Disaster aboard HMCS Kootenay
The worst peacetime disaster in Canadian naval history occurred 51 years ago this week when nine crew were killed and another 53 injured in an
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Episode 64
Episode 63
Deadly tech: the rapid advance of First World War weaponry
The First World War is known for stagnancy and stalemate—trench-bound days of misery and boredom punctuated by periodic terror and wholesale slaughter. Soldiers from both
Episode 62
Stuff of legend: ingredients that make the Victoria Cross
Everyone knows what a Victoria Cross recipient is made of. But what about the Victoria Cross itself? Instituted by Queen Victoria at the end of
Stephen Thorne
Stephen J. Thorne is an award-winning writer, photographer, editor and broadcaster. He has reported extensively from war fronts in Kosovo and Afghanistan. His stories and photographs have been published worldwide and his work has anchored two major exhibitions at the Canadian War Museum. His honours over 40 years in journalism include three National Newspaper Awards, four RTNDA broadcast awards, two Canadian Press Stories of the Year, a Silver Medal in the 2019 National Magazine Awards and the first-ever Ross Munro Media Award for excellence in defence reporting.
Bleeding us dry
September 8, 2021
Osama bin Laden had more in mind than inflicting incidental death and mayhem when he dispatched 19 al-Qaida terrorists to strike at the heart of
The graveyard of empires
September 1, 2021
The graveyard of empires appears to have claimed another victim. But why couldn’t a high-powered coalition that included the United States, United Kingdom and Canada
Diver discovers suspected wreckage of Halifax Explosion
August 4, 2021
Tufts Cove is a shallow, innocuous little inlet nestled at the back end of Halifax Harbour on the Dartmouth side between a power station and
Afghanistan veteran recounts brutal battle
June 15, 2021
The last thing Corporal Sean Teal said to Warrant Officer Rick Nolan was: “Do you want a Life Saver?” Before Nolan could reply, a rocket-propelled
The sinking of U-94
June 9, 2021
The sinking of U-94 by an American aircraft and HMCS Oakville off Cuba on the night of Aug. 27-28, 1942, brought to a dramatic end
Estate auction chronicles the colourful life of war correspondent Bill Boss
November 25, 2020
Bill Boss was the epitome of foreign correspondents. Pierre Berton called him one of the toughest war correspondents he ever knew, a trusted and familiar
The fighting Robertson brothers of Campbellton, N.B.
November 10, 2020
“The whole city was so proud of these six boys.” There were six of them, Robertsons all, who joined the Canadian forces, left their hometown
Stuff of legend: ingredients that make the Victoria Cross
October 28, 2020
Everyone knows what a Victoria Cross recipient is made of. But what about the Victoria Cross itself? Instituted by Queen Victoria at the end of
Climate anomaly caused
WW I mud, flu pandemic: study
October 7, 2020
The First World War is synonymous with torrential rain, deathly deep mud and bitter cold. It seems no stalemate or major battle was without these
James Andrew Watson: WW II bomber pilot sacrifices life to save crew
September 30, 2020
It was the night of April 27-28, 1944, and Lancaster R-ND 781/G of 622 Squadron, Royal Air Force, piloted by Flight Lieutenant James Andrew Watson
The mystery of the Thames Victoria Cross
September 23, 2020
In December 2015, a “mudlark” treasure-hunting along the bank of the Thames River in southern England found a corroded metal cross buried in the ooze
There’s no accounting for the missing
September 9, 2020
The Second World War set a new standard for disappearances. Unprecedented millions simply vanished during the maelstrom in Europe and the Far East, many under
German Red Cross to continue tracking WW II disappearances
September 2, 2020
For many outside the battle zones of Europe, the Second World War is a matter of textbooks and faded black-and-white photographs. But for those whose
War inside of war
August 31, 2020
The end of the Second World War in Europe led to celebrations in Allied cities the world over, but for many Europeans devastated by tragedy
Deadly tech: the rapid advance of First World War weaponry
August 25, 2020
The First World War is known for stagnancy and stalemate—trench-bound days of misery and boredom punctuated by periodic terror and wholesale slaughter. Soldiers from both
Gassed up: The juice that fuelled victory in the Battle of Britain
July 29, 2020
Months before it entered the Second World War in December 1941, the United States invested heavily in the Allied cause by instituting the US$50.1-billion Lend-Lease
Remembering the chaos of liberated Europe
July 21, 2020
Pierre Gauthier landed on D-Day with his Régiment de la Chaudière and fought through France, Belgium and into the Netherlands before a second wound ended
The “Miracle of Dunkirk” came at high cost
June 9, 2020
British prime minister Winston Churchill called the 1940 evacuation of British and Allied troops from the French port at Dunkirk “a colossal military disaster.” He
German U-boat crews abandon plans to scuttle; surrender instead
May 13, 2020
It was a cloudy afternoon on May 10, 1945, when four Canadian navy ships intercepted U-889 some 250 kilometres southeast of Cape Race, Nfld. The
Coffee: The soldier’s drink of ‘choice and remembrance’
April 1, 2020
“I would rather suffer with coffee than be senseless.” – Napoleon Bonaparte When times are tough and you’re far from home, it’s often the
Host
Stephen Thorne
Stephen J. Thorne is an award-winning writer, photographer, editor and broadcaster. He has reported extensively from war fronts in Kosovo and Afghanistan. His stories and photographs have been published worldwide and his work has anchored two major exhibitions at the Canadian War Museum. His honours over 40 years in journalism include three National Newspaper Awards, four RTNDA broadcast awards, two Canadian Press Stories of the Year, a Silver Medal in the 2019 National Magazine Awards and the first-ever Ross Munro Media Award for excellence in defence reporting.
