Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Somme
Somme: Mighty Thiepval
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is the largest British war memorial in the world and one of the most powerful places where we remember the sacrifice of the Missing on the Western Front. In this episode, we explore the story behind “Mighty Thiepval”… Continue Reading “Somme: Mighty Thiepval”
Bonus Episode: Mapping The Old Front Line
How do you find the hidden story of the First World War landscape? In this special bonus episode of The Old Front Line, we explore the fascinating world of WW1 trench maps and discover how they can transform your understanding of the Western Front and beyond. We… Continue Reading “Bonus Episode: Mapping The Old Front Line”
Somme: The Dawn Attack
In this episode of the Old Front Line Podcast, we explore one of the most successful British attacks of the Battle of the Somme: the Dawn Attack of 14 July 1916. Launched before first light, the assault captured key objectives including Bazentin-le-Petit, Bazentin-le-Grand and Longueval, bringing… Continue Reading “Somme: The Dawn Attack”
Old Front Line 300th Episode
For our 300th Episode we reflect on six years of the Old Front Line Podcast and go back to where we started in March 2020 by retaking a virtual walk through the battlefields and village of Pozières on the Somme. We start at the… Continue Reading “Old Front Line 300th Episode”
Somme South: Mametz to Montauban
In this episode of the Old Front Line Podcast, we continue our exploration of the Battle of the Somme on 1st July 1916 by examining the southern sector of the British attack. Travelling across the battlefields of Mametz and Montauban, we uncover how some of… Continue Reading “Somme South: Mametz to Montauban”
Somme Central: Ovillers to Fricourt
On the morning of 1st July 1916, as whistles blew along miles of the Somme front, the men of the III Corps and XV Corps rose from their trenches and walked into the centre of one of the most catastrophic days in British military… Continue Reading “Somme Central: Ovillers to Fricourt”
Somme North: Serre to Thiepval
In the first of a three-part series marking the 110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, we explore the fighting in the northern sector of the battlefield on 1 July 1916. This episode examines the attacks at Serre, Beaumont-Hamel and Thiepval, where some… Continue Reading “Somme North: Serre to Thiepval”
A Tale of Two Veterans
In this episode we discuss the importance of oral history and what it tells us about the experience of conflict and the culture of the British military in the Great War, and we contrast two interviews I did with veterans in the 1980s: Jack… Continue Reading “A Tale of Two Veterans”
Gunner Officer: Malcolm Vyvyan
We return to the memories of WW1 veteran Malcolm Vyvyan MC, who served with 96th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery on the Western Front from 1916, and then latterly the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. We follow him from the Somme to… Continue Reading “Gunner Officer: Malcolm Vyvyan”
Walking the Somme: Gommecourt
In our first episode of Season 9, we walk the northern part of the Somme battlefield from Foncquevillers out to the ground before Gommecourt, and examine the attack here by the 46th (North Midland) Division on 1st July 1916. We examine the Court of… Continue Reading “Walking the Somme: Gommecourt”
