History Rage

312. History, Hijacking, and the Poppy Thong: A Rant on War Commemoration with Peter Caddick Adams, and Alex Churchill | IWM History Festival Live 2

History Rage

Show Notes

Stop commercializing historical grief and ignoring the true scale of global warfare.

Recorded live at the Imperial War Museum Festival, host Paul Bavill sits down with two of History Rage’s favourite returning guests—Dr. Peter Caddick Adams and Alex Churchill—for an unfiltered, hilarious, and deeply insightful look at how we commemorate global conflicts.

From the tacky monetization of grief to the complete erasure of French contributions on the Western Front, this live crowd episode pulls no punches. Why has our memory of the First World War become so lazy? The team breaks down the "Airfix School of Military History," explores the forgotten British conflicts post-1945, and takes aim at the deeply problematic world of Axis reenactment cosplay. Finally, they tackle the terrifying future of AI-generated history slop and explain why preserving your personal family archives on physical paper is the ultimate act of historical preservation.

Recommended Episodes to Unleash More Rage If you loved this live panel, dive back into the archives with these essential episodes:

Episode 75: Dr. Peter Caddick Adams rages on Bernard Montgomery and explains why "Monty" might not be all he’s cracked up to be. Episode 210: Alex Churchill rages against the narrow British lens of the First World War, proving it truly was a global conflict.

Featured Book Support the authors who keep history honest. Grab your copy of Alex Churchill's brilliant book, which balances the scales of global wartime contributions:

Buy the Book: Ring of Fire: A Global History of the Great War by Alex Churchill. Order directly from the History Rage Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9781035903429

Support and Follow History Rage Help us keep the rage alive! Subscribe, review, and join our community of history lovers who prefer hard truths over comfortable myths.

Subscribe to the Newsletter: Get monthly updates on upcoming shows, guests, and future live appearances at https://historyrage.substack.com or visit our main hub at https://www.historyrage.com. Follow Us on Socials: Search for @HistoryRage across all major podcast directories and social media platforms to download, subscribe, and never miss a rant.

Stay Angry. Stay Informed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from History Rage

Oct 19, 2026

Think the legendary detective began at 221B Baker Street?

Oct 18, 2026

Can we please stop believing that our ancestors didn't eat vegetables?

Oct 11, 2026

Did the ancient world celebrate queer love, or did they invent homophobia?

Oct 4, 2026

Think history is a neat, upward march of progress? Think again.

Sep 30, 2026

Forget Henry VIII: It is Time to Reignite the Power of the Six Queens

See all episodes →