Old Front Line
WW1 Podcast with Paul Reed
Category: Ypres
Despatches: By Train to Ypres
Railways were an essential part of the Great War, and the line which ran from Northern France to Poperinghe and Ypres became the route in and out of the battlefield for millions of men during the conflict. What can we learn of the history… Continue Reading “Despatches: By Train to Ypres”
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”
Battlefield Vlog: Sanctuary Wood Cemetery
In our final battlefield walk at Ypres around Bellewaarde Ridge, Hooge and Hill 62, we visit Sanctuary Wood British Cemetery, in the heart of the fighting in this sector in 1915/16. We discuss the story of Gilbert Talbot and look at the private memorial… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Sanctuary Wood Cemetery”
Battlefield Vlog: Canadians at Hill 62
In this latest Battlefield Vlog we walk along Maple Avenue, through Sanctuary Wood to the crest of Hill 62 where the men of the 3rd (Canadian) Division fought in the Battle of Mount Sorrel in June 1916. We see the Canadian Memorial on Hill… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Canadians at Hill 62”
Despatches: War Damage Postcards
In this episode we look at so-called ‘War Damage Postcards’ published during the conflict and which depicts the smashed villages, towns and cities, and indeed landscapes of the Western Front. We ask what these postcards tell us about the conflict and the battlefields of… Continue Reading “Despatches: War Damage Postcards”
Battlefield Vlog: Flamethrowers at Hooge
We walk the battlefields near Ypres, from Hooge on the Menin Road down to the site of Zouave Wood. Here on 30 July 1915 the Germans used flamethrowers against British troops for the first time, and we take a look at this devastating weapon… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Flamethrowers at Hooge”
Despatches: Wings Over Flanders
In this latest Despatches we discuss the passing of author Martin Middlebrook, and look back to another Great War icon, perhaps lesser known, John Giles. John founded the Western Front Association in 1980, wrote a series of books on the Western Front, and in… Continue Reading “Despatches: Wings Over Flanders”
Battlefield Vlog: Hooge Crater Cemetery
In this third video where we walk the battlefields near Ypres in Flanders, we visit Hooge Crater Cemetery.. With over 6,000 graves, we look at the burial of the dead, the concentration of margraves after the conflict and what it meant to families to… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Hooge Crater Cemetery”
Battlefield Vlog: Bellewaerde Ridge
Continuing our walks at Ypres, we look at the story of Noel Chavasse VC & Bar and his time as medical officer with the Liverpool Scottish, and then visit the Bellewaarde mine craters from 1915-1917 that still scar this ridge more than a century… Continue Reading “Battlefield Vlog: Bellewaerde Ridge”
Despatches: Tales of Tyne Cot
In our first podcast of 2024 we return to Flanders to look at some of the history behind the original burials at Tyne Cot Cemetery near Ypres, the largest British and Commonwealth cemetery from either World War. Was there really once an Advanced Dressing… Continue Reading “Despatches: Tales of Tyne Cot”
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