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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. For this week’s episode, Lucy is telling the story of the incredible Flora Sandes — the only British woman to officially serve as a soldier on the front lines during WWI.

What began as a humanitarian mission quickly transformed into a life of rifles, marches, and battlefield danger as Flora fought alongside the Serbian Army, refusing every limit placed on her by gender or convention.

In this riveting episode, we explore:

• How a British-born woman began her journey as a volunteer nurse — and how this path led her to contract a near-fatal case of typhoid fever
• Her recovery against the odds, and how surviving that brush with death strengthened her resolve to keep serving — ultimately leading her to enlist as a combatant in the Serbian Army
• The brutal Balkan front and the battles where Flora proved herself a soldier among soldiers
• Her postwar life — decorated veteran, trailblazing author, and a woman who never stopped defying expectations

Trust us — Flora Sandes will leave you redefining what bravery looked like in a world at war.

Sources:

Stephen Liddell.co.uk
History-uk.com
ChatGPT
School history.co.uk
Eadt.co.uk

Keywords

Flora Sandes, WWI women soldiers, Serbian Army history, women in combat, First World War frontline, female war heroes, hidden women’s military history, feminist history podcast, Speaking of Her podcast, forgotten women warriors, trailblazing soldier, Balkan front WWI, women in uniform history, groundbreaking female veterans, untold women’s stories, real history podcast, twentieth-century women pioneers, military history through a feminist lens, extraordinary women in war, defying gender norms, combat history podcast, women who made history, overlooked war heroes, frontline bravery, global women’s history, courageous women leaders

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Before her name became synonymous with elegance, Coco Chanel was a girl who refused to be defined by her circumstances. Abandoned at an orphanage, she rose to reinvent not just her life, but the very way women dressed and lived. In this episode, we trace the story of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel - the woman who liberated fashion from the corset, built a global empire from sheer determination, and forever changed what it means to be iconic.

So go and grab yourself a glass of wine or a nice hot bevvy, and settle in for Jess’ story of Coco Chanel - the woman who changed fashion forever.

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Welcome back to Speaking of Her. For our Spooky Season Finale, Lucy leads us into one of the most haunting corners of women’s history — where industrial progress, poverty, and silence collided in the shadows of Victorian London.

We’re telling the story of the matchstick girls — the young women who worked long hours in match factories, dipping sticks into white phosphorus that slowly poisoned them from the inside out. What followed was a terrifying and agonizing condition called Phossy Jaw — where their bones literally glowed before they decayed.

In this eerie, unforgettable spooky season finale, we explore:

• The deadly factories where women and teenage girls labored under toxic conditions
• How white phosphorus ravaged the jaw, teeth, and face — and why factory owners ignored it
• The groundbreaking strike led by these women that changed labour history
• The lasting legacy of their courage in the fight for safe, dignified work

This Halloween, we’re not chasing legends or monsters.
We’re facing a very real horror: what happens when women’s pain is seen as the cost of doing business.

A glowing jaw. A silenced workforce.
And a revolt that caught fire.

Trust us — this is one story that will linger long after the episode ends.

Note: Our discussion of the factory owners refers to historical events and practices. The brand today is owned by a respected Swedish company and is not associated with those past issues.

We refer to the episode with Justine on this episode, go check it out! Surviving the Unthinkable - Justine Barwick's Story.

Follow us on Instagram to check out our Norway day trip highlight!

Keywords

Matchstick girls, Phossy Jaw, white phosphorus poisoning, factory strike, Victorian factory workers, spooky season finale, women’s labor rights, labor movement history, dark history podcast, women in history podcast, industrial revolution labor, workplace safety history, feminist true crime, haunting true story, real-life horror, historical medical mystery, exploited women workers, Victorian London history, occupational disease history, untold women’s stories, Speaking of Her podcast, Halloween special episode, chilling true story, horror meets history, feminist labor history, match factories, 19th century women workers, hidden history of women, eerie historical stories, spooky season podcast finale

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