Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Podcast Episode
The Film 1917 Uncovered
In this episode we take a detailed look at the film 1917, examinging how it represents this period of the First World War, how it depicts the landscape of the Western Front and how it links us to the battlefields of the Hindenburg Line… Continue Reading “The Film 1917 Uncovered”
Walking Cambrai: Havrincourt
Cambrai in November 1917 witnessed the first mass use of British Tanks in the Great War as battalions of the Tank Corps supported the infantry. On this walk we follow the men from the West Riding of Yorkshire in their attack at Havrincourt, look… Continue Reading “Walking Cambrai: Havrincourt”
Walking The Somme: Authuille to Thiepval
In the shadow of Lutyens’ mighty Thiepval Memorial, we visit the graves of British soldiers in the picturesque Authuille Military Cemetery, discover how a Newcastle United player launched the attack here with a football on 1st July 1916, and find what remains of the… Continue Reading “Walking The Somme: Authuille to Thiepval”
Peace in No Man’s Land: The Christmas Truce of 1914
On a cold winter’s day in December 1914, the men of both sides emerged from their trenches. Not to fight, but to take part in the Christmas Truce. For a brief moment, there was Peace in No Man’s Land. But what is the real… Continue Reading “Peace in No Man’s Land: The Christmas Truce of 1914”
Walking Ypres: Polygon Wood
Amidst the dark trees of Polygon Wood near Ypres, bunkers and old shell craters tell the story of the Great War in Flanders. This week we walk the cemeteries and memorials around the wood, follow the ANZACs, and discover the story of the Black… Continue Reading “Walking Ypres: Polygon Wood”
Trench Chat: Remembrance in France with Mathilde Bernardet
In this latest Trench Chat, we are joined by military historian Mathilde Bernardet who works at the Memorial 14-18 Museum near Lens in Northern France. Mathilde discusses how France remembers the Great War, the history of France’s largest military cemetery at Notre Dame de… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: Remembrance in France with Mathilde Bernardet”
Forgotten Battlefields: The Indian Corps at Neuve-Chapelle
Alongside a busy road in Northern France, the Star of India rises from between two weeping willows, commemorating the thousands of Indian Army soldiers who died in the trenches of the Western Front. What took place at Neuve-Chapelle and what was India’s story in… Continue Reading “Forgotten Battlefields: The Indian Corps at Neuve-Chapelle”
Trench Chat: Old Contemptibles with Andrew Thornton
In the latest Trench Chat we talk to historian and battlefield guide Andrew Thornton about his research on the men of the British Expeditionary Force in 1914, the ‘Old Contemptibles’. Who were they, and what is the history behind the Old Contemptibles Association. We… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: Old Contemptibles with Andrew Thornton”
Walking Ypres: Langemarck
We return to Flanders and walk the battlefields near the village of Langemarck (now Langemark) across to Langemarck German Cemetery, the story of which runs like a dark thread through the history of the Twentieth Century, uncovering many of the myths about this iconic… Continue Reading “Walking Ypres: Langemarck”
Remembrance: Unknown Warriors
Today is Armistice Day; a century ago in 1920, the body of the Unknown Warrior was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey. What lays behind this story, how was he selected, and what of the Unknown Warriors in our own connections to the Great… Continue Reading “Remembrance: Unknown Warriors”
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