Living History with Mat McLachlan
Latest Episodes
Ep229: War Photographer Damien Parer
Damien Parer was one of Australia's greatest war photographers and cinematographers. His images and footage of Australians in the Second World War helped define the conflict, both for the people who were in it and for generations to come. His camera work
Ep228: Australian War Memorial - Behind the Scenes
Mat visits the Australian War Memorial in Canberra for a special behind-the-scenes tour of the artefacts and large items that are rarely on public display. During this special visit he is guided by Head of Military History Dr Karl James, and speaks to his
Walking Ypres with guidl
Join Mat to hear all about guidl, a new audio tour app that he is contributing to. guidl takes you on walking tours to the world's most historic sites, narrated by leading historians. Mat's first guidl tour is of wartime Ypres and, in this special episode
Ep227: How to Visit the Somme
The Somme region in northern France was the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the First World War. Today, it is one of the most important and evocative battlefields for Australian visitors. In this special episode, Mat explores the Somme region a
Ep226: Walking Long Tan with Dave Sabben
Live from Vietnam! In this very special episode of the podcast, Mat is joined by veteran of the Battle of Long Tan, Dave Sabben, MG. Mat and Dave have just walked the entire Long Tan battlefield on the 58th anniversary of the battle, and share their thoug
Ep225: Sinking the Tirpitz
During the Second World War, the Allies were desperate to sink the two biggest battleships in the German fleet, Bismarck and her sister ship Tirpitz. Bismarck went to the bottom in 1941 but in 1944 Tirpitz was still threatening Allied shipping. In a serie
Ep224: 1918 - On to Victory (Part 4)
The First World War is drawing to a close, as the unstoppable forces of France, Britain and America grind the German army into the ground. But some of the toughest fighting of the war is still to come before an Armistice is finally signed. How did the men
Walking Gallipoli with Peter Hart
Mat McLachlan and Peter Hart are going to Gallipoli! In this special episode of the podcast, the two historians and chums discuss their upcoming tour in May 2025, which will discover the battlefields of Gallipoli by walking in the footsteps of the men who
Ep223: Krithia - Gallipoli's Forgotten Anzac Battle
The Battle of Krithia was one of the bloodiest ordeals at Gallipoli, and cost the Australians and New Zealanders nearly 2500 casualties. But for some reason the battle has slipped through the cracks of history, and barely rates a mention in the Anzac stor
Ep222: 1918 - Monash and the Australians (Part 3)
In three years of combat the Australian Imperial Force evolved from a keen but inexperienced group of new recruits who landed at Gallipoli, to one of the elite assault forces on the Western Front. No discussion of the closing days of WWI would be complete