The History Chap Podcast
Episodes
260 episodes
273: Rorke's Drift: The Commander Who Wasn't There
Rhorke's Drift: The Commander Who Wasn't ThereChris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.The story of Major Henry Spalding, the man who should have been in command at the battle of Rorke's Drift, bu...
272: The Death That Made Henry VIII & Changed England Forever
Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.In this episode we explore how the death of a forgotten heir to the Tudor throne, resulted in Henry VIII becoming king and, ultimately, the English Reformation...
271: Escape From The Mahdi: The Real Four Feathers
The real historical events that inspired "The Four Feathers"Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.Get my Free weekly newsletter
270: The 19-Year-Old Shot by His Own Side: Private Thomas Highgate
The story of Thomas Highgate, the first of the 346 soldiers executed by the British during the First World War.Get my Free weekly newsletter
269: The Peasants' Revolt: What Was It Really About?
On 14th June 1381, a 14-year-old king rode out to face an army of his own people. London was burning, the Tower of London had been stormed, and the Chancellor's head lay on Tower Hill. How had England come to this?The Peasants'...
268: Harold's Gamble: How the Battle Of Hastings Was Lost Before It Began
Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.In the light of all the news about the arrival of the Bayeux Tapestry in London, I want to go behind the headlines of the Battle of hastings, Harold & Will...
267: The Man Who Saved Rorke's Drift
Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.The film Zulu made the Battle of Rorke's Drift legendary, but it turned its most important defender into a footnote.In the 1964 classic, James Langley ...
266: Why Did Japan Send Her Navy To Malta In 1917?
A Strange Memorial in a British military cemetery in Malta, recalls a forgotten story from the First World War.Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.
265:The Battle of Quebec 1759: Where James Wolfe Lost His Life But Won An Empire
Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.Get my Free weekly newsletterSuppor...
264: Alfred Before He Was Great
The story of Alfred before he was great.The Viking invasion of Wessex during the winter of 870/871 - 6 great battles - and the rise of a king who would save England.Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories...
263: What Happened to Lt. Bromhead After Rorke's Drift?
The 1964 film, "Zulu" saw Michael Caine's debut on the big screen.He played Lt. Gonville Bromhead, one of the 11 men awarded the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Rorke's Drift, fought in the Anglo-Zulu War, 1879.But how close was Cai...
262: The Real Captain Bligh - Villain or Hero?
William Bligh is remembered as history's most notorious villain — the tyrant of the Bounty, the captain whose cruelty drove his men to mutiny. But the real story is stranger, and far more remarkable, than Hollywood ever told you.
261: Britain, Argentina & The Falklands: 200 Years of Rival Claims
The 200-Year Old History of The Argentinian - British dispute over ownership of the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.
260:Last of The Mohicans: The Massacre Behind The Story
The real historical events that inspired the story: Last of the Mohicans.Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.Get my Free weekly newslet...
259: Zulu's John Chard VC: He Really Did Come To Build A Bridge
In the 1964 film Zulu, Stanley Baker's Lieutenant Chard delivers one of cinema's most quietly memorable lines: "I came up here to build a bridge." This is the real story of Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard VC, officer in comman...
258: The General Killed Saving The British Army
January 1809. A British Army of over 20,000 men is trapped by the French in north west Spain.This is the story of a forgotten Scottish General, Sir John Moore, who successfully evacuated his entire army, but at the cost of his life a...
257: When The Russians Fired On British Fishing Boats
Just after midnight on the 22nd October 1904, Russian warships opened fire on British fishing trawlers in the North Sea.Why?Because, as they sailed towards the Far East during the Russo-Japanese War, they thought that they...
256:Why Is David Livingstone Buried Without His Heart?
Britain's most famous explorer, David Livingstone, is buried in Westminster Abbey, but why was he buried without his heart?Chris Green is The History Chap; telling stories that brings the past to life.
255: Charles Gordon's Forgotten War in China - The Taiping Rebellion.
Charles "Chinese" Gordon, one of the great Victorian British military heroes, famously killed defending Khartoum against the Mahdi.But, how did he get the nickname "Chinese" Gordon? This is the story of his forgotten war in Chi...
254: Breaker Morant - War Criminal or Scapegoat?
The execution of Harry "Breaker" Morant for the shooting of unarmed prisoners during the Anglo Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902) continues to stir emotions and debate.Not just about whether he and his comrades were scapegoats or treated ...
253: The WW1 White Feathers
Whilst the films about "The Four Feathers" are ripping yarns from the age of the British Empire, the real life white feathers handed out to supposed cowards in WW1 had a devastating effect.
252: What Happened to Private Hitch VC After Rorke's Drift?
In the classic war film "Zulu", Private Fred Hitch is called a "slovenly soldier".He nevertheless goes on to be awarded the Victoria Cross at the battle of Rorke's Drift.But the story about what happened to him afterwards, as an invalid...
251: The Forgotten Scandal Behind Britain's Favourite Poem, "If-"
The forgotten Victorian scandal behind Britain's favourite poem - Rudyard Kipling's "If-".Get my Free weekly newsletterChris Green is The History Chap; telling stories t...