Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: WW1 History
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”
Battlefield Vlog: Exploring the Meuse-Argonne Battlefields
In this latest Battlefield Vlog we explore the battlefields of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of September 1918. Our journey takes us from Varennes and the Pennsylvania Memorial, to the high point of Montfaucon and the small bitterly contested village… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Exploring the Meuse-Argonne Battlefields”
Podcast Questions & Answers: Ep 1
In the first of our new ‘your questions answered’ episodes we answer six questions sent in by listeners to the podcast covering subjects like how the army saw itself in the Great War, why the podcast is called ‘the Old Front Line’, how the… Continue Reading “Podcast Questions & Answers: Ep 1”
Battlefield Vlog: Main de Massiges
In this film we visit Main de Massiges on the Champagne Battlefields of WW1, and explore an incredible area of reconstructed First World War battlefield, made using experimental archaeology. We walk through trenches, see original barbed wire, and explore saps and listening posts. Got… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Main de Massiges”
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”
Despatches: Somme Trench Map
In this latest episode of Despatches, we examine an original Trench Map from the Battle of the Somme in 1916, showing the battlefield around the village of Courcelette where the Canadians fought. What are Trench Maps, and what do they tell us about the… Continue Reading “Despatches: Somme Trench Map”
The Dead Man’s Penny
While the Great War was still on the British Government decided to produce a Next of Kin Memorial Plaque for all those who had died while on service in the conflict, which read ‘He Died For Freedom and Honour’. Often called a “Dead Man’s… Continue Reading “The Dead Man’s Penny”
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”
Despatches: WW1 Trench Museums
In this latest episode of Despatches we think about First World War Trench Museums: a battlefield phenomena from the 1920s when thousands of ‘pilgrims’ travelled to the landscape of the Western Front. We look at some of the famous, and less famous Trench Museums… Continue Reading “Despatches: WW1 Trench Museums”
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