182 episodes

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. 

The Old Front Line Paul Reed

    • History
    • 4.8 • 125 Ratings

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. 

    Beyond The Somme

    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?
    Support the show

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Four Years of the Old Front Line

    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. 


    Support the show

    • 41 min
    Despatches: By Train to Ypres

    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?
    Support the show

    • 30 min
    Despatches: Fort de Loncin 1914

    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.
    Support the show

    • 32 min
    Exhibiting The Great War

    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.
    Support the show

    • 1 hr 2 min
    Despatches: Somme Trench Map

    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?

    You can support the Podcast via BuyMeACoffee or Patreon.


    Support the show

    • 31 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
125 Ratings

125 Ratings

Grayhawk55 ,

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!

Marie Claire333333 ,

Love it

I adore this podcast.

Niall42 ,

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!

Top Podcasts In History

The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
Throughline
NPR
American Scandal
Wondery
You're Wrong About
Sarah Marshall
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
Dan Carlin
American History Tellers
Wondery

You Might Also Like

Battles of the First World War Podcast
Mike Cunha
Footsteps of the fallen
Matt Dixon
WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk
Goalhanger Podcasts
Tales from the Battlefields
Terry Whenham
The WW2 Podcast
Angus Wallace
Warfare
History Hit