50 episodes
The Old Front Line Paul Reed
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- History
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4.9 • 38 Ratings
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Walk the battlefields of the First World War with Military Historian, Paul Reed. In these podcasts, Paul brings together over 35 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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Somme: Courcelette to Regina Trench
In this 50th Episode of the podcast, we return to home ground - the village of Courcelette on the Somme. We walk the Canadian attack route in the attack on the village, visit Courcelette British Cemetery and then look at the final stage of the battle...
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Ypres: Hell Fire Corner
Along the old Roman Road between Ypres and Menin was a road junction that became the main route to the front line: this was Hell Fire Corner, the most infamous spot on the Western Front. In this episode, we walk from the centre of Ypres to the Lille...
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Somme: Ginchy to LesBoeufs
We return to Picardy, for a walk across the 'Forgotten Somme': those places less visited on these battlefields of 1916, and see the villages of Ginchy and LesBoeufs, look at the story of the 'Tally Ho VC', of author Charles Dickens' grandson killed near...
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The Vimy Memorial
In this episode, we travel to Vimy Ridge in Northern France, taken by Canadian soldiers in April 1917. We walk from a series of preserved trenches and mine craters to the crest of the Ridge and look at the impressive Vimy Memorial unveiled in 1936. Has...
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Trench Chat: Battlefield Tourism & Landscape with Amy Harrison
In this episode, we are joined by Military Historian Amy Harrison to discuss her work as a Commonwealth War Graves Commission Intern, and her research into Battlefield Tourism and Landscape for the Ph.D. she is researching at the University of Kent.
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The Film 1917 Uncovered
In this episode we take a detailed look at the film 1917, examining how it represents this period of the First World War, how it depicts the landscape of the Western Front, and how it links us to the battlefields of the Hindenburg Line around Arras today.
Customer Reviews
Great War Masterpiece
Do you have a passion for the Great War? Do you want to learn more about it? Or are you simply curious about the Western Front and what it was like to be there more than a century ago?
If any of these scenarios apply to you, I cannot say this earnestly enough: you NEED to listen to Paul Reed's show. He used to be a tour guide for the battlefields in France and in the Old Front Line Podcast, he brings that superb expertise directly to you, wherever you are. This is a totally unique listening experience — you're guided through Western Front battlefields as they appear today, in the modern era. Yet with each bend in the road and each slope of a hill, Paul tells you exactly what you'd see and describes the events which unfolded on that spot during the tumultuous years of the Great War.
But don't get me wrong... this isn't merely an auditory explanation of maps or the French countryside. No. Each episode's elaborations are accompanied by rich historical summary, analysis, and contextual background of the First World War. And then in an instant, the dialogue zooms in on a granular, intimate story of a person who stood there, right where us listeners are 'standing.' In this way, you learn about the war not only from a macrocosmic perspective but also from the standpoint of a soldier, an officer, or a family member. Stories like the ones you'll hear in this show don't just teach you about a cemetery, farmhouse, or trench line, they make sure you never forget it as well. This cliche is used time and time again but here it rings truer than ever: you really feel like you're 'there' when you listen to this podcast.
There's a lot out there on World War One but Paul Reed's work is an exception to the norm. It isn't a recitation of a wikipedia article or a watered-down version of a widely-known book we've all read a thousand times. You're not going to find something else like this. So if you listen to anything about the years between 1914 and 1918, make absolute certain you don't miss the Old Front Line.
(Can you tell I'm a fan yet?)
Keep up the stellar work, Paul! You've earned another listener for life!
Outstanding
Just started listening in preparation for a solo tour. Paul makes geography come alive through remembrances of the men who fought and died along “the old front line.” Hoping he covers Meuse-Argonne soon.
D. Jefferies
Great podcasts! Very interesting and engaging!