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WE sons of world war two vets
We Sons of World War Two Vets is a new podcast (Spring 2025) about men who fought in World War Two, whose stories are told by their sons.
In each episode, Matthew Collins speaks to a WW2 veteran's son who has the chance to pay tribute to his father. And to explore the effects of the war - on him and on his family.
Matthew's father, Patrick, joined the RAF in May 1939 when he was 17. He returned home at the age of 24, more mature in many ways than Matthew was at 40.
But his father rarely talked about the war. And when he did, he usually told light-hearted stories about it - rather than discuss fully what he'd seen and done.
He was, however, serious when discussing other family members - a brother who was shot at Dunkirk; a cousin whose ship was torpedoed; and his own father who'd survived battles in the First World War (as well as uncles who had not).
War experiences seeped into Matthew's consciousness. From a young age, he appreciated that he was part of a lucky generation that was unlikely to be called upon to fight.
But what if he had been called up? And if war had broken out, how might he have responded?
After his father died, he started to compare notes with other veterans' sons.
He then interviewed men who told the stories of their fathers' war. And reflected on its effects. On their fathers and on themselves.
But the interviews also became explorations of the contrast between two very different generations. And explorations of father/son relationships.
To coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, nine episodes have, so far, been published. (The most recent - Episode 9, Richard and Jack, about ace night-fighter pilot Jack Foster - came out this month.) More will follow soon.
Below are details of all nine episodes, now available on podcast platforms.
Episodes
Episode 1 is a 17-minutes-long taster, featuring extracts from various episodes.
The other eight are interviews with individual sons of men who fought in World War Two.
Episode 9, Richard and Jack, has just been published (7th August 2025).
Jack Foster was an ace night fighter pilot who shot down nine enemy aircraft and won two Distinguished Flying Crosses. After the war he became a test pilot. He tested 48 aircraft (including captured German and Italian planes) and became part of a team exploring the possibilities of supersonic flight.
Richard Foster, Jack's son, brings his father's log books to the interview and goes through them as he discusses his dad's extraordinary flying career.
Episode 8, David and Edward was published in July.
Edward Toms lived to the age of 102 and published his memoirs when he was 100. Edward and his tank were set on fire during the Battle of Alamein. (He had to roll around in sand to put the flames out and then inject himself with morphine.) Later in the war he took part in Special Forces raids on Albania. But during his long life, Edward never forgot the many young comrades who were killed fighting alongside him.
Photographs for these two latest episodes (including pictures of Jack Foster's log books) will appear on this page later this week.
As a general intro to the podcast, try the embedded taster above or.....
please hit a podcast platform button at the top of this page to go directly to the series
Below are all the episodes presently available:
Episode 2
Matthew speaks to Brighton-based journalist Murdo Morrison - who grew up on the Isle of Lewis - about his father John's war.
John took part in the Normandy landings (D-Day plus 4).
They explore the huge cultural differences between the baby boomer son and his war vet father.
Episode 3
Matthew speaks to Londoner Andy Trevillion about his father, also called Andy.
Andy Senior's war saw him rescued from Dunkirk; fighting Rommel in the Western Desert; seeing action in Southern Italy; and, after the war, fighting in Greece.
Andy describes his father as "A good bloke, an easy person to be around". But it was only after his death that Andy Junior fully appreciated quite what a toll his father's war experiences had taken.
Episode 4
Matthew speaks to Cumberland farmer Joe Roe about his father John.
Joe was born in 1947 but describes the Second World War "as a thread which ran through my entire life".
John's war took him to France; the Western Desert; Italy; and, afterwards, to Palestine.
When he came home, Joe's father took over the local post office. But, says Joe, "Not a day seemed to go by when the war wasn't mentioned in some way."
The cool dude on the motorcycle is Joe's dad, John.
Episode 5
Richard Hicks' father, Thomas, was a Wellington bomber pilot. He had so many extraordinary, lucky escapes that his crew thought he was in league with the devil (because the devil looks after his own...). They refused to fly with any other pilot.
Matthew and Richard met in prison - when they were working as teachers in HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
Episode 6
Robert Sackville-West talks about his father, Hugh, who won a Military Cross during the liberation of France.
Hugh was in the Tank Regiment but his family didn't learn the full details of his war until after he died.
Episode 7
Eric Grant talks about his father, George Laidlaw, who took 11 bullets after parachuting into Arnhem. (And survived!) He also talks about wartime romance; his adoptive father, George Grant; his mother, Pearl; and a desire to erase wartime history.
Episode 8
Matthew met Edward and David Toms in the picture framing shop they ran.
When they framed a booklet of Matthew's father's quotes (which included a few lines about WW2) he got to know a little about Edward's war.
But it was only when Edward died and obituaries appeared in national newspapers, that Matthew found out quite how extraordinary Edward's war had been. (Pictures of David and Edward will appear here soon.)
Episode 9
Jack Foster's family story sounds like a Michael Palin Ripping Yarn. His father fought in the Boar War and his dad and all his uncles played cricket for Worcestershire. One of his uncles also played for England and in 1903 he scored 287 in his debut test match.
Jack joined the RAF from school. He became a nightfighter with 604 Squadron (whose commander was John "Cat's Eyes" Cunningham) flying Beaufighters and Mosquitos.
After the war he became a test pilot and was part of a team exploring the possibilities of supersonic flight.
Episode 10 (out later in August...)
will be about Ray Wells whose father's Royal Navy battleship was hit by a torpedo - an experience that affected him for the rest of his life.
To contact Matthew please complete the form below.
Meanwhile, here's a delicate request:
There are many more World War Two Vets' sons out there - with personal-historical reflections to share. Matthew wants to document as many as possible - and put them out as further podcasts.
He's already travelled around the UK recording interviews (20 so far). And will continue to record them, funding the project himself. But he would love support.
So, if you are able to support this podcast (even by contributing the cost of a coffee), you will help to make future episodes. (And keep the audio standards of recordings high.) You will even do a small bit to document World War Two's legacy.
To support this podcast, you can hit the 'Support the Show' button under each episode's blurb on any of the podcast platforms.
Or you can visit Patreon and see 'Membership'.
https://www.patreon.com/c/wesonsofww2vets/