Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Podcast Episode
Sussex to the Somme
In this episode, we follow the story of the Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex, “Lowther’s Lambs”; often seen as the nearest Sussex had to Pals Battalions. We look at their story from their formation in September 1914 to their virtual destruction at Richebourg… Continue Reading “Sussex to the Somme”
Somme 105: Flers-Courcelette
Continuing with our look at the 105th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, we examine the fighting on 15th September 1916, the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, when tanks were used for the first time in history. After an overview of the fighting that day,… Continue Reading “Somme 105: Flers-Courcelette”
Shot At Dawn
More than 300 British and Commonwealth soldiers were executed ‘for the sake of example’ during the First World War, for crimes from desertion to striking a superior officer. In this episode, we look at the background to military discipline, the process of Field General… Continue Reading “Shot At Dawn”
Walking The Somme: The Devonshire Cemetery
After the fighting at Mametz on 1st July 1916, the Devonshire Regiment buried their dead in an old disused trench among the trees of Mansel Copse. Here the ‘Devonshires Held This Trench, The Devonshires Hold It Still’. In this episode, we walk the ground… Continue Reading “Walking The Somme: The Devonshire Cemetery”
Mons: A Bridge At Nimy
In the final episode of Season 2, we look back at this season’s podcasts and ahead to the future of The Old Front Line, and then travel to Belgium, to examine some of the opening shots of the war at the village of Nimy,… Continue Reading “Mons: A Bridge At Nimy”
Behind The Lines: The Crimson Coast
The ‘Crimson Coast’ extended along the Northern French coast where the British Base Hospitals were located during the Great War. Here men shattered by wounds were treated, in the massive Base Depots new soldiers were prepared for the front line and women worked in… Continue Reading “Behind The Lines: The Crimson Coast”
Somme: Mouquet Farm
In this episode we walk the Somme from Ovillers to Mouquet Farm; ‘Moo-Cow Farm’ or ‘Mucky Farm’ as the soldiers called it. Here we examine the attacks by Australian, Canadian and finally British units, discovering just how costly this corner of the Somme battlefields… Continue Reading “Somme: Mouquet Farm”
Third Ypres Remembered
On 31st July 1917 the Third Battle of Ypres – or the Battle of Passchendaele as it is often called – began with an attack on a forteen mile front near the city of Ypres. In this Anniversary episode we look at the first… Continue Reading “Third Ypres Remembered”
The Loos Memorial
The Loos Memorial to the Missing is sited along the old Roman Road between Bethune and Lens, right in the heart of the Loos Battlefield. Here we look at the fighting in this part of the Western Front, the background to the Missing, and… Continue Reading “The Loos Memorial”
Somme 105: The Battle Continues
As the Battle of the Somme continued, it took the British Army into the ‘Horseshoe of Woods’ that characterised the next phase of the fighting here in July 1916. As the 105th Anniversary of the Somme continues, we look at how the battle progressed. … Continue Reading “Somme 105: The Battle Continues”
