Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Podcast Episode
Newfoundland’s Unknown Soldier
Just this week it was announced that the body of an Unknown Soldier from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment would be taken back to Newfoundland to become their Unknown Warrior. In this first episode of Season 7 we look at the story behind this and… Continue Reading “Newfoundland’s Unknown Soldier”
Etaples to Arras: A Journey
In a special edition of the podcast which marks the end of Season 6, this episode was recorded on The Old Front Line where we take a journey from the vast Etaples Military Cemetery, look at the Tank Gunnery School at Merriment, Douglas Haig… Continue Reading “Etaples to Arras: A Journey”
Aftermath: The Myth of the Red Zone
At the end of the Great War, vast areas of France were left devastated by the fighting: this became the ‘Zone Rouge’ or the ‘Red Zone’. Reconstruction and recovery of ground brought that Red Zone to an end in the 1920s but stories of… Continue Reading “Aftermath: The Myth of the Red Zone”
Four Years of The Old Front Line
On our fourth anniversary of launching The Old Front Line, I look back over the episodes and discuss how the podcast has helped shape and define how I see the landscape of the Great War, helped me find a language for what it means… Continue Reading “Four Years of The Old Front Line”
Exhibiting The Great War
We look at two exhibitions in two key institutions that connect us to the history of the Great War: the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres and Imperial War Museum in London. At Ypres we see an exhibition about the history of the war… Continue Reading “Exhibiting The Great War”
WW1 At Home: Shorncliffe Cemetery
Returning to the History of the First World War we find on our doorsteps, we visit Shorncliffe in Kent to record an episode onsite. Here during the Great War were an Army Garrison, along with a major training centre. We discover the important role… Continue Reading “WW1 At Home: Shorncliffe Cemetery”
Letters From The Trenches
A staggering 12 million letters a week were going to and from the Western Front during the Great War. What was the history of the Royal Engineers Postal Section, how did letters and parcels get to troops in the front line, and how did… Continue Reading “Letters From The Trenches”
Somme: Schwaben Redoubt
In our final main episode of 2023 we travel to the Somme battlefields and visit one of the most iconic parts of the 1916 landscape – the fields where the infamous Schwaben Redoubt once stood near the village of Thiepval. The Schwaben was a… Continue Reading “Somme: Schwaben Redoubt”
Flanders: The CCS Cemeteries
Bandaghem, Dozinghem and Mendinghem were three made-up names for British Casualty Clearing Stations locations in Flanders, reflecting their use for the wounded: Bandaging Them, Dosing Them Up and Mending Them! What was the story of these important medical facilities and what stories of the… Continue Reading “Flanders: The CCS Cemeteries”
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
The Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery is the largest US War Cemetery in Europe with over 14,000 graves. We walk the battlefields here from Cunel to the cemetery, and down into Romagne village to visit an amazing private museum. Along the way we discuss the history… Continue Reading “Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery”
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