To fight for your country may be a noble calling. But over the last thousand years, it has rarely been entirely voluntary, as Bettany Hughes discovers as she once again travels the country in search of the stories told in the archives of Britain’s military past.
What happened when a thirteenth century duke refused to supply the King with fighting men? Why did Wellington try and stop the story of Waterloo being told? Why did Glasgow send a Regiment of Bantams to fight on the Somme?
And as two schoolboys pursue the story of one man’s extraordinary wartime courage, we learn that truth may not be a casualty of war but it is certainly a fragile survivor.
Find out more - in depth - with the programme transcript.
Breaking the Seal in more depth:
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme One - Domesday
BBC
Introducing an episode in the series 'Breaking the Seal', which traces the growth of public information from the Domesday book to our present day tax... Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme One - Domesday
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme two - Tax
BBC
A programme summary for Tax, the second programme of the BBC/OU's series Breaking the Seal. Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme two - Tax
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme four - Church
BBC
Introducing an episode in the series 'Breaking the Seal' which deals with church records. Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme four - Church
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme five - Legal
BBC
Introducing an episode of the series Breaking the Seal, which explores how legal records can reveal the past Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme five - Legal
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land
BBC
Introducing an episode of the 'Breaking the Seal' series which looks at the value of land records and the difficulty of knowing who owns Britain. Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Books
BBC
Find out how to start reading documents - start with some modern books. Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Books
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Meet our experts
Production team
Meet the experts featured in the OU's Breaking The Seal series Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Meet our experts
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Taking it further: Courses
BBC
Has the series left you hungry for more history? Could our courses be the first step in taking it further? Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Taking it further: Courses
OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land
BBC
Introducing an episode of the 'Breaking the Seal' series which looks at the value of land records and the difficulty of knowing who owns Britain. Read more : OU on the BBC: Breaking the Seal - Programme Six - Land
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