This Remembrance Week issue contains stories from both WWI and WWII which have a local interest. The other main topic is the World Cup with a look back to the events of 1966 and 1982.
Doorstep History Programme 60 | July 2022 80 years ago in July 1942 a number of men were killed in Ladywood in the last major bombing raid of World War II. The enemy bombers hit the Docker’s Bros paint factory. This documentary was made by TNT News in July 2012 and also features a report…
Birmingham commemorated the 100th Armistice Day with a ceremony at the Hall of Memory. Children from St Bernadette’s School, Yardley gave the readings. Other stories you may like!
This is the second part of our report from the National Memorial Arboretum on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings. This programme is presented from the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas on the day we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge…
This programme is presented from the National Memorial Arboretum near Alrewas on the day we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the D Day landings. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge led the tributes. Local veterans speak to us about their experiences of being on the Normandy beaches during June and July 1944.
Birmingham has produced a new walking trail which highlights places that played a role in both World Wars.
Local historian Andrew Lound who is passionate about making WWI stories accessible to a young audience. Here is as Tommy Atkins, a typical British soldier. We also visit Birchfield Harriers athletics club and end with Sgt Alfred Knight VC, a local recipient of the Victoria Cross. 6 of 6
The South Staffordshire Regiment in World War 1 through the work of author Andrew Thornton. Also featured is the work of the West Midlands Fire Service Heritage Group, the memorials photograph collection of Tony Woolley and the artefacts and battlefield relics of Dave Vaux. Two well-known historians assess the shell crisis if 1915 -1916. 5…
Programme 4 features the French town of Albert and its links with Birmingham. Albert’s main street is named ‘Rue de Birmingham’. Thiepval village and memorial is also featured and we look at the role of the Royal Flying Corps and local airman Francis Fitzgerald Waldron. 4 of 6
We visit the area where the Battle of the Somme took place- Hawthorn Ridge, High Wood, Arras, with WWI enthusiasts Terry Carter and Dave Vaux and cemeteries near Beaumont Hamel. There is an interview with Professor Stephen Badsey, Professor of Conflict Studies at Wolverhampton University who assess the success of the battle and General Haig.
Somme 100 is a series of programmes produced by TNT News and Big Centre TV to commemorate the centenary of the start of the Battle of the Somme. The build up begins with news bulletins from the last week of June 1916 using real news stories from the newspapers of the period. The programme is…
Act of Remembrance 2015 Children from Cradley C of E School held a special service at their school and visited the local cemetery where there is a large wooden cross and an avenue of trees that was planted to commemorate the people of Cradley who served in World War I. The event was organised by the…
A German WWII Dornier aircraft is being cleaned up after it was lifted from the seabed. A former Ladywood schoolboy , Ken Collins, recalls seeing a Dornier over Spring Hill, Ladywood in 1940.
75 years ago this month war broke out and thousands of children were evacuated from Birmingham to villages in the countryside. Here are a few memories of former Ladywood children about the events of August and September 1939.
Den Brotheridge of Smethwick was the first British soldier killed as forces attacked Pegasus Bridge on D Day. TNT visited the scene to find out what happened and spoke to Madame Arlette Gondree. She was a child who lived near the bridge at the time. We also visited the nearby churchyard at Benouville.
70 Years after the D Day landings and the troops who gave their lives are still remembered in cemeteries across northern France. TNT discovered a number of Brummies are commemorated at Ranville.
70 years ago this month thousands of troops stormed the beaches of northern France to begin the invasion which eventually led to the end of World War II. TNT visited one of the historic beaches, known as Gold Beach, at Arromanches, and discovered the remains of a temporary harbour can still be seen today.
A memorial service and wreath laying ceremony was held on a Dutch naval vessel on the North Sea to remember the 34 crew men who went down when a submarine sank off the coast of Norway in 1940. One of those people honoured was James Spettigue from Monument Road. TNT accompanied his surviving relatives to…
A Ladywood man has been identified as being a member of crew on a Dutch submarine that sank off Norway in 1940. A major exploration is underway to find the wreck of the submarine O13. TNT has been invited to a wreath laying ceremony on a Royal Dutch Navy vessel in July.
This month is the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid. TNT met a Ladywood man, Ron Needle, who was a rear gunner in a Lancaster bomber which flew on similar raids across Germany. He survived a wartime crash and later met up with the people who rescued him from his burning plane.