Podcasts about Royal Marines

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

What does it take to walk away from a 21 year Royal Marines career and bet everything on a business you know almost nothing about?Stephen Howarth, co founder of Jöttnar, shares the story of failing his dream at 17, deliberately toughening himself up at sea, and eventually earning his place in the Royal Marines. Two decades later, he faced a completely different challenge: entrepreneurship.With his co founder Tommy, Stephen entered the outdoor clothing industry with little commercial experience, despite knowing they realistically needed £3 million to build the business properly. Instead, they started with just £60,000 and went years without a salary.From failure and resilience to founder pressure, risk, leadership and planning, this is a story about choosing the harder path and turning ambition into action.“Build your roadmap. Make your map.”

You can watch this episode on YouTubeThe summer voyage continues on Planet Normal! This week, our co-pilots fire up the engines and head back into the archives for two more memorable journeys aboard the rocket of right thinking.In February, Allison spoke to Siobhan Whyte, whose daughter Rhiannon was murdered by an asylum seeker. Siobhan discussed what she believes are the systemic failures of the UK's immigration system and her campaign to support children left behind by such violence.Then, in April, former Royal Marine commando and documentary maker James Glancy strapped into the rocket to explain why he believes the UK military can no longer meet the demands of its responsibilities around the world.'Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read Allison 'Britain must pop the welfare balloon or face ruin' |Read more from Allison hereRead more from Liam hereNeed help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

//The Wire//1700Z August 10, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: MAJOR EARTHQUAKE STRIKES COLOMBIA. WAR CONTINUES IN MIDDLE EAST. BRITISH MOD ALLEGEDLY INVESTIGATING VULNERABILITIES WITH NEWLY-PURCHASED DRONE BOAT FLEET.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The situation continues as before, with routine strikes being carried out over the weekend. Iran has continued to strike merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with daily targeting efforts being reported for about a week. Overnight, a tanker vessel was struck in the Strait, with the resulting fire being visible from land.Red Sea/HOA: The Houthis have been active over the past few days, conducting low-level strikes against the Saudi staging areas along the border region with Yemen. More significantly, the Houthis have also struck the Jazan refinery again, with the Saudis targeting the port of Mocha in Yemen.France: As wildfires have continued to spread around the nation, French authorities have announced the arrest of over 420x individuals on charges of arson, at least 166x of which are individuals claiming to be minors who admitted to deliberately starting fires.United Kingdom: This morning the Telegraph published a leak from within the Ministry of Defense, pertaining to the new K3 Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) that have been purchased by the Royal Marines. The leak alleges that some components within the drone boat fleet are made in China, and actually "phone home" to data centers back in China. The Ministry of Defense has denied any security vulnerabilities, but an emergency audit has been announced to investigate the matter.Analyst Comment: Having a foreign adversary contribute to any part of the production chain for highly secret and cutting-edge military technology is a suboptimal decision.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: This morning an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.4 was reported in the western districts of Colombia, which resulted in infrastructure damage throughout the region. The city of Cali was hardest hit, with many structures collapsing or otherwise suffering major damage. So far, roughly 20x fatalities have been reported outright, but the true scale of the damage will take some time to determine due to the remote nature of many affected villages. There is not a lot of information on how bad the damage is, and most of what has circulated are videos showing the damage, or other first hand reports. At the time of this report, this is a developing story, and details are likely to change as more information becomes available.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

Forty grown men, standing in the dark below a ruined tower in Staffordshire, looked up and saw a woman in a pure white Elizabethan gown staring straight back down at them... and every one of them knew instantly it couldn't be a member of staff. This is the story of Tutbury Castle, one of Britain's most haunted locations, and the strange, decades-spanning case for what's still walking its grounds.Tutbury held Mary, Queen of Scots prisoner across four separate stays, and she's said to haunt it still, seen sprinting across open grass at impossible speed by an off-duty Royal Marine in 1984, spotted by archaeologists mid-dig, and glimpsed by the castle's own most sceptical staff. Then there's Ellie, a child spirit in the King's Bedroom who tugs at visitors' fingers one by one, and the Keeper, an armoured figure at John of Gaunt's Gateway still telling people to "get thee hence."Over 250 sightings have been logged since 2000. Now, with the castle closed and its long-serving curator retired, there's nobody left walking those grounds after dark to report back on what's still there.Hear the full case for yourself in this episode of Dark Matters.Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe, leave us a rating, and drop a review. It really helps the show reach more listeners. Here's where to find more:Support the show: Patreon (patreon.com/hauntedukpodcast) | Ko-fi (ko-fi.com/hauntedukpodcast)Follow us: Instagram @hauntedukpodcast | TikTok @hauntedukpodcast | X @hauntedukpodWebsite: https://hauntedukpodcast.com/Produced by Pink Flamingo Sound Studio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a behind-the-scenes bonus episode — a real, unedited session from inside my coaching programme, where I take a group of high-performing men through one of the most important conversations I have ever had in a coaching room. Why men drift. And what to do about it before it costs you everything. Because here is the truth: you did not become a bad husband overnight. You did not lose your edge overnight. You did not wake up one morning and suddenly feel lost. It happened slowly. Invisibly. One invisible compromise at a time. In this session we cover: •The drift belief — why men think they have lost themselves overnight, when the reality is months of compounding disconnection •The harbour analogy — how structure, routine, and accountability are the only things keeping your life from drifting out to sea •Why work is the one pillar that never drifts — and how that is silently destroying the other four •Framework two: Awareness — why you cannot change what you do not acknowledge, and why men will drift for years before something monumental forces them to wake up •The mirror exercise — the question "what is really true of you?" and why you will hate the answer but need it more than anything •Framework three: Standards — why identity is built through standards, not motivation, and what the Royal Marines taught me about non-negotiables •The discipline and boundaries framework — how discipline is internally built through action, and why boundaries are the external wall that protects everything you are building •The quarterly review — how to compound your progress month by month so the next 90 days become inevitable This is what real transformation looks like. Not a highlight reel. Men doing the work, being challenged, and raising their standard. If you want to be in a room where this is the standard, join the seminar waiting list:   https://consulting.boardmanjames.com/seminarwaitinglist Stop existing. Start living. Let's get to work.

Pete Goss is an explorer, adventurer, and sailor best known for his rescue of Raphael Dinelli in the 1996-1997 Vendee Globe race, for which he was awarded medals of honor from both the UK and France. He has also sailed across the Atlantic multiple times, led expeditions to the North Pole, kayaked around Tasmania, sailed the biggest catamaran ever built, and completed many other adventures. He wrote the book "Close to the Wind," and was written about in the book "Goodforsaken Sea." I interviewed Pete in 2019, and this was one of the first podcast interviews I ever did.  We talk about is yacht - A Garcia Exploration 45 - and decision to sail casually with his wife Tracy instead of going on another grand adventure, planing only 3 days in advance, what sparked his spirit of adventure as a child, the Vendee Globe, being in the Royal Marines, his first ocean race (2-handed transatlantic), why he wanted to race alone around the wolrd, racing a small catamaran across the Atlantic, the British Steel Challenge, designing a boat for the Vendee Globe, addressing risk, sailing down 40' waves in the Southern Ocean, the moon refleciting off the backs of dolphins, rescuing Raphael Dinelli, maydays, trying to find a liferaft in giant waves with minimal loacation information, nursing Raphael in the ten days it took to get him to shore, polyphasic sleep, dealing with the cold, sleeping in a storm, the danger just after a storm, foulweather gear, racing around Britian and Ireland, writing, advice for parents, and more.

Send us Fan MailThis week Jonny Ball chats to former Royal Marine David Reed MP, who started his political journey listening to this podcast!David is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Exmouth & Exeter East. He serves on the opposition front bench as Shadow Defence Whip, is a member of the International Development Committee, and Vice Chair of the APPG for Foreign Affairs.David began his career in the Royal Marines and Special Forces Support Group, serving in multiple conflict zones over seven years. He was also part of the Royal Navy Parachute Display Team and was selected for the Team GB Wingsuit Skydiving Squad.After leaving the military, he earned a First-Class degree in Business and a Master's in International Security.Before entering Parliament in 2024, David led major cyberspace development portfolios across the public and private sectors, co-founded a software engineering company, and held a senior role at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence.To find out more about him check out his website here: https://www.davidreed.uk/Support the show✅Support The Show Help Us Grow! Help us reach more veterans by donating the cost of a cup of coffee today...

Ross Hemingway, OBE, is a Sport & Exercise Medicine Practitioner at the Commando Training Centre for the Royal Marines. His clinical expertise centres on exertional collapse, in particular the prevention, acute management, and rehabilitation of exertional heat illness (EHI) in elite, amateur, and tactical athletes, and is recognised as a UK national expert in this field. Hemingway is also a member of the UK Heat Illness Advisory Group and a contributing author to the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care's (FPHC) UK consensus statement on the management of Exertional Heat Illness.In this interview, Hemingway breaks down the theory of heat illness, how it happens, prevalence, and the best ways of dealing with EHI during exercise.Alongside his clinical practice, he is also the founder of Nereus Medical Ltd and inventor of the patented I-CWIK, a lightweight, robust and clinically proven system developed to provide effective cold-water immersion of heat stroke casualties in the pre-hospital and hospital environment.Become a Supporter of The Real Science of Sport, and for the price of a coffee, or a gel, you get a bonus Applied episode every week, ad-free shows, and the best cycling and running community going over on Discourse.SHOW NOTESThe EHI Consensus Statement websiteThe Full EHI Article, of which Ross is lead authorOne of the studies Ross alluded to, this one from the World Champs in DohaAnother paper he mentioned, discussing athlete management ahead of the Olympic GamesThe baboon model for heatstroke discussed on the showWe published a study years back documenting some heatstrokes in SA endurance events Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

FARAGE'S WAR ON SMALL BOATS: Navy in the Channel NOW?  #JonGaunt #JonGauntTV #NigelFarage #ReformUK #SmallBoats #IllegalImmigration #RoyalNavy #RoyalMarines  Is FARAGE right? Put the ROYAL NAVY in the Channel to STOP the Small Boats INVASION?  If you've watched Jon Gaunt TV over the past few months, you'll know today's debate won't come as any surprise. I've repeatedly argued that Britain has to stop talking tough and start acting tough. I've said for months that if we are serious about ending the small boats crisis, we should use the Royal Navy to defend our borders, return illegal migrants to France, and destroy the business model of the people smugglers.  Today, Nigel Farage and Reform UK have put forward proposals that take the debate firmly in that direction. Following Reform's press conference, we're asking whether Britain should adopt a far tougher approach to illegal Channel crossings. Has Spain shown that determined border enforcement can work? Should Britain follow suit? And if the European Convention on Human Rights stands in the way of the policies some people want, should we leave the ECHR?  For years we've been promised that the boats would stop. Instead, they've kept coming. Successive governments have promised to "smash the gangs," but many people believe the crossings continue because Britain remains an attractive destination and the deterrent simply isn't there.  So is Farage right? Should the Royal Navy and Royal Marines be deployed in the Channel? Should illegal migrants be returned to France ? Has Spain shown Britain what decisive border enforcement looks like? Or would these proposals create more problems than they solve?  This isn't just another political row. It's about sovereignty, national security, the rule of law and whether Britain still has the determination to control its own borders. Join Jon Gaunt  This is going to be a lively debate.

January 2026. A blizzard is raging on Ben Nevis, the tallest peak in the Scottish Highlands — gale-force winds, sub-zero temperatures, and visibility of about one meter—when a climber becomes separated from his two friends near the summit, without crampons, a map, or a compass. What happens to him next comes down to solid blocks of ice, a bent walking pole, and a group of British and Dutch marines who chose that exact day, in that exact weather, to climb the highest mountain in Britain. Julie and Kaycee unravel how a body shuts down in extreme cold, why the rescue nearly stalled on the iced upper slopes, and what the marines built from the equipment on their backs when walking him down stopped being an option. And at the center of it all: a man whose name has never been made public—and a margin of survival measured in a single meter of white air. 00:44 Show Intro And Setup 01:09 Whiteout Near The Summit 03:35 Ben Nevis The Mountain Trap 07:06 Three Friends Enter The Storm 11:10 Marines Training In Blizzard 13:51 One Meter Discovery 18:35 Improvised Litter Rescue 26:09 Rewarming Below Snow Line 29:10 The Crux And Takeaways 29:54 Closing And Sign Off Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/ References: Royal Navy (official news release), “Marines save life of stranded climber on Ben Nevis,” January 30, 2026. royalnavy.mod.uk STV News, “Marines on training exercise save climber stranded in blizzard on Ben Nevis,” January 30, 2026. DutchNews.nl (citing the Dutch Defence Ministry), “Dutch reservists save man stuck on Scottish mountain,” January 28, 2026. The Scotsman, “Marines save life of stranded climber on Ben Nevis,” January 30, 2026. Forces News, “Ben Nevis climber 'would not have survived' had it not been for Royal and Dutch marines,” January 30, 2026. GB News, “Marines save life of stranded climber on Ben Nevis in arctic-like conditions,” January 31, 2026. Yahoo News / AOL (reporting Royal Navy footage), “Climber found curled up on Ben Nevis in -20C blizzard rescued by Royal Marines during training exercise,” January 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this installment of Battleground: The Big Picture, host Saul David sits down with Al Carns—Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, former Royal Marines colonel, SBS veteran awarded the Military Cross and Distinguished Service Order, and former Minister for the Armed Forces. Carns opens up about his transition from a stellar 24-year military career into politics, driven by the realization that modern technology—specifically AI, low-cost drones, and data integration—has fundamentally transformed the character of warfare. Drawing direct lessons from the battlefield in Ukraine, the former Defence Minister makes a compelling case for why Western defence forces must pivot away from slow, expensive, traditional hardware procurement and towards scalable, tech-enabled mass. The discussion also dives deep into:The Defence Funding Gap: Why Carns resigned from his post as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces over budget shortfalls and the urgent need for military transformation. Reforming Veterans' Policy: His perspective on the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill and why a single, empowered truth-and-reconciliation body is required. National Resilience: Why true national defence relies on industrial capacity, supply chain security, and societal unity rather than just frontline troop numbers. Hybrid Threats & Propaganda: How foreign adversaries use social media and asymmetric tactics to sow division within Western democracies. The Trajectory of the Ukraine Conflict: Insights into recent leadership reshuffles in Kyiv, the tactical reality of drone saturation on the front lines, and the strategic dilemmas facing Putin's war-driven economy. Tune in for an unvarnished, highly knowledgeable perspective on modern warfare and the hard choices facing defence policy today. Coming up next: Look out for Friday's extended interview with Belgian war correspondent Arnaud De Decker on modern drone units in Ukraine, followed by Roger Moorhouse interviewing Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski next week!Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.comFollow us on:X - @PodBattlegroundInstagram - podbattlegroundProducer: James HodgsonA Goalhanger Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Luke Dalton is a former Royal Marine Commando, and co-founder of Contact Coffee Co - the UK's biggest military coffee brand.Today, we explore what drew him to the Royal Marines, the lessons from his experience in combat, and ultimately how this led to him starting Contact Coffee Co.Along the way, Luke has pushed himself mentally and physically, and is candid about his experience with burnout, and how he has come out the other side.Luke has his own story of Tenacity, and this is it.Luke: @contactcoffeecolukeContact Coffee Co: https://www.contactcoffee.comPodcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wfqxQKxw501-1 Coaching information and consultation booking: https://www.omnia-performance.com/omnia-athlete-coaching/ Custom Training Plan - FC20 for 20% off: https://pages.omnia-performance.com/custom-training-plan

Week 17 of Royal Marine Commando training. A model village in Wales. A whole day building sandbag defenses, barbed wire, and fortified positions. And then the training team came in — full force, full aggression — trying to break through. Our position held. Two out of eight did. In this episode, I use that story as an analogy for the way most men are living their lives — with weak defenses, no structure, and the outside world constantly breaking through into their head, their energy, and their focus. Inside this episode: •The Royal Marines FIBUA story and why it is the perfect analogy for how men operate under pressure •Why most men's defenses are flaky — and why life keeps breaking through •The Five Pillars as your primary defense mechanism: health, relationships, growth, business, and fun •Why if you are only defending your business, you are leaving your whole life exposed •How structure, routines, and systems are the sandbags — without them, you are undefended •Why time, energy, and focus are the three assets you are defending — and how to protect them •The role of accountability: why your defenses need to be tested to know where the weak points are •What it actually feels like when your defenses hold — and why that is worth building You are defending your sanity, your happiness, your fulfillment, and your life. Build the defenses. Hold the position.   Book in a clarity call, details are here >>    https://consulting.boardmanjames.com/clarity-call-booking-form

In this engaging episode, Minter Dial welcomes back Thom Dennis, ex-Royal Marine officer, former CEO, and the founder of Serenity in Leadership, to discuss his new book, Rewilding the Corporate Mind: Rediscovering Nature's Blueprint for Leadership in an Age of Disruption and Division. The conversation focused on the urgent need to rethink conventional leadership paradigms by drawing inspiration from nature's complexity and wisdom. One concept discussed was the rewilding metaphor itself—how letting go of excessive control, both in business and in personal development, can create space for healing, creativity, and genuine innovation. A key theme that emerged was the importance of trust—both in oneself as a leader and within organisations more broadly. The discussion explored the dangers of Victorian-era control, the pitfalls of binary thinking in management, and the subtle but essential role of humanities and broader perspectives in rebalancing cultures that have long prized only economics, engineering, and linear ROI metrics. Several points were raised, including the difference between destructive command-and-control systems and more regenerative, self-sustaining models of leadership, as well as what businesses can learn from ecological restoration and the wisdom of indigenous approaches. Whether you're grappling with corporate burnout, seeking new models of transformation, or simply curious about how to foster healthier cultures amid disruption, this episode offers a profound meditation on leadership, resilience, and the need to reconnect with both nature and ourselves. Tune in for an exploration that challenges received wisdom and opens up fresh pathways for bringing humanity back into business.

Tommy Kelly spent years in the Royal Marines operating in some of the harshest environments on earth.But one lesson carried into business: Do hard things.This became a conversation around discomfort, resilience, burnout and learning to keep moving when life gets difficult.In this Bite-Sized episode of Screw It Just DO It, Tommy talks about the Arctic exercise that nearly broke his unit, the moment he artificially created chaos to force himself out of the Marines, and the Monday morning he walked into the office and told his co-founder he was done.Key Takeaways• Why doing hard things is the most practical form of resilience training• What the Arctic night from hell taught Tommy about keeping going• The screw it just do it moment — artificially creating chaos by leaving the Marines• The burnout no one talks about: 12 years of compounding pressure• Why being on the right path matters more than being at the destination

What does it really mean when a man says, "That's just who I am"? In this episode of The Upgraded Man, host Chris Anderson sits down with Arky Jones, founder of Personality Peak and a lifelong student of stoicism, to unpack why that phrase is usually an excuse rather than an identity. Born in England and now based in Australia, Arky brings a hard-won perspective shaped by military training, a serious injury, and a complete rebuild of his life and purpose. Together they explore how self-awareness, radical ownership, and small daily upgrades can pull any man out of complacency and into a fuller, more deliberate way of living. This is a direct, no-excuses conversation about change, responsibility, and becoming the man you actually want to be. In this episode: Why "personality is a mirror, not a label" and how seeing yourself clearly changes everything The truth about self-awareness for men and why it is not the "woo woo" stuff you think How the locus of control separates what you can own from what you must release Stoicism made practical, from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations to the choices you make every day Why surrender can be a strength instead of a weakness The hidden danger of comfort and how it quietly kills growth, hunger, and purpose Needs versus wants, and how chasing image and status drains your life energy Facing your "unopened bills" and demons head-on instead of delaying the consequence Why modern men have lost their tribe, their role, and their mission, and how to begin reclaiming it The 1% better philosophy you can apply in any moment of any day to compound real change Arky's story of shattering his pelvis in Royal Marines training and the pivot that rebuilt his life Connect with Arky Jones at Personality Peak (personalitypeak.com) to take the free five-minute personality insight tool and uncover your blind spots. This episode may or may not be sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, meaning we'll receive a small commission if you buy something.===========================⚡️ PODCAST: Subscribe and listen on all major platforms⚡️ Want to be a guest on The Upgraded Man? Apply here ➡ https://upgraded-man.com/guest⚡️ For support or business inquiries, email us ➡ chris@upgraded-man.com Our mission at The Upgraded Man is simple — help men upgrade every area of their life through real conversations, honest stories, and actionable insight from men who have done the work.The content on The Upgraded Man is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not constitute professional legal, financial, medical, or therapeutic advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on information discussed on this podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

"When allied intelligence sharing fails, it's almost never a collection failure - it's an integration failure." That's the uncomfortable argument Major General Paul Lynch opened the main stage with at GEOINT 2026, and it's the thread Torsten Kriening pulls on in this candid, wide-ranging conversation recorded live in Aurora, Colorado.As Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence at NATO Headquarters for nearly three years - and a Royal Marine with a 30-year career behind him - Lynch has a rare vantage point on how the alliance turns raw collection into decisions at speed. He walks us through the hard-won lessons of Ukraine, where fusing geospatial, open-source and electronic intelligence onto a single platform and linking it directly to effect transformed battlefield effectiveness in months, not years. He explains how NATO is capturing those lessons through JATEC, the first joint NATO–Ukraine centre in Poland, and why the real challenge is never just identifying a lesson, but turning it into capability, doctrine and policy - knowing all the while that the next war won't look like this one.The discussion ranges across the deterrence operations now shaping the alliance - Eastern Sentry, Baltic Sentry, Arctic Sentry - the power and friction of 32-nation consensus, and the growing role of commercial GEOINT as a core part of the enterprise rather than an afterthought. Lynch makes a clear-eyed case for NGA's LUNO model of machine-driven, near-real-time intelligence, and argues that the barrier isn't technology but data and trust: sharing by default, and commercial integration at scale.It closes on something more personal. In his final GEOINT in this role, Lynch reflects on why he calls legacy "a comforting illusion," on the informal trust he calls HANDCON - the relationships that let you make things work when it matters most - and on a borrowed line from Lincoln: "character is the tree, reputation merely its shadow."Honest, human, and genuinely thought-provoking. Press play.Space Café Radio brings you talks, interviews, and reports from the team of SpaceWatchers while out on the road. Each episode has a specific topic, unique content, and a personal touch. Enjoy the show, and let us know your thoughts at radio@spacewatch.globalWe love to hear from you. Send us your thought, comments, suggestions, love lettersSupport the showYou can find us on: Spotify and Apple Podcast!Please visit us at SpaceWatch.Global, subscribe to our newsletters. Follow us on LinkedIn and X!

Gregory Copley addresses the crisis in the UK Ministry of Defense, marked by high-level resignations and budget cuts. He describes the Royal Marines' seizure of a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker and a Russian warship firing warning shots at a yacht. Copley argues years of neglect have degraded British naval power. (9)

SCHEDULE OF THE JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW, 6-16-2026.1881.  LYSANDER DESTROYS THE WALLS OF ATHENS.Liz Peek discusses Elon Musk's potential trillionaire status, highlighting his massive contributions through SpaceX and Tesla. She defends his wealth creation as a product of capitalist grit and innovation, contrasting it with socialist critiques. Peek emphasizes how Musk's projects, including orbital data centers, advance technology for global society. (1)Liz Peek analyzes Kevin Warsh's appointment to the Federal Reserve and his optimistic view of AI-driven productivity. She predicts the Fed will hold interest rates steady despite inflation, noting that falling oil prices from a potential Irandeal could ease economic pressures. Peek also highlights a strong consumer market. (2)Professor John Yoo critiques the "Thucydides Trap" analogy used by Xi Jinping to describe US-China tensions. He argues China resembles militaristic Sparta, while the US represents the democratic, commercial Athens. Yoo warns that China's declining population and stolen technology make it a declining power compared to the booming US. (3)Professor John Yoo applies the Thucydides Trap to the current conflict between the US and Iran's "concert of autocracies." He notes that while some view Iran as a rising power, it functions more like a small, oppressive elite. Yooemphasizes that the US fears autocracy rather than rising power alone. (4)Joseph Sternberg explains the impending depletion of the Social Security Trust Fund, labeling it an accounting gimmick. He clarifies that the program is a pay-as-you-go system where current workers fund retirees. Sternbergdiscusses the political difficulty of reform, suggesting private accounts as a viable alternative for younger generations. (5)Joseph Sternberg reports on the turmoil within Britain's Labour Party, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces internal challenges. He discusses potential successor Andy Burnham's by-election bid and Nigel Farage's Reform Partyinfluence. Sternberg highlights the heavily taxed British economy and the strategic calculations surrounding a possible general election. (6)Jonathan Schanzer critiques the rumored US-Iran deal, warning that it offers significant sanctions relief without securing nuclear concessions. He argues that the plan fails to address ballistic missiles or proxies like Hezbollah. Schanzer expresses concern that the deal grants Iran a veto over Israeli defense actions in Lebanon. (7)Jonathan Schanzer discusses the roles of Syria, Qatar, and Turkey in regional conflicts. He questions the reliability of the Syrian regime to tame Hezbollah, suggesting a "neo-Ottoman" Turkish agenda. Regarding Gaza, he notes Hamas is tactically contained but remains a threat, while warning against trusting Qatar. (8)Gregory Copley addresses the crisis in the UK Ministry of Defense, marked by high-level resignations and budget cuts. He describes the Royal Marines' seizure of a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker and a Russian warship firing warning shots at a yacht. Copley argues years of neglect have degraded British naval power. (9)Gregory Copley examines the Makerfield by-election, where Andy Burnham seeks to return to Parliament to challenge Keir Starmer's leadership. He explains how third parties like Reform and Restore Britain could split the vote. Copley notes Burnham's potential as a more capable leader despite his traditional "tax and spend" policies. (10)Gregory Copley critiques the upcoming US-Iran memo, characterizing it as a "rinse and repeat" cycle rather than a true victory. He argues that by failing to remove the Islamic regime, the US preserves a weakened but hostile power. Copleyalso notes shifting alliances as Gulf states pursue independent policies. (11)Gregory Copley explains the Trooping the Colour ceremony, a display of British military discipline celebrating the sovereign's birthday. He highlights King Charles III handing visible authority to Prince William during this year's event. Copley notes the ceremony serves as an inspirational reminder of the British Army's historic and professional legacy. (12)Andrea Stricker discusses the IAEA's near-total loss of access to Iranian nuclear sites. She details how previous US and Israeli strikes decimated enrichment capabilities, yet monitoring remains blind. Stricker emphasizes the difficulty of verifying the location of highly enriched uranium stockpiles, particularly at the heavily damaged Esfahan tunnel complex. (13)Andrea Stricker explains the "numbingly complicated" nature of Iran's nuclear program, which utilizes research centers and universities to hide sensitive work. She advocates for a comprehensive agreement requiring full Iranian disclosure and intrusive inspections. Without such transparency, Stricker warns that any diplomatic deal will lack long-term strategic weight. (14)Thaddeus McCotter reflects on the 2009 Green Movement, criticizing the Obama administration for parlaying with "butchers" rather than supporting protesters. He warns that the current Trump administration faces the same ideological enemy. McCotter expresses deep skepticism toward any transactional deal, given the regime's religious commitment to its anti-Western crusade. (15)Thaddeus McCotter joins John Batchelor to discuss the lack of clarity in the emerging US-Iran memo, specifically regarding ballistic missiles and human rights. He questions the effectiveness of a "60-day ceasefire" strategy and calls for Congressional oversight. McCotter emphasizes that the regime's terroristic nature remains unaddressed by diplomatic benchmarks. (16)

Day 1,571.In what could prove one of the most consequential weeks of the year for international diplomacy, Francis and Dom assess what a ceasefire in Iran might mean for the war – and whether it could help unlock a pathway towards peace after another bloody weekend in which a Russian attack left one of Kyiv's most historic cathedrals in flames. They also examine the significance of British Royal Marines boarding and seizing a Russian shadow fleet tanker, and report the latest on Ukraine's EU negotiations as formal accession talks kick off today. Finally, Dom considers the sweeping military reforms now being undertaken by Kyiv that could have profound consequences for Ukraine's armed forces and those fighting on the frontline.Contributors:Francis Dearnley (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @FrancisDearnley on X.Dominic Nicholls (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @DomNicholls on X.Producer: Rachel PorterSenior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Tom SteedStudio Director: James EnglandExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:Our sister podcast Iran: The Latest: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/iran--the-latest/Trump negotiators to visit Moscow after birthday call with Putin (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/14/iran-ukraine-g7-witkoff-kushner-russia/ Russia bombs historic Kyiv cathedral (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/15/russia-bombs-kyiv-cathedral/ Royal Marines seize Russian shadow fleet tanker in Channel (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/british-armed-forces-russian-oil-tanker-english-channel/ Inside six-hour mission to storm Putin's shadow oil tanker (The Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/14/inside-six-hour-mission-to-storm-russias-shadow-oil-tanker/ EU countries weigh ‘tearing apart' bloc's diplomatic service (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/a7278d93-98fc-4fa7-a14c-d0c089b693dd?syn-25a6b1a6=1 Russian MP warns Putin: We're on the brink of social collapse (Antonia Langford for the Telegraph)https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/13/russian-mp-warns-putin-were-on-the-brink-of-social-collapse/ It Was Meant to Unify. Now the G7 Is Dogged by Chaos and Divided by Trump (New York Times)https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/14/world/europe/g7-summit-evian-trump.html Donald Trump stages show of political domination with UFC bout on White House lawn (Financial Times)https://www.ft.com/content/11f71770-5872-4769-9ea5-a21f12151e10?syn-25a6b1a6=1 EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:'Barbarism' as Moscow bombs historic Kyiv cathedralBritish commandos seize Russian shadow fleet ship Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the full story. All of it. McDonald's store manager. Royal Marines. Sniper. Physical Training Instructor. Divorce. Alcohol. Rock bottom. Minutes away from taking my own life. A picture of my kids. A three-hour walk in the dark. And the decision to rebuild. In this episode, I share my complete origin story — from a rough childhood of abandonment, through nine years in the Royal Marines, to the darkest period of my life, and how I built everything back from nothing to create the work I do today. Inside this episode: •Growing up with abandonment and how it shaped everything that followed •Why watching Black Hawk Down and a Royal Marines advert changed the entire direction of my life •Nine years in the Royal Marines: becoming a sniper, a PTI, and training thousands of recruits •The decision to leave the military for my children — and the identity crisis that followed •PTSD, alcohol, divorce, and coming minutes away from suicide in November 2012 •The picture of my kids that stopped me — and the three-hour walk that changed everything •How I built Body Shock Fitness from £6,000 to £106,000 in year one — and nearly destroyed myself doing it •My best-selling books, the online business, and the evolution into working with six to eight-figure business owners •Why I started therapy in January 2026 — and what it has unlocked This is not a highlight reel. This is the real story of what it takes to build a life worth living. If you are ready to start your own rebuild, book a call:   https://link.coachmatic.app/widget/bookings/coaching-call-with-jt Let's get to work.

The Smart 7 is an award winning daily podcast, in association with METRO, that gives you everything you need to know in 7 minutes, at 7am, 7 days a week…With over 20 million downloads and consistently charting, including as No. 1 News Podcast on Spotify, we're a trusted source for people every day and we've won Gold at the Signal International Podcast awardsIf you're enjoying it, please follow, share, or even post a review, it all helps... Today's episode includes the following:https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2066079426022985809/video/1https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2066093111185457324/video/1 https://x.com/atrupar/status/2066152796429115847/video/1 https://x.com/Acyn/status/2066168775708426345/video/1 https://x.com/BBCPolitics/status/2066096913871450600/video/1 https://x.com/SkyNews/status/2066081902130299349/video/1 https://x.com/SkySportsF1/status/2066186072569126950/video/1 https://youtu.be/gvS5GIkPBQg https://x.com/i/status/2065748114632274394 Contact us over @TheSmart7pod or visit www.thesmart7.com or find out more at www.metro.co.uk Voiced by Jamie East, using AI, written by Liam Thompson, researched by Lucie Lewis and produced by Daft Doris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Royal Marine Commandos have boarded a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel in the early hours of Sunday morning.Marines, joined by National Crime Agency officers, with the support of the RAF, intercepted and boarded the vessel in a six-hour operation - the first operation of its kind by UK armed forces.The vessel, Smyrtos, will be held and monitored off the south coast of England as investigations continue, the MoD said.Joe Pike joins Laura and Paddy to go through what we know about the operation, and put it into context in light of a week of resignations over the government's defence investment plan.A full list of candidates and loads more information about the Makerfield by-election is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgrp1z8n4w2oYou can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes are released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXdNewscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC.The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

Sir Keir Starmer says Russia has been dealt a 'blow' by British forces intercepting one of President Putin's sanctioned 'shadow fleet' oil tankers in the Channel. Helicopters and Royal Navy frigates were involved in the operation early this morning. Also: Israel has carried out fresh strikes on a suburb of Beirut -- after President Trump said a deal to end the fighting between the US and Iran was scheduled to be signed today. And: Lewis Hamilton wins his first Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver.

Royal Marine Commandos fast rope onto a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in the English Channel. Scotland win their first World Cup match in 36 years. Radio 4 favourites Mark Steel, Sian Williams, Deborah Meadon and Giles Brandreth describe their secret holiday spots. Lemn Sissay returns to his childhood stomping ground Makerfield, who's by election is this week. On the news review Neil McIntosh, Cathy Newman and Alexander Dragonetti. Reverend Brian Anderson reflects on a traumatic week in Belfast. The Femmes De La Mer sing a sea shanty to mark the Falmouth sea shanty festival.

A second defence minister has resigned in protest at Keir Starmer's failure to fund Britain's armed forces. Al Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, has followed John Healey out of the Ministry of Defence, warning that the government is letting down those in uniform – and taking aim at both the defence investment plan and Labour's handling of Northern Ireland veterans.Starmer has now appointed Dan Jarvis as Defence Secretary, but the brief increasingly looks like a poisoned chalice. With the Strategic Defence Review still unfunded, ministers sent out to defend a plan they have not seen, and the Prime Minister heading to the G7 and Nato summit under pressure, has Starmer's strongest claim to leadership – defence and foreign affairs – collapsed?James Heale speaks to Tim Shipman.Produced by Megan McElroy.Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more.For more Spectator podcasts, go to spectator.co.uk/podcasts.Contact us: podcast@spectator.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailOn 6 June 1944, Keith Whiting was serving aboard HMS Ramillies, a British battleship supporting the Normandy landings. Keith helped fire the massive 15-inch guns that bombarded German defences ahead of the Allied assault on the beaches, and then supported them as they fought their way inland. HMS Ramillies fired so many shells during the invasion that her gun barrels later had to be replaced.Keith reflects on his wartime experiences, the comrades he served alongside, and the sacrifices made by a generation that changed the course of history. He also shares his memories of the 80th anniversary commemorations and what it means to carry those memories into the present day.Support the show

Eddie Gilmour built one of the UK's leading luxury security businesses, growing it from a start-up venture into a £9 million operation protecting high-profile clients, luxury retailers, VIPs and valuable assets across the country.But behind the success lies a story of sacrifice, resilience and relentless determination.Raised in a tough environment, Eddie joined the Royal Marines before embarking on a distinguished career as a detective, specialising in covert surveillance, organised crime investigations and national security. After nearly two decades in policing, he took the risk of leaving behind a secure career to build a business of his own. The journey was far from easy. The 2008 financial crisis devastated his first venture, forcing him to rebuild from scratch. Years of pressure, financial uncertainty and constant travel took a heavy toll, contributing to two heart attacks while growing the company. Throughout it all, he remained driven by a desire to provide for his family and create something lasting for the next generation.Today, alongside his son and daughter, Eddie leads a highly respected security business staffed by former Special Forces operators, detectives and security professionals.As the company enters its next phase of growth, he reflects on entrepreneurship, leadership, family, health, and the lessons learned from spending a lifetime operating in some of the most demanding environments imaginable.This is the story of Mr Eddie Gilmour. All Enquiries - Hello@DodgeWoodall.comWebsite: DodgeWoodall.comYouTube: Dodge WoodallFacebook: Dodge WoodallInstagram: @Dodge.WoodallTikTok: @DodgeWoodallLinkedIn: Dodge Woodall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In July 2013, I got suspended from my teaching job. At the time, it felt like my world was falling apart. I was separated from my wife, living in two houses, barely keeping myself alive, and earning £23,000 a year after leaving the Royal Marines as a Sergeant. And then I got suspended — for using the college's printer. In this episode, I share the full story of the one decision that changed the entire direction of my life. And the message is simple: whatever life you are living right now does not have to be the life you stay with. Inside this episode: •How I went from Royal Marines Sergeant to college teacher to suspended — in two years •The moment I sat at my desk and thought "this cannot be my life for the next 30 years" •The one decision that changed everything — and why I almost did not take it •What it feels like to walk out of a job with no plan, no business knowledge, and no idea what comes next •How I started with two fitness classes, six PT clients, and money borrowed from my mum •Why most men stay in lives they hate because they are too scared to make the move •The man running an eight-figure business who could not find ten minutes to take a call about himself •Where could you be in five years if you made the decision today? Anything is possible. But only if you make the decision. If you are ready to stop existing and start building, book a call with me here:   https://link.coachmatic.app/widget/bookings/coaching-call-with-jt Let's get to work.

⚠️ This episode talks openly about men's mental health, suicidal thoughts, and grief. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out. This is one of the most honest episodes I have ever recorded. I have spent the last five months in therapy, working through grief I suppressed for years — losing my dad, leaving the military, the breakdown of my first marriage, and the identity I built my whole life around. And this morning, I sat in the kitchen and cried. Not because I am depressed. Because I am finally dealing with it. In this episode, I talk openly about men's mental health — what it actually looks like, what causes it, and what I believe every man needs to hear. Inside this episode: •Why men's mental health is still misunderstood — and how far we have come in the last 10 years •My own story: PTSD after leaving the Royal Marines, drinking, divorce, and coming minutes away from taking my own life •The picture of my kids that stopped me — and why I am grateful every single day •Why identity, self-worth, and loneliness are the three biggest mental health struggles I see in men •How childhood belief systems drive the way men think, act, and struggle as adults •Why I struggle to see myself as a success — and how that reflects my self-worth •The difference between being depressed and grieving — and why men need to learn how to grieve •Why mental health is like a pile of files stacking higher and higher until it all falls •Why the morning routine is not about making more money — it is about priming your mind to stay strong •How to start: get up earlier, find your thoughts, and stay in the fight If I had taken my own life, there would be no Jemima, no Darcy, no Alba. No books. No men coached. No life worth living. Stay in the fight. If you need to talk or want to start the process of building a stronger mind, book a call with me here:   https://link.coachmatic.app/widget/bookings/coaching-call-with-jt Let's get to work.

This episode of the New Books Network's Entrepreneurship and Leadership channel features Richard Lucas in conversation with entrepreneur and community builder Ben Brabyn about Walkabout, a global movement that brings people together for monthly walks and open conversations. Walkabout began in Green Park, London, in June 2023 as a low‑friction alternative to venue‑based events and now runs in about 37 locations worldwide, welcoming anyone who wants to join a friendly, curiosity‑driven walking group. Ben explains how Walkabout's simplicity—free, open, lightly structured—attracts a high proportion of multidisciplinary participants, many with PhDs, and how emergent collaborations have led to startups, investment, hiring, and pro bono work on “thorny” challenges like non‑compressible haemorrhage and electric vehicle battery fires. Inspired by Richard Feynman's habit of carrying a dozen long‑term problems in his back pocket, Walkabout offers participants an evolving set of shared challenges they can keep in mind and revisit whenever they learn something new, effectively serving as a living, collective version of “Feynman's 12 problems. A recurring theme is serendipity: Richard and Ben discuss how Walkabout exemplifies the kind of designed chance encounters that David Cleevely describes in his book “Serendipity: It Doesn't Happen By Accident,” and how Cleevely himself both influenced and later joined Walkabout events. Lessons learned include the power of radical welcome, the importance of not over‑optimizing for scale or vanity metrics, and the value of formats where multidisciplinary dialogue and unexpected connections can flourish. Ben and Richard also touch on Walkabout's business structure within Amitypath Limited, its use of platforms like Mighty Networks and LinkedIn, and Ben's broader journey from the Royal Marines and JP Morgan to founding crowdfunding platform BmyCharity and leading Level39.Links Ben Brabyn Linkedin Amitypath Interview with David Cleevely on the NBN about his book Serendipity About Richard Feynman's 12 problems Walkabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This episode of the New Books Network's Entrepreneurship and Leadership channel features Richard Lucas in conversation with entrepreneur and community builder Ben Brabyn about Walkabout, a global movement that brings people together for monthly walks and open conversations. Walkabout began in Green Park, London, in June 2023 as a low‑friction alternative to venue‑based events and now runs in about 37 locations worldwide, welcoming anyone who wants to join a friendly, curiosity‑driven walking group. Ben explains how Walkabout's simplicity—free, open, lightly structured—attracts a high proportion of multidisciplinary participants, many with PhDs, and how emergent collaborations have led to startups, investment, hiring, and pro bono work on “thorny” challenges like non‑compressible haemorrhage and electric vehicle battery fires. Inspired by Richard Feynman's habit of carrying a dozen long‑term problems in his back pocket, Walkabout offers participants an evolving set of shared challenges they can keep in mind and revisit whenever they learn something new, effectively serving as a living, collective version of “Feynman's 12 problems. A recurring theme is serendipity: Richard and Ben discuss how Walkabout exemplifies the kind of designed chance encounters that David Cleevely describes in his book “Serendipity: It Doesn't Happen By Accident,” and how Cleevely himself both influenced and later joined Walkabout events. Lessons learned include the power of radical welcome, the importance of not over‑optimizing for scale or vanity metrics, and the value of formats where multidisciplinary dialogue and unexpected connections can flourish. Ben and Richard also touch on Walkabout's business structure within Amitypath Limited, its use of platforms like Mighty Networks and LinkedIn, and Ben's broader journey from the Royal Marines and JP Morgan to founding crowdfunding platform BmyCharity and leading Level39.Links Ben Brabyn Linkedin Amitypath Interview with David Cleevely on the NBN about his book Serendipity About Richard Feynman's 12 problems Walkabout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Georgina talks to anthropologist, author, award-winning filmmaker, animal activist, athlete, honorary Royal Marines commando and adventurer, Chris Terrill.AdventureSmith is brought to you by The Wilbur Smith Estate.Producer Christopher Winn. Music Dewey Delay. Executive Producer Niso Smith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 1,559.Today, smoke billows over St Petersburg after Ukraine hits an oil terminal and military facilities, embarrassing Putin on the opening day of his International Economic Forum. Ukraine continues its mid-range and long-range strike campaign as Russia's economy is bailed out by oligarchs. Finally, we hear from one of our reporters who bravely attempted to train with the Royal Marines snipers and how their unit is adapting for the future of warfare. Contributors: Adelie Pojzman-Pontay (Host on Ukraine: The Latest). @adeliepjz on X.Alex Nichol (Telegraph journalist).With thanks to the Telegraph's deputy global security editor Arthur Scott-Geddes.Senior Producer: Lilian FawcettVideo Producer: Sophie O'SullivanSocial Producer: Katie InglisStudio Director: Meghan SearleExecutive Editor: Francis DearnleyCreated by David KnowlesNOW IN FULL VIDEO WITH MAPS & BATTLEFIELD FOOTAGE:Every episode is now available on our YouTube channel shortly after the release of the audio version. You will find it here: https://www.youtube.com/@UkraineTheLatest CONTENT REFERENCED:US, NATO allies to launch scaled-back Baltic Sea drills (Reuters)https://www.reuters.com/world/us-nato-allies-launch-scaled-back-baltic-sea-drills-2026-06-02/ Russian weapons plant in flames after Ukrainian attack in Tambov Oblast (Kyiv Independent)https://kyivindependent.com/russian-weapons-plant-in-flames-after-ukrainian-attack-in-tambov-oblast/Future presence of US troops in Lithuania is 'under review,' says minister (Reuters)https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/future-presence-us-troops-lithuania-is-under-review-says-minister-2026-06-02/Ukraine's Zelenskyy set to attend G7 summit in France (Politico)https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-attend-g7-summit-france/ Billionaires have begun making voluntary contributions to the budget (Expert.ru)https://expert.ru/ekonomika/milliardery-nachali-perevodit-v-byudzhet-dobrovolnye-vznosyI learnt to be a Royal Marines sniper (Arthur Scott-Geddes for The Telegraph) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/03/marine-sniper-training-arbroath/Dom's interview with a Ukrainian sniper on hunting Russian tanks at night, PTSD and handling trauma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3un6JguaOE The Royal Marines Charity https://rma-trmc.org/ EMAIL US:Contact the team on ukrainepod@telegraph.co.uk. We continue to read every message, and seek to respond to as many on air and in our newsletter as possible.HIGHLIGHTS:Ukraine strikes St Petersburg on day one of ‘Putin's Davos'What it's like to train as a Royal Marines sniper Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to the Full Episode on the IWWIW Patreon here...In this Patreon special of It Was What It Was, Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper speak with Jonathan Northcroft about the updated paperback edition of their Gareth Southgate book, retitled Inside England, which adds four new chapters. They discuss Southgate's cultural reset, including the Royal Marines camp at Lympstone, and trace the deeper roots of England's revival through reforms such as EPPP and England DNA, alongside figures like Dan Ashworth, Dave Redding, Trevor Brooking and Greg Dyke's 2022 World Cup target. They cover how improved youth development, psychology and data-led penalty preparation helped transform England into a resilient tournament team, before assessing Euro 2024's tactical problems and the FA's decision to appoint Thomas Tuchel for “wow factor” and elite coaching. They end by weighing concerns about recent friendlies, squad management and camp culture heading into the World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adrian Chiles presents Radio 4's Saturday morning show. Our wonderful guests today include JJ Chalmers, who has been a design-technology teacher, Royal Marine and Invictus games medallist. He is now a regular presenter on Television and Radio. We also have with us a legend of the food and restaurant world, Ruth Rogers. And a couple of podcasting Dads - Matthew Carter and Lawrence Price - who've got fellow fathers to come together and share their feelings by offering classes in braiding girls' hair.Plus the Inheritance Tracks of the actor Jason Watkins. Producer: Gareth Nelson-Davies Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan and Lowri Morgan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea Kennedy

If you're listening to this, there's a good chance you're a human being. (Although the speed at which AI is developing may be not all of you… A big hello to Gemini, Claude and ChatGPT (As Boris Johnson would say it) And, as a human being, you're attacked every day by emotions, fatigue, viruses and micro-managing bosses and demanding colleagues. You're not going to be able to stay consistent with your productivity systems and processes. (And even AI gets confused from time to time)  You WILL fall off the wagon from time to time As David Allen, of Getting Things Done (GTD), often emphasises, falling off the productivity "wagon" is normal and expected. His most famous quote on this topic is: “If you don't fall off the wagon regularly, you're not playing a big enough game.” So, what can you do when you do fall off? How can you quickly get back on track? Well, that's what we're going to look at today.  Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin   Learn more and register for the Ultimate Productivity Workshop here.   Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 416 Hello, and welcome to episode 416 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.  One of the most common questions I get is what to do when your systems become neglected following a particularly busy period, a holiday, or illness or even plain, good old-fashioned laziness.  It happens to everyone from time to time, and it certainly doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you.  Yet it can leave you feeling that there's something lacking, that perhaps there's something wrong with you.  Of course, simply not true. There's nothing wrong with you at all. It's another sign that you are a functioning human being. (That's a good thing, by the way)  All that's happened is you got very busy and attended to the most important work that needed doing in that moment, or that you've just got back from holiday (vacation), and there's a lot of catching-up and cleaning up to do.  Both scenarios can leave you with some tidying up to do. That doesn't mean everything has failed. It just means there's some tidying up to do.  So, to get us started, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question.  This week's question comes from Ernesto. Ernesto asks, Hi Carl, thank you for the Time Sector System. Finally, I have a system that works after many years of trying. My question is, what do you do when, for whatever reason, you fall off the wagon and let things slip? Is there a quick way to get back on track?  Hi Ernesto, thank you for your question.  Firstly, as I mentioned, this is perfectly normal. So many things can cause us to stop following our system, leaving us feeling anxious about everything that needs cleaning up.  The first place to start is by cleaning up your to-do list for today. This is what I call the business end of any task management system. Your today list.  With the exception of your inbox, all your other lists are just holding pens of tasks that you have processed and decided do not need doing today. Your inbox is where unprocessed tasks sit until you decide what to do with them.  So get your list of tasks for today cleaned up. Reschedule tasks that do not need to be done today, and delete or check off those that have been completed or are no longer needed.  This one step will clear the runway and give you a curated list of things that do need to be done today. One of the tricks I have to help me here is to give myself a few minutes each evening to clear this list. Anything I have not completed that day is either checked off if done, rescheduled if not, or deleted if no longer needed.  Doing this every day ensures it takes only a few minutes, and by the start of the new day, my today list is curated, accurate, and focused.  I'm reminded here of a story I learned from friend of this podcast, Simon Jeffries, a former UK special Forces officer, who mentioned that when he joined the Royal Marines, from day 1, the training instructors began teaching a simple habit that all marines live by: As Simon says, “the military doesn't take civilians and turn them into soldiers overnight. It can't. Day one of training, the standard is simple... Turn up on time. Keep your kit clean. Look after your rifle. That's it. A few weeks in, the expectations layer. Month after month, the load increases. The standards compound until discipline is second nature — under fatigue, under pressure, under fire.  Centuries of trial and error went into that approach. And the reason it works isn't complicated. You cannot expect discipline under fire unless it's second nature. And second nature requires progressive, consistent training.” Now I've often talked about the standards you set for yourself. That could always end the day with a clear plan for the next. It could also be to clear your today's to-do list so it's reset and ready for tomorrow.  Being consistent and making it a non-negotiable, no matter how tired you are, will soon embed this habit so it just becomes second nature.  The next list to clean up is your inbox. There's potential for something important and urgent to be missed here.  If you're like most people, you will be throwing a lot of things in there throughout the day. By the time you get to the end of the day, a lot of what you added will have been forgotten about.  It's this that makes keeping this list under control important.  The good news about your inbox is that while you will be adding important things in there, you're also likely to be adding things that, in hindsight, you do not need to do. These can be deleted. What remains can be processed using three simple questions:  What is it? A note, an event or a task. If it's a note, copy and paste it into your notes. If it's an event, such as an appointment, move it to your calendar.  For what remains, ask yourself: What do I need to do with it? This is about making sure the task is written clearly, so it's clear what you need to do.  And finally, ask, “When will I do it?” That will guide you where to put it now that you have processed it.  Is it something that needs to be done this week, or can it wait until next week, etc.?  If it needs to be done this week, you will again ask the question: when? When will you do it?  Beyond that, everything else can wait until your next weekly planning session.  One of the side benefits of the Time Sector System is that you will find many of the tasks you postpone to next week, this month, or next month will sort themselves out and can be deleted. This is one of my favourite aspects of the Time Sector System, the natural elimination of low-value tasks.  It's worth mentioning a couple of tips David Allen, yes, the Getting Things Done David Allen, gave me when we met in Seoul a few years ago.  David had been travelling through Asia for around ten days, and I asked him how he stayed on top of everything while he was away on business trips.  He said that the most important thing to stay on top while travelling was communications. Emails will back up very fast if you're not dedicating some time each day to clearing them.  Even if all you can find is 20 minutes in the morning before your day begins, take it. One missed day of managing this beast, and you're going to have to find twice as much time tomorrow, and so on.  The second tip is to block off at least half a day when you return to catch up. Process your inbox and clear or reschedule any overdue tasks.  David Allen blocks a whole day if he's been away for a week or more. Half a day if it's less than a week.  Treat this day as an extra day of your trip. Nobody knows you're back. You quietly get on and catch up with everything you have collected while you were away.  I adopted both these tips for all my travels, and they work.  If you don't do this, you'll be spending the next two to three weeks trying to catch up while getting on with your regular work.  Think of it this way: if your regular work naturally takes up your full working day, why do you think adding in a load of catching up will be easily absorbed? It won't.  Make the time for it.  Think of the end of each day only happens when you have done a reset and got yourself ready for the new day. I will add that I also have a closing-down routine that involves washing any remaining dishes, brushing my teeth, locking all the doors, and closing the terrace curtains. It takes less than five minutes, but it's now something I automatically do before going to bed.  It doesn't require any extra energy or thought. It just happens.  Doing the daily reset should also be automatic. I remember when I first entered the workplace as a young twenty-year-old and seeing how all my colleagues used to tidy up their desks before going home.  Nobody would ever dream of leaving papers, pens, pencils and files all over the place. They were tidied up, and that marked the end of the day.  Funnily enough, as I think about it, I still do that today. My work day is not complete until I have a tidy desk and my task list is reset and ready to go for tomorrow.  Less than five minutes, and all reset and ready to go.  That's how you guard against falling off the wagon. Having a few small habits to ensure you clean up at the end of each day.  I know it's human nature to overthink things, but if you stop and consider what's really important, knowing where you need to be tomorrow morning and what your most important tasks are for the day is all you really need to get yourself back on track.  And one of those important tasks could be to catch up and clear your inboxes, if that is where many of your current issues are. You get to choose. But do make that choice. Don't ignore it and make the excuse that you are tired.  It's less than five minutes. Come on, you can do that.  Many of the concepts I've talked about here and much more will be a part of next week's live Ultimate Productivity Workshop. 2 sessions, 2 hours each over two Fridays (or Saturdays if you are in Australia or Asia)  There are some places left if you want to join us.  This workshop has helped hundreds of people finally gain control of their time and build a system that prevents backlogs and keeps them from falling off the wagon.  And, given that it's live, you have the chance to share your own experiences, learn from others and ask questions.  There are a lot of exciting lessons in this workshop. I do hope you can join me and let me help you finally make time for the things you want time for.  I will include the link where you can learn more and register for the show in the show notes. Thank you, Ernesto, for your question, and thank you to you too for listening. It just remains for me now to wish you all a very, very productive week.   

Special thanks to Riverside for sponsoring this episode. Try Riverside Pro free for one month by visiting creators.riverside.com/NickHague and use the code "WGBT podcast".   What if the secret to peak performance in business wasn't about working harder, but about training your mind as Marines train for combat? In this episode of World's Greatest Business Thinkers, Nick Hague speaks with Simon Jeffries about engineering peak performance under pressure. Drawing on elite military training, Jeffries explains why consistency, not motivation, is the real driver of success. He introduces practical frameworks like the "Skills × Performance = Results" equation, nervous system regulation, and the Chaos Drill to manage stress in real time. The conversation reframes resilience as a trainable system, showing leaders how to build mental fitness, avoid burnout, and create sustainable high performance in both business and life.  What You Will Learn: How to multiply your impact through the Skills × Performance = Results equation Why consistency beats motivation: The three pillars of sustainable high performance The Chaos Drill: A three-step stress reset that rewires your response under pressure How to separate mental health from mental fitness The identity-building strategy that precedes achievement How to navigate the transition from one life chapter to another without losing yourself Why organizational standards, not values statements, predict performance decline   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, rate, and review it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Podcasts. If you would like to triple your productivity and go from average to unstoppable check out Simon's Special Forces Operating System - https://go.thenaturaledge.com/sf-system/?utm_source=podcast About Guest: Simon Jeffries is a performance strategist and founder of The Natural Edge, specializing in translating elite military training principles into actionable frameworks for business leaders and entrepreneurs. With a distinguished background in the Royal Marines and Special Boat Service, including three combat tours to Afghanistan, Simon brings unparalleled expertise in high-pressure performance, mental fitness, and organizational culture. He helps founders and CEOs become top 1% performers by deconstructing and rebuilding their personal operating systems through evidence-based strategies rooted in neuroscience and behavioral psychology. His work addresses the critical gap between technical skill and consistent performance, tackling challenges like burnout, procrastination, and stress management that plague modern business leaders.   Quotes: "At the absolute core of it, it's having that really clear certainty that that is all you want to do. There is no question that that is your goal, that that is the path because when you're undertaking anything hard, if you have if that's not certain or the questions around that purpose of you being there, the cracks will quickly begin to show as you go into the process." "It's called self-distancing. So it's that ability to separate, like you said, it's the ability to step outside of the thoughts and emotions, which makes it then easier to take the required action. What would Batman do in this situation? And it is really powerful. It's something that we can, you know, so it's a powerful mindset tactic. Again, if you practice it, that can be really useful to get you to take action when you're struggling to." "It's your skills multiplied by your performance get your results because you can have the best skills, the most talent. But if under pressure, you get stressed, you become reactive, you lose your patience, you're not focused, you're distracted. Well, you're underperforming. You can't get the results that you're capable of." "Consistency is just the path to if you're not consistent in anything, you're never gonna hit your true potential is the simple fact. Look at the best people in the world in anything. They are they consistently show up at the level that's required. So the best people in business, the best athletes, the best shoulders, soldiers, they are consistent."   Keywords: Primary Keywords (Core Themes): Royal Marines training, special forces mindset, performance psychology, elite operator, leadership under pressure, military discipline, business performance, operating system optimization, mental fitness, resilience training, special boat service, combat psychology, high-performance culture   Secondary Keywords (Related Subtopics): mindset development, nervous system regulation, stress management, self-distancing technique, chaos drill, self-talk training, procrastination solutions, perfectionism coaching, anxiety management, focus and discipline, willpower vs systems, behavioral change, neuroplasticity training, response vs reaction   Episode Resources: Simon Jeffries on LinkedIn The Natural Edge Website  World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Apple Podcasts World's Greatest Business Thinkers on Spotify World's Greatest Business Thinkers on YouTube

Send us Fan MailStuart Smalldridge served in Afghanistan with 42 Commando, Royal Marines on Operation Herrick 9This episode contains descriptions that some listeners may find upsetting.Note: Stuart served alongside Ben (War Story Episode 002), and crossed paths with Scott Ryder, 2nd Commando Regiment (War Story Episode 022) on a joint operation in Uruzgan Province.If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please email us at info@vsompodcast.com, or follow us on social media: @veteranstateofmindGez's new books: Voices of Victory (World War 2 oral history): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Victory-Powerful-eye-witness-accounts/dp/1035070049/Warrior (Roman historical fiction): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geraintjones/warrior-by-geraint-jonesSupport the show

Ollie Ollerton was 10 years old when a 50-pound chimpanzee pinned him to the floor of a circus enclosure and tried to kill him. He fought it off. Nearly lost his arm to gangrene. Then spent the next thirty-something years chasing danger to feel something close to that adrenaline again.Royal Marines. Special Forces. Iraq, where he drove drunk through Baghdad on his own with an AK-47 in the back of an armoured Mercedes. Steroids. Valium. A bottle most nights to muffle whatever was underneath. He was the life and soul of every party. He was also barely keeping it together.Ollie is now sober, runs his company Breakpoint, hosts SAS Who Dares Wins, and uses his platform to talk honestly about what alcohol actually cost him.You'll hear about: the chimp attack that shaped 30 years of his life; "personality rental" and why none of it was ever really him; the moment in Baghdad when he realised he was knocking on death's door; why he had to dip back into drinking to be sure; what it actually means to choose short-term discomfort for long-term gain.If you've been telling yourself you've got it under control, this one's for you.If you enjoy One For The Road, then click follow to be notified of the release of our next episode.If you want to connect with me via Instagram, you can find me on the instahandle @Soberdave https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/or via my website https://davidwilsoncoaching.com/Provided below are links for services offering additional help and advice, and links for Ollie.https://ollieollerton.com/https://www.instagram.com/ollie.ollerton/https://twitter.com/ollie_ollertonhttps://www.wearewithyou.org.uk/https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/advice/alcohol-support-serviceshttps://nacoa.org.uk/https://alcoholchange.org.uk/-Martinezhttps://www.grownuphustle.com/Instagram - @daniellattanasioHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Foxley is having heart surgery. Fully awake. No sedation.   A cardiologist will thread a wire through his groin, navigate it to  his heart, and burn a small section of tissue — while he lies there  conscious for two hours. And there's a small but real chance things  could go wrong.   He's a little bit terrified.   In this episode he shares what that experience has surfaced — and  specifically, the old toolkit he noticed himself reaching for. The one  from Royal Marines training. Ignore it. Push through. Don't feel it.  Be a man.   That toolkit is extraordinary when you're being prepared for combat.  It's what gets you through the unsurvivable. But when you're running  a complex business, training for ultras, trying to be a present  husband and father — it becomes the handbrake. And most high-performing  business owners are driving with it on.   This episode is about what he's been doing instead — and what shifted  when he stopped suppressing the fear and started training his capacity  to feel it.   Topics covered: - Why suppress-and-push-through works short term and costs you long term - What unprocessed fear actually does to business performance - How to train emotional capacity the same way you train physical capacity - What changed when Tom stopped ignoring the surgery and started    working with the emotion instead - What this means practically for how you show up this week

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-e1x0gsvjfYThis week on the rocket, co-pilots Halligan and Pearson eye a horizon of storm clouds gathering over Britain's economy and national security.Liam breaks down the "serious downgrade" from the IMF, which predicts the UK will suffer more economic fallout from the war in Iran than any other major economy. He asks if the government is blaming external conflicts for vulnerabilities that were already "starkly exposed" months ago?.Meanwhile, Allison reels from Liam's sudden appearance on the front pages of the tabloids before diving into her powerful column on the Southport inquiry. They discuss the catastrophic failures of agencies that ignored unambiguously signposted warnings, and the ‘woke priorities' that may have silenced those trying to protect the public.Strapping in this week is former Royal Marine commando James Glancy who tells your co-pilots why the UK military can no longer meet its responsibilities around the world.Sign up to our most popular newsletter, From the Editor. Look forward to receiving free-thinking comment and the day's biggest stories, every morning. telegraph.co.uk/fromtheeditor |Read ‘Harry and Meghan need to stop pretending they're Royals. It's embarrassing':https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/15/prince-harry-meghan-stop-pretending-to-be-royals/ |Read ‘We want people jailed for failing to prevent the mass murder of our children':https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04/14/we-want-people-jailed-mass-murder-children-southport/ | Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ | Read Liam ‘Reform should not have pledged to keep the pension triple lock':https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/04/12/reform-should-not-have-pledged-keep-pension-triple-lock/ | Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read Liam's Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal | Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Royal Marine commando Tim Howell joins the MTNTOUGH Podcast to share his extraordinary journey from guiding clients through Big 5 territory in South Africa at 18, to earning his place in one of the world's toughest military units, and now pushing the absolute limits as an elite wingsuit BASE jumper and mountain athlete. Tim breaks down how he views and conquers fear, the power of calculated risk versus reckless adrenaline, attention to detail, reserves in the tank, and why discomfort builds unbreakable mental toughness. From combat deployments and high-altitude expeditions to first BASE jumps and record attempts (including multiple tries on Lhotse), he reveals the mindset that separates survival from thriving at the edge of human performance. A raw, inspiring conversation for hunters, athletes, fathers, and any man ready to break fear, live with purpose, and stay dangerous in the present moment.Join Dustin Diefenderfer, Founder of MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab and creator of the MTNTOUGH+ Fitness App in the top podcast for Mental Toughness and Mindset. (P.S.

Mark Sedwill, Baron Sedwill of Sherborne GCMG FRGS, is a is cross-bench peer and a member of Parliament's Joint Committee on national security. Lord Sedwill is Chair of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and of the Atlantic & Pacific Future Forums (APFF). He is a non-executive director of Rothschild & Co (R&Co) and of Hakluyt, and a senior adviser for McKinsey, Temasek and Rasmussen Global.Lord Sedwill is President of the Special Forces Club and of the Special Boat Service Association, a Vice-President of the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charities (RNRMC), and an Honorary Colonel in the Royal Marines. He is President of the Civil Service Retirement Association, and a Trustee of St Andrews University and of the RNLI.Lord Sedwill chaired the 2021 G7 Panel on Global Economic Resilience. He was Cabinet Secretary & Head of the Civil Service (2018-20), National Security Adviser (2017-20), Permanent Secretary at the Home Office (2013-17), and British Ambassador and NATO Representative in Afghanistan (2009-11). Before that he had a diplomatic and security career serving in Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan. He was educated at St Andrews and Oxford Universities.Lord Sedwill is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Institute of Directors, an Honorary Fellow of Oxford University and of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He is an Honorary Doctor of Laws of St Andrews University, and an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple. He is also the recipient of several other awards and honours for national and international public service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Conrad Thorpe grew up immersed in East Africa's wildlife and communities, which shaped a lifelong intellectual passion for the ethnography and cultures of the region. Conrad served 21 years in the Royal Marines, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and specialising in maritime and amphibious operations. He is very modest about his achievements and operations yet had a highly distinguished career in the Royal Marines, serving on operations around the world, including in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. In 2001, he led the first UK forces team into Afghanistan to secure the British embassy building in Kabul, a high‑risk mission in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and also the Kuwaiti Embassy in Iraq. After retiring from the Royal Marines, Conrad founded Salama Fikira (now part of the SF Group), a pan‑African and Asian risk management company based in Nairobi. Through this firm, he was responsible for managing the recovery of more than 50 commercial ships seized by Somali pirates during the height of piracy off the Horn of Africa in the 2000s and 2010s. These operations involved complex kidnap‑for‑ransom negotiations, maritime security planning, and coordination with navies and shipping companies, all conducted with a perfect safety record: no fatalities or serious incidents among the crews or his teams. His work in this space is widely recognised as a benchmark in maritime risk management and crisis response, and he continues to speak and advise on the resurgence of piracy threats in the region. Conrad is now Chairman of the Salama Fikira Group, a leading risk management and security provider with a presence across 80% of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. The company specialises in enterprise risk, operational design, and security in complex environments, often in fragile or conflict‑affected states. He is also deeply involved in conservation and community development in East Africa, particularly in Kenya. In January 2026, he was gazetted by the Government of Kenya as an Honorary Warden under the Kenya Wildlife Service, a practical, frontline role in wildlife protection, anti‑poaching, and human‑wildlife conflict management. He is a director of Tsavo Trust and supports community‑centred initiatives such as a Sikh‑inspired “Zero Hunger for Langar” school feeding programme, reflecting his belief that conservation must be rooted in community engagement. In 2025, he and his team (Stephen White, Craig Howorth and Jamie Gillespie) repeated this feat, becoming the only all‑amputee team in history to cross the Channel twice. The 2025 swim, completed in 14 hours 40 minutes through rough seas and jellyfish, raised funds and awareness for Blesma, challenging perceptions of disability and inspiring other injured veterans.He is particularly interested in the social structures, traditions, and histories of East African communities, and how these intersect with conservation, governance, and development. This deep cultural understanding informs both his business and conservation work, allowing him to design risk and security strategies that are culturally sensitive and community‑led. In conversation, he brings a rare blend of military precision, strategic business thinking, and anthropological insight into African societies, making him a compelling and passionate interviewee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to The Connected Leadership Bytes. In today's archive episode, Andy is joined by Ben Brabyn, a former Captain in the Royal Marines, former CEO of the renowned London tech company Level39, and a pioneer who helped build one of the world's first crowdfunding platforms. Drawing from his unique career journey—spanning military service, investment banking at JP Morgan, and tech entrepreneurship—Ben shares invaluable insights into how network structures actually work. Andy and Ben explore the surprising similarities between military and corporate networks, how to navigate deep uncertainty through contingency planning, and why radical simplicity is the secret to getting your network to advocate for you. Ben also introduces the concept of the "Conveyors of Confidence"—the unsung heroes who serve as the cultural glue in any successful organisation. Key Takeaways from This Episode: 1. Listening is the Ultimate Unifying Skill: Whether you are leading Royal Marines, navigating an investment bank, or building a tech startup, the most critical networking skill is the ability to listen. Using your network to gather information, analyse it, and extract wisdom—not just data—is what drives success across all sectors. 2. Veterans Bring a "Comfort with Uncertainty": The military isn't just about shouting orders; it's a highly collaborative environment that trains leaders to be comfortable with ambiguity. Veterans bring a learned habit of "contingency planning"—constantly analysing the "what ifs" and fallback positions—which is an invaluable asset for civilian companies facing rapid change. 3. Identify Your "Conveyors of Confidence": Every organisation has people who act as the cultural backbone (similar to Non-Commissioned Officers in the military). These individuals might not bring in the big sales, but they are the "collective memory" of the company. They listen to everyone—from top executives to the cleaning staff—and build the horizontal and vertical trust that holds teams together. 4. Complex Messages Do Not Travel: If your 30-second elevator pitch is packed with intense, complex information, third parties will never pass it on. The best listeners are often the best simplifiers. To truly leverage your network, you must create a simple message that anyone can understand and enthusiastically share. SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE Connect with Andy Lopata: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | X/Twitter | YouTube Connect with Ben Brabyn: Website |LinkedIn | The Financial Times Guide to Mentoring Episode 162 Featuring Ben Brabyn

 Johnny Mac presents five stories: Austrian researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna document a Swiss Brown cow named Veronica deliberately using sticks and a long-handled brush to scratch herself, meeting the scientific definition of tool use. Off the coast of Baja California, underwater photographers and free divers rescue a devil ray (mobula ray) severely entangled in a buoy line from a shark fisherman while sharks circle nearby; after being freed, the ray swims away and returns for a close pass described as a “thank you” circle. Don, a 100-year-old Royal Marines veteran who landed in the first wave at Juno Beach on June 6, 1944, receives France's Legion of Honor, fulfilling what he called the last missing medal. Strong Island Animal Rescue League works to rehome more than 450 domesticated white pet rats found in a home; with help from a local animal hospital, many are treated for mites, eye infections, bite wounds, and other issues, about 10 are euthanized, and over 200 are placed in permanent or temporary homes. In Rhode Island, lawmakers debate ending the Mr. Potato Head specialty license plates after Hasbro's move to Boston; the plates cost about $40 with roughly half donated to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, prompting concern about impacts on food programs. 00:12 Cow Uses Tools01:01 Devil Ray Rescue01:49 D-Day Veteran Honored02:26 Hundreds of Pet Rats03:15 Mr Potato Head Plates John also hosts Daily Comedy NewsUnlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media!  For Apple users, hit the banner which says Uninterrupted Listening on your Apple podcasts app. Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories' with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

Join the H-Hour Patron Community at patreon.com/hkpodcasts ***** H-Hour #277 Lee "Frank" Spencer. In this podcast, Lee 'Frank' Spencer, a former human intelligence operator with extensive experience in Afghanistan, shares his nuanced perspective on the conflict. The discussion covers the operational dynamics from 2006 to 2012, differences in military tactics between US and British forces, and the complex tribal politics that complicated the region's stability. Frank delves into his unique role in intelligence gathering, his challenging experiences with the Defence Humint Unit, and interactions with local agents. The conversation also touches upon the moral complexities of the Taliban, courageous restraint, and reflections on the broader implications of foreign interventions in Afghanistan. Frank's insights are further complemented by anecdotes from his service and his recently published book, 'The Rowing Marine.' https://leespencer.co.uk/

Gen. Sir Gwyn Jenkins visited Washington a few weeks ago and was kind enough to invite Ryan to the British Embassy for a nice chat about the U.S.-U.K. alliance, the threat landscape, his vision for delivering seapower, learning from Ukraine, acquisition reform, the future of the Royal Navy — which currently faces serious challenges but also key opportunities, and so much more.