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Welcome to today's episode!

For the first time, we have created a listener's request podcast; I was contacted by a listener who discovered his Grandfather had been killed at Hill 70 while serving with the Cameron Highlanders at the Battle of Loos in 1915. The listener is planning his first-ever trip to the Western Front and wants to walk the battlefield where his Grandfather was killed. He asked if I could do a podcast about that area - your wish is my command!

We begin with an overview of the fighting on the Loos battlefield and then walk a circular route around Hill 70 and Bois Hugo to explore what happened and what remains to be seen to this day.

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Welcome to the first Trench Talk of the season, where Taff Gillingham joins me. Taff is a military historian and specialist historical advisor for the film, TV and theatre industries and has worked as an advisor on many well-known productions from Downton Abbey to the film 1917.

Taff is an expert on WW1 uniforms and kit, and in this fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, he shares his encyclopedic knowledge.

Support the podcast:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

https://footstepsofthefallen.com/gallery/

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Welcome to the first episode of Season 8!

Today, we travel to the forgotten front and the village of Bois Grenier. The fields in this sleepy corner of agricultural France contain dozens of German bunkers and blockhouses from the time of World War I. The sector was a nursery sector - a relatively quiet location where new battalions could learn the regimes of trench warfare. The peace was shattered on the afternoon of the 25th September 1915 when a diversionary attack for the Battle of Loos had disastrous effects for the men of the 2nd Rifle Brigade and the Royal Berkshires.

We walk the fields and hear about the infamous "Dicky's Dash", the tragic end to the life of a Canadian flying ace, listen to stories of murder most foul and unbelievable gallantry, as well as boomerangs and the mystery and unknown fate of Clifford the monkey.

Support the podcast:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/footstepsblog

https://footstepsofthefallen.com/gallery/