From A Whisper To A Bang! is an unforgettable, award-winning podcast series about wartime remembrance, an Australian prisoner of war in World War 2 Germany, and, an emotional journey in ‘historical empathy’. Produced and presented by Megan Spencer and taking two years to make, it was commissioned by the Australian War Memorial.
Come with Megan as she walks in the shoes of her late grandfather, Corporal Harry Spencer, across land and sea, two world wars, three generations, four POW camps and umpteen compelling conversations.
How do we make sense of war and what it leaves behind? On the heels of the Centenary of the Armistice, may we remember well.
Binge all six one-hour episodes now! Scroll down to start listening from Episode 01…
Join the podcast’s community on Facebook and read about From A Whisper To A Bang! winning the “Best News, Current Affairs or Feature Report” Bronze Radio Award at the MEAA SA Media Awards below!
Being a good listener on Should I Start A Podcast?
Must Amplify’s Ronsley Seriojo Vaz interviews Megan about good listening practice on Should I Start A Podcast?, an audio series that “explores the stories and experiences of entrepreneurs and artists [who] have created a podcast”.
It’s a deep dive into the value and benefit of ‘listening well’, especially when it comes to making podcasts memorable. Here’s the episode synopsis:
“On This Episode Of Should I Start A Podcast…. Megan Spencer listens before speaking”.
“With open ears, broadcaster and mindfulness meditation teacher Megan Spencer is a professional listener”.
“She produced the award-winning podcast series From A Whisper To A Bang! […]
War + Remembrance: Q&A with Peter Monteath and Megan Spencer
Unfortunately the organiser had to cancel the event.
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At this special event on the 76th anniversary of “VE Day”, the end of the Second World War in Europe, Peter Monteath and Megan Spencer will share their thoughts in a conversation about war and remembrance, with an emphasis on the campaign in Crete; the most modern and the most ancient of wars.
Peter, Professor of History at Flinders University, is the author of recently published war history, Battle on 42nd Street: War in Crete and the Anzacs’ bloody last stand. Megan is, among other things, a broadcaster, critic, writer and creator of […]
Australian Podcast Awards 2020 nomination!
Hot on the heels of the win at the 2020 SA Media Awards, From A Whisper To A Bang! has been nominated at this year’s Australian Podcast Awards!
The six-part, non-fiction, narrative audio-on-demand series has been nominated in “The Creativity Award” category.
A ‘Special Award’ chosen by the judges, this award recognises “a single piece of audio so creatively dazzling that it deserves its own trophy.”
“That could be the result of great storytelling, sound design, performance, editing… or any combination of the above.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the invitation-only […]
Win at SA Media Awards!
Megan’s remembrance podcast From a Whisper to a Bang!, produced for the Australian War Memorial, has won an award at the 2020 MEAA SA Media Awards!
From A Whisper To A Bang! was nominated in two categories, becoming a finalist for “Best Freelance Contribution” and sharing honours as a joint-winner of “Best Radio News or Current Affairs or Feature Report” in the Bronze Award category for Radio, with Annie Hastwell’s ABC program, “The History Listen, Radio National, ABC, “Waterloo Bay: That word Massacre”.
Judges comments: “From A Whisper To A Bang! is a beautiful, sometimes confronting journey that blends the personal […]
From A Whisper To A Bang! – Episode Six
Episode 06: “Making Peace”
Across land and sea, through two world wars, three generations and umpteen conversations, Megan has been on an epic journey, listening and leaning in to significant conversations about remembrance, its importance and possibilities.
Set against the 2018 Centenary of the Armistice, in this final episode Megan reflects on what she’s learned across the series, from what others have said and by walking in the footsteps of her soldier grandfather.
She speaks to eminent historian Professor Margaret MacMillan and looks at where Australia has come to as a nation with its practice of remembrance. What role does it serve? Do […]
From A Whisper to a Bang! – Episode Five
Episode 05: “Defending Country”
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the this episode (and its associated material) contains the names of, references to, voices and images of people who have since passed away.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have served in every conflict, peacekeeping and humanitarian operation in which Australia has been engaged.
One of the most celebrated soldiers is Gunditjmara man Captain Reginald Saunders. While it’s not known whether they knew each other, “Reg” and Megan’s grandfather Harry served in the same battalion (2/7) during the Second World War, fighting the very same battles against the German […]
From A Whisper to a Bang! – Episode Four
Episode 04: “Remembering well”
“Lest we forget” is a phrase that memorialises those who have fallen in war.
In this special Anzac Day episode of ‘From A Whisper To A Bang!’, Megan takes a step back to look at the world in which we now live, asking: Are we forgetting? What happens if we do? And, while we might remember, do we remember “well”? In our busy, fast-changing “post-truth” world, she explores the role of remembrance now.
Travelling around Australia – and attending her first Anzac Day dawn service since returning home from Germany – she speaks with veterans, a politician, an empathy […]
From A Whisper to a Bang! – Episode Three
Episode 03: “City As War Memorial”
Megan’s grandfather Harry was just a boy when his older brother “Dick” died during World War 1.
A twin, Private Richard “Charles” Spencer, 14th Btn., 1st A.I.F., was killed a few days shy of his 19th birthday on the 31st of January, 1918, on the Western Front near Ieper (or “Ypres”).
No doubt this played a role in Harry’s decision to join up in 1939.
Hungry for even more knowledge about her family’s military past, in Episode 03 Megan drives from Berlin to Belgium to find out how, when and why Richard died. It’s the first time any […]
From A Whisper to a Bang! – Episode Two
Episode 02: “Walking A Mile In Harry’s Shoes”
In Episode 02 Megan visits the crumbling, 75-year-old ruins of two of the four stalags (prison camps) her grandfather Corporal Harry Spencer – Prisoner No. 91985 – was held in, in Germany, between 1941-1945.
The first, Stalag VII-A, is in Moosburg in Germany’s south. The other, Stalag XI-B/357 in Fallingbostel, is in the north. They were two of Germany’s biggest prisoner of war (POW) camps during the war, each housing thousands of prisoners from all over the world.
With the help of locals, family members, military historians and narration from Harry’s handwritten memoirs, Megan dives […]
From A Whisper to a Bang! – Episode One
Episode 01, “Harry’s story, Megan’s pilgrimage”
In Episode 01 Megan introduces the story of her grandfather Corporal “Harry” Spencer, 2/7 Btn., 2nd A.I.F. A prisoner of war (POW) in Germany for four years during World War 2, Harry was one of several thousand ANZACs captured by the German Army in 1941 during the ill-fated ‘Battle of Crete’.
Harry’s story is the catalyst for interviews, conversations and insights that broaden our understanding of history, remembrance, and the very human consequences of war. What kind of an effect did being a POW have on Harry and his family – then and even now?
A chance […]