Questions and Answers Episode 49

Questions and Answers Episode 49

Author: Paul Reed March 21, 2026 Duration: 46:57
In this Old Front Line Q&A episode, we tackle a fascinating range of questions from listeners about life, death, and survival on the battlefields of the First World War. We begin by exploring whether veterans of the conflict were ever allowed to be buried within the official war cemeteries alongside the comrades who fell during the war, and look at the rules established by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission after the creation of the Imperial War Graves system. Did any veterans later r...

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
Questions and Answers Episode 13 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:03
This week we answer questions about British Prisoners of War held in Switzerland, ask what kind of permission you need to explore the fields and woods across the landscape of the Great War, discuss if any Estaminets surv…
A Bridge at Fismes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:50
Fismes is a small town on the Aisne, close to its neighbour Fismette and divided by the Vesle river. Here in the summer of 1918 men of the American 28th Division took part in a bitter battle for possession of its houses…
Questions and Answers Episode 12 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:32
In this latest Question and Answer Episode we look at several questions about the changing nature of the British Army in the Great War, and its Regimental system, examine one aspect of how WW1 meets WW2 and discuss wheth…
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In this special edition of the podcast as we return from after the summer break we speak to author and broadcaster John Nichol about his new book examining the history and story behind the Unknown Warrior buried in Westm…
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Duration: 1:04:40
In a special summer edition of the podcast before it returns properly in September, we walk the battlefields near Passchendaele and have an extended Question and Answer session. Got a question about this episode or any o…
Podcast Questions & Answers Ep 10 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:14
In our tenth QnA Episode we look at subjects from Canada's Hundred Days in 1918 to the Missing of the Great War, ask how to begun studying the First World War given all that is available now, and discuss how sickness was…
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Duration: 49:12
In an episode recorded live on the battlefields, we travel to Northern France and follow the Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment from behind the lines to their attack at The Boar's Head near Richebourg. We…
Podcast Questions & Answers Ep 9 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:43
In our latest Questions and Answers Episode we look at the rifles carried by British soldiers in the Great War, discuss the experience of Prisoners of War, ask what kind of recycling and salvage took place, and discuss t…
Somme 1916: Nab Valley [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:07
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Podcast Questions & Answers Ep 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:13
In our latest batch of Questions and Answers we look at what Mentioned in Despatches were, who they were awarded to how and what they were for, we discuss what special badges were represented on the headstones in War Cem…