The Old Front Line

In this episode we walk the battlefields of the Somme, taking a journey from Auchonvillers up onto the Hawthorn Ridge near Beaumont-Hamel, where the fighting raged on 1st July 1916, the First Day of the Somme. We learn about a young officer, Eric Heaton, and visit a small battlefield cemetery where comrades lay side by side: Hawthorn Ridge No 1.Support the show

In this episode, published on the 103rd Anniversary of the Battle of Arras, we talk about some of the history of the battle and remember two veterans who were there in 1917: George Butler of the Machine Gun Corps and Malcolm Vyvyan MC of the Royal Garrison Artillery.Support the show

In this episode we look at Battlefield Archaeology carried out by the Diggers near Ypres in 2001-2002, examine an original piece of recovered archaeology and visit the Advanced Dressing Station bunkers at Essex Farm, on the battlefields close to Ypres in Flanders. Support the show

In this first Episode of the Old Front Line, Military Historian Paul Reed takes you on a walk across the Somme battlefields at Pozières, the scene of heavy fighting in 1916. We visit the cemetery and memorial, and travel through the village to 'Mucky Farm'. We also introduce a regular feature looking at WW1 objects, talking about a Great War officer's whistle. Support the show