Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Podcast Episode
Five Iconic Objects of Trench Warfare
In this episode, we examine five iconic objects from the First World War which came to define the experience of Trench Warfare. These objects include barbed wire, helmets, duckboards, and trench periscopes. There is also a surprise artefact that millions of men carried onto… Continue Reading “Five Iconic Objects of Trench Warfare”
Somme Winter Walk
As the seasons change along The Old Front Line we take a winter walk across one part of the Somme battlefields, walking along the tracks from near Courcelette to Thiepval and the Ancre Valley. The WW1 Cemeteries website mentioned can be found here: http://www.ww1cemeteries.com.… Continue Reading “Somme Winter Walk”
A Bridge at Fismes
Fismes is a small town on the Aisne, close to its neighbour Fismette and divided by the Vesle river. Here in the summer of 1918 men of the American 28th Division took part in a bitter battle for possession of its houses and the… Continue Reading “A Bridge at Fismes”
Podcast Summer Special
In a special summer edition of the podcast before it returns properly in September, we walk the battlefields near Passchendaele and have an extended Question and Answer session. THE PASSCHENDAELE BATTLEFIELD WALK: Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question… Continue Reading “Podcast Summer Special”
Somme 1916: Nab Valley
For our 200th Episode we return to the Somme battlefields where the podcast began in 2020 and walk the ground from Crucifix Corner, along the edge of Authuille Wood to Nab Valley, a terrible killing ground on 1st July 1916, ending at the Lonsdale… Continue Reading “Somme 1916: Nab Valley”
Somme Books
The Somme is one of the most written about battles in military history. Where to start your reading given the huge number of books about the period? In this episode we take a ‘layered’ approach to reading and examine everything from ‘Gateway Books’ to… Continue Reading “Somme Books”
The War Underground
The War Underground in many ways defined the static nature of the First World War on the Western Front. We examine the history of military mining, discover Sir John Norton Griffiths and his attempt to recruit 10,000 “moles” to work beneath No Man’s Land,… Continue Reading “The War Underground”
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”
