Questions and Answers Episode 32

Posted on June 21, 2025 by

5 Comments

Our latest questions from listeners range from could Britain have stood back from conflict in 1914 and not been part of the Great War, how accurate was the final dugout scene in the film 1917, what duties did Royal Field Artillery Drivers have on the battlefields of WW1 and what was the story of the Canadian soldiers who rioted in Britain in 1919 while awaiting demobilisation?

The Old Front Line Youtube Channel: Old Front Line on YouTube.

Recommended novel on 1914: Robert Harris – Precipice (Penguin 2024)

Books on The Canadian Riots:

  • The story of the Kinmel Park Camp Riots in 1919 by Julian Putkowski (1989)
  • Riots Death and Baseball – Robert H. Griffiths (2019)

Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.

Category: QnA Episode

5 Comments on “Questions and Answers Episode 32”

  1. There was also a riot in Epsom, Surrey, in 1919 which involved Canadian soldiers. The exact cause of the riot is unknown but a Metropolitan Police officer, Sgt Green, died as a result of it. His is buried in Epsom cemetery.

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  2. Good Morning Paul:

    Thank you for answering my question regarding the 1919 riots involving Canadian soldiers awaiting demobilization in Great Britain. I have successfully tracked down copies of the two books you recommended ( The story of the Kinmel Park Camp Riots in 1919 by Julian Putkowski (1989) and Riots Death and Baseball – Robert H. Griffiths (2019) and I would certainly be interested to learn if the film “Going Home” is ever made available again. As always an excellent podcast episode.

    R. Matthew Stevens

    rhetrorev@gmail.com

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  3. Thanks for a fascinating Q and A Paul. I’m not I usually a fan of counterfactual history but the first question was especially interesting. Your comments about the expansion of Prussia in the 19th Century reminded of a BBC Danish drama a few years ago, called 1864 and it covered the first of Bismarck’s so-called wars of Blood and Iron. A review of the programme said that the Prussian-Danish (Schleswig) War of 1864 set in chain a series of processes which ultimately led to the Great War.

    Good call for the Drivers, your final description was like something from saving the guns at Le Cateau!

    The church near St Asaph is also known as the ‘Marble Chuch’.

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