Episode 28: Agatha Christie goes to war

The Untitled History Podcast · Aug 20, 2026 · 57m

Agatha Christie is the world’s best selling author and rightly regarded as the queen of crime. But less well known is her medical service in both world wars, and its influence on her writing.

Without WW1, there would be no Poirot. Agatha Christie trained as nurse and served as a red cross volunteer in WW1, encountering many Belgian refugees. She later trained to become a dispenser. In the second world war she served once again.

In this episode we explore that work, and the experiences and people - and poisons - she encountered would prove to be the perfect fuel for her writing career.

Guest…