Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Podcast Episode
Ypres: Hill 60
Once the haunt of lovers, these gentle slopes on a Flanders landscape became Hill 60 to the British Tommy – one of the most infamous locations on the battlefields near Ypres. We look at the story of Demarcation Stones, British and Commonwealth Tunnellers, mine… Continue Reading “Ypres: Hill 60”
The Champagne Battlefields
In this episode, we have an introduction to the battlefields east of Reims in the vast open fields of the Champagne. We discover a surprisingly diverse battlefield where men of many nations fought during the Great War and hear the story of a disgraced… Continue Reading “The Champagne Battlefields”
Ypres: The Menin Gate
Back in the city of Ypres in Flanders, in this episode we follow the walls, the old Ramparts, seeing British bunkers, visit the Ramparts Cemetery, discover more about military historian Rose Coombs, and end at the Menin Gate. Each night at 8pm the Last… Continue Reading “Ypres: The Menin Gate”
Forgotten Front: The Footballers of Loos
Was this the ‘greatest game’? On 25th September 1915, men of the London Irish Football Club kicked a ball into battle signalling the start of the Battle of Loos. We follow their story and the other London lads who fought that day in the… Continue Reading “Forgotten Front: The Footballers of Loos”
Trench Chat: War Cemeteries & Landscape with Tim Godden
In this latest Trench Chat we are joined by military historian Dr Tim Godden to discuss his research on the Junior Architects of the Imperial War Museum, and the design and meaning of the ‘Silent Cities’, the British cemeteries of the Great War. We… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: War Cemeteries & Landscape with Tim Godden”
Somme: Courcelette to Regina Trench
In this 50th Episode of the podcast, we return to home ground – the village of Courcelette on the Somme. We walk the Canadian attack route in the attack on the village, visit Courcelette British Cemetery and then look at the final stage of… Continue Reading “Somme: Courcelette to Regina Trench”
Ypres: Hell Fire Corner
Along the old Roman Road between Ypres and Menin, was a road junction that became the main route to the front line: this was Hell Fire Corner, the most infamous spot on the Western Front. In this episode we walk from the centre of… Continue Reading “Ypres: Hell Fire Corner”
Somme: Ginchy to LesBoeufs
We return to Picardy, for a walk across the ‘Forgotten Somme’: those places less visited on these battlefields of 1916, and see the villages of Ginchy and LesBoeufs, look at the story of the ‘Tally Ho VC’, of author Charles Dickens’ grandson killed near… Continue Reading “Somme: Ginchy to LesBoeufs”
The Vimy Memorial
In this episode, we travel to Vimy Ridge in Northern France, taken by Canadian soldiers in April 1917. We walk from a series of preserved trenches and mine craters to the crest of the Ridge and look at the impressive Vimy Memorial unveiled in… Continue Reading “The Vimy Memorial”
Trench Chat: Battlefield Tourism and Landscape with Amy Harrison
In this episode, we are joined by Military Historian Amy Harrison to discuss her work as a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Intern, and her research into Battlefield Tourism and Landscape for the Ph.D. she is researching at the University of Kent. You can follow… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: Battlefield Tourism and Landscape with Amy Harrison”
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