In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History

A narrative history podcast about people pushed to the absolute edge. Hosted by Australian author Tom Trumble (Penguin Random House), In Extremis tells longform stories from WWII, the Cold War, and beyond — survival, mutiny, betrayal, leadership under pressure. Military history told as gripping human narrative.Coming soon: Shackleton and Mawson in Antarctica. Nancy Wake — the White Mouse. The assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. The Cuban Missile Crisis. Chernobyl. The Mutiny on the Batavia. Also coming: Amelia Earhart. Vivian Bullwinkel. Captain Richard de Crespigny. The Thai cave rescue.

In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History is a history podcast hosted by Tom Trumble, with 19 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Tom Trumble hosts In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History, a history show with 19 episodes published.

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  Episode #4

  Shackleton - Part 4: Elephant Island

  Aug 20, 202644 minS3

  Shackleton scours the seas for the missing Dudley Docker. She's still afloat, but out of sight. Skippering the Docker, Frank Worsley hasn't slept in 80 hours. When the crew finally reaches solid ground, relief turns to despondency. There will be no rescue in this frozen wasteland. Shackleton must prepare for another - more dangerous - open boat journey across the Drake Passage. As the 6 men selected prepare to depart immediately, Shackleton writes a letter to Frank Wild, instructing him to abandon the camp if rescue doesn't come. Within days, the James Caird will sail 800 nautical miles across the Drake Passage, attempting one of the greatest small boat journeys in maritime history. SOURCES Lansing, Alfred. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition . Basic Books, 1959. Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition . Knopf, 1998. Jarvis, Tim. Shackleton's Epic . BBC, 2009. Shackleton, Sir Ernest. South: The Endurance Expedition . Penguin Classics, 1919. Worsley, Frank Shackleton's Boat Journey , 1933

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  Episode #3

  Shackleton - Part 3: Of Salt, Sacrifice, Leadership and Floebergs

  Aug 13, 202646 minS3

  When the ice beneath them fractures in the dead of night, Shackleton acts without hesitation—pulling Ernie Holness from the freezing water in a moment that sets the tone for everything that follows. But rescue from the ice is only the beginning. As the three small boats—the James Caird, Stancomb Wills, and Dudley Docker—push into open water during a severe gale, the men face conditions that test not just their bodies but their minds. A floeberg that seems solid becomes a death trap. Navigation reveals they've drifted backward 30 miles. The ocean itself conspires against them: unseen currents, waves that freeze mid-air, temperatures dropping to -22°C. Through it all, Shackleton stands visible at the bow without mittens—a symbol of endurance and an inspiration to the men. And as the three boats draw within 10 miles of Elephant Island, Shackleton makes a fateful decision... SOURCES: Lansing, Alfred. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition . Basic Books, 1959. Alexander, Caroline. The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition . Knopf, 1998. Jarvis, Tim. Shackleton's Epic . BBC, 2009. Koehn, Nancy. Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times . Crown Business, 2017. Shackleton, Sir Ernest. South: The Endurance Expedition . Penguin Classics, 1919.

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  Episode #2

  Shackleton - Part 2: The Drift of the Ice

  Aug 6, 202640 minS3

  After the Endurance sank, Shackleton faced three possible drift patterns. None guaranteed rescue. What he could control was morale. Life on the floe brought constant suffering: constipation, sodden ice, eyes burned raw by wind and reflection, wind madness. When calculations showed they were drifting away from land, Shackleton ordered a march west dragging two boats. Progress: six miles in five days. Christmas came and went. Carpenter Harry McNish turned on the commander, claiming the ship's sinking had terminated his contract. Shackleton lied, claiming the articles remained binding. McNish backed down. Days later, fearing the boats would be damaged, Shackleton abandoned the march and established Patience Camp. Shackleton's strength lay not just in care for his men, but in understanding each one's psychology. He managed difficult personalities - the egotistical Hurley, the anxious storekeeper Orde-Lees - by isolating them strategically. Yet Orde-Lees, though eccentric, was possibly the strongest: a former Royal Marines PT director who survived a 12-foot, 1,100-pound leopard seal attack only by Frank Worsley's rifle. By April, the floe had shrunk to 50 yards across. On April 9, Shackleton ordered the boats launched. They cleared the pack as a tide rip—150 feet of surging ice—roared past. That night on a new floe, Shackleton awoke at 11 p.m. A deep rumble. A crack opened directly beneath his tent. The men scrambled out unharmed. Then the shout: "Somebody's missing!!!" Sources "Endurance", By Alfred Lansing "The Endurance", By Caroline Alexander "Shackleton's Epic", By Tim Jarvis "Forged in Crisis", By Nancy Koehn

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  In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History

  Shackleton - Part 1: What the ice gets, the ice keeps

  Jul 30, 202646 min

  EPISODE DESCRIPTION November 21, 1915. The Endurance, trapped in Antarctic pack ice for months, finally breaks apart under impossible pressure. Sir Ernest Shackleton watches his ship—his home, his sanctuary—succumb to the ice and slip beneath the surface. The dream of crossing Antarctica is over. Now, 28 men face a new ordeal: survival on a drifting ice floe, hundreds of miles from any land, with no radio contact and no one knowing their fate. This is the moment Shackleton's true test begins—not conquest, but command of men in hopelessness. Part 1 of the Shackleton arc opens in the ice, where a 41-year-old explorer must decide who they will become when everything is stripped away. PEOPLE Sir Ernest Shackleton — 41-year-old expedition commander; Irish-born; haunted by his previous Antarctic failure and Amundsen's triumph; driven by ambition, financial pressure, and an unshakeable belief in his own leadership Frank Worsley — Ship's captain, Endurance; masterful navigator; described as "delighted in nothing more than barreling into the ice" Frank Hurley — Photographer and filmmaker; documented the expedition; conducted lantern slide shows during the long winter darkness Dr. Alexander Macklin — Scottish surgeon; specialist in recognizing morale decline The 28-man crew — Scientists, sailors, dog handlers; men of different nationalities, classes, and skills Roald Amundsen — Norwegian explorer; first to reach the South Pole (1911); overshadowed Shackleton's achievements Sir Robert Falcon Scott — British explorer; reached the South Pole a month after Amundsen; died on the return journey; iconic figure of the Heroic Age Adrian de Gerlache — Belgian expedition commander; first to overwinter in Antarctica aboard the Belgica (1897-1899) Frederick Cook — American photographer, surgeon, and fraud; relieved crew sanity during the Belgica winter through psychological tactics RESOURCES Books: Alfred Lansing, Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition (1959) — Definitive narrative account; based on expedition diaries and crew interviews Nancy Koehn, Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times (2017) — Analytical framework for Shackleton's leadership psychology Tim Jarvis, Shackleton's Epic (2014) — Modern expedition retracing Shackleton's journey; first-hand understanding of the conditions Caroline Alexander, The Endurance: Shackleton's Iconic Antarctic Expedition (1998) — Illustrated history; combines narrative with Frank Hurley's photographs Julian Sancton, Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into Darkness (2021) — Historical precedent; psychology of polar crews

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  In Extremis - Stories from the Edge of History

  The Old Man and the Longest Race - Part 2: Shuffling to Glory

  Jul 23, 202642 min

  Day 2 begins with chaos: Wally oversleeps, Cliff wakes at 2:30am instead of 6am, and runs unprepared on baked beans and two hours of sleep. What follows is an extraordinary five-day journey across 875 kilometres as a 61-year-old potato farmer defies every odd, battles injury and exhaustion, outwits his rivals, and becomes a national icon. This is the story of how Cliff Young won Australia's most grueling ultramarathon—and changed running forever. PEOPLE Cliff Young – 61-year-old potato farmer, Beech Forest, Victoria; unlikely hero Wally Zunneberg – Cliff's trainer, Colac Football Club massage man; gruff mentor figure Terry "Wobbles" McCarthy – Support car driver; conflict with Wally George Perdon – Elite runner, race favourite; "Gentleman George" Joe Record – Cliff's training partner, second-place finisher; strategic rival John Hughes – New Zealand detective, cocky frontrunner, previous record holder Tony Rafferty – Irish expat, elite runner, fifth-place finisher Siggy Bauer – World-class ultramarathoner, fourth-place finisher Neil Kearney – Channel 10 journalist; pivotal TV moment John Toleman – Race director, organiser Martin Noonan – Westfield marketing executive, race visionary Mary Young – Cliff's mother; presents garland at finish line Eunice & Lorraine – Cliff's sisters; provide sustenance during race Bob Hawke – Australian Prime Minister; sends congratulations telegram Jeff Kennet – Victorian Opposition Leader; attends finish celebration Martin Thompson – Public servant runner who quits from exhaustion Keith Swift – Runner whose crew is hit by car; pulls out injured TOPICS The 1983 Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon (875km) Wally's alarm mistake (2:30am vs 6am start) Cliff's physical challenges: shoulder pain, massive blisters, minimal sleep The "Cliff Young Shuffle" – revolutionary running technique Celebrity and adulation: Goulburn, Jugion, media coverage Support crew dynamics: Wobbles' drinking, Wally's frustration Neil Kearney's TV moment: Cliff eating pears straight from can Channel 10 coverage and newspaper articles during the race Nutrition strategy: baked beans, pumpkin, potatoes, pears The psychology of leading: Cliff's determination to hold the lead Joe Record's Wodonga betrayal: waking Cliff mid-sleep The shin-splints moment: how Joe broke mentally George Perdon's demoralisation from Cliff's early 2am start Wally's knife-and-methylated-spirits blister treatment (Albury) The broken support car 5km from finish line Burke Street finish: kids nearly killing him with encouragement The 10,000-person Melbourne CBD crowd (11:34pm Monday night) Cliff's $10,000 prize and decision to split it with other runners Reactions from elite runners: Hughes, Rafferty, Bauer, Perdon Post-race celebrity: Don Lane Show, Michael Parkinson, Parliament House The gumboot statue memorial in Beach Forest Debunking myths: gumboots training, no formal training, the tortoise-and-hare fallacy Legacy: the Young-Shuffle adopted by subsequent winners Cliff's later career: subsequent races, marriage to Mary Howell, decline, stroke (2000), death (2003) Sources: Julietta Jameson, "Cliffy: The Cliff Young Story", Text, 2010 Cliff Young, "Cliffy's Book", High Country Publishing, 1995 Australian Story, ABC, How potato farmer Cliff Young outran the world’s best athletes | Australian Story

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