WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Episode: A Clash In The Fog

Date: August 20, 2025

Brief Overview

In this special “Family Stories” edition, hosts Al Murray and James Holland delve into a series of poignant, humorous, and harrowing personal accounts from World War II, submitted by listeners. The episode weaves together five unique family stories—a tapestry of servicemen and civilians grappling with the randomness of fate, acts of courage, brushes with tragedy, and the enduring aftereffects of war on those who survived. The iconic blend of historical insight, wit, and personal reflection is at the heart of this episode.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Bronx Gunnery Officer: Prejudice, Defiance, and Redemption

[02:08–05:18]

• Andrew shares the story of his Jewish grandfather, who aspired to be a naval aviator but was diverted due to color blindness and antisemitic biases.
• The grandfather’s experience of antisemitism in the U.S. Army leads to a defiant act—punching a commanding officer and losing his commission.
• He later fights in France and the Vosges Mountains, reportedly killing an SS officer in hand-to-hand combat, a moment that changes his standing among his comrades.
• Post-wartime, he transitions into journalism after meeting his future wife, a nurse, during recovery in New York.

Notable Quotes:

• "Sometime in 1943 he punched his commanding officer for calling him a dirty Jew." —Andrew (03:30)
• "He was always a storyteller at heart, and I think he was searching for a way to convey what happened to him." —Andrew (04:52)

2. A Night of Chaos in the Fog: Convoy Collision off Newfoundland

[05:18–13:04]

• Peter Ivermey recounts his father Ted's harrowing experience as third mate aboard an oil tanker in July 1941, navigating thick fog in a 60-ship convoy.
• Poor signaling leads to catastrophic miscommunication and 15 collisions within 30 minutes.
• Vivid scenes of confusion: two collisions involving Ted's ship, the brush with the Commodore’s flagship, and nearly being rammed by another petrol tanker.
• Details the tension of believing the ship was sinking and readiness for evacuation—a night punctuated with black humor and close calls.
• Reflections on the limitations of the era’s navigation and anti-submarine tactics.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• “The noise of crashing metal, thumps, shouts, and whistles coming out of the fog was quite frightening.” —Peter’s father, Ted (06:47)
• "The old captain said, 'I have had enough of this. We will leave the convoy.' And I heartily agreed." (07:46)
• "I broke open a drawer...and pulled out several packets of nylon stockings I’d bought in New York and stuffed them in my life jacket top." (09:47)
• The fantastic near-miss with a Greek ship gliding silently through the fog—“I could have sworn I dreamt it.” (11:42)
• Folk wisdom: “If you heard a whistle ahead, you stopped the engines and waited until you could confirm where the other ship was.” (12:10)
• Concludes with wistful relief and the hope that “the Commodore had been forced back into retirement.” (12:45)

3. Shipwreck, Survival, and a Serendipitous Reunion in Barbados

[15:17–16:40]

• Daniel Woodrow narrates the ordeal of Sid Graham, a merchant seaman of Barbadian descent whose supply ship was sunk by an Italian submarine in 1942.
• Graham and 15 others drift in a lifeboat for eight days—landing, by fate, in Barbados, the birthplace of Sid's father.
• Sid is cared for by the aunt he never met and spends six months recovering before returning to Britain.

Notable Quotes:

• “This quirk of fate meant that...Sid was able to spend the next six months being looked after by his Auntie Dorothy, who he had never actually met before.” —Daniel Woodrow (15:52)

4. The RAF Gunner: Surviving the Ruhr, Flying Home, and the Burden of Memory

[16:40–24:50]

• Andrew Broxham shares the story of his late father, Rex Poland, who survived multiple near-death situations as a rear gunner with Bomber Command.
• Details a perilous daylight bombing mission over the Ruhr—flak damage and the loss of engines force a crash landing at a newly captured airstrip.
• Includes a memorable post-mission encounter at Victoria Station with his former schoolteacher, Captain Frank Potter, leading to a humorous parachute mishap on the train platform.
• Emotional weight: visiting his fallen crew’s graves in postwar Germany, and the lingering survivor’s guilt.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• “For a moment I longed for the safety of conjugating Latin verbs in the comparative peace of home.” —Extract from Rex Poland’s talk (18:47)
• “God help us all.” —Frank Potter (23:51)
• “I always felt that Dad had had a sense of guilt at surviving the war when his crew didn’t.” —Andrew Broxham (17:57)

5. Love and Loss During the ‘Baby Blitz’—The Tragedy in Kingsbury

[24:50–end]

• David Rogerson recounts the personal impact of the 1944 Luftwaffe “Little Blitz” on his father, Reginald, who loses his close friend Altama Metcalfe in a bombing that kills most of her family.
• The story is unearthed decades later in poems and photographs found after Reginald’s death—emphasizing long-lasting emotional scars and acts of remembrance.

Notable Quotes:

• “Dad never forgot Old Tama and used to visit and tidy the Metcalfe and Whitfield's graves for many years.” —David Rogerson (26:37)

Memorable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Sometime in 1943 he punched his commanding officer for calling him a dirty Jew."
  — Andrew (03:30)
• “The noise of crashing metal, thumps, shouts, and whistles coming out of the fog was quite frightening.”
  — Ted Ivermey (06:47)
• “I broke open a drawer...and pulled out several packets of nylon stockings...and stuffed them in my life jacket top.”
  — Ted Ivermey (09:47)
• “For a moment I longed for the safety of conjugating Latin verbs.”
  — Rex Poland (18:47)
• “God help us all.”
  — Frank Potter (23:51)
• “Dad never forgot Old Tama and used to visit and tidy the Metcalfe and Whitfield's graves for many years.”
  — David Rogerson (26:37)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Listener Introduction & Family Series Launch: [02:08]
• The Bronx Gunnery Officer: [02:08–05:18]
• Atlantic Convoy Collision: [05:18–13:04]
• Merchant Seaman Shipwreck/Barbados: [15:17–16:40]
• RAF Gunner’s Near Miss & Victoria Station Parachute Mishap: [16:40–24:50]
• Tragedy in Kingsbury/Enduring Memory: [24:50–end]

Tone and Style

The episode maintains the signature We Have Ways style—combining deeply researched, narratively rich stories with warmth, gentle humor, and sincere respect for the contributors’ family histories. The stories transition seamlessly from darkly comic moments amid chaos, to ebbs of tragedy and bittersweet memory.

Summary Takeaway

“A Clash In The Fog” offers a microcosm of the war experience as lived by ordinary people—acted out on ships and airfields, in streets and hospitals, and in the quiet corners of memory for decades after. From acts of courage and moments of absurdity to losses mourned and ties rediscovered, these family histories move beyond grand strategy to touch the heart of what World War II meant to those who endured it.

For a deeper understanding of the war’s far-reaching impact, and a beautifully executed blend of historical insight and storytelling, this episode is not to be missed.