Podcasts about Salisbury Plain

acast accessibility insider secrets army officer matt murphy salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2023 74:02

We're back. After a break of what feels like years, but may only be about five months, we're reinvigorated and ready to beguile our audience with more Hidden Wiltshire nonsense. Towards the end of 2022 Glyn and Paul had reached burn out after 41 episodes. We needed a break to think about what to do and where to go next, whilst sticking firmly to Wiltshire. Whilst we were away from the podcast we continued to pepper the Facebook page and website with blogs. But if we're honest our survival was mainly due to the new member of the Hidden Wiltshire family – Elaine Perkins. Elaine has been posting blogs for some time now and has brought fresh impetus to what we do. But we weren't going to let her get away with just that! So, please welcome Elaine to the podcast. This is her first and she took to it like a duck to water. We had planned to record this episode on location at Morgan's Hill to the north of Devizes. But with winds of 60mph and heavy rain forecast we decided the top of a hill was not the most sensible place to be! As it was, despite being ensconced in a spare bedroom at home, Paul still sounds like he was recording in a wind tunnel. As usual we began this episode by looking back at what we've been doing since the previous episode. And since that was in November 2022 the answer is - quite a lot. So we had a not so quick run through the blogs. You'll find links to them below. Firstly, Elaine revisited Vernditch Chase in an effort to find the mythical Kitt's Grave (spoiler alert – she failed). Different maps show the grave in different places so is it any wonder it is so difficult to find? Folklore says it is the grave of a young woman who killed herself and, as was the custom, was buried on the parish boundary at a junction of tracks. Others say that it is a prehistoric long barrow, and one person at least claims to have found it in the adjacent wood. Will you find it? Next Elaine wrote about her visit to Great Durnford and Ogbury Camp, an Iron Age univallate hill fort south west of Amesbury located above the Woodford Valley. The manor of Great Durford has existed since the 11th century and whilst in the village church Elaine believes she may have found evidence of a 16th century murder! Then Elaine ventured to Clarendon Palace and the forest, which she visited shortly after Storm Eunice. A hunting ground for Saxon and later Norman kings, it would once have formed part of a much larger area of forest but it is now little more than a wood. Next it was Paul's turn and in February he returned to Fisherton de la Mare for the first time in nearly 30 years, where he met the current owners of a house he so very nearly bought all those years ago. From here, it was a walk across the flood plain of the Wylye River, along the road then up to the small National Nature Reserve of Wylye Down. During Valentine's week Elaine decided on a walk to Lover, Bohemia and Paradise all in one day! Lover is famous for its Valentine's Day stamps that can be bought and posted from the village for those of a romantic disposition. It transpires that Paradise was misnamed, it being a wood plastered with “Private” signs. Then Paul (together with his trusted walking buddy Stu) undertook what turned into an epic walk taking in West Lavington, Market Lavington and the Wessex Ridgeway. In heavy snow it felt like an arctic expedition. Plans to visit the churches in both villages were thwarted as they were both locked. Which is a shame as All Saint's Church in West Lavington contains a stunning engraved window, the work of Simon Whistler nephew of the artist Rex Whistler. It can though be seen from the A360 below as you sit in queues of traffic trying to squeeze through the narrow bends to the south of the village. Finally, Paul did the relatively short George Herbert Walk in Salisbury, following in the footsteps of poet, rector, writer and musician George Herbert who, in the early 1630s, walked twice a week from his parish in Bemerton to Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral. Modern development means it is impossible to follow what was his likely route precisely but on a warm dry day this is a delightful walk across the water meadows by the Nadder. Eventually we got on to the main subject of this episode of the podcast. Glyn, Elaine and Paul wrote a joint blog about some of their favourite Wiltshire nature reserves. It was neatly divided up according to the volunteering that three of us do. Paul is a volunteer for Natural England who are responsible for six National Nature Reserves in Wiltshire. Paul focused on his three favourites, all of which he has worked at as part of his volunteering duties – Pewsey Downs, Prescombe Down and Parsonage Down. Glyn is a volunteer at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust who have nearly 40 reserves in the county. Glyn does livestock checks for them at Dunscombe Buttom but in the podcast (and in the blog) he focuses on Morgan's Hill, Blakehill Farm and Stoke Common Meadows. Finally, Elaine takes a look at Wiltshire's two RSPB reserves - Winterbourne Downs and Franchises Wood. Elaine is a volunteer at the beautiful Winterbourne Downs reserve outside Newton Tony and is also helping a PhD student at Southampton University who is doing a thesis about chalk streams. This involves Elaine visiting the River Bourne, a winterbourne that flows through Winterbourne Downs and Newton Tony, on a regular basis. Francises Wood is a relatively new and small reserve close to the New Forest. Then on to the wrap up for this episode: There are one or two copies of the first Hidden Wiltshire book together with a few more of the second book on the website. Thanks as always go to Steve Dixon for the music. As usual the piece at the beginning and the end of the podcast is called “The Holloway”, whilst the piece in the middle is a new one from Steve entitled “Wansdyke”. Because of course we had planned to record this episode on a hill looking down on Wansdyke! Links: Elaine's blog about Kitt's Grave can be found here Searching for Kitt's Grave Revisited Elaine's blog about Great Durnford and Ogbury Camp can be found here Great Durnford, Ogbury and the Flood Elaine's blog about Clarendon Palace is here Clarendon Place After Storm Eunice Paul's return to a French outpost in Wiltshire (it isn't) can be found here A French Enclave in Wiltshire? Elaine's search for romanticism during Valentine's week can be found here Lover, Bohemia and Paradise You can read about Paul's arctic adventure on Salisbury Plain here The Lavingtons and the Wessex Ridgeway And finally, Paul's attempt to retrace the steps of George Herbert can be found here George Herbert Walk If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust you can contact them here Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Volunteering If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for the RSPB you can contact them here RSPB Volunteering If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Natural England they tend to do it on a reserve by reserve basis so we'd suggest contacting Paul via the Hidden Wiltshire Contact page on our website at Hidden Wiltshire Contact Us Glyn's photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle Paul's photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative And finally you'll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn's blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far

13. St Sorlin: Insider Secrets

Alpine Property Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2023 32:55

In episode 13 of the Alpine Property Podcast, we welcome our second guest, Matt Murphy. Matt is a former Army Officer who now works with technologies relevant to defence and security. He lives with family, ducks, bantams and bees on Salisbury Plain but always looks forward to visit to the mountains or coast with the family and friends. Matt bought his ski apartment in St Sorlin through us at Alpine Property Investments and in this episode shares that experience. Key Takeaways• St Sorlin possess a real authentic mountain village charm.• St Sorlin continues to be a hidden gem that not a lot of people had the benefit to know and it's starting to get more popular. New development in the village and ski domain is on progress.• The village spirit is evident in St Sorlin all year round, making it magical to all residents and visitors. • Accessibility to the village is great. It is well connected and the public transport system works very effectively. You can move around to different resorts with ease where it gives you an added and completely different dimension to your ski holiday because it means you can go and explore other places using your ski home as a base. Tune in to The Alpine Property Podcast every week through the winter season and subscribe to our newsletter www.alpinepropertyinvestments.co.uk/newsletter-signup/ to learn more! For more information, visit www.alpinepropertyinvestments.co.uk and contact us at:

- 65 - Pacific War - First Chindits expedition and Operation Longcloth, February 14-21, 1943

The Pacific War - week by week

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 14, 2023 45:43

Last time we spoke about the successful execution of operation KE and the battle of Wau. Operation KE was a success and the Japanese had managed to evacuate 10652 men. Simultaneously while Operation KE was going on, the Japanese had refocused on New Guinea and sought to secure their important bases at Lae and Salamaua. In order to secure them the Japanese commenced a new offensive, this time aimed at Wau which held a significant airfield that could be used to threaten Lae and Salamaua. The Japanese managed to land significant forces to hit Wau, but the Australians tenaciously held them back long enough to get reinforcements to Wau to push the Japanese back. The Japanese offensive turned into a catastrophic failure, yet despite being pushed back the Japanese would regroup and plan another offensive to take Wau. But for today we are diving back into the CBI theater. This episode is the First Chindits Expedition: Operation Longcloth Welcome to the Pacific War Podcast Week by Week, 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 world war two? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on world war two 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 you can find a few videos all the way from the Opium Wars of the 1800's until the end of the Pacific War in 1945. The story of Operation Longcloth and the actions that will take place in Burma require us to talk about some notable figures, one who is to put it frankly, a very bizarre but fascinating man. Orde Wingate was born into a military family in February of 1903, his father was a religious fundamentalist who became a member of the Plymouth Brethren. Wingate and his 6 siblings experienced a very repressed childhood and were kept away from other children for fear of spiritual contamination and would endure a regime of religious mania spending entire days reading and memorizing the Old Testament. For Orde, the religious indoctrination was accompanied by a spirit-shrinking spartan regime, something like a secular boot camp. When his family moved to Godalming, in 1916, Orde was sent to a Charterhouse school. He was very much an outsider there and did not mix with the other children nor participated in any sports. Then in 1921 he was accepted into the Royal Military academy at Woolwich, training as an officer in the Royal Artillery. At this point he suffered a salient trauma, Wingate began breaking all the rules and underwent a ritual known as “running”. The other military students summoned Wingate from his room, stripped him naked and had him run between lines of senior students who whacked him with knotted towels before he was tossed into a tank of icy water, it was the good old running the gauntlet. Wingate would stare the other boys right in the eyes and define them to do their worst to him. Many were intimidated by this and ceased hitting him as a result. Then Wingate would toss himself into the icy water tank. Wingate had thus shown himself to be a student of note at an early age. By 1923 Wingate received his commission as a gunnery officer and a post at Salisbury Plain where he soon gained a reputation for being a skilled horseman and particularly good at the fox hunt. But many who knew of him described him to have a dark side, yet again he always broke the rules and conventions. This became more of an issue by 1926 when he took a post at the military school of Equitation where he became very alienated by his peers and superiors by his arrogant insubordination. But Wingate enjoyed a powerful patronage for at this point in his life his fathers first cousin, “Cousin Rex”, Sir Reginald Wingate, the former Governor-General of Sudan and High commissioner in Egypt took him under his wing. Wingate took leave and began studying Arabic at the London School of Oriental and African Studies and then served in Sudan and Ethiopia. He also carried on a 5 year affair with a woman named Enid Peggy Jelley, to whom he got secretly engaged. But after 6 years after boarding the liner Cathay at Port Said, returning for his marriage to Peggy, he fell in love with a 16 year old girl named Lorna Paterson who was traveling home from Australia. As soon as he got home to Peggy he notified her he was in love with another. Wingate married Lorna in 1935, a woman 13 years younger. In 1936 Wingate became an intelligence officer with the British Mandate in Palestine and almost immediately became an ardent Zionist, though he was not himself Jewish. Palestine at this time had an enormous Jewish population since the end of the first world war and a large influx of those fleeing Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The Arab population saw them as a future threat and guerilla groups sprang up. Archibald Wavell the newly arrived commander in chief in Palestine had Wingate form the Special Night Squads (SNS) to combat Arab terrorism. Wingate was an early proponent of using paramilitary actions at night to induce a unique and singular terror in his enemies. He got the SNS to use slavering dogs, a very calculated piece of cruelty since the animals were regarded as unclean by Muslims. The SNS were basically legitimizing Zionist counterterrorism, using Jewish thugs to strike back at Arab thugs. Wingate performed war crimes and horrible atrocities while leading the SNS and was recalled. This should have been the end to his career, but Wavell and Sir Edmund Ironside kept making up excuses to cover for criticisms against him. These two men managed to get Wingate back into the game by 1941 where he was brought over to Ethiopia to help fight against the Italians. Backed by Wavell, he attempted another go at the SNS, this time named the Gideon Force, a band of irregulars made up of British, Sudanese, Ethiopians and some ex SNS. Wingates force proved spectacularly successful and this time with no controversy. But still because of his tactlessness and insubordination, Wingate ended up getting whisked out of Ethiopia at the end of hostilities. Wingate found himself in Cairo in a major depression, he tried to kill himself with a Ethiopian knife but was saved by a man who drove him to the hospital. There is considerable evidence to suggest Wingate was bipolar and had experienced an acute episode of downswing for his manic-depression. Wingates enemies and critiques were delighted at the news of his downfall and hoped he would be court-martialed and tossed into an asylum, but Wingates backers prompted him up yet again. His suicide attempt was attributed to delirium induced by malaria, but as Churchill's personal physician Lord Moran would write in his diary about Wingate ‘Wingate seemed to be hardly sane . . . in medical jargon a borderline case.' Wingate was certainly a bizarre person, he was also an exhibitionist and extremely eccentric as many sources put it. He was careless in dress, always unkempt, had zero respect for military convention and hierarchy and expected his superiors to satisfy his every whim. When General Auchinlack succeeded Wavell as commander in chief in the middle east he met Wingate who came to his office in shorts, with a dirty solar topi and a greasy blue jacket. Wingate loved to go around camps naked, often appearing out of a shower nude to bark orders at other men. He liked to wear an alarm clock around his wrist that would go off on odd occasions for no particular reason that anyone could figure out. He was rarely seen with his trademark Wolseley helmet and fly whisk. He carried on a string around his neck a raw onion which he occasional snacked upon, cant make that one up people. He had a lot of food fads which he imposed upon his subordinates, such as vegetarianism. He rarely changed his clothes and thought doing laundry was unnecessary. Wingate went through a limbo period until 1942 where Wavell asked for his services to help in South-East Asia. Originally Wingate was told he would be training Chiang kai-sheks forces guerrilla warfare and he was quite unenthusiastic for 2 reasons. 1) such an endeavor he deemed to be like teaching one's grandmother to suck eggs. 2) he wondered what the point was of sending a Middle East expert to the CBI theater? Yet as of February the 27th Wingate found himself departing to be the liberator of Delhi with the rank of major. It would take 3 weeks for him to get over to Wavell and by that time Rangoon had fallen. Wavell told him that his job had thus changed, now he would be in charge of all guerilla operations against the Japanese within Burma.Wingate was sent to Maymyo east of Mandalay to take over the Bush Warfare School being run by another colorful character named Michael Mad Mike Calvert. Calvert was coming back to Maymyo, returning from a failed operation and found Wingate sitting at his desk. Calvert glared at him and asked who he was and calmly Wingate simply stated his name. And would you know it, they got on perfectly fine and even became friends. The two men both decided their first task should be to go down to see Slim at Prome. Slim had met Wingate back in East Africa in 1940, both men serving under Wavell against the Italians. Upon discussing the matters of organized guerilla groups, Slim agreed to some of Wingates ideas but doubted his Ethiopian experience would be relevant for the task. As Slim was becoming very aware, jungle warfare in Burma was a special type of beast. Wingate was very impressed by Slim and said of the man ‘There is only one soldier worthy of the name East of Suez. He is a bad-tempered little terrier by the name of Slim.' When Chiang Kai-shek was departing back to China after a visit in March, Wingate managed to take a seat on the plan alongside him, hoping to learn about warfare in Burma from the generalissimo. However their aircraft was chased by Japanese fighters, ruining times for conversation. Wingate was informed at Chongqing that he would not be receiving Chinese fighters for his programs as they were now going to Stillwell as a result of the catastrophe in Burma. When he returned to Burma he was informed by Calvert they had sent 100 Bush warfare people into the Irrawaddy and only 11 survived, things were chaotic to say the least. Wingate then took Calvert for a week long car tour of the Burmese frontier making careful notes of animals, insects, reptiles, and terrain details. In Delhi on april 24th, Wingate announced he no longer had any interest on training a guerrilla group, but instead wanted to create a more proactive long-range penetration (LRP0 group. He had 3 major motifs for this, 1) the Japanese troops behind the lines had to be inferior to those as the front, thus the British should get behind. 2) They needed to use communications based on radio and supplied by air. 3) They had to cut the Japanese supply lines and destroy their arms dumps, thus typing up disproportionate numbers of the enemy. He continuously made his case to his superiors and many thought him nuts to think he could train men for jungle warfare in just 8 weeks time. But Wingate kept pushing for it, insisting also that all the men must be volunteers and that he needed at minimum 3000 men. The finer points of his idea brought up the need to supply special units with airdrops, not a particularly new idea, but certainly a gung-ho one. His superiors wanted to outright reject his ideas, but Wavell yet again was championing his cause. Wingate won out the day and it was agreed to allocate men to his project. The 77th Indian brigade was formed and it was certainly a motley collection. The main British component was the 13th battalion of the King's liverpool regiment raised in Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool in 1941. These were older, married men with no dreams of martial glory, typically employed in the coastal defense of Britain then suddenly shipped to India after the Japanese went supernova in the east. They displayed a lack of enthusiasm for Wingates ideas, many of them were also too old for jungle combat. Wingate rejected 250 of them off the bat and Wavell gave permission to fill the gaps with other units. The rest would come from two oriental units,the first being the 2nd battalion Burma rifles. These were mainly warriors from anti-Japanese hill tribes, the Kachins, Chins, Karens and such, those personally affected by Japans aggression and eager for payback. They were eager and better yet, they taught Wingate a lot about jungle warfare. The other were Gurkhas whom always held high regard amongst the British, though Wingate thought them arrogant, ill-disciplined and overrated. I find that truly bizarre, because all literature i have ever read about Gurkha's troops has been nothing, but praise and something out of a Rambo film. One historian of the Gurkhas said of Wingate ‘Wingate was the only officer in 130 years of service ever to criticise the performance of Gurkha soldiers, characterising them as mentally unsuited for their role as Chindits. Of course the same might be said of Wingate.' Likewise the Gurkhas found Wingate arrogant, overly domineering and someone who paid little heed to them who had vastly more experience fighting in Burma. They also really did not like him because of his rude and autocratic treatment of them. Wingate divided his force into 8 columns each commanded by a major and each given 15 horses and 100 mules. The columns would be sustained by airdrops, thus an RAF signaling section was attached to each. They trained in the central provinces of India and in the Saugur jungle due south of Gwalior. Within the jungle training the idea was to hit the men with every possible scenario they might face, to push them to the absolute limit. They endured hell. Encounters with giant snakes, mosquitoes, leeches, days filled with half rations deliberately to simulate living off airdrops. Men collapsed from heat, marching with full packs through vegetation. When the monsoons hit, they were marching through mud, rivers and torrential rain. Many days began at 6am with half an hours bayonet drill, followed by unarmed combat. After breakfast they learnt woodcraft, map reading, compass reading, how to forage and distinguish poisonous plants. They learnt how to blow up bridges, lay ambushes, how to storm airfields, how to properly clear paths in jungles, it was grueling. From the beginning of the training programme there were sickness levels allegedly as high as 70%. Wingate was ruthless, in the case of those saying they were suffering from dysentery, he ordered his officers into the bathrooms to inspect the mens stools to prove if they were lying. Amongst many of his enemies, the Medical Corps would be a large one. Wingate continued to alienate himself and made more and more enemies. At one point Wingate misunderstood the Burmese word for Lion “chinthe” as Chindit and declared it to be the name of his LRP group henceforth, thus they became known as the Chindits. His Burmese aide, Sao Man Hpa told him the word made no sense in Burmese, to which Wingate told the man Chinthe made no sense in English. Wingate defeated the 70 percent rate of illness, bringing down to a 3 percent, via brutal methodology, most genuinely ill men simply carried on too afraid to be punished. Wingates eccentric qualities spread amongst the men, like his necessity to wear shorts in the rain, to eat raw onions, and to keep a bunch of buffalo to milk because he believed their milk had salubrious qualities. Wingate should have been sacked at countless times, but the rubicon had been crossed and he was expected to lead his men by 1943. By December of 1942, the Chindits and Wingate were ready for action. They had been trained to carry 70 pounds on a march, were equipped with tropical uniform: army bots, mosquito nets, mess tins, sterilizing kits, each man had a rifle or Bren gun plus 50 rounds of .303 ammunition and 6 days worth of rations. The rations were 12 wholemeal biscuits, 2 ounces of nuts and raisins, 2 ounces of cheese, 4 ounces of dates, 2 ounces of chocolate, 20 cigarettes (which greatly annoyed Wingate as he deemed smoking a major hinderance), tea, sugar, powdered milk, salt and vitamin C tablets. The mules of his forces carried 3 inch mortars, ammunition, wireless radio sets and batteries. His force of 8000 were divided into 8 columns of around 400 men each: consisting of 3 rifle platoons, a support platoon with 2-3 inch mortars, 2 Vickers medium machine guns, a mule transport platoon and an RAF air liaison detachment. In addition he had 10 platoons for reconnaissance, scouting and sabotage operations. Now originally Wingates force was supposed to be part of a 3 pronged offensive, utilizing conventional British forces attacking Akyab and the ARakan while the Ledo and Yunnan forces led by Stilwell would secure northern Burma and reopen the land route to China. As we all know during this series, Burma was a colossal mess. Originally 4 Corps would assault Sitang and Kalewa while 15 Corps attacked Akyab and Arakan, but shortages in labour, transport and lack of skilled hands led to the cancellation of the major project. Even worse, Chiang Kai-Shek, greatly pissed off by the decisions made during the Casablanca conference, refused to sanction a Chinese expedition from Yunnan. With all hopes for the great 1943 offensive dashed, Wavell had to consider whether the Chindits were even relevant anymore. Wavell arrived to Wingates HQ on February 7th after countlessly telling the man things were simply postponed. In a 2 hour meeting Wingate fought bitterly to send his men into the fray, but Wavell stated he could not be party to the pointless waste of lives. Wingate made multiple arguments for sending his boys in, 1) cancellation would boost defeatism in the Indian army: 2) it was essential for the British to overcome their current ignorance of Japanese jungle fighting: 3) Fort Hertz, the remaining British outpost in Burma was in desperate need of relief: 4) without a Chindit crossing, the Japanese would dominate the jungle on either side of the Chindwin river: 5) the 77th brigade was not pitch perfect and any delay would be catastrophic to morale: 6) An attack by the 77th brigade would impair and set back Japanese preparations for an offensive. Wavell apparently impressed by Wingates enthusiasm agreed to let the Chindits have their day. The Chindits were not directed south-east to help with the Arakan operation, instead their assignments were to be to cut two railways, one between Myitkyina and Mandalay in northern Burma and the other, the Mandalay-Lashio line. The codename of the operation was Longcloth, which annoyed Wingate because it held no grandiloquence he sought. In early february the 7 Chindit columns marched south east from Imphal to Moreh on the Assam/Burma border. Once across the border they split into 2 groups, the southern group consisting of columns 1 and 2, around 1000 men and 250 mules which was a feint to throw off the Japanese and the Northern group consisting of columns 3,4,5,7 and 8, around 2000 men and 850 mules who would destroy the railways. Small patrols were sent across the Chindwin marching some 30 miles into enemy territory and coming back without any incident, however doing that with 3000 men was another matter entirely. On February 13th, an advance party of the Northern group crossed at Tonhe around 50 miles north to act as a a doubled bluff to cover for the southern groups feint. Meanwhile a disinformation party with the southern group marched south and ordered a huge quantity of supplies from a village known to be aiding the Japanese, providing a great ruse. The second wave of 2000 men from the Northern group crossed the Chindwin unopposed on the 14th. Crossing the Chindwin was not easy, while elephants and bullocks swam across with ease, the pack mules proved very skittish, most likely fearing crocodiles. Getting them to the far bank was a nightmare. The southern group also had its problems with their mule. They had the first task of ambushing a 250 strong Japanese garrison at Maingnyaung on the 18th, but ran into a skirmish with a Japanese patrol before they made it there. The enemy was thus alerted and bombarded them with mortars, this spooked the mules and the caused a stampede. Many mules were lost in the jungle, the element of surprise with it and the fiasco cost the southern group a delay of 3 days. The southern group slowly pulled away from the hill country east of the Chindwin, making for the Mandalay-Myitkyina railway. By the night of the 3rd of March they were ambushed in the Mu valley. It was a utter disaster. Radios, ciphers and most of their equipment were lost. Column 2 was almost annihilated, column 1 limped on to the banks of the Irrawady awaiting final orders from Wingate, who instead kept blaming their commander, Major Burnett. As for column 2 he said “the disaster to No. 2 Column, was easily avoidable and would never have taken place had the commander concerned understood the doctrines of penetration”. Meanwhile Wingate and the Northern group rendezvoused 5 miles inland from the Chindwin and received their parachute drops. Wingate then pondered his options, he could make for Tonmakeng where intelligence reported no enemy presence and wait for the next supply drop and attack the 200 strong Japanese garrison at Sinlamaung or they could bypass it and head into the Mu valley. He kept the men marching and some of his scouts reported a Japanese garrison was at a gold mining village called Metkalet 15 miles east of the Chindwin near Tonmakeng. He ordered columns 3 and 5 under Calvert and Fergusson to attack at once. Then another disaster struck. Fergusson's column got stuck in a swamp and scouts returned again with a new report that no Japanese garrison was in Matkalet after all. So Wingate and Calvert directed the columns to Tonmakeng. Wingates thinking was it was better to strike at an enemy strength he knew, rather than the Mu valley which was an unknown. They reached Tonmakeng without further incident by february 22nd and learnt a Japanese garrison was at Sinlamaung, 10 miles away so WIngate dispatched 3 columns to attack it while the rest of the men waiting for a supply drop expected 3 days away. Disaster struck. The 3 columns were unable to locate Sinlamaung after 3 days and when they finally found it on the 25th, the Japanese garrison had just pulled out. Wingate met with his officers and they decided to march to Zibyutaungdan with Calverts column 3 in the lead. On March 1st they made it to Zibyutaungdan and then proceeded to descend into the Mu Valley. Wingate then ordered the Northern group to disperse into its columns and rendezvous later at the Irrawaddy or beyond. He also dispatched an advance party across the Irrawaddy to the Kachin highlands northeast of Mandalay to try and raise a guerrilla force among the pro-british people there. By the night of March 3rd disaster struck. At the very same time the southern group was being ambushed, column 4 walked into an ambush, 2 miles west of Pinbon. Major R.B Bromhead, a descendant of the Bromhead famous for fighting the Zulu at Rorke's drift in 1879, did his best to get his panicked mules with their Gurkha handlers to disperse and regroup at a rendezvous point hoping to get help from columns 7 and 8, but while trying to do so, the men were attacked again and by the time they reached the rallying point columns 7 and 8 had moved on. With no food or radios and just a handful of mules left, the column had no choice but to retreat back to India. Within a days time, columns 2 and 4 were broken and on their way back to India. Wingate was livid, his credibility was at stake, but fortunately for him and his men the Japanese assumed when they whipped out Column 2 they had destroyed the entire invasion effort. By March 6th, Calvert and Fergussons columns were within striking distance of the Wuntho-Indaw railway. Calvert and Fergusson hatched a bold and daring plan to assault what was a 800 strong garrison at Pinlebu. They spoke with Major Walter Scott leading Column 8 and told him to attack Punlebu while they supervised a massive supply drop north-east of the town. The idea was that the attackers and supply collectors would support another. Doing so they would set up roadblocks to the north and east of Pinlebu and call upon the RAF to bombard the town, making the Japanese believe they were facing a huge force. The attack turned into an amazing success. The Japanese were quickly confused as Calvert and Fergusson had the railway line demolished. It was a bloody fight, but the line was blown up in several places. The Japanese counterattacked in force trying to stop the demolition. Calverts men also mined 2 railway bridges, one of them a 3-span 120 footer. In the bloody mayhem, Calvert and Fergussons men killed about a third of the Pinlebu defenders and cut railway lines in 70 separate places. During the evening Fergussons column no 5 blew up the 40 foot rail bridge at Bongyaung gorge, leading also to hundreds of rock and rubble going over railway lines around the gorge. Now 10 mites north of Wuntho, Wingate established his HQ in the Babwe Taung hills. He had a tough decision to make, should he retreat back to India or press further and cross the Irrawaddy? Wingate even considered turning his HQ into a new fort like Fort Hertz, to try and push the Japanese to give up the Irrawaddy towns. Wingate as you probably have guessed went with option number 2, despite how unbelievably dangerous it was. The Japanese were hard on their tail as the Chindits made their way trying to cross the Irrawady river. This is where I have to leave our story of the Chindits, but they will come back throughout the war. We need to make a small detour to speak about the Casablanca conference that took place from January 14 to the 24th. Chiang Kai-Shek had been begging the Americans and British for more aid. FDR told Chiang Kai-shek he would champion his demands to Churchill at the Casablanca Conference, but Churchill brushed this all aside. The conference ended with two large decisions, the first being the controversial doctrine of unconditional surrender. The allies were now confident after the success of operation Torch, the victories at Alamein and at Stalingrad that the Germans were on the run. But over in southeast asia, the Japanese looked impregnable. Thus the 2nd decision made was basically to keep the Europe First course steaming ahead, the Pacific was simply second banana. But for America, the situation in the Pacific had distinctly changed, they had won the initiative and now sought to consolidate their conquests in the east. Admiral King applied considerable pressure to the matter, in private he began urging that if the Pacific did not get 30% of allied resource quote “it would necessitate the US regretfully withdrawing from the commitments in the European theater”. Admiral King wanted to continue the momentum in the Pacific by seizing the Solomones, the eastern New Guinea-Rabaul area, capture back Kiska and the Attu islands in the Aleutians begin operations in the Gilberts, Marshalls, Carolines, take Truk and extend the occupation of New Guinea to the Dutch borders. The British opposed this as they continued to argue the best course was to defeat Germany first then devote all resources against Japan. Now as for the CBI theater, plans were continuing for Operation Anakim and the Burma offensive, but the British were not looking to extend their commitments in the theater very much. They argued that the depleted condition of the eastern fleet prevented them from carrying on a naval supremacy campaign in the Bay of Bengal, and this led Chiang Kai-shek to refuse to support an offensive through northern burma, because of the lack of British naval forces at hand. Thus operation Anakim looked like it was only going to get off in late 1943. For all the failures of the conference, FDR did try to remedy the situation as best as he could with their Chinese allies. FDR made it known he wanted to treat China as a great power that the allies would help build up for the current war and postwar. He also acknowledged the dramatic need to keep supply routes to China open. Stilwell advised 5000 tons of supplies be sent over the Hump per month as a goal to hit by February of 1943, this would require 140 aircraft during good weather and 300 aircraft during monsoon seasons. But Washington at this time could only spare 75 aircraft, another disappointment to Chiang Kai-shek. Another important side aspect to the Casablanca conference was brought forward by Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud who were vying to become recognized partners to the allies with their Free French Forces. Until this point, the Japanese had a pretty awkward relationship with their technical ally, Vichy France. This awkward situation led them to simply ignore the Free French forces and by proxy they decided to not touch the French concession of Guangzhouwan which had declared itself part of Free France. French Indochina of course was fully invaded prior to 1941 and remained under nominal Vichy French control, but Guangzhouwan was beginning to stick out like a sore thumb. Chiang Kai-shek recognized Free France's authority over Guangzhouwan and many Chinese forces of the 4th Area Army led by General Zhang Fukui fled into the concession to escape the Japanese. This drew Tokyo's attention and they finally decided to put an end to the Free French presence in China. The 23rd army of General Sakai lent 2 battalions of the 23rd independent mixed brigade from Hong Kong to go over to the Luichow Peninsula. They landed at the village of Peichatsun on February 17th and began skirmishing with some Chinese defenders. They soon overwhelmed the defenders and seized the towns of Hsinlaitsun and Haikang, forcing the Chinese to withdraw towards Suichi. From there the Japanese continued north, seizing Suichi and Chihkan. After these seizures, the Japanese had fully encircled the French concession of Guangzhouwan. The Japanese and representatives of Guangzhouwan soon fell into negotiations and the Free French were forced to declare the concession an open city, allowing the Japanese to occupy it without a fight. 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. The eccentric or better said madman Wingate got his wish to send the Chindits into the fray, despite just about no one other than Wavell wanting him to do so. With Onions wrapped around their necks they made their first strike against a Japanese railway and it was a surprising mixed success.

america australia english china men japan americans british french germany chinese european australian german japanese kings italian jewish east indian middle east tokyo disasters hong kong britain muslims old testament lion dutch manchester liverpool bush pacific operation glasgow palestine bay southeast asia ethiopia encounters northern arab mu arabic sudan slim corps backed rambo hq casablanca london school churchill ethiopian franklin delano roosevelt delhi expedition nazi germany east africa torch karens burma oriental generals commander in chief column sns suez zulu zionists bengal hump radios sudanese burmese gaulle governor general calvert vickers african studies cbi stalingrad new guinea chiang marshalls orde wingate carolines yunnan opium wars chongqing ledo pacific war stillwell mandalay chins moreh cathay stilwell fergusson rangoon gurkha woolwich chiang kai anakim rorke british mandate aleutian lae kiska vichy france wau gurkhas gilberts chiang kai shek lrp plymouth brethren kachin french indochina truk equitation port said wolseley imphal salisbury plain attu gwalior free french godalming medical corps royal artillery alamein irrawaddy charterhouse craig watson arakan wavell myitkyina

Secrets of Stonehenge on display

RNZ: Nights

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 15, 2022 11:26

For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, the huge man-made circle of standing stones found on England's Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. Some of the monument of mystery's secrets are about to be revealed in an exhibition at Auckland War Memorial Museum.

england secrets display stonehenge wiltshire salisbury plain

05/10/22 Potatoes with less ploughing, Leaf Assurance Scheme, Hare Coursing

Farming Today

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 13:24

Field trials are being carried out to see if potatoes can be grown with less disturbance to the soil. Tractors can make between five and seven passes of a field even before the seed potato is planted. Now Dyson Farms is testing to see if potatoes can be grown in a way which has a lighter touch on the soil and uses fewer inputs. Some are being grown with straw covering them with no fertilisers or irrigation, and others are being grown using digestate as a topping. One of the UK's first sustainable assurance labels for food, is bringing in new higher standards for carbon footprint assessments. LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) was set up nearly 20 years ago and operates in 19 other countries. The revisions include raising the bar on things like greenhouse gases, carbon sequestration and carbon footprinting. And every autumn the season starts for the illegal blood sport of hare coursing which brings with it a wave of crime, threats, and sometimes violence to rural parts of the UK. Reporter Dan O'Brien has been out with Wiltshire Police who are patrolling Salisbury Plain using thermal imaging drones and night-vision cameras. Hare courses often stream footage to viewers who bet on things like which dogs will kill the most hares. Presented by Anna Hill Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

uk field farming assurance leaf scheme potatoes hare tractors ploughing coursing salisbury plain

S2 Ep21: The Monumental Mystery of Stonehenge

Strange and Unexplained with Daisy Eagan

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2022 36:34

An estimated one million people flock to the enigma that is Stonehenge every year, yet the origin of this circle of stones remains unknown. Who built it? How? And, of course, why? In this episode, we'll cover the facts, debates and theories concerning this mysterious landmark and its five thousand-year history on Salisbury Plain. This week's sponsors: Lumi Labs - To learn more about microdosing THC go to Microdose.com and use code STRANGE to get free shipping and 30% off your first order. PrettyLitter - Go to PrettyLitter.com/strange to save 20% on your first order.

mystery strange thc stonehenge monumental microdose pretty litter salisbury plain

When War Veterans Excavate the Anglo-Saxons

Gone Medieval

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2022 27:26

Archaeology has a lot to contribute to our knowledge and understanding of the so-called Dark Ages, and every now and then new sites are found in places where we previously knew nothing about the people who once lived there.In today's Gone Medieval, Dr. Cat Jarman goes to the Ministry of Defence land on Salisbury Plain to visit precisely one such site. There she meets Richard Osgood, senior archaeologist for the MoD who is excavating a seventh-century cemetery as part of Operation Nightingale which gives excavation opportunities to injured service personnel and veterans as part of their rehabilitation.The Senior Producer on this episode was Elena Guthrie. It was edited by Seyi AdaobI and produced by Rob Weinberg.For more Gone Medieval content, subscribe to our Medieval Mondays newsletter here.If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts, and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

apple ministry android defence archaeology mod dark ages anglo saxons senior producer war veterans excavate history hit salisbury plain cat jarman gone medieval rob weinberg

'Where is your Fortress?' (2 Samuel 22)

fortress 2 samuel salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 22, 2022 12:39

Episode 14 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode asks the question: 'Where is your Fortress?' Enjoy! Padre Matt

The Alfred Daily – 9th July 2022

The Alfred Daily

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2022 60:12

On The Alfred Daily today: Shaftesbury firefighters called to Salisbury Plain blaze Shaftesbury Carnival countdown - Prince and princesses picked How Shaftesbury Cricket Club is engaging young players Paul Merefield's pub quiz Tom Perrett's Walk of the Week – Motcombe View from the Hill – Visitors' views Shaftesbury what's ons Kate Scott's chicken keeping diary Meet my Pet - Adam and Star the rescue dog Karen Cole reviews ‘Twenty-Eight Pounds Ten Shillings' by Tony Fairweather Soundscapes – Waterfowl on Wincombe Lake

walk kate scott shaftesbury salisbury plain

'Where is your Strength?' (Psalm 46)

strength psalm 46 salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2022 12:38

Episode 13 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode asks the question: 'Where is your Strength?' Enjoy! Padre Matt

'Where is your Refuge?' (Psalm 18)

canada refuge psalm 18 salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 24, 2022 14:32

Episode 12 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode again comes from an exercise in Alberta, Canada, and asks the question: 'Where is your Refuge?' Enjoy! Padre Matt

'Are you jealous of your boss? (1 Samuel 26)

canada boss jealous 1 samuel salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2022 14:59

Episode 11 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode comes from an exercise in Alberta, Canada, and asks the question: 'Are you jealous of your boss?' Enjoy! Padre Matt

What do we mean: 'God Save The Queen?' (Psalm 62)

psalm national anthem god save platinum jubilee salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2022 16:00

Episode 10 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode, a Platinum Jubilee special, looks at the National Anthem and the origin of the cry: 'God Save the Queen!' Enjoy! Padre Matt

76. Stonehenge: An Enduring Mystery with Dr. Neil Wilkin from the British Museum

Break Out Culture With Ed Vaizey by Country and Town House

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2022 31:20

Just a month away from the summer solstice, we explore the mysteries that still surround Stonehenge. Our guest is Dr. Neil Wilkin, the extraordinarily knowledgeable curator of the British Museum's exhibition ‘The World of Stonehenge', which you still have time to catch as it runs till mid-July. It's not to be missed as it's the first major exhibition on Stonehenge to be staged in London and there's been no exhibition about it in Britain for 35 years. Over 430 objects have been gathered from all over Europe, almost two thirds are loans, and most have never been seen in the UK before. Dr. Neil Wilkin guides us through the major exhibits: Seahenge, the circle of 54 oak posts discovered on remote north Norfolk beach in 1988, the Nebra Sky Disc, at 3,600 years old the world's oldest map of stars on a portable disc, the Sun Pendant, the most significant piece of Bronze Age gold ever found in 2018 in Shropshire by a retired engineer with a metal detector, the gold lozenge buried with the Bush Barrow chieftan and the Amesbury Archer Treasures. Dr. Neil Wilkin brings the site to life with his vivid evocation of what life must have been like on Salisbury Plain 5,000 years ago.

world europe uk mystery britain enduring norfolk stonehenge british museum bronze age shropshire wilkin salisbury plain

Are you 'Totally Professional'? (2 Timothy 2)

professional 2 timothy salisbury plain

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2022 13:55

Episode 9 of the 'Padre's Podcast' for 2022 by Padre Matt Dietz, a British Army Chaplain serving on Salisbury Plain. This episode looks at 'Total Professionalism' as the final of our British Army Standards - what is it, do we need it & what difference does it make? Enjoy! Padre Matt

Cryptids!! Does Our Government Know? Reports on M.O.D land

Bigfoot/Dogman/Unexplained

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 25, 2022 41:10

This week we are looking at Cryptid reports that also take place on Military of Defence land. “We were doing exercises on Salisbury Plain. I was a commander in the turret of our tank, and we were advancing to contact our warriors. I was scanning the landscape when I turned to my 5 o'clock and looked right at a large, Ape-like figure. It looked scared because of the noise from the engines and tanks moving at speed all around.” “If they hadn't moved we would never have seen them. They walked from behind the brush and were heading it looked like to the next clump of trees. It felt like they were in our line of sight for a good minute or so before they moved behind another bush in the field and we couldn't see them again after they reached the tree cover.”Audio & Interview - Deborah HatswellVideo Editing & Images - Mark HatswellYou can help to support BBR by liking, sharing and commenting on the video.To join BBR and become part of our community you can contact Deborah via debbiehatswell@gmail.comCHECK OUT OUR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA SITES. Hear early Podcasts and sighting reports by joining Patreon or become a Youtube Member.To Make a Report: you can contact Deborah at debbiehatswell@gmail.comBBR Website - https://debhatswell.wordpress.com/PAYPAL: https://paypal.me/BigfootResearch?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GBAUDIBLE: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Deborah-Hatswell-Cryptid-Creatures-and-Unexplained-Events-Podcast/B08K5YRHB6?action_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp&shareTest=TestShareTWITTER: https://twitter.com/BbrDeborahPATREON: https://www.patreon.com/DeborahHatswellBigfootReportsYOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYGn8pR90PO_oBzOjiZ23tA/SPREAKER: https://www.spreaker.com/show/british-bigfootAPPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/british-bigfoot-dogman/id1480592906?uo=4SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/5KEn4UdewvJAUWce0zJHBbFACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/reportabigfootwildmanukMAP OF SIGHTINGS & EXPERIENCES: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s1zOmmdM216PMftPUM9K1qqGrFg&usp=sharing

land podcasts government myth military paypal reports bigfoot creatures defence yeti gb sasquatch cryptids ape bbr to make salisbury plain

32: Medieval Inglesham – Three Counties Walk

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2022 64:54

Since the main part of this podcast is about a short five mile walk we thought this would be a shorter episode than normal. But how wrong we were. We still managed to blather on for what seemed like hours! We kick off with some concerning news about some unedifying scenes in the Facebook Group today with a discussion about Paul's bottom. This is a family show and we've no idea what prompted such a debate. Much!! Despite eye watering petrol and diesel prices we've managed to get out a little in the last two weeks. Glyn had a weekend in Wells but that's in Somerset so we're not interested! But he did see the sad spectacle of the broken spire of St Thomas' Church, blown down during Storm Eunice like a scene from Hot Fuzz, also filmed in Wells. Meanwhile Paul had a reminder of how grim London is, but since that's not in Wiltshire we're not interested in that either. But Paul did manage to do a day long walk based in the hills around Aldbourne, visiting the site of the abandoned village of Snap on the way. We're grateful to Andrew Rumsey, Bishop of Ramsbury, for helping us find it. There's a link to his fantastic book, English Grounds, below. Paul posted a blog with lots of photographs of the walk on 9 March. There's a link to it below. We'll do a podcast about it sometime. Another recent blog posted on the website was one about the Russian scientist Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik who defected in the 1980s and moved to Shrewton. He worked at the UK Department of Health's Centre for Applied Microbiology & Research (CAMR) at Porton Down and went on to do some ground breaking research into tuberculosis and other drug resistant infections. He is buried in one of the churchyards in the village. You'll find a link to the blog below. Otherwise, Glyn has been playing with his new toy, a 360 degree camera which he's managed to hook up to our outside recording equipment. Watch out for content produced with this gear in the future. If it ever stops raining. Meanwhile Paul has walked a few of his regular routes onto Salisbury Plain. The current extensive Army training exercises and the heavy armour have made a dreadful mess of the sodden ground on the Plains. But nearby the haven that is Parsonage Down is beginning to show the first signs of Spring and there's been some interesting research taking place about the impact of grazing on the flora there. Our main subject this week is the walk that Paul and his walking buddy Stu did in November 2021 which was the subject of a Blog dated 26 November entitled Medieval Inglesham – Three Counties Walk. Continuing this episode's theme of straying beyond Wiltshire this walk in the extreme north-east of the county involved brief forays into neighbouring Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. But this was necessary in order to reach our objective. This part of Wiltshire forms a finger shaped wedge into Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. But we began the walk in Lechlade-on-Thames in Gloucestershire, and very nearly got no further than the splendid Sourdough Revolution artisan bakery and café. We could quite happily have stayed there all morning! But we were on a mission so we re-crossed Halfpenny Bridge and followed the south side of the Thames, safely back in Wiltshire, en-route to our objective – the Church of St John the Baptist at Inglesham via a thoroughly ugly lock-keepers cottage that looked like a concrete cooling tower on the way. We were concerned the church might be locked but were relieved to find it open. And oh my, what a sight awaited us as we opened first one door then another. We'll leave you to read the blog and look at the photographs but suffice to say this spectacular and unique little church was thoroughly worth the trip. And of course, having forgotten what he'd had for breakfast this morning, Paul managed to also forget that he'd posted something on the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook page about a feature on Channel 5 about the church where Tony Robinson interviewed our favourite stonemason Andrew Ziminksi. It was broadcast on 8 October 2021. From the church the walk took us to Buscot Weir via Buscot Wick before returning to Lechlade via the Thames path, criss-crossing counties as we went. We passed by the impressive Buscot Old Parsonage where American voices were to be heard. In the podcast Paul said he didn't know who owned it after its previous owner, art collector Peter Francis Carew Stucley, died in 1964. Subsequent reading revealed it is now owned by the National Trust who also own nearby Buscot Park. Stucley's will stated that the property should be rented furnished to American citizens actively pursuing literary, artistic or academic studies. And it clearly is to this day. In all the walk was a flat and easy five miles, although at this time of year it may be boggy in places. Then on to the wrap up: Steve Dixon's piece leading into our main subject today is called “Fragile” because it sounds as though it was performed on a church organ! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. Don't forget to check out the Hidden Wiltshire online shop on the website if you'd like to help us keep the lights on. Both Hidden Wiltshire books can be purchased there. The second book is also available at Devizes Bookshop, Wiltshire Museum in Devizes and now Wiltshire's libraries. And don't forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. You can also subscribe to alerts about new Blogs. Links: Andrew Rumsey's beautiful book, English Grounds – A Pastoral Journey, can be found here English Grounds and at other booksellers of course. The Blog about the Aldbourne Circular Route can be found here Aldbourne Circular Route The Blog about the Russian exile to Wiltshire Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik can be found here Vladimir Artemovich Pasechnik You can follow the walk in this episode of the podcast here Medieval Inglesham - Three Counties Walk Glyn's photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud He is also very active on Twitter where his username is @Glyndle Paul's photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative And finally you'll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop and a link to Glyn's blog about the latest book and how to purchase a copy here Hidden Wiltshire from near and far

S3/E5 Whiteness, the Mediterranean & race at the edge of Europe (Antonia Dawes & Mario Badagliacca)

Surviving Society

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2022 41:38

Guest Hosts: Antonia Lucia Dawes is an Anglo-Neapolitan writer and academic who works on questions of racism and militarisation. Her book, Race Talk: languages of racism and resistance in Neapolitan street markets, is about racism and multilingual communication. She is currently working on a new collaborative book project about the British military presence on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Twitter: @AntoniaLucia Mario Badagliacca is a freelance Sicilian photographer. He studied international relations and politics at the University 'L'Orientale' in Naples and photo-reportage and photojournalism in Rome. Along his photographic activity, he has always collaborated with non-profit organizations and NGOs involved in humanitarian programmes in Europe and in war zones. His work documents migration, life on the borders, human right violations, and social issues. His photographs have appeared in several international newspapers, magazines and broadcast groups such as Le Nouvelle Observateur, The Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Warscapes, RAIRadio3, Sky, La Presse Canada, La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, and on several book covers. He is exhibited in international venues, including the Hopkins Hall Gallery in the USA. He has worked with numerous international research and academic institutions such as New York University, Oxford University, St. Andrews University and San Diego State University. He has been the recipient of several international awards, including the Documentary Photography Audience Engagement Grant (New York 2014) for his project Letters from the CIE and the 2017 ACEP Projecto Media exhibited at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon for the ongoing project The Game. He is the artist-in-residence for the Transnationalizing Modern Language Project sponsored by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, with a work on the Italian diasporic communities in Addis Ababa, London, New York, Buenos Aires and Tunis.

20: Erlestoke Wood and the "1917" Field

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2021 57:08

Someone has called Glyn and Paul the Whitehouse and Mortimer of the podcast world but with more sheep. We're not sure if that was meant as a compliment but we'll take it. We just need to decide which one of us is Paul Whitehouse and which one is Bob Mortimer. Before getting on to the main subject we discuss the last two weeks in the world of Hidden Wiltshire. It was the final Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum guided walk recently which took us to Fyfield Down where we led a sell out six mile tour that included the Devil's Den, the Valley of the Stones, the Polisher Stone and the Toad Stone. A superb walk marred only by the fact that one of the guest's car was broken into at the Manton House car park. Beware if you park here and don't leave valuables in your car. The guided walks have been so successful that we're going to plan some more. Regular contributor and podcast guest Steve Dewey has posted a new blog about Nine Mile River. It's neither nine miles in length, nor a river for part its length at the moment! As we've come to expect from Steve the blog is thoroughly well researched with beautiful photographs and packed with little known facts. You'll find a link to Steve's blog below. We've also been filming our first video podcast (is that a VLOG?) around the Pewsey Vale, assisted by Glyn's son Rohan and Paul's son Adam. The star of the show was David Carson, whose family has farmed in the area since the 1880s. This has been a long time in the planning. Recording video as well as audio on location is a whole different ballgame. Glyn has a lot of editing to do but mercifully we were blessed with beautiful weather. On the video front, Paul recently posted a short 30 second video on the Facebook Page and Group of the location for the 19th century hamlet of Down Barn Cottages on Maddington Down near Shrewton. But his video was trumped by Hidden Wiltshire follower and contributor BBC South Today's Paul Clifton, who recorded a 2:20 film at and around this location for the BBC earlier this year. Paul Clifton is a friend and neighbour of Paul's and they both spend a lot of time walking the same part of Salisbury Plain, sometimes together! Apart from filming at the site of Down Barn Cottages Paul Clifton also filmed his walk along some of the hollow ways that radiate out from Shrewton. The BBC finally aired his film on 21 September and Paul kindly gave us permission to use it. You'll find it on the Facebook Page and the Closed Facebook Group for members. It's a lovely short film and well worth watching. You'll also find it on the Hidden Wiltshire YouTube channel which we'll be making greater use of in future. You'll find a link below. We then moved onto this episode's main subject, a previous Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum walk to Erlestoke Wood and the 1917 Field. You can follow the walk using the link below. The walk starts in the village of Erlestoke itself. The village has connections with the Special Operations Executive, the secret British organisation that was active during the Second World War. In the graveyard next to the car park where the walk began is the gravestone of Marie Louise Huntley Walker who died in 1980 and who was a member of the French Resistance. Surely a nod to Erlestoke's SOE activities? From Erlestoke village the walk climbs the steep slopes through Erlestoke Wood up to the Plains. The woods and lakes appear to have been created by the new owner of the manor John Smith in the 1780s. He enclosed the common land, turfed off the villagers and relocated the village to its current location in order that he could create a landscape for the enjoyment of him and his family. Nice. The walk then takes us through the woods parallel to Coulston Hollow before joining the Imber Ranger Perimeter Path. After a stretch along the track we come to open fields with views across the Imber Range. And there, in the middle distance, is the famous Lollipop Tree that features in the closing scene of the film “1917”. With no sign of the huge film set built here, we headed down to Cheverell Hill Farm before returning to Erlestoke via Hill Wood. A thoroughly enjoyable, and at times lung busting walk which will be very muddy if you attempt it in the winter. Then on to the wrap up: Steve Dixon's piece leading into the discussion about the walk is entitled “When Swallows Rise”. As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. Thanks again to the ever-patient Tim Kington at TKC Sales, the UK distributors of Lowa walking boots and shoes, and for the 20% discount on their products to Hidden Wiltshire podcast listeners. Listen to the show for the discount code. It can't last forever! You'll find a link to Lowa Boots' website below. And finally, help us keep the lights on by heading to the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop. Link below. Links: You can find Steve Dewey's blog about Nine Mile River here Nine Mile River - Steve Dewey Paul Clifton's short film for the BBC about Down Barn Cottages can be found on the Hiddden Wiltshire YouTube channel here Paul Clifton BBC Film - Down Barn Cottages To follow the walk in this episode click on this link Erlestoke Wood and the 1917 Field Glyn's photographs can be seen of course on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative You can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK And finally you'll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop

19: Beckhampton Gallops and the Witch Plantation

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2021 60:45

Bit of a chaotic start to this episode of the podcast. We weren't sure where we were. Glyn simply can't get the staff these days. And what's worse is that our reputation as serious podcasters is at risk due to the fact that most Google searches for reference material about Wiltshire lead back to this website! We'll need to be a bit more diligent about our fact checking in future, although in this podcast we didn't make a particularly good start!! Starting on a slightly sombre note, after Paul attended the funeral of his Aunt earlier in the week, we talked about the importance of recording social history. The lives and history of ordinary people as opposed to the conventional kings and queens approach that was popular in the English curriculum. Glyn is reading a book by Time Team archaeologist Francis Pryor that does just this, bringing the landscape to life through archaeology and imagining the lives of those that trod this land before us. There's a link to the book below. And on this theme, Glyn and Paul went to listen to stonemason Andrew Ziminski who gave a talk at Toppings Bookshop in Bath last Sunday. A fascinating and engaging talk by someone at the forefront of his profession. We interviewed Andrew for the last podcast, Episode 18 The Coffin Trail. Since the last podcast we've completed another guided walk in conjunction with Wiltshire Museum from Erlestoke up to Salisbury Plain. Glyn wrote a blog about this for the website which is linked below. This will also be the subject of the next podcast. Another blog posted recently was the walk Paul did from Broad Chalke which took in the stunning Knapp Down. We'll be recording a podcast about this walk too at some point. The main subject of this episode was the walk that Glyn did in July around the Beckhampton Gallops. There's a link to his blog about it with a map below. This is where we were really exposed as being the charlatans we are as we struggled to get our history right!! This is a landscape that as ever in Wiltshire is steeped in prehistory. A cursory glance at the map will show it is covered in ancient monuments, almost too numerous to mention. From the Bronze Age through the Iron Age to the Romans you'll be walking in the steps of our ancestors throughout the walk. But we did also find the time to have a moan about our contemporaries who insist on damaging this precious landscape and who risk having it closed off to the public by the landowner who allows us the freedom to roam across parts of it. Steve Dixon's piece leading into the discussion about the walk is entitled “My Borrowed Hand”. Because the tabla sounds like horses hooves right! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. The next Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum guided walk will be on Sunday 12 September 2021 and will be to Devil's Den and Fyfield Down. You can get tickets using the link below, if there are any left. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. Thanks again to the ever-patient Tim Kington at TKC Sales, the UK distributors of Lowa walking boots and shoes, and for the 20% discount on their products to Hidden Wiltshire podcast listeners. Listen to the show for the discount code. It can't last forever! You'll find a link to Lowa Boots' website below. And finally, help us keep the lights on by heading to the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop. Link below. Links: You can follow the walk we discuss in this episode here Beckhampton Gallops and Witch Plantation Andrew Ziminski's brilliant book can be obtained here if you'd prefer not to use Amazon The Stone Mason: A History of Building Britain Francis Pryor's book can be obtained here at a great price Scenes from a Prehistoric Life - Francis Pryor Glyn's blog about the guided walk with Wiltshire Museum from Erlestoke Erlestoke Wood and the 1917 Field Glyn's photographs can be seen of course on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative Hidden Wiltshire Walks in Conjunction with Wiltshire Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum Walks You can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK And finally you'll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop

18: The Coffin Trail - linking West Ashton to Steeple Ashton

church uk west soundcloud trail rail coffin holloway linking st mary wiltshire conjunction playdead steeple salisbury plain steve dixon

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2021 62:29

It's been a busy couple of weeks and there is dissent amongst the Hidden Wiltshire staff about pay and conditions. Paul in particular is unhappy with the current working practices that required him to spend two full days this week walking in warm sunshine across the Wiltshire countryside, taking photographs and testing the local hand pumped beers available in a Wiltshire pub after one particular walk. More of that in a future episode. But in the meantime, somebody had to do it and the Hidden Wiltshire staff are considering joining a union unless conditions are improved. This week's podcast follows the coffin trail between West Ashton and Steeple, a walk that Glyn posted a blog on the website about on 9 July 2021. This was the route used to ferry coffins from the village of West Ashton, before its church was built in 1846, to the church at Steeple Ashton for burial. The route crosses a little brook over which a stone bridge was built around 200 years ago, connecting the path from West Ashton to what is known as Luffenham Field, a delightful mini nature reserve created and maintained by local villagers. The route passes what remains of Rood Ashton Hall, once the family seat of the Long Family. The halfway point of this 4.5 mile walk is the village of Steeple Ashton where Glyn and Paul spent a delightful and informative 90 minutes with the hugely knowledgeable stonemason and author Andrew Ziminski. Andrew and his colleagues restored the old stone bridge at Luffenham in 2019/20 and they are now carrying out a series of works at St Mary's Church in Steeple Ashton. This was the perfect opportunity to record a discussion with Andrew which we did on the roof of the church! An absolutely fascinating conversation during which Andrew brought the building to life, sharing its secrets and stories over hundreds of years. Glyn has done this walk several times and it's interesting to see and hear how it changes with the seasons. When Paul did the walk after the interview with Andrew Ziminski there were a number of route finding challenges as several of the rights of way were overgrown by the crops or had been ploughed up. Steve Dixon's piece leading into the discussion about the walk is entitled “Play Dead”. For obvious reasons! As ever the piece in the introduction and at the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. The next Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum guided walk will be on Monday 30 August 2021 and will be to Erlestoke Wood and Salisbury Plain. You can get tickets using the link below. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. Thanks again to the ever patient Tim Kington at TKC Sales, the UK distributors of Lowa walking boots and shoes, and for the 20% discount on their products to Hidden Wiltshire podcast listeners. Listen to the show for the discount code. It can't last forever! You'll find a link to Lowa Boots' website below. And to complete the Steeple Ashton link, this is where TKC Sales are based so they are a true Wiltshire company. And finally, help us keep the lights on by heading to the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop. Link below. Links: You can follow the walk we discuss in this episode here The Coffin Trail From West Ashton to Steeple Ashton Andrew Ziminski's brilliant book can be obtained here if you'd prefer not to use Amazon The Stone Mason: A History of Building Britain Cheryl Nicol's book about the Long Family can be obtained here Inheriting The Earth: The Long Family's 500 year reign in Wiltshire Glyn's photographs can be seen of course on this website and on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's photography can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative Hidden Wiltshire Walks in Conjunction with Wiltshire Museum Erlestoke Wood and Salisbury Plain You can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK And finally you'll find the Hidden Wiltshire online shop here Hidden Wiltshire Shop

17: Eden's Last Post - Ebbesbourne Wake, Norrington and Prescombe Down

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2021 58:35

A welcome return to Wiltshire for Glyn after his selfless trip to Pembrokeshire in South West Wales in search of links to his home county. We might call it a holiday but he assures us it was all in the interests of Hidden Wiltshire! The link is of course that the blue stones at Stonehenge were sourced from the Preseli Hills some 5,000 years ago. And it's now thought the exact location was a stone circle at Maun Wawn. Evidence suggests the stone circle was dismantled after around 300 years leaving the three stones that remain today. The profile of the hole left by one of the stones matches exactly one of the blue stones, the smaller stones, at Stonehenge. We can only guess why our ancestors decided to transport these two tonne stones the 150 miles from Maun Wawn to Stonehenge, or how! As we recorded the podcast (usually on a Friday) we were preparing for the next Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum Guided Walk in the hills above Edington, taking in a view of the long barrow of Tinhead. We were looking forward to seeing what local finds David Dawson from Wiltshire Museum would produce during the walk. And for anyone listening to the podcast on the day it goes live (Sunday 15 August) spare a thought for Glyn and Paul who will be pulling ragwort together with some fantastic volunteers from the ranks of Hidden Wiltshire's followers at East Hill Farm, Warminster. East Hill Farm sits on the Imber Range where the land is rented from the MOD by the Guy family. The quid quo pro is that Frankie Guy has kindly agreed that we can do a special podcast with her on the farm soon. A unique opportunity to visit a part of Salisbury Plain permanently closed to members of the public. Then on to this week's walk. This was a walk that Paul did in 2020 as described in his blog on the Hidden Wiltshire website of 10 June 2020. The walk was of around 12 kms taking in the Ebble Valley villages of Ebbesbourne Wake and Alvediston before heading into the hills on the water shed above the valleys of the Ebble and the Nadder. After an irritating encounter near the beginning of the walk, and some way finding problems due to overgrown paths, it turned into a stunning walk. The villages along this end of the valley where the Ebble rises are sleepy hideways with some beautiful old buildings. St Mary's Church, Alvediston is the resting place of British Prime Minister Anthony Eden who lived in Alvediston Manor until his death in 1977. The views looking up into the hills surrounding the Ebble are wide raging, giving the sense of being cosseted by the geography. But once up into the hills on White Sheet Hill and Gallows Hill the views in all directions are outstanding. The photographs in the blog don't really do it justice. On this ridge is the old Salisbury to Shaftesbury turnpike, which also at some point was part of the Herepath, a military road. All along this ancient road the expanse of south west Wiltshire and Dorset to the south, and the Nadder Valley and its hills to the north reveals itself with a different perspective at every bend along the way. Whilst the four kilometres along the ridge became tiresome due to the heat and hard surface, the views more than made up for it. The finale to the walk is the descent into Prescombe Down, a Natural England Nature Reserve. In June 2020 this was a peaceful haven from the madness taking place in the outside world. To the background sounds of tawny owls, cuckoos and guinea fowl Paul found a grassy bank on which to lie and savour the tranquillity. However, this turned out to be unwise interlude as evidenced by the seven ticks he took home with him. With the sun beginning to sink towards the hill tops surrounding the villages it was time for a few final photographs before returning to the car parked in the centre of Ebbesbourne Wake, tantalisingly close to The Horseshoe Pub which in these times of pandemic was closed. Hopefully when you do this walk it will have come through the other side and once again be open for business. And so to the wrap up. Steve Dixon's piece leading into the discussion about the walk is entitled “Shadows Travel Fast”, a nod towards the deep shadows formed by the sinking sun in the many combes in this part of Wiltshire. As ever the piece in the introduction and the end of the podcast is entitled “The Holloway”. The next Hidden Wiltshire/Wiltshire Museum guided walk will be on Monday 30 August 2021 and will be to Erlestoke Wood and Salisbury Plain. You can get tickets using the link below. Don't forget to subscribe to the Hidden Wiltshire Newsletter from the website. Thanks again to Tim Kington at TKC Sales, the UK distributors of Lowa walking boots and shoes, for the 20% discount on their products to Hidden Wiltshire podcast listeners. Listen to the show for the discount code. It can't last forever! You'll find a link to Lowa Boots' website below. And finally, help us keep the lights on by heading to the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop. Link below. Links: You can follow the walk we discuss in this episode here Eden's Last Post Glyn's photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's website can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative Hidden Wiltshire Walks in Conjunction with Wiltshire Museum Wiltshire Museum Walks - Erlestoke Wood and Salisbury Plain The Hidden Wiltshire shop Hidden Wiltshire Shop And finally you can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK

15: Salisbury Plain - Black Heath and the Old Slow Coach Road

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2021 61:19

In this weeks episode we have our first guest – Hidden Wiltshire's resident expert on Salisbury Plain, Mr Steve Dewey. But to begin with, Glyn talks about some birthday and anniversary milestones that instead of being celebrated in Rome, will be celebrated at Bishopstrow in Wiltshire – keeping it local! This weeks episode was actually recorded a while ago as Paul is currently closer to Norway than London, as he is taking a break travelling around Shetland and Orkney. Paul once again shamelessly plugs the photography exhibition he and Steve Dixon are staging together with another Wiltshire photographer, Alan Cowley, as part of the Marlborough Opens Studios Art Trail. This takes place from 11:00 to 17:00 on the first four weekends in July although Steve, Paul and Alan's gallery will only be open for the first three weekends. See the link to the Marlborough Open Studios website below for full details and directions. Our gallery is Studio 12. Glyn talks about the next Hidden Wiltshire walks – 24th July will be Bratton and Luccombe Springs, and 14th August is the Hills above Edington, Then onto this episode's main feature – an exploration of Salisbury Plain with Steve Dewey. Steve is a photographer who spends a lot of time around the plain, exploring in his 4 wheel drive car as unlike Glyn and Paul, he is definitely not a walker. This is a huge subject, but after a general chit chat about the whole area we focus on two things – the Black Heath area, and the Old Slow Coach Road, both of which Steve has written about for the Hidden Wiltshire website. We finish with the usual housekeeping. Reminder about the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop (link below) and the offer to listeners of the podcast from Lowa Boots UK. You'll need to listen to the podcast for details of how you can save 20% on their walking boots and shoes. Now we're all venturing out more you definitely need a good pair of boots, and Glyn and Paul can both vouch for the quality of Lowa. The music and sounds in the podcast are provided by the multi-talented Steve Dixon. The piece in the Introduction is entitled “The Holloway”, whilst the piece linking to the talk on Salisbury Plain is a new one entitled “Holgar the Can Man”. Links: For more information about Marlborough Open Studios 2021 the relevant page on Paul's website is here Paul Timlett Exhibitions, or you can go direct to the Marlborough Open Studios website here Marlborough Open Studios You can find Steve's blog posts about Salisbury Plain here: Black Heath, The Old Slow Coach Road Steve Dewey's author page on Amazon where you can find his books is here: Steve Dewey Author Page Glyn's photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's website can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative Hidden Wiltshire Walks in Conjunction with Wiltshire Museum Wiltshire Museum Walks The Hidden Wiltshire shop Hidden Wiltshire Shop And finally you can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK

amazon black coach rome soundcloud studio norway hills rail holloway wiltshire conjunction shetland orkney bratton edington salisbury plain steve dixon can man

14: Wiltshire Clumps

soundcloud tickets studio castle grave rail holloway wiltshire conjunction knoll flower boy david carson clumps salisbury plain steve dixon

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 4, 2021 56:34

Something a bit different in this episode. Instead of talking about a particular walk we focus on something that is classic Wiltshire. Something that we've all seen right across the county. The ubiquitous Wiltshire Clump. But to begin with we do our usual round up of the last two weeks in Wiltshire. We briefly mentioned the last joint walk that we ran with Wiltshire Museum on Adam's Grave and Milk Hill. The walk was superbly led by David Carson whose family has farmed these lands since the 1880s. In a neat segue from the Wiltshire Museum walk, Paul (henceforth to be known as Flower Boy) spent a couple of afternoons grovelling on his hands and knees on Milk Hill searching in vain for the rare and elusive Early Gentian. Despite having a 10 digit grid reference he never found them, although he was literally falling over the orchids there were so many. It's been an incredible year for wild orchids and they're far from finished. Whilst we've not seen so many poppies after 2020's bumper crop, our chalk downland orchids have more than made up for it. Meanwhile Glyn has walked the Coffin Trail between West Ashton and Steeple Ashton. He's already posted a brief description with some stunning photographs on the Hidden Wiltshire Facebook pages but he's going to write this up as a blog on the website. Glyn also shared the fact that he's got another blog brewing about the farmland and gallops around Beckhampton which he photographed for the local farmer. Again he's already shared some beautiful photographs of this area, including a number of aerial shots. This location is turning into a firm favourite of Glyn's with its huge views and sense of remoteness. Finally in this section Paul once again shamelessly plugs the photography exhibition he and Steve Dixon are staging together with another Wiltshire photographer, Alan Cowley, as part of the Marlborough Opens Studios Art Trail. This takes place from 11:00 to 17:00 on the first four weekends in July although Steve, Paul and Alan's gallery will only be open for the first three weekends. See the link to the Marlborough Open Studios website below for full details and directions. Our gallery is Studio 12. Then onto this episode's main feature – an exploration of our favourite Wiltshire Clumps, the mostly beech tree copses found in prominent positions right across our landscape. Glyn, Paul and Hidden Wiltshire stalwart Steve Dewey collaborated on a blog for the website with lots of photographs of various clumps in all sorts of weather. And as a special feature Glyn and Paul recorded on location one evening at Furze Knoll. We've always found this to be a creepy location and our evening session did nothing to dispel that feeling! But we also got a great view from the Knoll of Oliver's Castle which, although not the classic copse of trees, stands out for miles around nonetheless. Other favourites include Glyn's much loved Tinhead with its long barrow, Paul's favourite - the little known and slightly hidden clump on Copehill Down on Salisbury Plain, and Steve's regular haunt - Charlton Clumps near Upavon. Amongst others we talk about the remote and lonely clump on Summerslade Down (mentioned in several previous podcasts) and, of course, the one that so many admire from afar – Woodborough Hill. We finish with the usual housekeeping. Reminder about the Hidden Wiltshire Online shop (link below) and the offer to listeners of the podcast from Lowa Boots UK. You'll need to listen to the podcast for details of how you can save 20% on their walking boots and shoes. Now we're all venturing out more you definitely need a good pair of boots, and Glyn and Paul can both vouch for the quality of Lowa. The next walk in conjunction with Wiltshire Museum is to Box on 11 July 2021. Tickets are nearly all gone. The music and sounds in the podcast are provided by the multi-talented Steve Dixon. The piece in the Introduction is entitled “The Holloway”, whilst the piece introducing us to the walk is a new one entitled “Sitar Slink”. And finally be sure to listen to the next podcast, number 15, when we will have a special guest! Links: For more information about Marlborough Open Studios 2021 the relevant page on Paul's website is here Paul Timlett Exhibitions, or you can go direct to the Marlborough Open Studios website here Marlborough Open Studios You can find the guys' blog about Wiltshire Clumps here Hidden Wiltshire Blogs - Wiltshire Clumps Glyn's photographs can be seen on his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's website can be found on his website at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative Hidden Wiltshire Walks in Conjunction with Wiltshire Museum Wiltshire Museum Walks The Hidden Wiltshire shop Hidden Wiltshire Shop And finally you can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK

Stonehenge

The Random Intellectual

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2021 44:16

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. It consists of a ring of vertical standing sandstones with a smaller ring of bluestones inside. The monument is orientated towards the sunrise on the summer solstice and it has been a thing of mystery for thousands of years. Who built it and why?

england stonehenge wiltshire salisbury plain

9: Folly Wood and the Headless Horseman

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2021 63:11

An episode of mystery, intrigue and colourful characters. After all it wouldn't be Hidden Wiltshire without at least one of these elements and we have all three! We begin with a chat about what we've been up to in the last two weeks since the previous episode. Glyn's excited about his discovery of a new bottom, and an old coffin trail to Steeple Ashton which included a stone bridge built, we think, by well-known West Country stonemason Andrew Ziminski. His book “The Stomemason” is thoroughly recommended (see link below). Also in the last two weeks Glyn and Paul both separately did a walk around the Fonthill Estate which will be the subject of the next podcast in two weeks time. Meanwhile Paul suffered the ignominy of being caught with his head in a muddy puddle by a BBC film crew whilst he was searching for the very well hidden fairy shrimp. We also talk about our plans for Hidden Wiltshire including our first outside location broadcast with a special guest; Hidden Wiltshire walks with some experts from “another organisation”; and the new Hidden Wiltshire Shop on the website (link below). We then go on to talk about the Folly Wood walk. You can follow the route in the link below. This was a location recommend to us by local artist David Alderslade who has painted some remarkable pictures of the famed tree you will find. See the link below. Between them Glyn and Paul did the walk three times in the space of five days. There was so much to see., and slight re-routing to recce. The walk was the story of bizarre works of art; blocked footpaths; a moated enclosure which was the location for a gatekeeper's lodge into the Bishops of Salisbury's deer park; mysterious and touching stories of ghosts and incredible personal sacrifice; and a tree with an adjacent cave that was like something from the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkein. We also encounter some fascinating and lovely people. Sculpture, poet and illustrator Mark Whelehan and his dog Crook, and Hidden Wiltshire followers Melanie May and Wayne Ford – see the links below to their stunning Instagram feeds. We then arrive at a beautiful peaceful woodland called Oakfrith Wood, visit the pretty village of Urchfont and round off with a climb onto Salisbury Plain with its far reaching views. This is one of those walks where it doesn't really matter where you start. You can begin in Easterton, Urchfont or New Plantation on Salisbury Plain. There's even a pub, the Royal Oak at Easterton. We finish with a reminder about the offer to listeners of the podcast from Lowa Boots UK. You'll need to listen to the podcast for details of how you can save 20% on their walking boots and shoes. The music and sounds in the podcast are provided by the multi-talented Steve Dixon. The piece in the Introduction is entitled “The Holloway”, whilst the piece introducing us to the walk is entitled “My Daughter” which is a collaboration between Steve and Dave Guiville. Links: You can find out more about Andrew Ziminski and his book “The Stonemason” here Andrew Ziminski - The Stonemason The new Hidden Wiltshire shop Hidden Wiltshire Shop You can follow the walk on the Hidden Wiltshire website here Folly Wood and The Headless Horseman David Alderslade's website, and his painting “Folly Wood” can be found here David Alderslade - Folly Wood Melanie May's beautiful Instagram feed can be found here with superb photographs of Wiltshire's natural history Melanie May - Wiltshire Girl Wayne Ford has two Instagram feeds. One is his general photography account. It will come as no surprise to know he is a graphic designer when you see his photography Wayne Ford - General Photography. His other account is also focused on natural history and is called ‘notesfrompinnyland' (I wish I knew why)! Wayne Ford - Natural History Both accounts are equally captivating. Glyn's photographs can be seen on the Hidden Wiltshire website and his Instagram feed @coy_cloud Paul's website can be found at Paul Timlett Photography and on Instagram at @tragicyclist Steve Dixon's sound art can be found on Soundcloud where his username is River and Rail Steve Dixon River and Rail. His photographs can be found on Instagram at @stevedixon_creative and his graphic design business website is at Steve Dixon Creative The link to report blocked public rights of way to Wiltshire Council My Wiltshire Booking and Reporting And finally you can find Lowa Boots UK at Lowa Boots UK

bbc soundcloud wood folly rail crooks sculpture holloway salisbury bishops wiltshire headless horseman royal oak my daughter west country tolkein stone mason salisbury plain steve dixon meanwhile paul wayne ford

Sitrep August 1st 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2019 29:49

Please also plug listen again/podcast In today's Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… The UN hears pleas to intervene in Syria, but why the is the west is seemingly so reluctant to intervene? As Britain's stand-off with Iran continues, is there a diplomatic way to end it? One week into Boris Johnson's premiership, what have we learned about his commitment to the forces? And are the repeated comparisons to Winston Churchill really justified? Plus, as an American teenager wins $3-million playing the video game Fortnite, how the military views gamers as a potential source of new recruits PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

american uk scotland iran britain app syria fortnite boris johnson winston churchill alternatively colchester aldershot uk time sitrep salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep July 25 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2019 29:48

In today's Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… We have a new Prime Minister and now a new Defence Secretary, so who is Ben Wallace? The UK wants to put together a European-led maritime protection mission in the Gulf – but what ships are needed and how will it work? Britain is going to deploy troops to Mali in Africa, but what will they be doing? And Sitrep's summer reading list: delve deep into military history and foreign affairs with Sitrep's reading list. PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

uk africa european scotland britain app prime minister gulf mali alternatively colchester ben wallace aldershot uk time sitrep defence secretary salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep May 2nd 2019

Richard Syrett's Strange Planet

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2019 29:47

This week on Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee: Gavin Williamson has lost his job as Defence Secretary. He was sacked by the Prime Minister because she believes he was the source of a leak from the National Security Council. The Chairman of the House of Commons Defence Committee Dr Julian Lewis gives his views on Williamson, the new woman in the job Penny Mordaunt and Huawei. He's joined by Professor Anthony Glees from the University of Buckingham. And Professor Eric Grove talks discusses the growing naval strength of China and Japan. PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

185 The Long-Skulled People of Stonehenge

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2019 46:07

Richard speaks with a researcher of Neolithic Britain about her discoveries of a long-skulled people who lived on the Salisbury Plain who may have been responsible for constructing Stonehenge and other stone circles. GUEST: Maria Wheatley is a second-generation dowser who is a leading authority on the geodetic system of earth energies. She was taught how to decode and divine the land by her late father, Dennis Wheatley, who was considered to be one of the UKs top Master Dowsers. Maria is an accomplished author of books on sacred sites and dowsing. She has researched the esoteric design canons of prehistoric sites, Druidic ceremonial enclosures and the Knights Templar for many years. Maria has studied Neolithic Britain and Bronze Age prehistory with the University of Bath and alongside other professionals, Maria combines her knowledge of archaeology, and earth energies with state of the art equipment to locate and detect the hidden frequencies that the Earth emits.

university earth energy bath bronze stonehenge druids bronze age wheatley knights templar neolithic uks dowsing barrows druidic avebury salisbury plain dennis wheatley dowser neolithic britain

Sitrep February 7th 2019

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2019 29:47

In (today's) Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee: Are Islamic State really defeated in Syria or is it wishful thinking by President Trump? The UK hosts the Nato's 70th summit later this year – is it chance to modernise the alliance? Find out why there are now more Gurkhas joining the British Army than in the past 30 years. And as we wave goodbye to the Tornado, Sitrep looks at how it will compare to other “iconic” RAF aircraft That's all in Sitrep, Thurs at 6.30 UK time, or listen to the Podcast at any time. PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

donald trump uk scotland app syria nato tornados alternatively british army colchester aldershot uk time sitrep gurkhas salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep Review of the Year 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 21, 2018 60:00

Sitrep looks at the highs and lows of 2018 From the Novichok poisoning in Salisbury to President Trump's historic talks with North Korea's leader. The RAF celebrated 100 years, the Royal Navy put its new Carrier to sea and we remembered the fallen of first World War in the centenary of the Armistice Plus: will the Modernising Defence Programme deliver what it promises? And what's in store for 2019? – How will Brexit change British and European Security? And what other global threats might our Armed Forces face? GUESTS General The Lord Dannatt, former CGS Professor Michael Clarke, defence analyst Dr Julian Lewis, Chair of the HoC Defence Select Committee Dr Karin von Hippel, Director General of RUSI Christopher Lee, BFBS' defence analyst ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Check out our Facebook video on the Forces News facebook (after 15.15 UKT) PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:00pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

Sitrep December 6th 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2018 29:56

In this week's Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee… Should we be banning one of China's biggest telecoms firms from involvement in Britain's next-generation mobile networks? The head of MI6 is asking that question, and many of Britain's global security partners have already taken action – should the UK follow suit? As Russia threatens to escalate missile production – are we heading into a new Cold War era? Could climate change create a security crisis triggering a military response? Plus the ethic of autonomous weapons – as the Army tests a potential killer robot. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Check out our Facebook video on the Forces News facebook (after 15.15 UKT) PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

uk china russia army scotland britain app cold war alternatively mi6 colchester aldershot uk time sitrep salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep November 22nd 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2018 29:56

In this week's episode with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee…. Has the Matthew Hedges' case made for tricky relations between Britain and the UAE? Is it time to ditch the Russian-American missile treaties and start again? It's Thanksgiving in America but is it a bad time to say thank you? And the Armed Forces Covenant - what has it done for you? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Check out our Facebook video on the Forces News facebook Thursdays (15.15 GMT) PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

america thanksgiving uk scotland britain app uae alternatively christopher lee colchester russian american aldershot uk time sitrep salisbury plain bfbs matthew hedges bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep November 15th 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2018 29:56

In today's Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee….. Brexit – what happens to the military? Is the Defence Budget threatened and what about NATO? Does Britain still have influence in the Middle East and has the US lost its global military edge ? Plus - how does the MoD monitor big defence contracts? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Check out our Facebook video on the Forces News facebook (after 15.15 UKT) PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

uk scotland middle east britain app brexit nato alternatively mod christopher lee colchester aldershot uk time sitrep salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

Sitrep November 08th 2018

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2018 29:56

In today's Sitrep with Kate Gerbeau and Christopher Lee….. A boost to improve care for veterans, but why has it taken so long? America's top thinking General tell us what's wrong with leadership. The US mid-term elections, who are the winners and losers? And, as we look towards the centenary of the Armistice on Sunday - Dan Snow looks back on 100 years of PTSD and …are we getting remembrance right? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Check out our Facebook video on the Forces News facebook (after 15.30 UKT) PROGRAMME TX THURSDAYS at 4:30pm UK TIME on BFBS RADIO 2 and at 6:30pm UK TIME on BFBS & UK Bases You can listen on BFBS Radio 2 at 1630 (UK time) and at 1830 (UK time) on BFBS (via web & App in the UK and on FM in Scotland, Colchester, Salisbury Plain, Aldershot, Catterick & Blandford Forum). On Sky Channel 0211. Alternatively - listen again on-line, www.forces.net/sitrep or download the Sitrep Podcast.

america uk scotland ptsd app alternatively christopher lee colchester armistice aldershot uk time sitrep salisbury plain bfbs bfbs radio kate gerbeau

SITREP TRAIL THURS, 1st November 2018 JAMES HIRST presents today