“The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front” A Discussion with Dr. Ian Isherwood
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Release Date: 02/09/2025
Ypres - Demarcation Stone Fundraiser
Battles of the First World War Podcast
This is a quick episode to make listeners aware of a fundraising drive by the New Ypres League to restore some of the post-WW1 demarcation stones in the Ypres, Belgium area. Where to donate: There will be a talk released in early December where the New Ypres League will go into more details about their fundraiser, but for now we wanted to get the word out as soon as possible. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website,...
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“An Unladylike Profession” by Chris Dubbs - American Women War Correspondents in WW1
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Educator and First World War enthusiast Kristin Stelfox comes on the podcast to discuss some of the first and pathbreaking American women war correspondents who covered the first years of the war. New Ypres League: “An Unladylike Profession” by Chris Dubbs - Edith Wharton’s articles: Mary Roberts Rinehart’s “Kings, Queens and Pawns - An American Woman at the Front:” Nellie Bly articles: The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me...
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“Loaned for the Summer” - A Discussion with Craig DeSteiguer
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Writer Craig DeSteiguer joins us to tell the story of his grandfather John Horace Merriman, who was deeply affected by his First World War-era service. “Death in the Trench" Let me sing no whispers of war. Let me tear my eyes, of all death…that lay. Let me hold the hand of their last breath. Let me pray their soul is gone….to home. Let me sing no whispers of war. For when I too shall come home, To whispered songs no more…. of that war. “Loaned to the Summer” - Where to buy: The BFWWP is on Patreon:...
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2026 Lost Battalion Tours Meuse-Argonne Pilgrimage
Battles of the First World War Podcast
We have dates for the 2026 Meuse-Argonne Battlefield Pilgrimage! The trip is from July 02 - 08, 2026. This next visit will be one where we really plan to put boots on the ground: we will be walking in the paths of some individual Doughboys in 2026. This is a new feature of Lost Battalion Tours, and we’re excited to share it with you! A sample of the 2026 itinerary: Day 2 - “Malancourt to Montfaucon:” - 79th Division’s first combat tour 26-30 SEP 1918 - In the footsteps of Major Harry Dravo Parkin -...
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Aisne-Marne & Vesle Sector - SGT William Shemin
Battles of the First World War Podcast
In the final days of the Aisne-Marne Offensive, American forces pursued the retreating Germans to the River Vesle in August 1918. During the battles for possession of the key village of Bazoches-sur-Vesle, an American son of Russian-Jewish immigrants would distinguish himself by looking out for his friends and soldiers. The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast. Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social: ...
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Angel Down: A Discussion with Daniel Kraus
Battles of the First World War Podcast
NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus comes on the podcast to talk about his novel set in the Meuse-Argonne battle “Angel Down.” From Simon & Schuster: Private Cyril Bagger has managed to survive the unspeakable horrors of the Great War through his wits and deception, swindling fellow soldiers at every opportunity. But his survival instincts are put to the ultimate test when he and four other grunts are given a deadly mission: venture into the perilous No Man’s Land to euthanize a wounded comrade. What they find amid the ruined battlefield, however, is not a...
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Montreal to Courcelette via Paardeberg, a Discussion with Michel Gravel
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Historian Michel Gravel comes back on the podcast to discuss an incredibly interesting gentleman named John Stevenson Youngson. Michel’s works can be found here: Michel’s GoFundMe for “La place Joseph Kaeble, VC, MM,” in Neuville-Vitasse, France: Regarding Michel’s medals: when he mentions his medal collections increase in value, it’s not monetary value. Rather their value increases in that the medal group is complete and the story behind them is available. The BFWWP is on Patreon:...
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GEN Edmond Buat & the Heavy Artillery Reserve: A Discussion with Xavier Lewis
Battles of the First World War Podcast
My good friend Xavier Lewis comes on the podcast to discuss his dissertation topic. General Edmond Buat had an idea and devised a plan to defeat the German army on the Western front in World War I. A study of his diary, the notes he wrote and his later writings on German generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg, shows how his plan and the Réserve Générale de l’Artillerie Lourde (Heavy Artillery General Reserve, “RGAL”) he created constitute an incipient form of operational art as well as the basis for the French Army’s offensives in the summer of 1918. Xavier’s...
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“To the Limit of Endurance: A Battalion of Marines in the Great War” A Discussion with Pete Owen, LTC USMC (Ret.)
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Pete Owen, LTC USMC (Ret.) comes on the podcast to talk about his book “To the Limit of Endurance: A Battalion of Marines in the Great War.” From Texas A&M University Press: “Scholars and historians offer several theories for the crippling losses suffered by the American Expeditionary Forces on the battlefields of World War I: inexperience, poor leadership, hasty expansion of duties, and others. But until now, most of these studies have focused at the division level or higher. Now, with To the Limit of Endurance, Peter F. Owen offers a tautly worded,...
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Great War Expo II at SGT Alvin C. York State Park in Tennessee
Battles of the First World War Podcast
Tennessee State Park Rangers Nate Dodson and Tanner Wells come on the podcast to discuss the upcoming Great War Expo II at York State Park in Pall Mall, TN. On April 5th, 2025, the second annual Great War Expo will be held at Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park in Pall Mall, TN. This is an educational event highlighting all things WW1 at the homesite of one of its more well known soldiers. Experience informative lectures, participate in living history demonstrations, meet authors and vendors, and interact with organizations from across the nation that preserve and share...
info_outlineDr. Isherwood returns to the podcast to talk about his new book “The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front.”
From Casemate Publishers:
“How did ordinary citizens become soldiers during the First World War, and how did they cope with the extraordinary challenges they confronted on the Western Front? These are questions Ian Isherwood seeks to answer in this absorbing and deeply researched study of the actions and experiences of an infantry battalion throughout the conflict. His work gives us a vivid impression of the reality of war for these volunteers and an insight into the motivation that kept them fighting.
The narrative traces the history of the 8th Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment), a Kitchener battalion raised in 1914. The letters, memoirs and diaries of the men of the battalion, in particular the correspondence of their commanding officer, reveal in fascinating detail what wartime life was like for this group of men. It includes vivid accounts of the major battles in which they were involved – Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele, the German Spring Offensive, and the final 100 Days campaign.
The battalion took heavy losses, yet those who survived continued to fight and took great pride in their service, an attitude that is at odds with much of the popular perception of the Great War. Ian Isherwood brings in the latest research on military thinking and learning, on emotional resilience, and cultural history to tell their story.”
Follow the First World War Letters of H.J.C. Peirs, a digital history project at Gettysburg College:
Where to buy “The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front” -
https://www.casematepublishers.com/9781526774224/the-battalion/
The BFWWP is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BattlesoftheFirstWorldWarPodcast.
Any questions, comments or concerns please contact me through the website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Follow us on BlueSky at @WW1podcast.bsky.social:
https://bsky.app/profile/ww1podcast.bsky.social
and the BFWWP website, www.firstworldwarpodcast.com. Email me directly at verdunpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments, or concerns.
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