Shows
Radio OldieTwentieth Century Heroines - Podcast by Tom Assheton & James JacksonTwentieth Century Heroines.
1.Citation 2. Edith Cavell 3. Maxine Elliott 4. Gertrude Bell 5. WW2 Operations 6. Ursula Graham Bower 7. MI9 a. Pat O’Leary Line b. Nancy Wake c. Dédé d. Mary Lindell 8. Virginia Hall 9. Special Operations Executive 10. SOE Women a. Vera Atkins b. Noor Khan c. Violette Szabo d. Odette Churchill 11. Bletchley Park 12. The Banka Island Massacre 13. Conclusion
Many are names in the wartime Hall of Fame. Yet others have faded from view and collective memory. All are heroines and all sacrificed much in two world wars to defend their country and help others in need. As nurses or secret agents, from Edith Cave...
2024-04-241h 14
Radio OldieThe Great Escape - Oldie Podcast with Tom Assheton and James JacksonTo salute the 80th anniversary of the Great Escape and the recent article about POW Roger Mortimer by his son, Charlie Mortimer we present this discussion between Tom Assheton and James Jackson on Great Escapes – events that have captured the imagination for generations. From the simplest adoption of disguise to the longest tunnels, both successful and failed attempts have entered the realm of legend. Everyone knows the tale of the Great Escape, yet far fewer remember the names of those who dug myriad escape tunnels to confound the Germans and try to reach home. Colditz and Stalag Luft III have been...
2024-03-271h 41
Bloody Violent HistoryThe EndThat's it folks. Jamie and I have produced over 90 episodes for this show. Here we talk about some of our favourites. Thank you for listening. Some of our favourites:E79 Spy PlaneE69 WaterlooE80 Civil WarE91 MobsterE76 Disastrous ExpeditionsE77 Dambusters RaidE11 Twentieth Century HeroinesE2 Cavalry ChargeE8 Irish Terrier - True Dogs of WarE49 IED pt2 - The Combat SurgeonE51 PiratesE28 Bomber Harris speech 1977 ...
2023-12-1947 minBloody Violent HistoryMutiny1.Intro 2.Mutiny through the ages 3.Naval Mutiny 4.Army Mutiny 5.Air Force Mutiny ps The Wagner GroupThere is always an underlying grievance. Jamie and Tom dive into the history of Mutiny.so it goes,Tom Assheton and James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcast App? It t...
2023-12-051h 12Bloody Violent HistoryMobster1.Mob Rule 2.Power Play 3.The Hit 4.Global Rampage PS ' The 5 Families'Organised crime has huge resources, wealth, high political connections. They own and operate billion dollar corporations. Jamie and Tom take a look at the underworld - the mafia man, the gangster, the mobster.so it goes,Tom Assheton and James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you pleas...
2023-11-221h 25Bloody Violent HistoryMassacre1.Intro 2.Foundation 3. Genocide 4.Rampage 5.Explotation 6.Cull ps St Valentine's Day MassacreJamie and Tom take a long look at Massacre - the wholesale, indiscriminate killing of persons. This episode was recorded before Palestinian Hamas terrorists massacred over 1,300 Israelis, mostly civilian men, women and children on 7th october 2023.It is a difficult subject so we have split it into 5 sub headings, listed above.so it goes,Tom Assheton and James Jackson Reference:Richard 1 and the Massacre at Acre - reportage See also...
2023-11-071h 30Bloody Violent Historyon Royalty with Hugo Vickers1. Royalty v Republic 2. The 'Crown' tv show 3. Princess Alice, the Duke of Edinburgh's mother 4. Mad, bad and bonkers 5. Modernisation of the Royal Family. 6. ConclusionTom talks with the UK's pre-eminent expert on royalty, Hugo Vickers. He has written many biographies of 20th century figures, including Cecil Beaton, Vivien Leigh, the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Andrew of Greece, and the Queen Mother. His book, The Quest for Queen Mary, sold 40,000 copies in various forms. He has attacked the fifty episodes of the Netflix series of The Crown – in his book, The Crown Dissected (2019), all of which are available as an e-book....
2023-10-2453 minBloody Violent HistoryBlack on Black Slavery - Bloody Bites #20Jamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.james...
2023-10-1022 minBloody Violent HistoryContagion part 2Chapters cont... 4. Dysentery 5. Typhoid & Cholera 6. Yellow Fever, Typhus and Malaria 7. Small Pox 8. Aids to Covid ps Biological WarfareThe second and concluding part to our dive into the story of Contagion.Mankind has defeated all comers in the struggles we have had with the animal kingdom – no sabre-tooth tiger, crocodile or shark has been able to stall the Ascent of man … except perhaps our microscopic competitors; pathogens in the form of a virus, bacteria or God forbid, fungus. Throughout our history these miniscule machines of death have destroyed huge numbers of people across the planet. And we, hum...
2023-09-2630 minBloody Violent HistoryContagion part 11. Introduction 2.The Plague ... to be continuedMankind has defeated all comers in the struggles we have had with the animal kingdom – no sabre-tooth tiger, crocodile or shark has been able to stall the Ascent of man … except perhaps our microscopic competitors; pathogens in the form of a virus, bacteria or God forbid, fungus. Throughout our history these miniscule machines of death have destroyed huge numbers of people across the planet. And we, humans, seem to positively encourage their many successes with our move to urbanisation, our migrations, our wars. Pestilence and plague seem to follow our every geopoliti...
2023-09-1239 minBloody Violent HistoryRoyals in War part 2Chapters cont... 4. Anglo Norman period 5. Medieval 6. Early Modern 7. C20 &21 ps The Queen MotherThe concluding section to 'Royals in War', continuing from th previous episode. But before we go any further, please SHARE this podcast with a friend – do it nowhttps://www.bloodyviolenthistory.com/episodesTo be King, Queen, Pharaoh, Tsar or Emperor a person had to gain power over people, a person had to hold power over people and lastly that person had to pass that power onto their successor of choice. ‘War should be the only study of a P...
2023-08-2946 minBloody Violent HistoryRoyals in War part 11.Setting the Scene 2. Classical World 3. Dark Ages. Chapters 4 to 8 in the next episodeToday’s episode is Bloody and Violent, but before we go any further, please SHARE this podcast with a friend – do it now https://www.bloodyviolenthistory.com/episodesThank you. Many of you will recognise the opening quote from the fictional TV series A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. It may be fiction but it doesn’t mean the sentiment isn’t true. What Cersei said. Before democracy, sovereigns ruled – often with absolute power over their court, t...
2023-08-1536 minBloody Violent HistoryRoyal Gems - Bloody Bites #191. Intro 2. British Crown Jewels 3. European Crown Jewels 4. Beyond Europe 5. ps Bling for TodayJamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTu...
2023-08-0129 minBloody Violent HistoryA Skull - Desperate Retreats, #18 of 100 Bloody Objects1. Fight or Flight 2. Deliverance 3. Embarrassing Retreats 4. Arduous 5. Catastrophic 6. ps TrafalgarToday we are going to discuss the contentious issue of going backwards in war. And no, we are not just talking about certain nations driving their tanks with 10 reverse gears. We are talking about retreat, generally seen as a bad thing and withdrawal, sometimes seen as not such a bad thing. As Demosthenes put it ‘Sometimes you need to live to fight another day’. And we’ve seen leaders turn disaster into triumph – Rourke’s Drift, the evacuation at Dunkirk comes to mind. The US General Smith coined perhaps the...
2023-07-181h 15Bloody Violent HistoryForgotten Battles - Bloody Bites #181. Intro 2. Antiquity 3. Crusaders 4. Middle Ages 5. C18 6. C19 7. C20 8. postscript Jamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://w...
2023-07-0435 minBloody Violent HistoryCivil War (Upheaval pt 3 of 3)1. The Violence of Civil War 2. England 3. Ireland 4. America 5. Russia 6. Europe 7. Africa 8. China 9. Democracy or Bread and OrderThere is nothing more brutal than when a country goes to war with itself. The scale of horrors almost always descends from the battlefield to ragged lines of refugees, violent insurgency, mass starvation, and long term schismatic destruction. Towns are divided, the country sunders into ragged parts. Throw in a giant dollop of religion or ideology and very quickly the people will be consumed by all manner of violence.In this episode we are going to look at some example...
2023-06-201h 19Bloody Violent HistorySpy Plane - Bloody Bites #171. Ancient spies to the 19th century 2. WW1 & WW2 3. Cold War 4. ps Drones and planesJamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:
2023-06-0627 minBloody Violent HistoryArmed Merchantmen - Bloody Bites #161. Intro 2. Spy Ships 3. Merchant Raider WW 1 & 2 4. Cold War Spy Trawlers 5. Middle East 6. ps Future RolesJamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:
2023-05-2334 minBloody Violent HistoryDambusters Raid (16 May 1943) with Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan1. Genesis 2. The People 3. The Plan - Operation Chastise 4. AftermathOn the night of 16th May 1943, 133 men of the Royal Air Force, in 19 Lancaster Bombers, flew a daring mission to destroy the Dams in Germany’s Ruhr valley. Flying at night, at low level, these intrepid men destroyed 2 out of 3 of the dams. 1,300 where killed on the ground. 8 out of the 19 bombers didn’t return. 3 airmen were taken prisoner. Of the 133 men who took part in the Dam Buster’s Raid, 53 were killed.This is perhaps the most famous story of a bombing mission in WW2.I first h...
2023-05-091h 27Bloody Violent HistoryDriftwood - Disastrous Expeditions, #17 of 100 Bloody Objects1. Reality Bites 2. Cannibals 3. Desert & Jungle 4. Mountain 5. Sea 6. The Odd Triumph 7. Aviation 8. Outer Space 9. postscriptI hope you have calibrated your compass and zeroed your altimeter - for we are about to set off on a journey of exploration. Anyone who has led any sort of life will have embarked on an expedition or two: some more hair raising than others, but things can still go awry at Centre Parks as they do paddling up the Limpopo or straddling Crib Goch wearing your grand father's tweed suit and a pair of wellies. But in the field of human en...
2023-04-251h 12Bloody Violent HistoryGun Boat Warriors and Secret Agents - 15th MGB Flotilla with Colonel Tim SpicerToday we talk about a subject close to our hearts on this show – what happens when the Brits get in touch with their inner pirate. To help me I am joined by Colonel Tim Spicer OBE. Tim had an illustrious career in the army, including commanding his Regiment, the 1st Battalion Scots Guards. He then had 20 years running Private Military Security businesses; founding both Sandline International and Aegis Defence Services. He has published ‘A Dangerous Enterprise: Secret War at Sea'. It is a brilliant example of a few brave men, at great odds to themselves, making an important and vital dif...
2023-04-111h 06Bloody Violent HistoryTank - Bloody Bites #151. Intro 2. Evolution 3. WW2, all grown up 4. The Funnies 5. C20 & C21 - Battles 6. Ukraine 7. ps In ExtremisJamie goes solo to keep you up to speed with tech, tactics and time honoured aspects in war, conflict and adversity. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:
2023-03-2840 minBloody Violent HistoryHastings (14 Oct 1066) with Allan MallinsonOn 14th Oct, northwest of the town of Hastings, the Anglo-Saxon army of the English King Harold met and fought the invading Norman army of the Duke of Normandy, later to be known as William the Conqueror. This was the moment, the turning point in English history, still considered today as the last successful invasion of the British Isles by a foreign army. The Battle roiled from dawn to dusk – a long, bloody and exhausting encounter – at the end William was victorious and Harold was dead. Tom interviews the historian and novelist, Allan Mallinson, who has written extensive...
2023-03-141h 41Bloody Violent HistoryMissile - Bloody Bites #141. Intro 2. The Missile 3. Comparing today's missiles with the past 4. The beginning 5. Air to air missiles 6. Air to surface missiles 7. The range extends - surface to air 8. Ballistic missiles and interceptors 9. Lasers, particle beams and railgunsJamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom...
2023-02-2837 minBloody Violent HistoryKidnap of General Kreipe, Patrick Leigh Femor, Crete, Feb to May 1944 with Rick StroudWe examine an iconic event from World War Two carried out by Greek and British members of the Special Operations Executive. The SOE. To help me with this is I am joined by Rick Stroud. Rick, a director of film and television, has also published a number of books, mostly within the military sphere. His latest, Lonely Courage, is the true story of SOE heroines in WW2. As some of you know we published our own episode on Twentieth Century Heroines last year (that being Episode 11). In 2014 Rick published Kidnap in Crete, the true story of the Abducti...
2023-02-141h 13Bloody Violent HistoryInsurgent (Upheaval pt2 or 3)1.Intro 2. Soft Underbelly 3.An Old Profession 4. US Civil War 5. Boer War 6. Latin America 7. Lawrence of Arabia 8. World War 2 9. Cold War 10. Afghanistan 11. What have we learnt PS UkraineAs this podcast demonstrates, Insurgency is one of the world’s oldest professions. It is a chance for the oppressed or the invaded to push back, to challenge the larger force with unconventional and guerrilla tactics. Whether assassination or ambush, punji stakes or IEDs, the Insurgent has many tricks and answers to the larger enemy. The Chinese strategist Tzu Su argued it was a key aspect of warfare, and today it is as releva...
2023-01-311h 15Bloody Violent HistoryWaterloo (18 Jun 1815) with Hugh Macdonald-Buchanan1.Intro 2. Lead up to the Campaign (2:07) 3. Commanders (9:17) 4. Weapons (30:37) 5. Lead up to the Battle (41:16) 6. The Battle of Waterloo (58:20) 7. Key Moments/Hot Points (1:49:20) 8. Troops, Tactics and Tech (1:52:50) 9. Individuals in Action (1:58:58) 10. Conclusion and AftermathToday we are going to talk about the famous Battle of Waterloo which took place on 18thJune 1815 just south of Brussels. This was the finale, the culminating contest between Napoleon and his reconstituted French Army after his escape from exile on Elba, and the British and the nations of the 7th Alliance, most notably the Prussians. It was a vicious and bloody day with more than 20,000 causalities on th...
2023-01-172h 08Bloody Violent HistoryDespot (Upheaval pt1 or 3)1. Intro 2. Dust to Dust 3.Making of a Monster 4. Taking and Holding Power 5.Tyranny by Example 6.Hubris and Downfall 7. The Enlightened Despot? PS Woke - The Modern TyrannyTyrants have populated every century, from the ancient pharaohs through the monsters of the twentieth century Vladimir Putin today. They leave in their wake a trail of blood and their institutions and legacy often involve systematic torture and abuse of power, and the occasional invasion of neighbours. Some are outsiders, many are psychopathic, and all have delusions of grandeur and megalomania. Uniforms and military parades, vast economic schemes and a misreading...
2023-01-031h 20Bloody Violent HistoryTemplar - Bloody Bites #13Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2022-12-2039 minBloody Violent HistoryCode Breaker - Bloody Bites #12Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Ref. Sir Arthur Harris Bt, audio memoir See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https...
2022-12-0625 minBloody Violent HistoryDrone 2 - Bloody Bites #11Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2022-11-2224 minBloody Violent HistorySeries Two Concludes - Summary 20221. Intro 2. E58 - Battle of Britain 3. E55 - Gladiator 4. E59 - Artillery 5. E47, 53 & 62 - Bloody Russia 6. Banditry 7. E48,49 & 50 - I.E.D 8. What’s coming in 2023Bloody Violent History Season 2 is drawing to a close - this being our valedictory episode for 2022. James Jackson and I have published 29 episodes since our last summary in 2021. I hope you agree the range has been wide and that you have enjoyed our output. Listen to all episodes on our website or via your podcast app. Please send us feedback and requests to talk@bloodyviolenthistory.com – we read and respond to all your messages. ...
2022-11-081h 09Bloody Violent HistoryInterrogation & Torture - Bloody Bites #10Bloody Bites are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic.So It GoesTom Assheton & James Jacksontalk@bloodyviolenthistory.com See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you plea...
2022-10-2532 minBloody Violent HistoryBloody Russia pt 3 - End Game1. Intro 2. Mindset 3. Defence and Offence 4. Air 5. Artillery 6. Armour 7. Naval 8. Asymmetric Warfare 9. Winter & Spring ThawToday we're going to take a third look at the war being waged by Russia against Ukraine. 215 days have passed since the invasion began. In that time we've seen the Russian offensive stopped and then pushed back from Kiev and now Kharkiv in the east. And so Putin, inspired perhaps by his St Petersburg’s rat story, is doubling down, making threats proclaiming annexed Ukrainian territory is now part of mother Russia, rattling the nuclear sabre. But this won't work, the Ukrainians are winning, they are...
2022-09-271h 13Bloody Violent HistoryTraitor1. Intro 2. Moving Target 3. Throwback 4. Scapegoat and Redemption 5. Cold War p.s. Judas IscariotTraitors have always been the most hated and vilified of creatures. And rightly so. Often it involves the very survival of a tribe, nation or belief and the traitor is the viper at the heart of the body politic. We all know their names and whether it is Kim Philby or Aldrich Ames, Klaus Fuchs or the Rosenburgs, they epitomise the worst of human behaviour. There will ever be those who sell out through personal weakness or for thirty pieces of silver. Yet in the more au...
2022-09-201h 12Bloody Violent HistoryOutlaw (Banditry pt 3 of 3)1. Intro 2. Myth & Psychopathy 3. Ancient & Classical 4. Merry England 5. Wild West 6. Bounty Hunters p.s. Biker GangsWhether myth or reality, Robin Hood or Jesse James, the truth behind Outlaws is often darker and more bleak than we suppose. There was a great deal of bloodshed beyond the songs and fictional gun smoke. John Brown was not averse to killing people in cold blood. The bushranger, Ned Kelly, was little more than a robber and a murderer. As for Jesse James, he was a Confederate guerrilla and known participant in the massacre of unarmed Union soldiers. Later still, Bonnie and Clyde died...
2022-09-061h 12Bloody Violent HistoryArtillery1. Today & Ukraine 2. Classical & Biblical Times 3. Medieval Artillery 4. Eighteenth & Nineteenth Century 5. Naval Gunnery 6. World War I & II 7. Back to Today ps The Super Gun Artillery has been around for millennia. Even Philip of Macedonia and his son, Alexander the Great, were early exponents of artillery on the battlefield, and their techniques and technology were avidly copied and improved apon by the Romans. Whether hurling giant bolts or basilisk rocks, torsion catapults had a devastating effect from the Bible lands to the Iron Age forts of southern England. There was too the use of naphtha, the terrifying heat and flame of wildfire an...
2022-08-231h 07Bloody Violent HistoryBattle of Britain (1940) with James Holland1. Lead up to the Battle 2. The Commanders and the Kit 3. Summary of the Battle @ 43.42 Reading, Richard Hillary cont.... 4. Key moments and Hot points 5. Troops, tactics and tech 6. Some individuals 7. Conclusion and AftermathToday we going to discuss the Battle of Britain with James Holland. Fought in the skies above Britain between the Royal Air Force and Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940. We are very fortunate to be joined by a historian who has written extensively on the second world war. His 2010 book, the ‘Battle of Britain’, is highly regarded and a must read on the subject. Per Ardua...
2022-08-091h 16Bloody Violent HistoryTerrorist (Violence pt 3 of 3)1. Intro 2. The Terrorist in the Ancient world 3. 17th, 18th & 19th Century Terror 4. The Anti-Colonial Wave 5. Extremism and Technology 6. Spectaculars 7. State Sponsored Terrorism and the Lone Wolf 8. The Future p.s. The ReaperWhether the Sicarii of ancient Judea or Al-Qaeda of modern times, terrorist groups and their accompanying violence have scarred human existence for millennia. Technology and human interdependence – along with the rise of air travel, computing and the advent of high explosives – have ensured that anyone with a grudge or malign political motive, can resort to violence in order to achieve their aims. Sometimes that very violence is an e...
2022-07-261h 09Bloody Violent HistoryHighwayman (Banditry pt 2 of 3)1. Intro 2. Biblical & Classical Highwayman 3. 18th & 19th Century bandits 4. Decline p.s. Backpack murdersThere has always been highway robbery. From the tale of the good Samaritan, through ancient China and onto the infamous and murderous Thugees of India, these thieves and cut-throats have made such an impact that their legend and reputation endure. Yet it was in 18th and 19th century Europe, and England in particular, that the romance and modern-day image of the highwayman were forged. There was Dick Turpin and Black Bess, and there was the Wicked Lady. These stories, many untrue, have dominated books and movies e...
2022-07-1244 minBloody Violent HistoryGladiator1. Intro 2. Famous gladiators 3. Allure of the gladiator 4. Types 5. Training 6. Gladiatorial spectacular p.s. MandingoGladiators have intruded on the public consciousness for two millennia. Fuelled by books and movies. Yet the truth behind them all is often more vivid and brutal than fiction could ever convey. Training was hard, specialised skills were prized, and the spectacle was all. Bread and circuses. There were horsemen and charioteers, mock naval battles, and dramatic re-enactments of famous Roman victories. Blood was usually demanded. Around the Roman empire, amphitheatres were constructed to take this popular entertainment to the masses and to imprint Roman cul...
2022-06-2847 minBloody Violent HistorySecret Police1. Spanish Inquisition 2. Chinese 3. French Revolution 4. Cheka – KGB - FSB 5. Nazi - Stasi 6. Third World PS The Chinese futureTyrannies require their servants, and none are more obedient and loyal than the secret police. These are the instruments off oppression and control, the guarantor of regime continuity. Using torture and terror – and with the coercive instruments of state control – they ensure that opponents disappear and criticism is silenced. You will never find secret police in a democracy. As guardians of tyranny, they are more than just intelligence agencies and it is the domestic population that is their target. They pry into private...
2022-06-1449 minBloody Violent HistoryBloody Russia pt 2 - Tipping Point1. Introduction 2. Evolution of the conflict 3. Where things stand 4. Putin 5. The Battlefield – land, air, sea 6. Predictions and conclusions 7. PS The intelligence gameOver three months in the grinding war in Ukraine, events have shifted their focus to the Donbas. Even here, where the Russians have a distinct advantage in artillery and rocket forces, and where its supply lines are shorter, the Ukrainians continue to go toe to toe with their enemy. Russian gains have been slow and often amount to little more than squeezing out salients and pushing out Ukrainian forces from areas already dominated by Russia. Attrition of Russian force...
2022-05-311h 18Bloody Violent HistoryPickaxe - Secret Sites & Sunken Silos, #16 of 100 Bloody Objects1. The Big Reveal 2. Command Bunkers 3. Tunnels and Hidden Holes 4. Spy Bases 5. Secret Airstrips 6. Summary & PostscriptSecret sites have often intrigued. From the bunkers of despots to guerrilla tunnels and underground routes, the subterranean lairs of history sometimes emerge by mistake, redundance or military victory. Most governments have bomb-proof shelters, whether it is the granite-bound command station of Russian leaders in the Urals or the American Presidential facilities in the situation room beneath the White House. Some look remarkably like the famous war room in the Doctor Strangelove movie but others have adopted a more mundane appearance. There will...
2022-05-1747 minBloody Violent HistoryCaribbean Macaw - Pirates, #15 of 100 Bloody Objects (Banditry pt 1 of 3)1. Myth and romance 2. Ancient world 3. Privateers 4. Corsairs 5. Famous Pirates 6. State Pirates 7. Modern Piracy PS The LegendsPirates have always captured the imagination. And romance and myth surround them. Yet the reality was often bleak and violent. We have images of peglegs and parrots, but the story of piracy often ended at the end of a hangman’s noose and a rotting corpse imprisoned in a gibbet. They were outcasts and run-of-the-mill criminals and many earnt a wage by working on occasion for navies and governments. Certain factors helped the pirate: lawlessness on land, availability of hidden harbours and a...
2022-05-031h 00Bloody Violent HistoryI.E.D. part 3 - The Minefield Engineersee The HALO Trust website to donate and to support the Ukraine Crisis Fund1. Mines & minefields - background history 2. I.E.D.s 3. HALO and the situation today 4. The future - will mines and IEDs be discovered and deactivate in all parts of the world.Simon Conway is a former British Army office and international aid worker who has cleared landmines and unexploded bombs in the aftermath of war in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. As co-chair of the cluster munitions coalition he sucsessfully campaigned for an international ban on cluster bombs. He currently serves on...
2022-04-191h 04Bloody Violent HistoryI.E.D. part 2 - The Combat Surgeon1. Dr Tom Carrell - background 2. Battlefield Medicine 3. Route to War - the training 4. reading - The Oscillating saw @ 32.15 5. Camp Bastion, Hellmand 6. The IED - lessons and thoughtsTom Carrell is a doctor who qualified in the 90s. He also served as a territorial soldier based out of the Duke of York’s barracks in London. In 2004 he was appointed consultant vascular surgeon specialising in minimally invasive endovascular surgery at St Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital. He was posted as a Combat Surgeon to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan in 2008/2009 and 2012. He is now a partner in the Cambridge medical re...
2022-04-121h 18Bloody Violent HistoryI.E.D. part 1 - The Infantry Soldier1. Harry Parker - background 2. The Soldier – his story 3. His book – Anatomy of a Soldier 3a. 1st reading @ 27.17 3b. 2nd reading @ 34.02 4. I.E.D. 4. Lessons for today and tomorrow An interview with ex-soldier, Harry Parker, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Harry talks about his experience as an officer in the Rifles, having to deal every day with the dangers of operating in a hostile environment, especially when the enemy are fighting an asymmetrical war using I.E.D.s to injury and kill.A raw and deeply moving account that sheds light on aspects of both warfare...
2022-04-051h 13Bloody Violent HistoryBloody Russia - pt 1 Hubris1. State of play 2. Should we have seen it coming 3. Can Russia win 4. Long term prospects for Putin and Russia 5. Prospects for Ukraine 6. Prospects for the WestAggression and mendacity are shared characteristics of many Russian leaders and territorial expansion an on ongoing pastime. Ivan the Terrible sought to capture the Baltic region and eventually has to settle for Siberia, while Peter the Great shifted the centre of gravity of Russia towards Europe, and established the mighty capital of St Petersburg. Putin has similar pretension to power and glory, and his current invasion of Ukraine follows the same hubristic...
2022-03-291h 07Bloody Violent HistoryMercenary1. Yemen in the 60s 2. Mercenaries in the ancient world 3. Medieval mercenaries 4. Nineteenth Century 5. Twentieth century 6. TodayMercenaries are once again in the news. And Russian use of the Wagner Group in Ukraine has raised everyone’s interest. Yet mercenaries go back a long way, and even a pharaoh used hired help to defeat an aggressor on his boarders. In the Middle Ages, there was the White Company who helped Florence achieve prominence and dominate the surrounding region. There were too the famed pikemen of Switzerland, who were employed by France and the German states to defeat all adversaries on...
2022-03-2245 minBloody Violent HistoryTop Trumps with added comment on Ukraine #9 Bloody BitesBloody Bites are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic.So It GoesTom Assheton & James Jacksontalk@bloodyviolenthistory.com See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you plea...
2022-03-0831 minBloody Violent HistoryCamouflage and DeceptionSince pre-history, both hunters and fighters have relied upon camouflage and deception to both improve their chances of survival and success in attacking their enemy. Caesar used ships with blue sails to disguise his reconnaissance of Britain, whilst a Chinese army used thousands of bonfires to suggest to their opponents that a vast army was deserting and becoming smaller every day. Right up to modern days camouflage and deception have been essential. During the Boer War, the guerrilla fighters lay under the soil with breathing reeds to escape British forces: in World War I, British snipers hid in hollowed out...
2022-03-011h 09Bloody Violent HistoryDeath Squad - Bloody Bite #8Bloody Bites are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic.So It GoesTom Assheton & James Jacksontalk@bloodyviolenthistory.com See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you plea...
2022-02-1517 minBloody Violent HistoryHostage (Violence pt 2 of 3)What to do if you are taken hostage (unless you are taken by a death cult such as Islamic State – in which case you fight or die):i. Prepare for the worstii. Do not antagonise your captorsiii.Maintain faith in yourselfiv.Set yourself positive goalsv. Be a human, not an object Extortion, political leverage or chaos & terror1. History and Definition of Hostage taking. 2. Famous Hostages. 3.What to do if you are taken Hostage. 4. Modern Hostage situations. ps. Colditz Prominenti.Host...
2022-02-011h 06Bloody Violent HistoryAssassination (Violence pt 1 of 3) So It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Reading Reference:`the Death of Lincoln by Walt Whitman See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you please leave a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcast App? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really helps to spread the wordSee https://simplecast.com/p...
2022-01-1858 minBloody Violent HistorySeries 2 Intro plus Infamous Castles - Bloody Bites #7Tom introduces the second series of BVH, to kick off 2022. Handing up a few hints as to what listeners can look forward to, in the next few months.And then we throw in a 'Bloody Bite' on Infamous (Notorious?) Castles to keep you in the mood. Bloody Bites are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic.So It GoesTom Assheton & Jame...
2022-01-0430 minBloody Violent HistoryNotorious Prisons - Bloody Bites #6Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2021-12-2131 minBloody Violent HistoryDrone 1 - Bloody Bites #5Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2021-12-0722 minBloody Violent HistoryLongbow - Bloody Bites #4Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2021-11-2319 minBloody Violent HistoryGuillotine - Bloody Bites #3Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2021-11-0913 minBloody Violent HistoryNazi Whodunnit - Bloody Bites #2Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk...
2021-10-2624 minBloody Violent HistorySubmarine - Bloody Bites #1Jamie goes solo while we are on our end of series break. Despite a resistance to using any new technology (in this case Tom's tape recorder and a set of gaming headphones), Jamie valiantly lays down a track on Submarines. These 'Bloody Bites' are short podcast episodes which will hopefully answer a few questions thrown up in our general podcast discussions. A kind of BVH glossary.Let us know if you would like to hear Jamie's take on a particular topic. talk@bloodyviolenthistory.comSo It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson ...
2021-10-1214 minBloody Violent HistorySeries One Concludes: A SummaryTom and Jamie discuss the BVH episodes they have published in the past 12 months. Included are some extracts from the Series to remind you of the range of the podcast, and if you haven't listened to them all perhaps take a moment to go back and do just that.We are back in January, although we might publish a few short 'Bloody Bites' to keep you in the mood, between now and then.So It GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:YouTube: BloodyViolentHistoryhttps://www...
2021-09-2832 minBloody Violent HistoryMount Tabor - Crazy Cults, to Insanity and Beyond, #14 of 100 Bloody ObjectsJoin our marmalade cult. Sticky end guaranteed.1. Cults Ancient & Modern. 2. Types of Cult. 3. Cult Leaders and the Cult of Personality. ps. The Moonies.Cults have always been with us. From predatory sex cults, through Cargo cults and on to cults-like terrorist organisations, these strange and remote bodies prey on the weak, the credulous, and the stupid. Whether Jim Jones or Osama bin Laden, there have always charismatic leaders who can inspire or coerce their followers. And some of them aren’t even charismatic! Yet they all have a message and one even managed to convince followers t...
2021-09-1452 minBloody Violent HistoryBilliard Ball - The Duel, a Shot in the Park, #13 of 100 Bloody ObjectsA matter of honour or an encounter between fools?1. Billiard Ball. 2. The Renaissance. 3. Hopton on Duelling, section one. 4. History of the Due. 5. Hopton on Duelling, section two. 6. Decline of the Duel. ps. The Wild WestWhether acting on principal or an example of extreme folly, the duel captured the imagination of European society for at least three centuries. There was the duel involving billiard balls, an armed encounter between balloonists, and even a skirmish between two society ladies in Hyde Park in which one lost her hat to a lead round. Many lost their li...
2021-08-3141 minBloody Violent HistorySiegeSiege is hell.1. It's total war. 2. AD 70 Siege of Jerusalem. 3. 1453 Constantinople. 4. 1565 Great Siege of Malta. 5. 1870 The Siege of Paris and the Commune. 6. Colonial Sieges. 7. Leningrad. 8. Battle of the Atlantic. 9. Balkans and the Middle EastSiege involves not just the military, but entire civilian populations trapped within walls invested by the enemy and clinging on for survival. Often it involves bombardment, starvation, disease and the desperate will of a populace to cling on through unexpected horror. During the siege of Jerusalem, in AD70, the Romans crucified up to 10,000 would-be escapers outside the walls. In the siege of Paris, t...
2021-08-171h 11Bloody Violent HistoryEscape1. Inertia & Escape2. The Wild, the Wacky and the Simple Plan3. Organisation4. Equipment5. Killing Time6. Technique7. The Camps8. Other escapesps - Lucky EscapesGreat Escapes have captured the imagination for generations. From the simplest adoption of disguise to the longest tunnels, both successful and failed attempts have entered the realm of legend. Everyone knows the WW2 tale of the Great Escape, yet far fewer remember the names of those who dug myriad escape tunnels to confound the Germans and try to reach home...
2021-08-031h 46Bloody Violent HistorySir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris MRAF speech Bomber Command Association 30 April 1977In this episode we present a talk Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris gave to the Bomber Command Association in 1977. In it he gives a full and detailed account of how the Bombing campaign of WW2 led, in great part, to the defeat of Nazi Germany on land, in the air and at sea.So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Ref.Audio clip - Sir Arthur Harris broadcast 1942Audio clip - Sir Arthur Harris at the Bomber Command Association 1977 See also:YouTube: Bloo...
2021-07-2049 minBloody Violent HistoryBombs Away - A Dart, the Birth of Shock and Awe, #12 of 100 Bloody ObjectsThe Great War - Birth of Aerial BombingNever again - Between the WarsWorld War 2 - Strategic BombingPost War/cold WarThe modern era - Shock and AweShock and Awe has entered the modern lexicon as a description of the effectiveness and efficiency of modern air power. Yet the employment of air assets took a century to evolve. In the earliest days over the Western Front during the Great War, rickety biplanes often struggled to find a role both in reconnaissance and as fighters. As ground attack aircraft, the technology available was in its infancy and bombs where little more tha...
2021-07-061h 05Bloody Violent HistoryJoint of English Beef - Propaganda, Winning Friends and Playing with the Enemy, #11 of 100 Bloody ObjectsWilliam Hogarth's painting 'O the Roast Beef of Old England'Holbein and the TudorsQueen Elizabeth ICult of PersonalityEnglish Civil warNapoleonic WarsWorld War IWorld War IINazi & the Third ReichSoviet PropagandaAllied PropagandaThe Modern DayIn both peace and war, propaganda plays its part. It is the mood music, the manipulation of information, the nudging of a population in a certain direction. Whether Hogarth’s famous depiction of an English side of beef or Josef Goebbels’ Nazi disinformation, propaganda has the power to move and persuade. As the Soviets proved, its influence extends beyond wartime and can control and direct citizens during peace time as...
2021-06-221h 04Bloody Violent HistorySecret IntelligenceA. Introduction: Human Intelligence, Capability and IntentionB. Counter Measures: Influence, Deception and Disruption OperationsC. James BondD. Why the Brits SpyE. British Secret Intelligence TodayEspionage, like religion and prostitution, is one of the world’s oldest pastimes. To know your enemy is to have advanced warning of potential threats and to have the facility to counter them. Any nation with global pretensions requires an intelligence service and Britain, as a former imperial power and colonial policeman, is among those few countries that has international reach and capab...
2021-06-081h 43Bloody Violent HistorySpecial Force1. Evolution and Adaptation of Special Forces. 2. Strategic, not Tactical Assets. 3. Rogers Rangers - the beginning? 4. Sea Bourne - Admiral of the Red Thomas Cochrane, Earl of Dundonald. 5. Desert. 6. Small Scale & the formation of the SAS. 7. Post War and Counter Terrorism. 8. Disasters. 9. The FutureSpecial Forces have a long history and the British in particular have shown a real capacity for the craft. These are strategic assets, capable of throwing the enemy off balance and adding a war-winning dimension. From the Rogers’ Rangers in the 18th century through the SAS in the deserts of north Africa in WW2 to the terror...
2021-05-251h 27Bloody Violent HistoryA Monocle - The British Stiff Upper Lip, #10 of 100 Bloody ObjectsImperturbability and indefatigability have long been bywords for the British character. Sometimes it has been mythologized or exaggerated but at its core it captures something that is very real. Every nation possesses recognisable characteristics and traits and, for the British, understatement and the fear of embarrassment or letting the side down have long been part of our nature.Examples range from the Duke of Wellington to Scott of the Antarctic, from the empire builders of the 19th century to the heroes of two world wars. There are multiple examples that demonstrate the stiff upper lip is no i...
2021-05-1149 minBloody Violent HistoryBokassa's Crown - Klepto Kitsch, Tyrants and their Terrible Lack of Taste , #9 of 100 Bloody ObjectsTyranny and lack of taste tend to go together. From Putin’s Black Sea playground to the palaces of the Ottomans, from Idi Amin’s amphibious car to the Sultan of Morocco’s chariot pulled by wives and eunuchs, bling and bluster are often the order of the day. Marcos had psychics and seers, Castro had a turtle farm, and the Columbian drugs baron Escobar had his own private bullring and go-kart tack. The mighty and the despotic have no-one to counsel them on matters of taste. Here we reveal the appalling consequences of this calamitous style vacuum....
2021-04-2746 minBloody Violent HistoryFamous Last StandsA byword for tenacity and courage, the famous last stand has studded history with legendary exploits that define conflict and empire. From Thermopylae to the Alamo, from Custer’s last stand to Okinawa, they represent individual heroism and sometimes crass military miscalculation. The result is always the same, the wiping out of a small group of die-hard defenders.The odds might be crazy, and catastrophe might ensue, yet as the explosion at the British Army magazine near Delhi in 1857 proved, the consequences can reverberate down the years. So, whether its FUBAR or SNAFU, or just desperate men fight...
2021-04-131h 08Bloody Violent HistoryWhite SlaveryRegardless of colour or creed, slavery has been a curse on humanity for millennia. Often, it is African slavery that has dominated the debate. Yet in this episode, Bloody Violent History seeks to cast the net wider and demonstrate how every corner of the globe has been affected. From ancient Rome to the Soviet gulag, from the Viking slave markets of Dublin to the victims of Corsair piracy sold into bondage in Morocco, slavery has tormented millions throughout history. So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Ref.White Gold by M...
2021-03-3051 minBloody Violent HistoryCrossed Sword Sticks - Dr Thomas Bond and Jack the Ripper, #8 of 100 Bloody ObjectsJack the Ripper has dominated the consciousness of the British public and crime fiction since the Victorian era. In late 1888, 5 gruesome murders occurred in London’s Whitechapel and the legend of the Ripper was born. The man on his trail was the surgeon and pathologist Thomas Bond, an expert in forensics and the medical detective who wrote the world’s first criminal profile. Mary Ann Nichols (found August 31, 1888), Annie Chapman (found September 8, 1888), Elizabeth Stride (found September 30, 1888), Catherine Eddowes (also found September 30, 1888), and Mary Jane Kelly (found November 9, 1888). These women were the tragic victims of these appalling crimes.Thi...
2021-03-1636 minBloody Violent HistoryHand Towel from the Titanic - Great Liners, Great Tragedies, #7 of 100 Bloody ObjectsThe early twentieth century was the high point of travel by luxury liner. Yet two world wars saw the roles of these great ships transformed. Their speed and capacity were redirected into troop-carrying and hospital service. The sister ships of the Titanic were employed during World War One: HMHS Britannic sank in the Aegean. There were further tragedies, including the loss of the Lusitania, which helped bring America into the war.By World War Two, liners were again to achieve a high profile. The ‘Grey Ghost’, The Queen Mary, gained a reputation for repeatedly outwitting the U-Boat menace i...
2021-03-0234 minBloody Violent HistoryTrue Founding of America1607, and in the wilderness of Virginia, a tiny, pallisaded fort containing some one hundred English settlers clings on grimly and awaits salvation and resupply. Beset by internal feuds and attacks by the local Indians, the outpost continues to endure. Theirs is a tale of stoicism and woe. A relentless period of endurance and fear. Conditions become so terrible that some are driven to eat their own compatriots and the worst offenders are burnt at the stake by authorities desperate to maintain control. Outside, the Indians prowl with their turkey spur arrowheads and bone spears. Should the settlers fall i...
2021-02-161h 14Bloody Violent HistoryLast Stand of the Crusaders1291, and in the redoubt of Acre the Crusaders prepare to make a final stand against the might of the Mameluke Sultan of Egypt. After 200 years in the Holy Land the Frankish hold on Palestine is at an end and few will come to save what is left of the Christian possessions. The Templars and the Hospitallers are still there, the former in their Lion Fortress and standing firm. Yet most in Acre are cowed by the sight of the great Muslim army. All that is left is prayer and futility. Jerusalem is gone and soon the writ and power of...
2021-02-0259 minBloody Violent HistoryFragment of the Reich Chancellery - Beastly Ends for Beastly People, #6 of 100 Bloody ObjectsBad things happen to bad people. Throughout history, tyrants and despots have fallen, often in bloody and surprising ways. There was the defeated Roman Emperor used as a foot stool, the Afghan chief of defence fired from a cannon, and the Moroccan vizier chained to his dead brother in a dungeon. All were part of a rich tapestry of horror and macabre episodes. Yet even today there are still stories of woe and unpleasantness, and from Russia to Africa we recount some of the Beastly Ends of Beastly People. So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jack...
2021-01-1939 minBloody Violent HistoryA Baguette - Why we (the English) hate the French, #5 of 100 Bloody ObjectsFor a thousand years, England and France have been sparring, fighting and generally knock lumps from each other. Indeed, most of our greatest memorials – from Blenheim Palace to Trafalgar Square – were erected in honour of our triumphs over the ancient enemy. We try to get along, but all too often diplomacy and soothing words fail to patch over our deep-routed differences. Our podcast explores this most fraught of subjects.So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:https://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhtt...
2021-01-0538 minBloody Violent HistorySiege of Fort St. Elmo1565, a vast armada of Turkish ships carrying an Ottoman army some 40,000 strong arrives off the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta to begin a siege that will change the course of history. The action will become forever known as the Great Siege of Malta. Facing the invaders are the small band of the Hospitaller Knights of St John, marauders and throwbacks to the time of the Crusades. It is upon the little star-shaped fort of St Elmo that the full fury of the enemy will initially fall. This is martyrdom and hand-to-hand fighting at its most brutal. Everything depe...
2020-12-2955 minBloody Violent HistoryHow to Write an Historical ThrillerIn this podcast we cover the inner workings and secrets of the Historical Thriller, the excitement of walking the ground and prising open the hidden truths of the past. The answer is to make it look simple and keep the pace moving. Yet there are many tricks of the trade and here Jamie and Tom discuss how to create dramatic and immersive stories. For both readers and writers, this should be a gallop through the world of creative writing. So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Readings by David Hartle...
2020-12-2247 minBloody Violent HistoryTwentieth Century HeroinesMany are names in the wartime Hall of Fame. Yet others have faded from view and collective memory. All are heroines and all sacrificed much in two world wars to defend their country and help others in need. As nurses or secret agents, from Edith Cavell to Violette Szabo, they stand as extraordinary examples of courage, fortitude and dutySo it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson Readings by David Hartley:Violette Szarbo Code PoemSee also:https://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jame...
2020-12-081h 15Bloody Violent HistoryPoisoned Loo Roll - Crazy Weapons, #4 of 100 Bloody ObjectsYou might not have heard of the poisonous loo roll or of exploding rats and incendiary bats. But this is their story, the litany of bizarre inventions and lunatic ideas that only war and desperation can throw up. Even today there are some pretty strange concepts and pipedreams and the mad inventor is certainly not a thing of the past. When a scientist gets an idea, it is not simply a bouncing bomb that emerges. Here are a few examples.So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson See also:https...
2020-11-2428 minBloody Violent HistoryAn Irish Terrier - Dogs of War, #3 of 100 Bloody ObjectsDuring the Great War, thousands of dogs were sent to the Western Front to patrol, guard, catch rats and carry messages. It is an extraordinary story of courage and sacrifice and the contribution these beloved animals had in sustaining morale and keeping spirits high. In particular, it tells of the Irish Terriers who seemed almost the perfect breed for the hardship and rigours of the trenches.So it GoesTom Assheton & James JacksonReading from:Winter, Denis, First of the Few, Fighter Pilots of the First World War, (1983) See...
2020-11-1019 minBloody Violent HistoryGunpowder, Treason & Plot5th November 1605. Few are unaware of the story and most have heard of Guy ‘Guido’ Fawkes. After all, he was the ‘clean skin’, the mercenary hired to live under deep cover in the precincts of the Palace of Westminster and blow the King and his entourage to oblivion when the moment came.Yet fewer know of the true story, of the Catholic horsemen waiting to snatch the King’s young daughter, Princess Elizabeth, from her residence at Coombe Abbey in Northamptonshire. The tale involves spies, treachery, double agents and a hunt for the hidden gunpowder. It involves too the great...
2020-10-271h 02Bloody Violent HistoryArmada1588. The history of a nation has many waypoints and the Spanish Armada is one of the key stepping-stones in the folklore and legend of the British Isles. Names such as Drake, Howard, Frobisher and Hawkins are synonymous with the dash and daring of the action. Yet behind the scenes was an intelligence war masterminded by the spy chief Sir Francis Walsingham. It involved secret agents, black propaganda, disinformation and even murder. Ultimately, the Armada was pursued by the English navy, hounded by fireships and wrecked in storms on the coastline of Britain and Ireland.So it Go...
2020-10-1349 minBloody Violent HistoryNazis and NukesWe take the existence of the atomic bomb for granted, accept that America was always going to get there first. However during World War Two, that was not a given. German science started way ahead. Yet Germany never brought its research out of the lab, never capitalised on its initial technological superiority.So it GoesTom Assheton & James Jackson https://www.instagram.com/bloodyviolenthistory/https://www.jamesjacksonbooks.comhttps://www.tomtom.co.uk If you enjoy the podcast, would you please leave a short...
2020-10-1348 minBloody Violent HistoryMaxim's Plaque - The Machine Gun, #1 of 100 Bloody Objects When Hiram Maxim built and patented the world’s first single-barrel automatic machinegun, few saw its potential. Yet within a few years it had proved its worth in colonial battles such as Bembezi, Shangani River and Omdurman. Still military high commands refused to embrace its lethality. Come the Great War and its devastating effect on ranks of advancing infantry, the machinegun won its spurs and a notorious place in history. Today, automatic weapons are taken for granted. Maxim’s invention, and that of the earlier Gatling, retain their place in the arsenal.So it GoesTom A...
2020-09-1519 minBloody Violent HistoryKill the FührerAs World War 2 progressed and the Nazis suffered a reversal of fortune, plots against Adolf Hitler began to multiply. After the defeat of the German Army at Stalingrad in particular, many officers began to see the Führer as the problem and the war as unwinnable. Assassination became the answer.Long before the July ’44 bomb plot, individuals were stepping forward with their own plans and with bombs in their pockets. In March 1943, there were three distinct attempts on Hitler’s life, including the famous ‘brandy bottle bombs’ scenario.British and American intelligence too had early plans for th...
2020-09-0149 minBloody Violent HistoryCavalry ChargeThe cavalry charge throughout history is synonymous with both pluck and daring and with catastrophic failure and defeat. Its advantages of speed and power have too often been squandered by commanders who have failed to use its potential or appreciate its flaws. Whether Crusaders or Napoleon’s cuirassiers, the result has been a battlefield littered with dead men and horses. Yet occasionally there is triumph: the Charge of the Heavy Brigade in Crimea, the famous action by the 21stLancers at Omdurman, the elan and spirit of the Deccan Horse at High Wood during the Great War.Eve...
2020-09-011h 02Bloody Violent HistoryIntroduction to Series - Bloody Violent HistoryOur mission is simple. It is to make history come alive, to inform and provoke, and to encourage listeners to dig deeper and read more widely for themselves. As Mark Twain said:‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes’.History is our hinterland, the past that influences our present and future. From Crossbows to Crosshairs, from Gunpowder to Gun-Running, we aim to cover a wide range of subjects. We hope that these Podcasts both illuminate and entertain and that you enjoy them as much as we do making them.It will be Bloody...
2020-07-2007 min