A Tale of Two Veterans

A Tale of Two Veterans

Author: Paul Reed December 6, 2025 Duration: 53:23
In this episode we discuss the importance of oral history and what it tells us about the experience of conflict and the culture of the British military in the Great War, and we contrast two interviews I did with veterans in the 1980s: Jack Aston who served with 12th Squadron Royal Flying Corps and Aubrey Rose who was with the Queen's Westminster Rifles at Ypres and the Somme. The image for this episode shows Aubrey Rose in 1914. Aubrey Rose's officer killed at Gommecourt was: Capt...

Imagine standing on a quiet French field, the same earth that once shook with the fury of the First World War. The Old Front Line is your guide to that landscape, hosted by military historian Paul Reed. This isn't a dry lecture from a distant studio; it's an audio journey built on a lifetime of dedication. Paul draws from more than forty years of research, weaving together the poignant first-hand accounts of veterans he met with his own unique perspective gained from living for over a decade right in the heart of the Somme battlefields. Each episode of this podcast feels like walking alongside him, tracing the contours of history that are still etched into the land. You'll hear the human stories behind the maps and monuments, understanding the conflict through the very ground where it was fought. It’s a deeply personal and evocative exploration, connecting the peaceful present with the tumultuous past. For anyone fascinated by history, landscape, or the powerful echoes of the Great War, this series offers an unparalleled, grounded perspective that only someone with Paul Reed's intimate experience can provide.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 100

The Old Front Line
Podcast Episodes
Somme: Albert-Bapaume Road [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:03
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…
Questions and Answers Episode 21 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:08
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…
Walking the Somme: Mailly-Maillet [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:26
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 th…
Questions and Answers Special: WW1 Ancestors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:40
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…
Five Iconic Objects of Trench Warfare [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:24:03
In this episode, we examine five iconic objects from the First World War which came to define the experience of Trench Warfare. These objects include barbed wire, helmets, duckboards, and trench periscopes. There is also…
Questions and Answers Episode 19 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:03
Based on this weeks questions we look at the difference between Ordnance Survey and Trench maps, recommend some WW1 Channels and videos to look at on YouTube, look at how to study a particular regiment and examine souven…
Walking Arras: Point du Jour [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:09
We return to the Arras Battlefields of April 1917 and walk from Athies to the high ground at Point du Jour, seeing where men of the 9th (Scottish) Division, including troops from the South African Brigade fought. We visi…
Questions and Answers Episode 18 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:01
This week we look at the subject of Army Pay - how were men paid, who paid them and in what currency when On Active Service? We ask why men changed their names when joining up, answer a question about the Ypres Buglers a…
Somme Winter Walk [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:26
As the seasons change along The Old Front Line we take a winter walk across one part of the Somme battlefields, walking along the tracks from near Courcelette to Thiepval and the Ancre Valley. The WW1 Cemeteries website…
Questions and Answers Episode 17 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:08
We begin at the Battle of Loos in 1915, looking at the casualty figures for the opening stage of the attack and comparing them to the Somme, we then discuss what units formed in WW1 were still part of the Army in WW2, di…