Living History with Mat McLachlan

Lambis Englezos is well-known as the man who discovered a mass grave containing 250 Australian soldiers on the 1916 battlefield of Fromelles. This battle had been an unmitigated disaster, with more than 5500 Australians killed, wound or captured in only 20 hours of fighting. It is still remembered as the greatest military disaster in Australian history. In July 2025 Lambis will return to the Western Front to lead a special group tour, which will commemorate the anniversary of Fromelles and Pozieres, and also visit all the key Australian battlefields. In this episode he joins Mat to talk about the experience of walking the ground where the Anzacs fought, and why the French and Belgian battlefields continue to hold a special place in his heart.Join Lambis on this exclusive tour! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/fromelles-pozieres-anniversary-tour-2025/ for details.Presenter: Mat McLachlanGuest: Lambis EnglezosProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was it a war crime to drop the atomic bombs?; How can I visit Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium?; and is it possible to speak with Vietnam veterans?Send your questions to Mat on X (https://x.com/MatMcLachlan), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BattlefieldTours) or Insta (https://www.instagram.com/mat_mclachlan/)Presenter: Mat McLachlanProducer: Jess StebnickiFind out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

February marks the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most iconic battles of the Pacific War. But why is the battle so iconic, when so many other Pacific actions have fallen through the cracks of history. Mat is joined by US historian John McManus to find out!Topics include the pivotal role of the USA in WW2; the strategic importance of Iwo Jima as part of the bombing campaign against Japan; the plans to capture the island; the bloody fighting on the landing beaches, the airfields and Mount Suribachi; the outcomes of the battle and the assessment of whether it was all worth it; and the enduring cultural significance of Iwo Jima.Presenter: Mat McLachlanGuest: John McManusProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

Welcome to our new season! In this first episode Mat tells the story of the winter of 1916/17, one of the harshest ordeals faced by Australian soldiers in the First World War. Topics include the end of the Battle of the Somme; the attacks at Flers in November 1916; the devastating effect on morale of living in the frigid conditions; the remarkable story of Harry Murray, our most decorated soldier of the war; and a mispositioned memorial that reveals a rare piece of Australian history.Presenter: Mat McLachlanProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

Talbot House was an 'everyman's club' in the Ypres sector in Belgium during the First World War. Established behind the lines in the town of Poperinghe, Talbot House was a place soldiers could come to for some respite from the horrors of the battlefield. Today it has been preserved as a museum, dedicated to telling the story of the house and its foundation by Australian chaplain Tubby Clayton. Mat visits the house, escorted by its director, Simon Louagie, to explore the stories of the lives and deaths of its many visitors.Presenter: Mat McLachlanGuest: Simon LouagieProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

Mat is joined by regular co-host Karl James to discuss some important Second World War anniversaries.Topics include the sinking of HMAS Sydney and the opening of the Australian War Memorial in 1941, the end of the Kokoda campaign in 1942 and the Australians taking over from the Americans on Bougainville in 1944.Presenter: Mat McLachlanGuest: Karl JamesProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanFor more great history content, visit www.LivingHistoryTV.com, or subscribe to our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/LivingHistoryTV

It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was General Monash the greatest general of the First World War?; Where can I lay a wreath on the Western Front battlefields?; and What evidence of Hitler's V-Weapons campaign can you find today?Send your questions to Mat on X (https://x.com/MatMcLachlan), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BattlefieldTours) or Insta (https://www.instagram.com/mat_mclachlan/)Presenter: Mat McLachlanProducer: Jess StebnickiFind out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.

Our guest this week is noted Australian historian Peter Stanley, formerly with the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum and the University of NSW. Peter's new book, Beyond the Broken Years, explores more than a century of military history publishing, via a thousand books. Topics discussed include the history of military history writing, the role of military history in telling the broader story of Australian history, the significance of 'storians' vs historians and the future of military history study. Peter also offers his shortlist of the best military history books to read.Beyond the Broken Years is available in bookshops now.Presenter: Mat McLachlanGuest: Peter StanleyProducer: Jess StebnickiJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.Find out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlan

It's the latest episode in our Q&A series. This week's questions include: Was the Brisbane Line in WW2 real?; Is Anzac Day the best time to visit Gallipoli?; and Did Australian troops only fight under the Red Ensign flag in WW1?Send your questions to Mat on X (https://x.com/MatMcLachlan), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BattlefieldTours) or Insta (https://www.instagram.com/mat_mclachlan/)Presenter: Mat McLachlanProducer: Jess StebnickiFind out everything Mat is doing with books, tours and media at https://linktr.ee/matmclachlanJoin one of our battlefield tours and walk in the footsteps of the Anzacs! Visit https://battlefields.com.au/ for more information.