BBC Radio Series - "Document"

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Ramiles, Mar 27, 2018.

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  1. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006sk3k/episodes/player

    There are currently almost 60 of these half hour audio documentaries available on demand on the BBC audio Iplayer about often recently discovered (i.e. at the times of broadcast) - mainly - official archive documents.

    Many of which relate to events around WW2, or just prior or after that.

    - and the stories of the release of these official papers to the public and the processes of researching them etc.

    i.e. for example: BBC Radio 4 - Document - Available now

    The Gibraltar Diary of Squadron Leader Mallory
    Document

    Nick Rankin examines a detailed document, written in French and discovered in the wartime files of the Iberia Section of S.O.E., the Special Operations Executive. This personal account by Squadron-Leader Hugh Mallory Falconer tells how he established a secret wireless network covering the Western Mediterranean and linking Gibraltar with North African cities including Casablanca, Tangier and Oran. This network not only helped pave the way for Operation TORCH, the Anglo-American invasion of Vichy French North Africa in November 1942, but when the US armed forces went into combat, it was Falconer's radio network that held up when the other Allied communications systems failed. For three days in was the low level radio post housed in a cave in the Rock of Gibraltar that kept the Allied Commander Eisenhower in touch with his ground forces. In an increasingly challenging situation Mallory's network helped ensure this pivotal moment in the war did not turn into a disaster. Later in the North Africa campaign, Falconer was captured by the Germans on an S.O.E. mission in Tunisia and was held in a variety of prisoner of war camps until he was liberated in 1945.

    Nick talks to historians of the period, operators who explain the challenges and brilliance of the S.O.E. operatives and he tracks down Falconer's daughter who has her own recollections of her father's wartime exploits. She had no idea that Downing Street, in a memo of 19th May 1943 had described the work of Mallory and his team in glowing terms. 'It is abundantly clear that the operators handling the signals... were as essential to the operations as the organ blower to the cathedral organist.'

    Producer: Tom Alban.
     
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  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    An intersting collection of short films, I have just watched the Hyderabad Massacre of 1948.
     
  3. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Just "audio" - not short films... but there look like some fascinating subjects in there. I haven't had the chance to listen to too many yet but the ones I have heard were very good.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bds48

    The Hyderabad Massacre
    Document
    Using recently discovered documents, Mike Thomson investigates a largely forgotten massacre in independent India. It happened a year after the Partition violence and took place right in the heart of India, inthe large state of Hyderabad. 30,000 people were killed. This was a time when the Muslim prince of Hyderabad was resisting integration with India and the Indian Army was sent in to overthrow his forces. When, a few months later, Prime Minister Nehru heard reports of massacres of thousands of Muslims by Hindus he commissioned a report to find out what had happened. That report was called The Sunderlal Report and it has been rarely seen by scholars since 1948. 'Document' has obtained a copy. Thomson shows it to historians of the period and hears from first hand witnesses as he pieces together the real story of the 'Hyderabad Massacre'.

    Producer Neil McCarthy.
     
  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Sorry, yes audio. After listening to the clip I went on to watch a couple of videos on You Tube. My interest in that particular subject was the location (Hyderabad) as the 13th King's were invovled in internal security duties there in 1942.
     
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  5. Ramiles

    Ramiles Researching 9th Lancers, 24th L and SRY

    Another of this series was - The Case of the Suez Maru

    With discussion here: The case of the Suez Maru 29 November 1943

    The link from 2008 goes to the BBC's now archived website and unfortunately the audio link giving - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/document

    Error 404 - Page not found


    Here's a link to the current player, with the downloadable audio there: BBC Radio 4 - Document, The Case of the Suez Maru

    The Case of the Suez Maru
    Document
    Mike Thomson presents the series using documentary evidence to throw new light on past events. He examines the events surrounding a massacre of Allied POWs by the Japanese in 1943 and peruses the document that allowed the perperators to escape justice.
     
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