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PODCAST

The Old Front Line

Walk the battlefields of the First World War with Military Historian, Paul Reed. In these podcasts, Paul brings together over 40 years of studying the Great War, from the stories of veterans he interviewed, to when he spent more than a decade living on the Old Front Line in the heart of the Somme battlefields.

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All Episodes

55:10

Podcast Questions & Answers: Episode 1

The Old Front Line ·

2024/04/03

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 opposing armies held the Western Front, and what kind of methods did I use to check the accuracy of Great War veterans interviews made in the 1980s and 90s. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front

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37:04

Despatches: A Weekend in Ypres

The Old Front Line ·

2024/03/30

We've just had the first ever Old Front Line Podcast Supporter's meet-up on the battlefields of Flanders near the Belgian city of Ypres. What was the weekend all about, what plans have we got for more of these, and in the episode we share some of the stories we discussed at Ypres on our walks.Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.Support the show

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62:20

Beyond The Somme

The Old Front Line ·

2024/03/23

The Great War on the Western Front was much more than Flanders and the Somme, and the experience of British and Commonwealth soldiers. When we travel 'Beyond the Somme' - what does that mean, and what do we find on these battlefields where soldiers from France and its Empire, and later American troops fought?Support the show

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41:02

Four Years of the Old Front Line

The Old Front Line ·

2024/03/16

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 more than a century later, and we look back too over some of my favourite episodes and those which have proved especially popular. Support the show

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30:50

Despatches: By Train to Ypres

The Old Front Line ·

2024/03/09

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 of the railways in Flanders and what do we find of it on the landscape of the Western Front today?Support the show

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32:32

Despatches: Fort de Loncin 1914

The Old Front Line ·

2024/03/02

In August 1914 a force of more than 55,000 German soldiers descended on the Belgian city of Liege. Protected by a belt of steel and concrete forts, at Fort de Loncin the garrison of 550 men came under murderous German artillery fire resulting in a huge explosion that turned this site into a national cemetery and memorial, and came to stand for Belgian defiance in that first year of the war. The website of the fort is here: Fort de Loncin.Support the show

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62:20

Exhibiting The Great War

The Old Front Line ·

2024/02/24

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 cemeteries in Flanders, and at the IWM a new gallery devoted to war art, photography and film.Imperial War Museum - Restoration of the John Singer Sergeant Gassed painting.Support the show

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31:42

Despatches: Somme Trench Map

The Old Front Line ·

2024/02/17

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 history and landscape of the Great War?You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee or Patreon.Support the show

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33:35

WW1 At Home: Shorncliffe Cemetery

The Old Front Line ·

2024/02/10

Returning to the History of the First World War we find on our doorsteps, we visit Shorncliffe in Kent to record an episode onsite. Here during the Great War were an Army Garrison, along with a major training centre. We discover the important role of the Canadians at Shorncliffe, the men of the Chinese Labour Corps who had their camp here, and also discuss the first Gotha Bomber raid on Britain by the Germans in 1917.Support the show

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30:44

Despatches: War Damage Postcards

The Old Front Line ·

2024/02/03

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 the Old Front Line?The images discussed can be found on the Podcast website here: https://oldfrontline.co.uk/2024/02/03/despatches-war-damage-postcards/Support the show

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31:02

Despatches: Wings Over Flanders

The Old Front Line ·

2024/01/27

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 1982 took what was then a unique flight over the Old Front Line. We look back on that aerial survey and discuss what landscape means to us on the ground and from the air.Support the show

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33:58

The Dead Man's Penny

The Old Front Line ·

2024/01/20

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 Penny" or 'Widow's Penny" or even 'Death Plaque", eventually over 1.1 million were produced for every British and Commonwealth service men and women who died. In this episode of Despatches, we examine their history

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57:24

Letters From The Trenches

The Old Front Line ·

2024/01/13

A staggering 12 million letters 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 censorship work for all those letters from the trenches?You can support the podcast on BuyMeACoffee and at Patreon.Support the show

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30:04

Despatches: Tales of Tyne Cot

The Old Front Line ·

2024/01/10

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 Station here, and if not what does the archive evidence tell us about how this site evolved?You can support the podcast on BuyMeACoffee and at Patreon.Support the show

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25:20

Despatches: Christmas on the Somme

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/23

In this special episode of Despatches we look at two Christmases on the Somme: 1915 and 1916. We do this through the experience of men from southern England who served with the 18th (Eastern) Division and discover what their life in the trenches and behind the front was like during the Christmas period. You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee and Patreon.Support the show

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23:21

Despatches: Battlefield Pilgrimages

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/20

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56:00

Somme: Schwaben Redoubt

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/16

In our final main episode of 2023 we travel to the Somme battlefields and visit one of the most iconic parts of the 1916 landscape - the fields where the infamous Schwaben Redoubt once stood near the village of Thiepval. The Schwaben was a strong German defensive position that took over three months to capture, at the cost of thousands of lives. You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee and Patreon.Support the show

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25:14

Despatches: Cemetery in the Sand Dunes

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/13

Despatches goes on the road, and this episode was recorded on location in Flanders. We visit Coxyde Military Cemetery, a British and Commonwealth cemetery from when these troops held the line on the top end of the Western Front in 1917. What do we find here and what does the cemetery tell us about the Great War?You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee and Patreon.Support the show

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68:28

Flanders: The CCS Cemeteries

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/09

Bandaghem, Dozinghem and Mendinghem were three made-up names for British Casualty Clearing Stations locations in Flanders, reflecting their use for the wounded: Bandaging Them, Dosing Them Up and Mending Them! What was the story of these important medical facilities and what stories of the war in Flanders do we find here?Returned From The Front website: Battlefield Cross - Caps B.H. VyvyanThe wartime book on Best-Dunkley VC: At Ypres with Best-DunkleyYou can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee and

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21:18

Despatches: WW1 Trench Museums

The Old Front Line ·

2023/12/06

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 and some that no longer exist. What do they tell us about the experience of trench warfare?You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee and Patreon.Support the show

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