Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: WW1 History
Trench Chat: Black Poppies with Stephen Bourne
In this latest Trench Chat, we are joined by Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies. His important book, now in its third edition with a children’s version, tells the often-neglected contribution of Black soldiers in the British and Commonwealth forces in the Great War.… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: Black Poppies with Stephen Bourne”
Springboks at Delville Wood
In the summer of 1916 men of the South African Brigade marched into Delville Wood. After six days of fighting, less than a third of them returned from among the shattered trees of “Devil’s Wood”. Who were the Springboks of the South African Brigade… Continue Reading “Springboks at Delville Wood”
The Hindenburg Line
In this episode we ask: what was The Hindenburg Line? A system of German defences built in Northern and Eastern France, it was the largest single engineering project of the Great War on the Western Front. Some of the key battles of 1917/18 were… Continue Reading “The Hindenburg Line”
Ypres: The Immortal Salient
In this episode we look at the four years of the Great War in Flanders and the battles around the city of Ypres, in what became known as the ‘Immortal Salient’. What was the Ypres Salient, what was its meaning and what does it… Continue Reading “Ypres: The Immortal Salient”
Trench Chat: Reclaiming The Salient with Roger Steward
In this Trench Chat, we are joined by Roger Steward who works as a Battlefield Guide in Flanders, and is the author of an excellent book on Langemarck German Cemetery and a new one ‘Reclaiming the Salient’ about the battlefields around Ypres in the… Continue Reading “Trench Chat: Reclaiming The Salient with Roger Steward”
WW1 Battlefield Pilgrimages: Trench Chat with Professor Mark Connelly
In a Trench Chat special we are joined by Professor Mark Connelly of the University of Kent to discuss the post-war Pilgrimages to the Great War Battlefields, and his new work on the postcards, ephemera and guidebooks that came out of this period. Professor… Continue Reading “WW1 Battlefield Pilgrimages: Trench Chat with Professor Mark Connelly”
Doughboys in Flanders
In this episode we look at the men of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) who fought in Flanders, from Ypres to the Scheldt River, in 1918. What were American troops doing in Belgium away from the main US sector and what remains of their… Continue Reading “Doughboys in Flanders”
The Art of War
What can War Art and the work of Official War Artists tell us about the experience of the Great War and the landscape of the Western Front? We examine this through the work of three war artists: John Nash, CRW Nevinson, and Paul Nash.… Continue Reading “The Art of War”
Winter on the Somme
We look at three winters on the Somme front: from 1914 to 1916. We discuss Christmas Truces involving the French and Germans, and later when the British arrive, discuss the terrible sub-zero conditions of 1916, and look at the problem of Trench Foot, particularly… Continue Reading “Winter on the Somme”
Gallipoli: The Farm
Who was Harry Moseley? In this episode, we ask: can one man’s life be more important than another? Our journey takes us from the Helles Memorial, and the Missing of the Gallipoli Campaign, up to the high ground at Chunuk Bair and a walk… Continue Reading “Gallipoli: The Farm”
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