The Old Front Line

Paul Reed
  • 4.9 (462)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
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. 

  1. Walking Cambrai: Gouzeaucourt 1917

    12 HR AGO

    Walking Cambrai: Gouzeaucourt 1917

    We visit the Hindenburg Line battlefields of 1917 where the Battle of Cambrai was fought. We see the battlefield around Metz-en-Couture, visit the cemetery here and grave of Patrick Shaw-Stewart, and then walk down in Gouzeaucourt seeing a rare British bunker from WW1 and a memorial to the 11th Engineers of the US Army, ending on the high ground where the Welsh Guards counter-attacked in December 1917. The book mentioned was Children of the Souls by Jeanne MacKenzie. Got a question abou...

    57 min
  2. Questions and Answers Episode 23

    15 FEB

    Questions and Answers Episode 23

    Our latest Questions and Answers cover the military importance of Ypres in WW1, the French Cemetery and Memorials at Notre Dame de Lorette in Northern France, weather on the landscape of the Western Front, and the role of Women in the British Army in France and Flanders. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast. Send us a text Support the show

    37 min
  3. WW1 on Film: Our World War

    8 FEB

    WW1 on Film: Our World War

    Our World War was a three-part BBC Drama series for the Great War Centenary in 2014 covering the fighting at Mons in 1914, the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918. It pioneered a new approach to film making about the Great War but a decade on is it still relevant and what does it tell us about the Great War? The Paddy Kennedy interview is in the archives of the Imperial War Museum. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord S...

    52 min
  4. Questions and Answers Episode 22

    1 FEB

    Questions and Answers Episode 22

    In our latest round-up of Questions and Answers we look at Memorials to non-white soldiers on the Western Front, whether 'battle bars' were ever planned for WW1 British and Commonwealth campaign medals, the award of the 'Blue Max' to German soldiers, and were ordinary soldiers told about the explosion of huge mines like the one under Hawthorn Ridge on the Somme. Reading List: Kevin Brazier - The Complete Blue Max: A Chronological Record of the Holders of the Pour le Mérite Erwin Rommel ...

    35 min
  5. Somme: Albert-Bapaume Road

    25 JAN

    Somme: Albert-Bapaume Road

    Is there a 'culture' surrounding The Old Front Line? One that helps define it and enables us to understand that landscape of the First World War? If so, what is it, and how can we understand it? In this episode we take a major pathway across the Western Front battlefields: the Albert-Bapaume Road on the Somme, and we discuss what the this 'culture' of The Old Front Line might be. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or emai...

    1h 6m
  6. Questions and Answers Episode 21

    18 JAN

    Questions and Answers Episode 21

    In our first Questions and Answers Episode of Season 8 we look at 'quiet' sectors of the Western Front, whether civilians got near the battlefields, discuss the 'best' photos of WW1 and ask if Stretcher Bearers were easy prey on the front line doing their vital work. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast. Send us a text Support the show

    36 min
  7. Walking the Somme: Mailly-Maillet

    11 JAN

    Walking the Somme: Mailly-Maillet

    We begin Season 8 back on the Somme Battlefields of 1916 and walk the ground around the village of Mailly-Maillet, located just behind the British trenches in front of Beaumont-Hamel and Serre and later much closer to the fighting in 1918. We visit cemeteries, see original graffiti and end our walk close to the final approach to the battlefield. Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast. Send us a text Suppo...

    1h 5m
  8. Questions and Answers Special: WW1 Ancestors

    28/12/2024

    Questions and Answers Special: WW1 Ancestors

    In this special edition we look at how trace to service men and women who fought and died in the Great War. We cover a number of questions covering different aspects of how to trace your WW1 Ancestors from many different nations, but in particular from Britain and the Commonwealth. USEFUL LINKS: Western Front Association Pension Files website Grand Memorial - Tracing French WW1 Records French War Diaries - WW1 Long, Long Trail website - Chris Baker London Gazette - WW1 Notices The Briti...

    48 min
See All (228)

4.9
out of 5
462 Ratings

About

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. 

Information

  • Creator
    Paul Reed
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    228
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Old Front Line
  • Show Website
    The Old Front Line

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