The Old Front Line

In this episode of The Old Front Line Podcast, we answer another fascinating selection of listener questions that explore the realities of life, death, remembrance and battlefield tactics on the Western Front during the First World War.
How much safer were soldiers when they left the front line? We examine the British Army's system of rotating troops through front-line, support and reserve positions, and ask whether moving away from the trenches really improved a soldier's chances of survival, or whether artillery, snipers and long-range shellfire meant danger was never far away.
We also travel to Sidcup in Kent and explore the legacy of families who suffered devastating losses during the Great War. From the pioneering work of Sir Harold Gillies and the famous "blue benches" to the story of the Crombie family, we investigate whether Britain had its own "Saving Private Ryan" stories and look at families who lost multiple sons in the conflict.
A visit to Hooge Crater Cemetery prompts a question about multiple burials in Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries. Why do some headstones commemorate several men? How common are collective graves, and what do they tell us about the conditions of battle and battlefield burial?
Finally, we delve into the world of breastwork trenches. Common across the low-lying landscapes of French Flanders, these unusual battlefield defences posed unique challenges for attackers and defenders alike. How were breastworks built, assaulted and protected, and were they more vulnerable to artillery fire than conventional trenches?
Book Recommendations: 
Roy, R.H. - The Journal of Private Fraser (Canada 1985, later CEF books 1998)
Dr Lindsey Fitzharris - The Facemaker (London 2022)
Main Image: New Zealand troops of the 9th (Wellington East Coast Rifles) Regiment holding a well constructed breastwork near Fleurbaix during June 1916. Note one of the troops using a periscope rifle. (IWM Q666). 
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The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is the largest British war memorial in the world and one of the most powerful places where we remember the sacrifice of the Missing on the Western Front. In this episode, we explore the story behind "Mighty Thiepval" and uncover why this iconic monument continues to resonate more than a century after the Battle of the Somme.
We begin by examining the strategic importance of the village of Thiepval during the fighting up to 1916, and why it became one of the most heavily defended positions on the battlefield. We then follow the remarkable career of Sir Edwin Lutyens, tracing the experiences and influences that led him to create this masterpiece of remembrance.
Using modern AI technology, we delve into the stories hidden within the more than 72,000 names carved into the memorial's stonework, revealing what these men can tell us about the scale and human cost of the Somme campaign. Along the way, we focus on several individual soldiers whose lives and sacrifices help bring the memorial's vast roll of honour into sharper focus.
Finally, we take a walk across the battlefield at Thiepval today, exploring the landscape, the surviving traces of war, and the enduring connection between memory, history and place.
Main Image: Thiepval Memorial during the WW1 Centenary.(Old Front Line archives)
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RECOMMENDED READING:
Lutyens and the Great War - Tim Skelton and Gerald Gliddon (Frances Lincoln 2008)
Cemeteries of the Great War by Sir Edwin Lutyens - Jeroen Geurst (Rotterdam 2010)
The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme - Gavin Stamp (Profile 2006)
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In this latest Old Front Line Q&A, we tackle four fascinating questions that take us from the opening moments of the Battle of the Somme to the long legacy of the Western Front landscape.
We begin at Hawthorn Ridge on 1 July 1916 and ask whether the famous mine was detonated ten minutes early to help the attack, to provide Geoffrey Malins with the perfect filming opportunity, or for a combination of both. We also examine whether the advanced position of the Lancashire Fusiliers in the Sunken Lane, together with the early gains of the Ulster Division nearby, could have transformed a disastrous sector of the Somme battlefield into a genuine British success.
We then explore memories of the Second World War, discussing whether First World War veterans ever compared their own experiences with the rapid collapse of France and the BEF in 1940.
A question inspired by a walk along the Old Front Line looks at modern ownership of battlefield land. If your house stands on top of a trench system, can you excavate it, and what permissions might be required in France and Belgium?
Finally, we examine what happened when soldiers' remains were discovered in the 1920s. How were they identified, who carried out the work, and what kind of burial and ceremony followed?
Book: Nick and Fiona Jenkins - Walking The Line (Wetsocks Books 2021)
Main Image: Field Marshal Montgomery reads the inscription on a grave at the Canadian First World War memorial at Vimy Ridge, 8 September 1944. (IWM BU 763). 
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We begin Season 10 of The Old Front Line with a journey into The Great War Around Us: the First World War history that can still be found in the places where we live.
In this episode, we visit the East Sussex village of Wadhurst and explore how the impact of the Great War can still be discovered more than a century later. Starting at the village war memorial in the church, we uncover the stories behind the names carved in stone and examine what they reveal about the devastating losses suffered by this small community, particularly during the fighting of 9 May 1915 at the Battle of Aubers Ridge.
We then step into the parish churchyard to search for traces of the war, from Commonwealth war graves to moving family epitaphs that preserve personal memories of sacrifice and loss. Along the way, we discover how local history can open a window onto the wider story of the First World War.
This episode is also a call to action. Wherever you live, the history of the Great War is often closer than you think. War memorials, churchyards, memorial plaques and family stories can all help us understand how the conflict touched communities across Britain and beyond.
Join us as we explore the Great War around us and discover why local remembrance remains such a powerful way to connect with the history of that conflict more than a century ago. 
Main Image: Wadhurst Church and Roy Fazan. (Old Front Line archives)
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For our final Bonus Episode before Season 10 begins in September, we look at a rare Roll of Honour for the Gravesend and Dartford area of Kent, and discuss the whole history of these Rolls of Honour and then look through this example seeing what it can tell us about the wider history of the Great War. 
Main Image: Extracts from the Gravesend and Dartford 'Peace Souvenir' 1919. (Old Front Line archives)
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