The sound of sadness - a journey round The Birdcage

In our latest podcast, we visit the hulking mass of Plugstreet Wood and look at the actions of December 1914 around the German strongpoint known as The Birdcage.
Formed of trenches captured from the Worcestershire Regiment and three ruined farm buildings, it was a show-stopper for the men of the Rifle Brigade, Somerset LI and Hampshire Regiment who paid a heavy toll in trying to capture it.

We begin with a reminiscence of guiding a remarkable man around Plugstreet Wood, consider why some places on the Western Front have such a powerful impact on us, and then look at the fighting for the Birdcage in December 1914.  The episode concludes with a special recording made in the wood itself early one morning in 2019.

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Graham Stapleton.

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