Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher | 20111107 | In a special series for Remembrance Week, Jeremy Vine meets the mothers of five soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who share their memories through music. Talking through a list of her son's favourite songs, each woman tells the story of his life and his death. Helena Tym from Caversham in Berkshire talks about her 19 year old son Cyrus who was killed in an explosion in Afghanistan on 2nd June 2009. She describes him as a boy who struggled at school but was always smiling and never felt too old to sit on her lap for a cuddle. Her middle son, he was close to his brothers and they have found it hard to come to terms with losing him. Helena remembers how Cyrus used to sing as he walked down the street and how he would find a song he liked then play it over and over again. The music was not always to her taste but she now listens to the lyrics and understands why they would appeal to an angry teenager. She shares the special song that the family chose to play at his funeral and the music that reminds her of his last day at home. Jeremy Vine meets five mothers of fallen soldiers who share their memories through music. Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them |
| 02 | Lieutenant Mark Evison | 20111108 | Throughout Remembrance Week, Jeremy Vine talks to the mothers of five soldiers and asks them to share their memories and the music their sons loved to listen to. Lieutenant Mark Evison grew up in a leafy part of South London but on the 9th May 2009, he was thousands of miles from home in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Shot by a Taliban sniper, he was flown back to Britain where he died in hospital. His mother Margaret remembers a sickly child who became a strong man. Mark loved music from an early age and having taught himself to play the piano by listening in on his sister's lessons, he took up the cello. Mark was described by his Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who was later also killed in action, as one of the finest young officers of his generation, a truly remarkable young man and a natural leader who was nicknamed 007 by his platoon. The Mark Evison Foundation has been set up in his memory and gives grants to young people for projects involving personal goals and physical challenges which encourage them to grow in confidence. The music is as eclectic as it gets and with every song comes a story. A personal tribute to five young men and a poignant reminder of the sacrifice they all made as soldiers. Producer Jill Misson. Jeremy Vine meets the mother of a fallen soldier who shares her memories through music. Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them |
| 03 | Sergeant John Jones | 20111109 | In a special series for Remembrance Week, Jeremy Vine meets the mothers of five fallen soldiers who share their memories through music. Sergeant John Jones was a husband, a father and an Aston Villa fan. In November 2005, he was killed while out on patrol in Basra when his Snatch landrover hit a roadside bomb. His wife had to tell their 5 year old son and break the news to his parents. John's mother Carol lives near the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire and it has become a special place for her. She wants more people to visit and takes the listener on a tour of the places that mean the most to her from the Basra Memorial Wall to the weeping willow she planted for her son. Jeremy Vine meets the mother of a fallen soldier who shares her memories through music. Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them |
| 04 | Corporal Liam Riley | 20111110 | In this special series of programmes for Remembrance, Jeremy Vine meets the mothers of five fallen soldiers who share their memories through music. Corporal Liam Riley was a strapping soldier with an infectious smile and a bright future in the Yorkshire Regiment. He loved to listen to his music at home at full volume and his mother would shout at him to turn it down. Cheryl now misses that noise. Liam was killed last year when he stepped on a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He was running to help a friend who had just triggered a device moments before. Both men died. His mother has kept his car and drives it to work listening to the music he loved. She shares the track they played at his funeral and an anthemic song from a band he was so desperate to see he drove for six hours to get to the gig. Producer Jill Misson. Jeremy Vine meets the mother of a soldier killed in Afghanistan who loved loud music. Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them |
| 05 | Private Richard Hunt | 20111111 | In this final programme of the series, Jeremy Vine meets the mother of Private Richard Hunt on the family farm in Abergavenny. Hazel Hunt shares memories of her son and the music he loved to listen to. Talking through a list of his favourite songs, she paints a picture of the young sniper who was a drummer in a band. Richard was seriously wounded in Afghanistan when an Improvised Explosive Device went off under the Warrior he was driving. He was flown back to Selly Oak hospital in Birmingham where he died with his family and friends at his bedside. They have since set up a charity in memory of their own Welsh Warrior. The Richard Hunt Foundation helps Welsh soldiers to cope with the physical and mental scars of war and offers support to their families. Producer Jill Misson. Jeremy Vine meets the mother of a fallen soldier who loved playing the drums. Jeremy Vine and guests discuss the news headlines and talk to the people making them |