Second World War - Legacies, Language and Diaspora
On the Record at The National Archives
Release Date: 10/03/2024
Second World War - Legacies, Language and Diaspora
On the Record at The National Archives
With recruits from across its empire, Britain’s troops in the Second World War were a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic force. Among those involved were more than a quarter of a million soldiers from East Africa and 2.5 million from South Asia, whose contributions to the Allied forces were absolutely essential to the outcome of the war. In this episode of On the Record, host Chloe Lee speaks with Iqbal Singh and Liz Haines, specialists at The National Archives, and writer Sharmila Chauhan about a collection of records relating to the recruitment of soldiers from across Britain’s colonies....
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Trailer: Second World War - Legacies, Language and Diaspora
On the Record at The National Archives
In this episode of On the Record, we take focus on the lesser-told history of the colonial troops, from East Africa and India, that fought for Britain during the Second World War.
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Untold Stories of D-Day
On the Record at The National Archives
Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, 24,000 soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in Northern France. What followed was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Their mission: to liberate Europe and defeat Germany. Who were these soldiers? And who worked secretly to plan the operation and ensure its success? In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to colleagues Sophie Stewart and Alice Bell about the people who contributed to this operation, whose stories we may not be familiar with: a tank driver on the frontline, one of the first black women in the Royal Air Force,...
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Trailer: Untold Stories of D-Day
On the Record at The National Archives
In this episode, we uncover the untold stories of a tank driver on the frontline, one of the first black women in the Royal Air Force, and a femme fatale whose coded telegram saved lives on D-Day.
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Robin Hood
On the Record at The National Archives
Since the 13th century the legend of Robin Hood has featured in folk songs, tavern stories, pageants, and royal festivals — even Henry VIII once dressed up as him. But what lies behind the legend? And what do our stories of robbing from the rich tell us about life in medieval England? In this episode Chloe Lee speaks to Kathryn Maude, a medieval specialist, and Sean Cunningham, head of medieval records, both at The National Archives. Join them on a journey through a forest of medieval historical records, and perhaps even discover the 'real' Robin Hood. For a transcript and information about...
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Trailer: Robin Hood
On the Record at The National Archives
In this episode, we journey through a forest of historical records to discover the 'real' Robin Hood.
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Pauper Voices
On the Record at The National Archives
It's often impossible to find direct accounts of poor people in the historical record, especially the further back you look. But an extraordinary collection containing thousands of letters written by people in poverty between 1834 and 1900 provides an insight into their lives. In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to specialist Paul Carter about letters held by The National Archives which were addressed to the Poor Law Board, the British central poor law authority. Together they use these accounts to glimpse into the factories, the workhouses and slums in which so many...
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Trailer: Pauper Voices
On the Record at The National Archives
In this episode, we examine a rare collection which contains thousands of letters written by people living in poverty between 1834 and 1900.
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Second World War Captives
On the Record at The National Archives
At The National Archives, we hold records that tell fascinating stories of real people who lived through the horrors of the Second World War. In this episode, historians Will Butler, Ela Kaczmarska, and Roger Kershaw explore documents – some of them previously unseen by the public – that describe the experiences of prisoners of war and civilian internees held captive during the conflict. The episode accompanies our exhibition, Great Escapes: Remarkable Second World War Captives, which is open at The National Archives in Kew until July 21, 2024. For a transcript and information about the...
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Trailer: Second World War Captives
On the Record at The National Archives
In this episode, we explore unique documents held at The National Archives that tell the stories of prisoners of war and civilian internees held captive during the Second World War.
info_outlineWith recruits from across its empire, Britain’s troops in the Second World War were a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic force. Among those involved were more than a quarter of a million soldiers from East Africa and 2.5 million from South Asia, whose contributions to the Allied forces were absolutely essential to the outcome of the war.
In this episode of On the Record, host Chloe Lee speaks with Iqbal Singh and Liz Haines, specialists at The National Archives, and writer Sharmila Chauhan about a collection of records relating to the recruitment of soldiers from across Britain’s colonies. Focusing on the languages mobilised in these documents, they discuss records that range from the speeches of British commanders in (romanised) Hindustani, to recruitment posters featuring Swahili and Nyanja.
For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/SwwLLD