It could have been the biggest military disaster suffered by the British in the Second World War, but against all odds the British Army was successfully evacuated, & ' Dunkirk spirit' became synonymous with the strength of the British people in adversity. On the same day that Winston Churchill became Prime Minister, Nazi troops invaded Holl&, Luxembourg & Belgium. The eight-month period of calm that had existed since the declaration of war was over. But the defences constructed by the Allies in preparation failed to repel a German army with superior tactics. The British Expeditionary Force soon found themselves in an increasingly chaotic retreat. By the end of May 1940, over 400, 000 Allied troops were trapped in & around the port of Dunkirk without shelter or supplies. Hitler's army was just ten miles away. On 26 May, the British Admiralty launched Operation Dynamo. This famous rescue mission sent every available vessel
- from navy destroyers & troopships to pleasure cruisers & fishing boats
- over the Channel to Dunkirk. Of the 850 ' Little Ships' that sailed to Dunkirk, 235 were sunk by German aircraft or mines, but over this nine day period 338, 000 British & French troops were safely evacuated. Drawing on the wealth of material from the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive, Forgotten Voices of Dunkirk presents in the words of both rescued & rescuers in an intimate & dramatic account of what Winston Churchill described as a 'miracle of deliverance'.

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Drawing material from the Imperial War Museum's extensive aural archive, Joshua Levine brings together voices from both sides of the Blitz & the Battle of Britain to give us a unique, complete & compelling picture of this turbulent time. In June 1940, British citizens prepared for an imminent German onslaught. Hitler's troops had overrun Holl&, Belgium & France in quick succession, & the British people anticipated an invasion would soon be upon them. From July to October, they watched the Battle of Britain play out in the skies above them, aware that the result would decide their fate. Over the next nine months, the Blitz killed more than 43, 000 civilians. For a year, the citizens of Britain were effectively front-line soldiers in a battle which united the country against a hated enemy. We hear from the soldiers, airmen, fire-fighters, air-raid wardens & civilians, people in the air & on the ground, on both sides of the battle, giving us a thrilling account of Britain under siege. With first-hand testimonies from those involved in Dunkirk & the Battle of Britain, Black Saturday on 7th September 1940 when the Luftwaffe began the Blitz, to its climax on the 10th May 1941, this is the definitive oral history of a period when Britain came closer to being overwhelmed by the enemy than at any other time in modern history. ...

In April 1982, Argentina surprised the world by invading the Falkland Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny islands had long been the subject of a fierce territorial dispute between Argentina & the UK, & the occupation quickly escalated into a terrifying full-blown conflict between the two countries.

Part Two
- Fighting for the Falklands

Overcoming the difficulties of conducting a war at the most enormous distance from home & during the Antarctic winter, British troops successfully landed on the Falklands; the Argentine response led to growing casualties on both sides. At sea, losses included HMS Sheffield & Coventry, & the Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano.

Drawing upon the vast resources of the Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive, Forgotten Voices of the Falklands presents the first complete oral history of the Falklands War. This audio book is a unique & essential chronicle of the conflict from all sides & perspectives, told in the participants' own voices.

Read by: Sean Barrett

Runtime: 3 hours
Discs: 3











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In March 1982, Argentina surprised the world by invading the Falkland Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny islands had long been the subject of a fierce territorial dispute between Argentina & the UK, & the occupation quickly escalated into a terrifying full-blown conflict between the two countries. From the initial invasions of the islands to the British landings, the sinking of the Belgrano to brutal combat at Goose Green, the Argentinean surrender through to its aftermath, Forgotten Voices Of The Falklands is a unique & thrilling chronicle of the conflict recounted in the words of those from all sides & perspectives. Drawing upon the vast resources of the Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive, Hugh Mc Manners
- who himself fought in the Falklands War
- has created the definitive oral history book on the subject.

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In 1972 a team of academics & archivists from the Imperial War Museum set about the momentous task of tracing ordinary men & women who had lived through one of the most harrowing periods of modern history, the First World War. Veterans from Britain, Germany, America, Australia & Canada were interviewed in detail about their day-to-day experiences on & off the front. The archive has grown to be one of the most important of its kind in the world & provides a unique account of life during the Great War. These tapes, some of which have rested unheard for decades, contain the forgotten voices of a generation no longer with us. Now over thirty years on, after hundreds of hours in the archive, author Max Arthur has created this remarkable, landmark history of the First World War. ...

' The Gestapo kept me three days in this interrogation house. They especially wanted to know what I did after my escape, & precise things on the organisation of the SOE. & just for fun I suspect, because I had really not much to tell them, they pulled one of my toenails out...'
- Robert Sheppard, SOE agent The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British organisation created early in World War 2 to encourage resistance & carry out sabotage behind enemy lines: in Winston Churchill's famous phrase, to 'set Europe ablaze'. Drawing on the vast resources of the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive & featuring a mass of previously unpublished personal testimonies, Forgotten Voices of the Secret War tells the stories of SOE agents, HQ staff, diplomats, aircrew & naval personnel in their own words. As the war unfolds, we learn of parachute drops into enemy territory, torture by the Gestapo & nerve-wracking sabotage missions in far-flung climes. Forgotten Voices of the Secret War is both an incredible account of espionage during World War 2 & a fitting testament to the efforts & sacrifices of a dedicated group of courageous men & women.
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1916. The Somme. With over a million casualties, it was the most brutal battle of the First World War. It is a clash that even now, over 90 years later, remains seared into the national consciousness, conjuring up images of muddy trenches & young lives tragically wasted. Its first day, July 1st 1916
- on which the British suffered 57, 470 casualties, including 19, 240 dead
- is the bloodiest day in the history of the British armed forces to date. On the German side, an officer famously described it as 'the muddy grave of the German field army'. By the end of the battle, the British had learned many lessons in modern warfare while the Germans had suffered irreplaceable losses, ultimately laying the foundations for the Allies' final victory on the Western Front. Drawing on a wealth of material from the vast Imperial War Museum Sound Archive, Forgotten Voices of the Somme presents an intimate, poignant, sometimes even bleakly funny insight into life on the front line: from the day-to-day struggle of extraordinary circumstances to the white heat of battle & the constant threat of injury or death. Featuring contributions from soldiers of both sides & of differing backgrounds, ranks & roles, many of them previously unpublished, this is the definitive oral history of this unique & terrible conflict.

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Details: The Victoria Cross is one of the world's most famous medals. It was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 for
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Known simply as Ba Chr (45) Mother to millions of people in India, Kastur Gandhi shared Gandhi's loves, his sorrows, his triumphs & his tragedies. They say that behind each great man there is a woman, but Kastur was not the woman behind the man. This is the story of Kastur Gandhi. ...

Details:
Loved by millions & collected here for the first time is the very best of Ronnie Barker’s classic sketches,

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