The battle for Gallipoli begins.

As war comes knocking, Nelson Langsford moves from routine service into active conflict aboard HMS Prince George. Tasked with carrying troops and patrolling hostile waters, the ship turns toward the Dardanelles, a narrow strait Britain hopes to force open and end the war quickly. But it won’t be that simple.

Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin delves deeper, uncovering what it was like to experience this gamble far below deck. As mines detonate, shells strike, and ageing battleships strain under impossible pressure, survival in the engine room comes down to seconds, skill, and instinct.

In this episode, one ordinary man witnesses naval confidence collapse, the strategy shifting, and the Gallipoli campaign taking its most fateful turn.

Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin

Guest: Charlotte Ward-Kelly

Editor: CM87Edits

Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert

Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb

Designer: Michael McCosh

Social media: Sarah Cornes

Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

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

A childhood shaped by industry. A Navy on the brink of change.

Nelson Langsford grows up at National Trust’s Cotehele Mill, as part of a family rooted for generations in skilled work. Beyond the mill, Britain is entering a new industrial age, and the Royal Navy is transforming with it.

Joined by naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin explores how Nelson’s early life prepared him for a very different world. As steam power replaces sail and engineering skill becomes vital to Britain’s global reach, Nelson steps into the engine rooms of a modernising Navy while the First World War looms on the horizon.

How does an ordinary upbringing prepare one man for the dangers of conflict, and a campaign that will leave a lasting mark on his family history?

Host and researcher: Jen Baldwin

Guest: Charlotte Ward-Kelly

Editor: CM87Edits

Script editors: Niall Cullen, Daisy Goddard, and Madeleine Gilbert

Producers: Madeleine Gilbert, Ellie Ayton, and James Plumb

Designer: Michael McCosh

Social media: Sarah Cornes

Executive Producers: Helen Kaye and Steve James

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

Gallipoli thunders on the waves. The engine room endures below deck.

Gallipoli was one of the First World War’s most devastating campaigns; it’s a story usually told through strategy, maps, and failure. But for thousands of families, Gallipoli was experienced through service in the Royal Navy, far below deck and far from the history books.

In this series of A Family History Of..., follow the story of Nelson Langsford, who grew up at National Trust’s Cotehele Mill before joining a rapidly modernising Royal Navy. As the First World War begins, Nelson’s technical skills take him into the engine rooms of battleships bound for the Dardanelles, and into the heart of the Gallipoli campaign.

Across four episodes, host and genealogist Jen Baldwin and guest naval historian Charlotte Ward‑Kelly trace Nelson’s journey through the war. A First World War story told through the eyes of one man, and the family history he left behind.

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