Finding soldier Tom

寻觅士兵汤姆

The Documentary Podcast

2026-06-06

26 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

For more than 80 years, no-one knew what happened to a Soviet prisoner of war who escaped from the Nazis on the Channel Island of Jersey and spent the rest of World War Two hiding from the German occupiers with a local family, the Le Bretons. Known only by his first name, Bokejon, or simply Tom, he was one of about 2,000 Soviet prisoners and forced labourers brought to the island of Jersey to build Nazi fortifications. After liberation, Tom and the other surviving PoWs were sent back to the USSR and the Le Breton family, particularly their daughter Dulcie, always wondered what became of him. That was until BBC teams tracked down his descendants. BBC Russian's Olga Ivshina was one of the journalists who tracked him down. Political violence has been a problem in Kenya for decades now. It is often carried out by gangs of young people, known as 'goons', who are sponsored by politicians to threaten, disrupt and attack rivals. After the general election in 2007 over 1500 people were killed and with another election planned for 2027, there are fears violence could erupt again. Wycliffe Muia of BBC Africa has been looking into these politically sponsored violent gangs and what can be done to stop them.  Traditional fortune telling culture,  known as Saju, is popular in South Korea and has ancient roots. It uses data such as a person's birth year, month, day and hour to determine their future and in South Korea people still sometimes consult it before important life decisions like marriage, or seeking a new job. Now, the practice of Saju is beginning to be combined with AI technology and it's finding a wide audience both online and as a walk-in, more immersive experience. BBC Korean's Yujin Choi went to try it out. The Fifth Floor is at the heart of global storytelling on the BBC World Service, bringing you the best stories from journalists in the BBC's 43 language services. We're here to help you make sense of the stories making headlines around the world; to excite your curiosity and to get to grips with the facts. Recent episodes have investigated Russia’s youth armies and how they make soldiers of Ukrainian children; featured the BBC team who were the first journalists to the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings and reflected the effects of internet blackouts in Iran, Uganda and India. If you want to know more about Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez; or how Vladimir Putin’s network of deep cover spies operates; or why Donald Trump signed an executive order granting white South Africans asylum in the US, we have all those stories and more. This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world. Presented by Faranak Amidi. Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean. (Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich)
更多

单集文稿 ...

  • This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

  • That's how we deliver reliable energy to millions across the world.

  • Aramco, an integrated energy and chemicals company.

  • Learn more about us at aramco.com.

  • Today's episode is sponsored by Smart Travel, a podcast from NerdWallet.

  • Do you have a friend who treats airfare like a puzzle and somehow always ends up with a first-class upgrade?

  • Smart Travel is like that friend, minus the group texts.

  • NerdWallet's travel journalists break down the pros and cons of travel decisions,

  • like when lounge access is worth paying for and which hotel loyalty programs actually pay off.

  • Make your travel dollars work harder.

  • Follow Smart Travel on your favourite podcast app.

  • Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service.

  • This is The Fifth Floor, at the heart of global storytelling with BBC journalists from all around the world.

  • I'm your host, Faranak Amidi.

  • For more than 80 years, no one knew what happened to a Soviet

  • prisoner of war who escaped from the Nazis on the Channel Islands

  • and spent the rest of World War II hiding from the German occupiers with a local family, the Le Bretons.

  • Known only by his first name, Bokejon, or simply Tom, he was one of about 2,000 Soviet prisoners

  • and forced laborers brought to the island of Jersey to build Nazi fortifications.

  • After liberation, Tom and the other surviving POWs were sent back to the USSR,