Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Questions and Answers Episode 17
We begin at the Battle of Loos in 1915, looking at the casualty figures for the opening stage of the attack and comparing them to the Somme, we then discuss what units formed in WW1 were still part of the Army in WW2, discuss soldiers and their medals and were there examples of ‘stolen valour’ and examine collectables of the Great War and discuss fakes and what to collect.
Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.
10 Comments on “Questions and Answers Episode 17”
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Good morning Paul
All your podcasts are very interesting but I do find your Questions and Answers podcasts especially interesting and informative. Keep up the great work!
Get Outlook for iOShttps://aka.ms/o0ukef
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Thanks so much, Glenn!
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Many thanks for a yet another really interesting podcast and for answering (yet another of) my questions Paul, since my email I’ve bought a small folder of items of a signaller attached to the MGC, which although missing his War Medal did include his Victory Medal, a tiny 1918 soldiers own diary, signallers certificates and demob papers.
The diary is fascinating and I’m working my way through transcribing it and working out some of the misspellings of the place names ( probably the anglicized Tommies names ).
Your entirely correct in saying its the story attached to the object that makes it. I feel I’m getting to know this young man who mercifully survived into old age.
many thanks
. Adam Bootle
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Thanks, Adam – sounds like a great find!
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Love to hear Loos getting mentioned…..I recall years ago going to the Dundee WFA to give my Loos talk and someone commented that Dundee looked on 25th September 1915 as their 1st July 1916 and fantastic that others are getting interested in Loos!
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Thanks, Niall!
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I really enjoyed this episode and as a result of it I now have a memorial plaque with an accompanying victory medal. Hopefully this is just the start of my collection.
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Oh that’s great! I wish you every success and luck with your collecting, it’s a great way to preserve the memory of these men and understand the history further.
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Thanks Paul for an excellent Q and A and for answering my question so thoroughly. I really appreciate the research that you undertook to respond. You certainly cleared up the online points that I alluded to and I will certainly get a copy of the OH 1915 from N&M Press.
Some interesting points also about the teeth to tail ratio. For more on this in WW2 see Hubert Essame’s classic The Battle for Normandy,where he states that the proportion of the teeth arms was under 50% with the PBI as low as 14% of the total.
Apologies for the late response but I am just catching up at the end of a busy safari holiday in South Africa!
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Glad it was of interest, Stephen!
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