BBC Radio Podcasts from Love Letters from the Front
Episode 137
The final episode in the series.
Episode 136
Eric relives the horror of seeing a driver pinned under three horses.
Episode 135
Eric reflects on the plight of those fighting.
Episode 134
The dugout collapses and water destroys the trench.
Episode 133
'I can feel the wonderful thrill of real love go through me.'.
Episode 132
The German troops are moving towards Eric and his men - 200 yards and getting closer.
Episode 131
Eric ponders over the casualties of war and the mounting number of new graves.
Episode 130
'It's nearly 19 months since I came out here. When will the nightmare end?'.
Episode 129
Eric stands, glued to the spot, as a plane comes crashing towards him.
Episode 128
'You seem so dreadfully frightened for some reason...'.
Episode 127
'Was wakened at 3.45am by a torrent of water on my shoulders and feet.'.
Episode 126
The conditions worsen as the wagons are stuck in the mud up to their axles.
Episode 125
Eric is on the wagon trail as the terrible conditions continue.
Episode 124
'My god! What a place.'.
Episode 123
The soldiers capture a German prisoner.
Episode 122
The casualties mount up as Eric wonders when he will get home.
Episode 121
Eric continues to be bombarded by shells and is nearly buried alive.
Episode 120
'I am sending you a souvenir. It's the shoulder title of the greatcoat of a dead Boche..'.
Episode 119
Decomposed bodies surround Eric as he struggles to continue.
Episode 118
'Oh! Lady mine, it's just awful: the dead are lying all over the place...'.
Episode 117
Eric dreads the thought of going into action again, but it is not far off.
Episode 116
Eric feels like a 'selfish brute' after writing a harsh letter.
Episode 115
'This ghastly din goes on and to top it all I haven't had a letter for eleven whole days.'
Episode 114
It has been three months since Eric was with Phyllis. A photograph is his only company.
Episode 113
'I don't quite know what I feel like today. We have just buried dear old Burrows.'.
Episode 112
Eric is caught in a bitter battle at the front.
Episode 111
Eric remembers: 'We made an awful row and had a dance!'.
Episode 110
Eric reports that censorship might restrict his letters to Phyllis.
Episode 109
'I seem to be much, much further away from my lady now...'.
Episode 108
'The flies here are awful; there are millions and millions of them'.
Episode 107
Eric speaks of the pain of losing a close friend.
Episode 106
'What a funny thing it was that that you opened the book of the army list...'.
Episode 105
Eric is haunted by the wailings of a shell-shocked soldier.
Episode 104
Eric is nearly blind and struggles to write.
Episode 103
Eric is despondent - 'I shall not be allowed to read or write'.
Episode 102
Eric struggles to find time to write.
Episode 101
Phyllis learns that Eric is practically penniless.
Episode 100
Eric's mind wanders to Athlone - and the thought of being with Phyllis again.
Episode 99
'I took his hand - that poor hand, wasted away to skin and bone'.
Episode 98
A death in the family brings heartache for Phyllis.
Episode 97
'I had to fire about 15 times at machine guns'.
Episode 96
Eric is left in darkness, with another move forward planned.
Episode 95
'How much happiness seems to rest on that little word, "Yes"...', Eric tells Phyllis.
Episode 94
Despite the awful conditions of war, Eric is delighted to be engaged to Phyllis.
Episode 93
Eric wonders how Phyllis will tell the world about their engagement.
Episode 92
Eric asks Phyllis to marry him.
Episode 91
Phyllis hears that Eric has had his fill of war.
Episode 90
Eric frets about the possibility of never seeing Phyllis again.
Episode 89
Eric confides to Phyllis - 'It almost makes me want to get wounded so that I could be...'.
Episode 88
With Dublin in turmoil, Eric feels unable to take care of Phyllis.
Episode 77
Eric tells Phyllis of his despair as his men plunder and steal from local towns.
Episode 76
Phyllis hears that Eric is moving towards the Dardanelles.
Episode 75
Eric expresses his fears to Phyllis that he might not survive.
Episode 74
Eric loses his gun, telling Phyllis it was used to kill a German soldier.
Episode 87
Eric laments his fears to Phyllis.
Episode 86
Eric is outraged by a letter he receives from Phyllis.
Episode 85
Eric realises that Phyllis has been cut off during the Easter Rising.
Episode 84
Eric tells Phyllis: 'Phyl, I am most terribly afraid something awful may have happened..'.
Episode 83
The Easter Rising in Dublin causes Eric to wonder about Phyllis's safety at home.
Episode 82
Eric asks Phyllis - 'Do you want your Englishman as he is you?'.
Episode 81
Eric reveals to Phyllis that he has to walk through 12 miles of mud each day.
Episode 80
Phyllis hears how Eric's days drag on.
Episode 79
Eric is left heartbroken after leave to see Phyllis is cancelled.
Episode 78
'I am still alive' - Eric sends a heartfelt message to Phyllis.
Episode 73
Eric tells Phyllis: 'It was the first time you had ever called me by my name'.
Episode 72
Eric seeks reassurance from Phyllis.
Episode 71
Phyllis hears that Eric is in full view of the enemy line.
Episode 70
Eric is candid about Phyllis's love for singing.
Episode 69
Eric and Phyllis can't escape the grim reality of life in the trenches.
Episode 68
'When will this cursed war ever end?', Eric pleads with Phyllis.
Episode 67
Eric ventures through the ruins of a town as machine guns fire around him.
Episode 66
Eric shares his regret about war and what it has meant for their love.
Episode 65
Eric tells Phyllis of the trenches set alight.
Episode 64
The fighting becomes more ferocious as Eric and Phyllis reflect.
Episode 63
Eric's hope of leave to see Phyllis is dashed.
Episode 62
Eric dreams of being reunited with Phyllis again in Athlone.
Episode 61
Cold and harsh conditions on the front line begin to take their toll on Eric.
Episode 60
Eric explains his place in the army to Phyllis.
Episode 59
Eric shares news of a devastated village with Phyllis.
Episode 58
As battle continues, Eric adores a piece of paper kissed by Phyllis.
Episode 57
Eric and Phyllis reflect on an uncertain future.
Episode 56
Eric is assigned to horse duties and takes the men on gun drill.
Episode 55
Phyllis makes Eric feel uneasy.
Episode 54
Eric begins to break down as the battle grinds on and his absence from Phyllis lengthens.
Episode 53
Eric recounts the aftermath of an attack to Phyllis.
Episode 52
Eric and Phyllis are left reeling after a German patrol attacks and inflicts casualties.
Episode 51
Eric discloses to Phyllis that he has been ordered to head into no man's land.
Episode 50
Eric begins to lose hope of meeting Phyllis again.
Episode 49
Eric wishes for an end to the war that is preventing him and Phyllis being together.
Episode 48
Eric is given alarming news of imminent action ahead.
Episode 47
Eric dreams of spending a night at the opera with Phyllis, to escape the trenches.
Episode 46
The reality of war resumes for Eric and Phyllis.
Episode 45
Eric asks Phyllis for her forgiveness.
Episode 44
Eric remembers the precious time spent with Phyllis away from the trenches.
Episode 43
Eric and Phyllis relive the tender moments of their brief encounter.
Episode 42
Eric and Phyllis meet.
Episode 41
Eric is on his way to Dublin to see his darling Phyllis.
Episode 40
Eric and Phyllis share thoughts of a tender moment.
Episode 39
As the chance of leave gets tantalisingly close, Eric longs to see Phyllis again.
Episode 38
Eric and Phyllis discuss the strength of their feelings.
Episode 37
The bullets rain down as Eric and Phyllis consider their future.
Episode 36
The thought of three and a half 'love days' ahead keep Eric's and Phyllis's spirits high.
Episode 35
With the chance of home and even Phyllis in sight, Eric dreams of leaving war behind.
Episode 34
Eric confides to Phyllis that the harsh conditions are making him miserable and ill.
Episode 33
German heavy shelling inflicts casualties on Eric's battalion.
Episode 32
Eric and Phyllis try to keep their spirits up.
Episode 31
Trapped in the trenches, Eric reaches his lowest ebb.
Episode 30
Eric is devastated when all leave is suspended and his chance to see Phyllis disappears.
Episode 29
The joy of a possible chance to see Phyllis has Eric thinking of Liverpool and Athlone.
Episode 28
Eric tells Phyllis of the unrelenting German bombing.
Episode 27
Eric and Phyllis speak of the power of their feelings.
Episode 26
Eric tells Phyllis of his latest ordeal - being caught in a bomb blast.
Episode 25
Eric and Phyllis share their deepest thoughts.
Episode 24
Eric and Phyllis contemplate their uncertain future.
Episode 23
A disappointed Eric regrets the lack of a letter from Phyllis.
Episode 22
Eric visits the graves of the fallen and wonders if his fate will be to die in action.
Episode 21
Eric daydreams of taking Phyllis for a leisurely boat trip.
Episode 20
Eric relives the drama of a suspected German gas attack.
Episode 19
Eric yearns for Phyllis as feelings of love return to their letters.
Episode 18
Eric reacts to what he sees as cruel words from Phyllis.
Episode 17
Eric and Phyllis feel tension rising in their relationship.
Episode 16
Eric confides to Phyllis the horrors he has witnessed.
Episode 15
Eric loses a friend on the centenary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Episode 14
Eric and Phyllis exchange views on marriage.
Episode 13
Another near miss forces Eric to realise how close he is to death - and losing Phyllis.
Episode 12
It's Eric's birthday but, in spite of his love for Phyllis, Eric is at his lowest ebb.
Episode 11
Eric is plagued by doubts about whether, and why, Phyllis even likes him.
Episode 10
Only Eric's love for Phyllis makes the war bearable.
Episode 9
The constant enemy bombardment becomes almost too much for Eric to bear.
Episode 8
Romance hits the rocks as Eric and Phyllis exchange letters in a row.
Episode 7
Eric remembers his first encounter with Phyllis as death strikes his battalion.
Episode 6
The relationship between Phyllis and Eric deepens as troops receive gas masks.
Episode 5
Eric moves to a new dugout and tells Phyllis of life at the front.
Episode 4
Eric tells Phyllis of a near miss as the bombardment increases.
Episode 3
Eric reminisces about one of the dances he and Phyllis had.
Episode 2
Romance with Phyllis evolves as Eric battles jealousy as well as the enemy.
Episode 1
The love story of English soldier Eric Appleby and his Irish sweetheart, Phyllis Kelly.