The Bad Luck Battalion

The Bad Luck Battalion

Author: Paul Reed April 25, 2026 Duration: 1:03:39
With a special edition for ANZAC Day, in this insightful interview, playwright Arthur Meek discusses his project to bring to life the voices of Gallipoli veterans through oral histories and verbatim theatre. The conversation explores the power of personal stories, memory, remembrance, and the impact of war on individuals and collective memory. A bonus for TOFL pod listeners - 50% off for the first 50 TOFL listeners with coupon: TOFL50 The Bad Luck Battalion | A Verbatim Anzac War Story - get ...

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
Walking Cambrai: Gouzeaucourt 1917 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
We visit the Hindenburg Line battlefields of 1917 where the Battle of Cambrai was fought. We see the battlefield around Metz-en-Couture, visit the cemetery here and grave of Patrick Shaw-Stewart, and then walk down in Go…
Questions and Answers Episode 23 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:46
Our latest Questions and Answers cover the military importance of Ypres in WW1, the French Cemetery and Memorials at Notre Dame de Lorette in Northern France, weather on the landscape of the Western Front, and the role o…
WW1 on Film: Our World War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:33
Our World War was a three-part BBC Drama series for the Great War Centenary in 2014 covering the fighting at Mons in 1914, the Somme in 1916 and the Battle of Amiens in 1918. It pioneered a new approach to film making ab…
Questions and Answers Episode 22 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:02
In our latest round-up of Questions and Answers we look at Memorials to non-white soldiers on the Western Front, whether 'battle bars' were ever planned for WW1 British and Commonwealth campaign medals, the award of the…
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…