial of Alexander the Great
The Greatest Links - all found here
Black Sea – Neil Ascherson
Alexander the Great – Robin Lane Fox
God's Fury, England's Fire – Michael Braddick
The March of Folly – Barbara Tuchman
Dreadnought: Britain, Germany, and the Coming of the Great War – Robert K. Massie
Flashman and the Redskins – George MacDonald Fraser
Captain Corelli's Mandolin – Louis de Bernières
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After the Second World War the SAS was disbanded, but when a communist insurgency broke out in the British Imperial possession of Malaya, the SAS was reformed. In the years following the Regiment came under the command of an extraordinary soldier, George Lea, veteran of Arnhem and known as the soldier’s General.
Joining today is Rupert Hague Holmes, author of Lea’s biography as we discuss the man and the Special Air Service as it evolved from a distrusted regiment to a finely tuned counter-insurgency unit, and the envy of the United States.
Don't forget, get in touch with Rupert here for a signed copy.
Rupert Hague Holmes Links
The Soldier's General
The Soldier's General - Signed Copy
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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During the Second World War the cause of Indian independence was placed on hold for the Congress party, but one man, Subhas Chandra Bose was impatient for freedom, and so in a dramatic escape from a British prison, he travelled to Nazi Germany and Japan to throw his lot in with empires committed to fighting Britain.
When the Japanese threatened to invade the British Raj 2.5million Indians volunteered to fight against them, but Bose led around 40,000 of his own countrymen against them.
Joining today is Phil Craig, author of 1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World as we chat about Bose, the great Indian general Timmy, the Bengal Famine and much more.
Phil Craig Links
1945: The Reckoning – War, Empire and the Struggle for a New World
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My guest today is the broadcaster and political commentator Iain Dale who has edited a new book, Generals, 69 commanders written by 69 different authors. So we find Montgomery; Napoleon; Patton; Gordon of Khartoum; Themistocles and plenty others.
We discuss the political situation in the wake of Kier Starmer’s resignation, the current British attitude to defence and plenty more.
Iain Dale Links
The Generals
Where Politics Meets History Podcast
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Bonus: History Book Club at Chalke
Chats with authors in 35 degree heat – we talk Cricket / Gout / U Boats and Espionage with:
Annie Chave – Cricket Changed My Life
Vic Marks – England Captains 1979-2025
Roland Butcher – Breaking Barriers
Simon Hughes – A Lot of Hard Yakka
Dorian Haskard – The Gout
Roger Moorhouse – The U Boat War
Charles Cumming – Icarus 17
Links to all these books at The History Book Club Shop
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A quick bonus episode for my wonderful listeners, in the wake of the British Prime Minister resigning, I got Robert Lyman on to discuss the state of the country’s military. Robert is a former officer and now writes history books, and we chat the parlous state of our nation’s defences. I hope you enjoy, and if you have any comments, go ahead and let me know.
Links Discussed
The AJAX Saga
Mark Urban Substack
Robert Lyman Links
Victory to Defeat
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In 1347 Genoese merchants were holed up in Kaffa, in the Crimean peninsula as Mongols and Turks besieged the city. The invading army of Khan Djanibeg had been resisted for 2 years and so surely an end was in sight, especially as disease had ripped through the besiegers. But, in a final throw of the dice, the great King, using engines of war, hurled dead bodies, swollen from sickness and blackened from corruption, into Kaffa. A terrible plague ripped through the populace within, and the Genoese decided to leave by ship. They escaped, but so did the bacteria, and it would spread throughout the medieval world killing 100 million.
Joining today is Thomas Asbridge, author of The Black Death: A Global History as he discusses the terrible pestilence that had massive ramifications, and which still kills people today.
Thomas Asbridge Links
The Black Death: A Global History
History Book Club Shop
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It’s Film Club time and this time it’s the longest movie ever made, Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O’Toole stares into space, and David Lean gets carried away so let’s get on with it as Roger, Tim and me give this so called classic a reappraisal.
Our Awards
Best Performance
Most Egregious Overracting
Biggest Plot Flaw
Historical Inaccuracy
What if Tarantino Made It?
Who won the film?
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English poetry has a rich and glorious history, and who better than to write about it than Mark Forsyth who writes with great verve and humour. He joined me to discuss it from the early medieval period all the way to the First World War and beyond
Mark Forsythe Links
Rhyme & Reason
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At 2.52am on 12 October 1984 Margaret Thatcher returned to her desk from visiting the lavatory of her suite at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Two minutes later a bomb exploded on the upper floor bringing down the large chimney, which collapsed through the hotel and destroying Mrs. Thatcher’s bathroom. She had a lucky escape, but as the IRA stated publicly later, they only had to be lucky once. She had to be lucky every time.
Joining the pod today is the Guardian’s Ireland correspondent Rory Carroll and author of Killing Thatcher, the thrilling account of the plot to kill the Iron Lady.
Rory Carroll Links
Killing Thatcher
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The Battle of Thermopylae left one Spartan survivor, Aristodemus, and so he fought suicidally at Plataea a year later in 479BC, giving his life, but as you heard failing to impress his fellow Spartans. The commander of the Greek troops against the Persians that day was Pausanias, Spartan Regent and a quite fascinating figure who, according to Daniel Ogden his biographer, was responsible more than any other Greek for the preservation of Western Civilisation as we know it. He joins me to discuss Ancient Sparta, the influential king Cleomenes and Pausanias himself.
Daniel Ogden Links
Pausanias of Sparta
Regulus
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The beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas, and the brooding Ralph Fiennes across the deserts of North Africa. Yep the English Patient is this month’s film club as Roger, Tim and myself discuss the 1996 movie directed by Anthony Minghella based on the Michael Ondaatje book of the same name.
Our Awards
Best Performance
Most Egregious Overracting
Biggest Plot Flaw
Historical Inaccuracy
What if Tarantino Made It?
Who won the film?
History Book Club Shop
Oliver Webb-Carter Links
Substack
Who Cares Who Wins?
Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor
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Harry Bucknall is a travel writer who loves Britain and Northern Ireland, and during a difficult period of both his and the country’s recent past, he decided to embark on his own particular Odyssey, walking from Scotland to England, to Northern Ireland to Wales and then to England again. He encountered a rich and distinct group of inhabitants to write a hugely entertaining book and he joined me recently to discuss A Road for All Seasons.
Harry Bucknall Links
A Road for All Seasons
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On the morning of 30 January 1933 Adolf Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. There are many dates that can be used to identify the end of the Weimar Republic, but this is probably the most appropriate. The constitution that had held since 1919 was in mortal danger.
Weimar, the town which gave the Republic its name, by Hitler incidentally, is the title of a new book by Katja Hoyer, bestselling author of Blood & Iron and Beyond the Wall. We discuss the atmosphere best exemplified by the people of the pretty little town, but one that had a dark secret nearby.
Katja Hoyer Links
Weimar
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Today the bestselling author Damien Lewis joins to discuss Special Forces ops in the Second World War, including the SAS, the SBS and the little known Greek version, the Sacred Squadron.
Added to that we chat the latest news on Paddy Mayne, one of the originators of the SAS and then, as you heard at the top, we discuss the ongoing lawfare, as the British government seeks to pursue army veterans in the courts, for ops carried out during the Troubles. Damien gives his view.
Damien Lewis Links
SAS Great Escapes 5
Sacred Squadron on YT
Write to your MP
Damien Lewis Events
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On 22 November 1963 at 1230 in the afternoon, shots fired out a President Kennedy’s motorcade in downtown Dallas, Texas. Now, we all know it was definitely Lee Harvey Oswald from the Book Depository with a rifle and a magic bullet but, what about the witnesses? There were a collection of intriguing and disparate characters in Dealey Plaza that day, and I’m speaking with the man who has written about them.
Martin Fitzgerald is a long time expert on the assassination, and he’s written a book about the interesting stories related to but not all about grassy knolls and second shooters. He joins me for a chat about one of the most talked about events of the 20th century.
Martin Fitzgerald Links
The Umbrella Man & Other Stories
The Men Who Killed Kennedy (YT)
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Have you been hearing about the shortcomings of the British military? Were you following the painful and depressing journey of seemingly the only warship in the Royal Navy, HMS Dragon? Well today I have a conversation with a naval historian and military strategist, Andrew Lambert, who has written No More Napoleons, a book on the 19th century when Britain neutralised European threats.
We discuss the figures such as Wellington and Palmerston who executed a well thought out and realistic national strategy, and we contrast that with recent failures of politicians and military leaders and the state of strategic thought today.
Andrew Lambert Links
No More Napoleons
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The Cambridge Spy Ring has cast a shadow over the British establishment since the exposure of Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess in 1951. Along with Kim Philby, Anthony Blunt and John Cairncross, they gave a vast amount of secrets to the Soviets, particularly during the Second World War when Stalin had allied with Hitler until 1941.
Antonia Senior, author of a new book on the Cambridge 5, Stalin’s Apostles, joins to discuss their treachery, who they really harmed, and whether there is any romantic notion to their espionage driven by ideology.
Antonia Senior Links
Stalin's Apostles
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Titanic Links
Five Titanic myths spread by films
Our Awards
Best Performance
Most Egregious Overracting
Biggest Plot Flaw
Historical Inaccuracy
What if Tarantino Made It?
Who won the film?
History Book Club Shop
Oliver Webb-Carter Links
Substack
Who Cares Who Wins?
Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor
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We are now in an age of nuclear uncertainty, as wars have broken out around the globe and great powers realign. Britain is apparently a nuclear power but relies on the United States for its deterrant, and should the worst happened, would the Prime Minister really authorise a launch of the trident missiles?
And what about the number of nukes? There are over 10,000 in the world today, but should there be?
Joining today is David Holloway, author of Nuclear Weapons: An International History, as we discuss bombs in the 20th century, and more recently, and I ask the questions that perhaps you always wanted to, such as why are there so many of the damn things?
David Holloway Links
Nuclear Weapons: An International History
Link to the Wargame discussed
History Book Club Shop
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Substack
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Paean to Patrick Leigh Fermor
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