Podcast Episodes

The Missing of 1914

Between August and December 1914, the British Expeditionary Force fought its first battles of the First World War across Belgium and northern France and some 19,000 officers and men were missing. From Mons and Le Cateau to the Retreat and the First Battle of Ypres, thousands of men were killed and never recovered, becoming partโ€ฆ

Questions and Answers Episode 60

In this episode of The Old Front Line Podcast, we answer another fascinating selection of listener questions that explore the realities of life, death, remembrance and battlefield tactics on the Western Front during the First World War. How much safer were soldiers when they left the front line? We examine the British Army’s system ofโ€ฆ

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” and uncover why this iconic monument continues to resonate more thanโ€ฆ

Questions and Answers Episode 59

In this latest Old Front Line Q&A, we tackle four fascinating questions that take us from the opening moments of the Battle of the Somme to the long legacy of the Western Front landscape. We begin at Hawthorn Ridge on 1 July 1916 and ask whether the famous mine was detonated ten minutes early toโ€ฆ

The Great War Around Us

We begin Season 10 of The Old Front Line with a journey into The Great War Around Us: the First World War history that can still be found in the places where we live. In this episode, we visit the East Sussex village of Wadhurst and explore how the impact of the Great War can still be discoveredโ€ฆ

Bonus Episode: A Roll of Honour

For our final Bonus Episode before Season 10 begins in September, we look at a rare Roll of Honour for the Gravesend and Dartford area of Kent, and discuss the whole history of these Rolls of Honour and then look through this example seeing what it can tell us about the wider history of the Great War. โ€ฆ

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 begin by looking at the Blue Series IGN maps that first inspired aโ€ฆ

Questions and Answers Episode 58

In this episode of the Old Front Line Podcast, we answer another fascinating collection of listener questions that explore the people, places and practical realities of the First World War. We begin by asking why visitors can walk, play and live on some historic battlefields, such as the D-Day beaches, while places like Newfoundland Memorial Parkโ€ฆ

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 British troops to the edge of High Wood and changing theโ€ฆ

Questions and Answers Episode 57

In this Questions and Answers episode we head beneath the battlefields to explore the hidden world of First World War dugouts and bunkers, asking whether the Ypres Salient saw more extensive underground construction than the Somme, and how geology shaped the way British, German, Australian and other armies built and occupied these remarkable underground shelters. We also examine oneโ€ฆ

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