Dan's History Heroes: Britain's Greatest Soldier, Part 2

Dan Snow's History Hit

Please note that this episode contains some explicit language.

This is the story of Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart, Britain's most extraordinary soldier. The one-handed, one-eyed, walking stick-wielding war hero fought in the Second Boer War, The First World War and the Second World War. He was wounded countless times, awarded prestigious medals for gallantry, and made into a figure of legend. Away from the battlefield the eccentric veteran rubbed shoulders with kings and emperors, and worked with some of the most important world leaders of the 20th century.

To tell this astonishing tale, Dan weaves his storytelling with the words of Carton De Wiart himself, read by Dan's father, Peter Snow. In this second episode, Carton de Wiart survives the 1939 invasion of Poland, becomes a POW in Italy and eventually makes his way to China, where he becomes Churchill's personal representative to Chiang Kai-shek.

Written and produced by Dan Snow, and edited by Dougal Patmore.

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