Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Great War Veterans
In this episode we look at the experience of war and how it affected veterans who returned home and live long lives. When did they feel able to talk about the Great War? What did they say? And how was it possible to conduct interviews with Great War veterans in the 1980s and 90s.
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19 Comments on “Great War Veterans”
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Old Front Line 
Sadly, Peter Jackson misquoted one of the most famous lines written during The Great War. It should have been. ” They Shall Grow Not Old. ” and not as titled, They shall not grow old.
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Wasn’t it deliberate?
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I thought so. I can’t believe Peter Jackson would make an “error” like that?
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Thanks Paul for another fantastic podcast. I really look forward to every new episode. Thanks John
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Thank you, John!
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I came across this posting on Facebook and thought “oh i will listen for a little bit” well, i got hooked! I stayed listening right the way through! The stories were fascinating and the story teller told them so well. I have never been on spotify before but i will now, I want to hear more of Paul Reed’s podcasts.
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Thanks so much, Sonia! I’m glad you found it interesting and there’s well over a hundred episodes for you to explore!
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Paul you’ve knocked it out of the park once again. Informative, thought provoking, funny and sad all at once. In fact probably the best episode yet. Thank you.
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Thanks so much, Matt. I really appreciate that.
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That was the Best podcast Paul you have produced Paul.Just loved you telling history of the men who fought in the First World War.Good luck in all the you do.
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Thank you, John. Really appreciate your comments.
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Another really interesting podcast Paul. It must have been so interesting being able to hear stories first-hand from the veterans themselves. The closest any of us can get now is to listen to the BBC Voices of the First World War series (which are excellent by the way, if anyone hasn’t discovered them yet).
I was also in Normandy on June 6th. I stopped off to visit the grave of a distant cousin, killed on 8th June while fighting for the Canadians. His father had served in the Royal Navy before emigrating to Canada before the War. In 1916 he joined the 130th Battalion (Lanark and Renfrew), Canadian Expeditionary Force and served on the Western Front before returning again to Canada.
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Thanks, Steve – yes I was very lucky back then.
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Thanks Paul for another great supporters evening at The Menin Gate, technology has worked wonders again. Looking forward to future podcasts direct from the Western Front, much appreciated John.
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Thank you, John!
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Four fascinating tales, expertly woven together with your excellent narrative. With its allusions to class war, the last one was especially interesting. It’s a good job that he wasn’t in the US army in Vietnam 50 years later. If he wasn’t sniping at VC/NVA officers, he could have ended up “fragging” US ones! Good to see you at the Menin Gate last night.
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Thank you, Stephen – and thanks for joining me at the Menin Gate!
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Hi Paul. I loved this episode, in particular the Malcolm Vivian story. My Great Grandfather was in RGA (Hampstead Heavies) during the war and It was great to get a small insight into what his experiences might have been like. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks, Stuart – am glad you found it interesting.
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