The Old Front Line Paul Reed
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- History
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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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Beyond The Somme
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?
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Four Years of the Old Front Line
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.
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Despatches: By Train to Ypres
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?
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Despatches: Fort de Loncin 1914
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.
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Exhibiting The Great War
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.
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Despatches: Somme Trench Map
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?
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Customer Reviews
Incredibly Informative… Powerfully Written
Paul Reed is a master storyteller. He draws the listener in by solidly researching each topic… and then delivering a highly informative, comprehensive and well-paced summary of the topic at hand.
But it is Paul’s deep respect and honor for the participants of The Great War… demonstrated through anecdotes or correspondence of the individuals involved … that makes this podcast so much more than just ‘facts and figures’ history. These podcasts highlight the very personal nature of WWI by including the soldiers’ stories… and that is what I find most engaging about The Old Front Line. Well done, Paul!
Love it
I adore this podcast.
Outstanding podcast
I cannot say how much I like this podcast. I listened to one episode after hearing Paul Reed with Dan Snow and was hooked. I have been mostly a WWII history person since my Dad and uncles all fought on the US side. But Paul has me really drawn me on WWI. This podcast has been so educational, with the recommended books and the episode websites are fantastic. Some episodes I have listened to two or three times. I went back and have started from the beginning, and cannot get enough. Thank you!