#36 Queen of the Desert &The Founder of the Night Witches (Gertrude Bell & Marina Raskova) Artwork

Mostly Unsung

The weekly comedy history podcast that brings you bitesize biographies of the extraordinary, eccentric, outrageous and occasionally ordinary lives that until now have gone mostly unsung... mostly. Join your hosts Annie and Andrea as they bring you stories that your history teacher never taught you!

If you like stuffy lectures then you're not going to be a fan, sorry! But if you are looking to hang out with two old friends who love story telling, a good laugh and forgotten figures from history then welcome!

Covering everything from scientists to Grandmothers, survivors of wars to eccentric millionaires, all via ghost stories, anecdotes and terrible impressions of Hollywood legend Tim Curry. Come and hang out, have a giggle and join us every Friday.

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Mostly Unsung

#36 Queen of the Desert &The Founder of the Night Witches (Gertrude Bell & Marina Raskova)

December 19, 2025 • Mostly Unsung

Mostly Unsung – Gertrude Bell & Marina Raskova: Forgotten Women Who Changed the World

Welcome back to Mostly Unsung, the weekly comedy history podcast where two women share the stories of forgotten figures from history, with laughs along the way.

In this episode, Annie introduces the extraordinary Gertrude Bell, a British archaeologist, mountaineer, traveller, photographer and diplomat who played a crucial role in shaping the modern Middle East. A contemporary of T.E. Lawrence, Bell advised governments, challenged empire-building, and argued that nations should govern themselves, ideas that were far too radical for the men running the British Empire at the time. Why has one of the most influential women in early 20th-century history been largely forgotten?

Then Andrea takes us to World War II and the Soviet Union, where aviator Marina Raskova fought bureaucracy and misogyny to create the world’s first all-female air force regiments. Her pilots, later known as the Night Witches (Nacht Hexen), flew dangerous bombing missions under cover of darkness, terrifying Nazi forces and becoming legends of wartime aviation. This is a story of bravery, adaptation, and women refusing to be sidelined during WWII.

Plus, all the usual nonsense — including Andrea laughing so hard she cries, Annie’s worst night in the theatre, and a very serious debate about who had the coolest fashion in the 1980s (it was Annie. Definitely Annie).

If you enjoy funny history podcasts, women’s history, or stories about unsung heroes, this one’s for you.

Andrea used these sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Raskova

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/marina-mikailovna-raskova/

https://www.russianlife.com/the-russia-file/soviet-terror-of-the-skies-marina-raskova-and-the-night-witches/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches

Annie used these sources:

https://gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk/

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Gertrude-Bell/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gertrude-Bell

Where you can find us:

https://www.instagram.com/mostlyunsung/