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The Old Front Line

The Old Front Line

By: Paul Reed
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About this listen

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.

© 2025 The Old Front Line
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Episodes
  • Questions and Answers Episode 39
    Nov 1 2025

    In this episode we ask what is the current size of the 'Zone Rouge' and are there plans to clear it? We then look at the use of morphine to treat pain and was this misused? We then look at when Steel Helmets were first issued to British and Canadian troops, and end by asking what WW1 slang words are still in use today?

    The Old Front Line on YouTube: Old Front Line Channel.

    The OFL episode about the Zone Rouge: The Myth of the Zone Rouge.

    Sign up for the free podcast newsletter here: Old Front Line Bulletin.

    You can order Old Front Line Merch via The Old Front Line Shop.

    Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.

    Send us a text

    Support the show

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    40 mins
  • Battle of Loos with Peter Doyle
    Oct 25 2025

    In a special episode we are joined by Professor Peter Doyle who delivered this talk on Loos at a Podcast Supporters Evening for the 110th Anniversary of the battle last month.

    Peter's new edition of is book is found here: Loos 1915.

    Sign up for the free podcast newsletter here: Old Front Line Bulletin.

    You can order Old Front Line Merch via The Old Front Line Shop.

    Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.

    Send us a text

    Support the show

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Questions and Answers Episode 38
    Oct 18 2025

    In this latest QnA episode, we tackle a fresh set of listener questions about the First World War, ranging from battlefield geography to the realities of supply and discipline at the front. We start with how hills and features were numbered along the front line—was there really only one “Hill 80”? Then we turn to the huge challenge of logistics, exploring how both sides managed to feed, arm, and move millions of men across the Western Front, and the massive impact this had on wartime economies. Next, we look at the organisation of the British Army, explaining how regiments could field multiple battalions fighting in different battles and theatres at the same time. Finally, we examine the controversial subject of discipline in action, asking who the so-called “whippers-in” were, whether men were ever shot for retreating, and what the consequences were for those who faltered under fire.

    The BBC Documentary about Loos: On The Front Line.

    To understand more about British Battalions in WW1: From Training to Trenches and What Is A Division?

    Sign up for the free podcast newsletter here: Old Front Line Bulletin.

    You can order Old Front Line Merch via The Old Front Line Shop.

    Got a question about this episode or any others? Drop your question into the Old Front Line Discord Server or email the podcast.

    Send us a text

    Support the show

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
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