When you think of the soldiers who fought for Britain and the Allies in the Second World War, you might picture young lads from Morecambe or officers who attended Sandhurst. But you might not consider someone from the coast of East Africa who speaks Swahili, or a Hindustani-speaking person from what is now South Asia.

In this episode of On the Record, host Chloe Lee speaks with Iqbal Singh and Liz Haines, specialists at The National Archives, and writer Sharmila Chauhan. Together, they delve into a unique collection of records about soldiers recruited from Britain’s colonies, exploring everything from the speeches of British commanders in Hindustani to powerful artworks designed to portray fighting for the British Empire as the only moral choice.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/SwwLLD

In this episode of On the Record, we take focus on the lesser-told history of the colonial troops, from East Africa and India, that fought for Britain during the Second World War.

Shortly after midnight on Tuesday, June 6, 1944, 24,000 soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy in Northern France. What followed was the largest seaborne invasion in history. Their mission: to liberate Europe and defeat Germany. Who were these soldiers? And who worked secretly to plan the operation and ensure its success?

In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to colleagues Sophie Stewart and Alice Bell about the people who contributed to this operation, whose stories we may not be familiar with: a tank driver on the frontline, one of the first black women in the Royal Air Force, and a femme fatale whose coded telegram saved many lives on D-Day.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/D-Day1

In this episode, we uncover the untold stories of a tank driver on the frontline, one of the first black women in the Royal Air Force, and a femme fatale whose coded telegram saved lives on D-Day.

Since the 13th century the legend of Robin Hood has featured in folk songs, tavern stories, pageants, and royal festivals — even Henry VIII once dressed up as him. But what lies behind the legend? And what do our stories of robbing from the rich tell us about life in medieval England?

In this episode Chloe Lee speaks to Kathryn Maude, a medieval specialist, and Sean Cunningham, head of medieval records, both at The National Archives. Join them on a journey through a forest of medieval historical records, and perhaps even discover the 'real' Robin Hood.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/Robin1Hood

In this episode, we journey through a forest of historical records to discover the 'real' Robin Hood.

It's often impossible to find direct accounts of poor people in the historical record, especially the further back you look. But an extraordinary collection containing thousands of letters written by people in poverty between 1834 and 1900 provides an insight into their lives.

In this episode, Chloe Lee speaks to specialist Paul Carter about letters held by The National Archives which were addressed to the Poor Law Board, the British central poor law authority. Together they use these accounts to glimpse into the factories, the workhouses and slums in which so many vulnerable people lived out their lives.

For a transcript and information about the documents used in this episode visit our show notes: https://bit.ly/PVoices

This podcast is based on the research In Their Own Write, a major AHRC-funded project, running from 2018 to 2021, which uses letters from paupers and other poor people, and associated manuscript material such as petitions, sworn statements and advocate letters (those written on behalf of paupers) to investigate the lives of the poor between 1834 and 1900. The Project was led by Professor Steve King (Nottingham Trent University) and Dr Paul Carter, (The National Archives).

In this episode, we examine a rare collection which contains thousands of letters written by people living in poverty between 1834 and 1900.