In 1939, incredibly, the British Army still fielded cavalry units that had yet to be mechanised, relying on horses as they prepared for war. When conflict broke out, these regiments—many of them Territorial Army Yeomanry units—were mobilised, with horses being requisitioned to meet the demand. By 1940, the 1st British Cavalry Division was deployed to the Middle East, where they would play a significant role in Operation Exporter, the Allied invasion of Vichy-controlled Syria.

Today, I’m joined by Jonathan Washington, author of Fighting Vichy from Horseback: British Mounted Cavalry in Action, Syria 1941, to explore this fascinating chapter of military history.

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During the Second World War, the Home Intelligence Unit—a branch of the Ministry of Information—was tasked with monitoring public attitudes on the home front. They compiled confidential reports on the state of popular morale, which were circulated among decision-makers in Whitehall.

These reports offer a fascinating insight into how ordinary people coped with the stresses of wartime life, their hopes for victory, and their fears about what the post-war world might bring.

Joining me today is Jeremy Crang, Professor of Modern British History at the University of Edinburgh. Together with his late colleague, Paul Addison, Jeremy has edited three volumes of these reports (Our People's War, The Spirit of the Blitzand Listening to Britain), bringing to light the voices and concerns of wartime Britain.

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Today, I’m joined by Peter Zablocki, a professor at Caldwell University, host of the History Shorts podcast, and author of The Death of General Sikorski.

I was introduced to Peter after I recorded the episode looking at the death of Sikorski with Chris Wroblewski. Chatting I discovered Peter had researched and written about an entirely different but fascinating subject: Private Snafu (you can read it here).

For those unfamiliar, Private Snafu was the star of a series of black-and-white animated shorts produced between 1943 and 1945. These instructional films, aimed at U.S. servicemen, combined irony and humour with serious messages. Amazingly, they were produced by Frank Capra (It’s a Wonderful Life), written by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), and voiced by Mel Blanc, the legendary voice behind Bugs Bunny. Despite their playful tone, the films served a crucial role in military training and morale during the war.

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