Videos

Secret History

So much of history has been recorded and written about. We have existing narratives, stories and memories of the past that are known, treasured and memorialised. But what about the history that has slipped through the cracks? What about the people, places and events that have not made it into the history books? In early 2023, Sarah created a YouTube channel called ‘Secret History’, to explore in film the stories that have been banished to the outer margins of history, recovering lost history and remembering those who made it.

From British women working in underground bunkers to plot the locations of enemy aircraft in the Second World War, to centuries-old tunnels inside cliffs and secret island-hideaways, Secret History explores the past in the shadows, focusing on those who have traditionally been forgotten, marginalised and missed.

Sarah produces and writes the episodes for the Secret History series, as well as appearing in them with other historical experts.

Find the channel here

The Women Behind the Few

Trailer

Throughout the Second World War, the Women's Auxiliary Air Force worked to collect, analyse and disseminate vital intelligence behind the RAF's battles, engagements and operations. From the Battle of Britain to the Dambusters Raid, they were there in the shadows, working in radar and the Dowding System, intercepting and translating enemy communications, decoding enemy signals, making sense of aerial reconnaissance photographs and interrogating returned bomber crews. These women made a crucial contribution to the British and Allied war efforts and were responsible in part for the RAF's major victories. For so long they have remained hidden behind the Few. In this new series for Secret History, Dr Sarah-Louise Miller tells their story for the first time.

The Secret Locations of WWII RAF Intelligence

What was the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force in WWII? What did the women do who joined it? And why did Sarah write a book about them? Find out in this video, which is the first in a series in which Sarah visits the top secret locations mentioned in the book, where WAAF worked throughout the war in vital intelligence work behind the Royal Air Force’s operations.

In this episode, Sarah visits Bentley Priory - the wartime HQ of RAF Fighter Command - to find out more about the Dowding System, the world's first integrated fighter defence system and the immensely important role it played in the Battle of Britain.

Sarah visits Bletchley Park – the home of the wartime codebreakers – to investigate the work of the WAAF in signals intelligence there.

Sarah visits the International Bomber Command Centre, and the Derwent Valley Dams in Derbyshire, to learn more about Bomber Command's operations and the work of the WAAF behind them.

In episode five, Sarah visits Danesfield House Hotel – known as RAF Medmenham during the Second World War. There, she investigates the work of the WAAF in photographic intelligence behind the RAF’s operations.

Speaking to BBC History Extra, Sarah suggests five heritage sites and museums to visit to uncover the story of the unflappable women of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose work during the Second World War ensured success for many vital missions