Send me a message My recent video about “The African Queen”. has resulted in loads of requests to find out more about the Great War in German East Africa. So, by popular demand, I thought I’d explore this fascinating and, largely, forgotten conflict in a little more detail. The war in East Africa saw Paul von Lettow Vorbeck commanding a small army …

Send me a message Since it’s inception in 1856, there have been 1358 Victoria Crosses awarded. But 8 of these heroes were forced to forfeit their medals. This is their story. 2 Ways To Support My Channel: 1) Become a Patron by joining my Supporter's Club 2) Get My FREE Weekly Newsletter Support the show…

Send me a message The battle of Aliwal, fought on the 28th January 1846 proved to be a turning point in the First Anglo-Sikh War. Support My Show By Becoming a Patron A bloody cavalry charge by the 16th Lancers combined with British commander, Sir Harry Smith’s, clever combining of artillery and cavalry to support his infantry produced a victory in…

Send me a message Have you heard of the British officer who was shot in the stomach, the groin, the hand, the ear, the skull, the ankle, the hip, the leg and they eye, and lived to tell the tale? Awarded the Victoria Cross, he also survived plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner of war camp with one hand; and tore off his own fingers when a doc…

Send me a message In the 1840’s an Englishman, created his own private kingdom on the island of Borneo. Supported by the Royal Navy, one of whose commanders is a far off relative to Queen Camilla, he fought the Borneo Pirates. This is the story of James Brooke, the white Rajah of Sarawak, and the Borneo Pirates. Become a Patron; join my Supporter's…

Send me a message During the First World War, Private Henry Tandey was awarded of the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military medal, in just 4 weeks! But 20 years later just before the outbreak of World War Two another story began to circulate; that he had saved the life of Adolf Hitler. So did he save Hitler or did the Ger…

Send me a message The battle of Ferozeshah, fought during 1st Anglo-Sikh War in 1845, was battle of egos, madness and traitors. A farcical power struggle between the two most senior British officers, bayonet charges against cannon, British cavalry and artillery ordered off the field midway through the battle, and Sikh commanders snatching defeat fr…

Send me a message The battle of Cape St. Vincent turned Horatio Nelson into a national hero. The battle where Royal Navy defeated the Spanish Navy was fought on the 14th February 1797. It was not so much a St. Valentine’s Day massacre, but it did make Nelson the darling of the British public. Become A Supporter Support the show…

Send me a message The story of Ernest Grandier, the only European prisoner of war taken by the Zulus during the Anglo-Zulu War 1879. But was his tale one of heroism or just a tall story? Become a Patron Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message The Anglo-Sikh wars fought in the 1840’s, were probably the bloodiest the British ever fought in India. 9,000 British & Bengali troops and well over 20,000 Sikhs were killed or wounded in 7 epic battles and one siege. Marked by incredible bravery on both sides, with a good dose of incompetence and accusations of treachery thrown i…

Send me a message Many of you in Britain, will be aware of fire at Grenfell Tower, in London in 2017 which cost the lives of 72 people. But have you paused to wonder how the tower block gained its name? Well, it is actually named after a Victorian army officer who played a decisive role in defeating the Sudanese Mahdist invasion of Egypt in 1889. Y…

Send me a message This is the story of the only family to ever be awarded 3 Victoria Crosses. Brothers Charles & Hugh Gough, and Charles's son, John Gough. Their military service record reads like a roll call of the British Army campaigns in the late 19th and early 20th century. Become a Supporter Support the show…

Send me a message The African Queen was a 1951 adventure film starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Set in German East Africa (Tanzania) during the First World War, it is actually based upon real events. This is the story of Mimi, Toutou, a wacky British commander and the moment when the Royal Navy fought the German Imperial Navy on a lak…

Send me a message In 1866, Irish veterans from the US Civil War invaded Canada. This is the story of that Fenian Invasion and the battle of Ridgeway. Join my Supporter's Club Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Victorian British army surgeon, William Manley, is the only man to have ever been awarded both the Victoria Cross and the Iron Cross. But how did that happen? Let's explore his forgotten story. William Manly VC (1831 - 1901). Join my Supporter's Club Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Actor Christopher Lee appeared in over 200 films during a 67 year career. But what a lot of people don’t know is that he served as an intelligence in the RAF during World War 2. More intriguingly, he also claimed that he served with special forces too. Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Following the death of Charles Gordon in Khartoum in 1885 at the hands of the Mahdists, one of his key Lieutenants, German-born Emin Pasha, was left cut off from the world in the swamps of southern Sudan facing the Mahdist forces alone. With their hero, Gordon, dead the British public demanded that the same fate should not befall …

Send me a message On the 31st July 1970 a 300 year naval tradition ended. The daily ritual in the Royal Navy of receiving a tot of Rum. It is remembered as Black Tot Day. Join me as I explore this, now lost, tradition. Join my Supporter's Club Get my Newsletter Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message The little-known Battle of Inyezane was fought on the 22nd January 1879 during the Anglo-Zulu War. The first major encounter of the conflict, it resulted in a British victory. However, it was totally overshadowed (and consequently forgotten) in light of the British defeat at Isandlwana that same morning and the subsequent defence …

Send me a message During the Jacobite Revolt of 1745, Hannah Snell, a woman from Worcester, dressed up as a man and joined the British army. Her amazing adventure saw her fighting in India alongside Robert Clive, and conducting DIY surgery to remove a musket ball from her groin so her cover wasn't blown. She is credited as the first woman to ever s…

Send me a message Robert Clive was The East India Company’s first governor of Bengal, victor at the battle of Plassey (episode 118)and arguably the founder of the British Empire in India. Yet he is also a highly controversial figure, not just now but in his own day too. Accused of accumulating huge personal wealth whilst presiding over a system tha…

Send me a message The assassination of British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval on 11th May 1812. The only British PM to ever have been assassinated. Join My Supporter's Club Keep in Touch Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message The Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron is a small and often forgotten part in the fight to end slavery. Join My Supporter's Club For 60 years, Royal Navy vessels, patrolled the west coast of Africa and the Atlantic capturing over 1,500 slave ships and liberating 150,000 slaves. It was an exercise which cost the lives of 1,600 Royal…

Send me a message Join my Supporter's Club Every year on the 12th July, Northern Ireland’s loyalist, protestant community celebrate the battle of the Boyne. A battle in 1690 between 2 kings involving nearly 60,000 troops, on the banks of a river in Ireland. One representing Irish Catholic hopes and the other, representing Protestant aspirations. Bu…

Send me a message Get My Newsletter The battle of Plassey, fought on the 23rd June 1757 changed India (& arguably Britain) forever. On that date, Robert Clive with an East India Company army of about 3,000 defeated 50,000 troops under the Nawab of Bengal. It effectively began the British Empire’s 200-year rule in India. But do you know what actuall…

Send me a message This is the real story of behind the film "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message A colonial confrontation in Africa that nearly led to an all-out war between Britain & France. Get in touch at my website: thehistorychap.com Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Richard Todd - who played Major John Howard in the epic film about D-Day 1944 ("The Longest Day") was actually a D-Day veteran. Indeed, he was part of the airborne landings that had captured Pegasus Bridge, alongside Major Howard himself. This is the story of his D-Day experiences. Now listen to the full account of Major Howard an…

Send me a message The Battle of Pegasus Bridge was fought just after midnight on the 6th June 1944, when 180 British airborne troops, led by Major John Howard successfully captured 2 bridges in Normandy. This action, helped secure the eastern flank of the seaborne landings 6 hours later. The capture and then holding of those two bridges by the nume…

Send me a message This is the little-told story about the weather forecasters who prevented a disaster on D Day 1944. Get my free weekly history newsletter Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Exercise Tiger was a large-scale dress rehearsal for the D-Day landings in 1944 that went horribly wrong. A friendly fire incident was compounded when high-speed German torpedo boats intercepted an American convoy off the coast of Southern England. Over 700 men were killed, more than were killed on Utah beach on D-Day itself! Supp…

Send me a message General Sir William Butler, was an enigmatic member of Sir Garnet Wolseley’s Ashanti Ring of officers in the British Army during the late 19th century. And yet, despite being part of Queen Victoria’s army as it painted large parts of the globe British red, he was also a passionate supporter of Irish Home Rule and of Boer Independe…

Send me a message Donald Pleasence, who starred in "The Great Escape" was actually a WW2 Prisoner of War (POW). He later found fame as Bond villain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and as Dr. Loomis in the cult horror film "Halloween". Support My Channel as a Patron: Donald Pleasence served in the RAF from 1940, particpating in 60 bombing missions. Eventuall…

Send me a message Boudica, the legendary British queen of the Iceni who led a revolt against the Romans in Ad 60/61, destroying 3 Roman towns (including London) and massacred all the inhabitants inside. Responsible for thousands of deaths was she a freedom fighter or a psychopath? Join my free weekly history newsletter Support the show…

Send me a message Dick Turpin is without a doubt, Britain's most famous highwayman. But, exactly who was Dick Turpin, and why is he so famous? Join my Supporter's Club Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message During the annihilation of the British Army by the Zulus at the Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 two British officers. Lt’s Melvill and Coghill made a desperate escape, trying to carry the Queen’s Colour to safety. But were they really heroes trying to save the colour, or were they merely trying to save their skins? Get my newsletter …

Send me a message "Carry On" star, Peter Butterworth, had a wartime secret that only came out long after his death. Contact me Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message Admiral Thomas Cochrane, was the inspiration for C.S. Forester’s naval hero Horatio Hornblower or Patrick O’Brian’s, Jack Aubrey (played by Russell Crow in the film, “Master and Commander”). Largely forgotten to the general public, yet he was one of the Royal Navy’s most audacious and feared commanders during the Napoleonic Wars, …

Send me a message On the 22nd January 1879 in South Africa, the British suffered the greatest defeat ever inflicted upon them by a native African army - when a force of 1,500 was annihilated by the Zulus during the Anglo-Zulu war. Get in touch and get my weekly newsletter: Click here Chelmsford was quick to lay the blame for the defeat at Isandlwan…

Send me a message Between 1814-1816, the British and the Gurkhas fought a vicious bloody war - the Anglo Nepalese War. It was the only time they ever fought each other. The bravery shown by both sides built a mutual respect and a 200 year tradition of Gurkhas serving in the British Army began. It continues to this day. Get My Newsletter Support the…

Send me a message The Empire Windrush brought 800 Caribbean immigrants to Britain in 1948. But have you heard the whole story about this ship? German Naval Vessel, British troopship and Holocaust vessel... Get My Newsletter Support the showโดย Chris Green

Send me a message The HMS Birkenhead disaster occurred off the coast of South Africa in 1852. Subscribe To My Newsletter A British troopship sank after hitting rocks and over 600 soldiers and sailors were cast into the shark infested waters on a dark February night. Scores were attacked and killed by Great White Sharks. Just 193 - a third - survive…

Send me a message The Battle of Khambula, fought on the 29th March 1879, was the turning point in the Anglo-Zulu War. After three defeats the British finally turned the tide against an enemy that they had severely underestimated to their cost. It marked the beginning of the end for Zulu independence. Get my free weekly newsletter Support the show…

Send me a message The Bantam battalions of the British (& Canadian) army during the First World War were made up from men below the normal height requirement of 5’3. Get my Newsletter / Get in Touch Over 30,000 pint-sized warriors volunteered, including a corporal who was just 4’9 and I will share his story later in this episode. I will also tell y…

Send me a message The battle of Hlobane was the third (& final) defeat the British suffered during the Zulu War in 1879. Get in touch and also get my weekly newsletter Over 90 white and 100 African troops were killed in a defeat that could have ended in complete disaster. Once more the Zulus proved they were worthy adversaries. Having said that, th…

Send me a message ”The Cockleshell Heroes” was released in 1955, , and tells the story of a daring raid by British commandos using kayaks to attack German ships. It starred Jose Ferrer, Trevor Howard, Christopher Lee, Anthony Newley, and David Lodge. It was actually based upon a real historic event during World War 2, Operation Frankton, when Briti…

Send me a message William Coltman volunteered to join the British Army in 1915. But once on the Western Front, the deeply religious Coltman realised that he couldn't bring himself to kill another man. So he volunteered to become a stretcher bearer, going out into no mans land to rescue the wounded. For the rest of the war he risked his life again a…

Send me a message The Battle of the Taku Forts (otherwise known as the storming of the Taku Forts) took place during the Second Opium War in 1860. 7 Victoria Crosses were awarded, including to the youngest recipient ever. Get my free weekly newsletter This story, which is the 2nd of two episodes on this Opium War, tells the story of those VC recipi…

Send me a message The storming of the Taku Forts took place during the Second Opium War between Britain & France on one side and China on the other in 1860. The battle led to the British (and their French allies) occupying Beijing and forcing the Chinese to sign a peace treaty, which still impacts China’s view of the west to this day. As I was rese…

Send me a message Albert Ball VC, was a British First World War fighter pilot who became an ace when he was just 19. Eventually he shot down 44 German planes, was awarded the Victoria Cross, 3 Distinguished Service Orders (the first person ever to achieve that feat), a Military Cross along with the French Legion d’Honneur. And he achieved all of th…