The Old Front Line

In this wide-ranging listener Q&A episode of Old Front Line, we dive into some intriguing and human questions thrown up by the Great War.
We begin with the fate of the missing. With hundreds of thousands of men listed as “missing” across the Western Front, is there any real evidence that some chose to disappear, seizing the chaos of war to start new lives elsewhere? We explore the realities of desertion, the systems used to record the dead, and whether the idea of men slipping away into anonymity holds up under historical scrutiny.
From there, we head to the contested borderlands of Alsace-Lorraine. Annexed by the German Empire after the Franco-Prussian War, the region produced soldiers who often found themselves fighting for Germany despite deep cultural ties to France. Were these men treated with suspicion? Were they deliberately dispersed among regiments, and how did questions of identity and loyalty shape their wartime experience?
We also turn to the modern landscape of the First World War, answering a question about relationships with landowners across the former front lines. What happens when cemeteries and forgotten sites lie on private land? Do landowners welcome visitors, and how connected do they feel to the history beneath their fields? 
Finally, we tackle casualty comparisons. While 1 July 1916 stands as the British Army’s darkest day on the Battle of the Somme, what were the equivalent days of devastation for the French and German armies? From the Battle of the Frontiers to the Offensive in the Champagne, we examine when losses peaked and what that tells us about the wider war.
As always, this episode blends thoughtful listener questions with grounded historical analysis, uncovering the personal stories and bigger truths behind the conflict.
Research by David O'Mara: Casualties in 1914 and 1915.
315eRI on Substack: The Day Flesh Met Steel.
Main Image: The Dawn: Propaganda Poster During the First World War with Two Women Representing Alsace and Lorraine by Henri Royer. 
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Step into one of the most chaotic and little-known battles of the First World War in 1916 with this episode of The Old Front Line, as we explore the Battle of the St Eloi Craters (March–April 1916).
Fought in the shattered landscape south of Ypres, this battle saw the devastating use of underground mines transform the battlefield into a nightmarish maze of mud-filled craters. We examine how British tunnelling companies detonated massive charges beneath German lines, and how the newly arrived Canadian Corps struggled to hold and understand the ground they had inherited.
At the heart of this episode are powerful first-hand accounts. We hear the experiences of Donald Fraser, whose vivid testimony captures the confusion and brutality of crater fighting, and Harold McGill, medical officer with the 31st Battalion, who provides a harrowing insight into the challenges of treating the wounded in such extreme conditions.
Main Image: Actions of St. Eloi Craters. Troops of the Northumberland Fusiliers, 3rd Division, wearing German helmets and gas masks captured at St. Eloi, 27th March 1916. Image taken by Ernest Brooks (IWM Q494)
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Step back from the battlefield and into the questions that bring the Great War to life in this special Q&A episode. Drawing on years of battlefield exploration and historical research, we tackle four fascinating listener questions centred on the Battle of the Somme and beyond.
We begin on the heights above the battlefield, exploring the idea of Bouzincourt Ridge as a “grandstand view” on 1 July 1916. What could be seen at 7:30am as the attack began? While no direct veteran testimony from that exact vantage point survives, we examine contemporary accounts, artillery observation points, and how the opening moments of the Somme were witnessed from the rear areas.
From there, we address a powerful and sobering question about the dead of the Somme. With so many soldiers listed as unidentifiied, how were remains recovered, identified, and buried? Could parts of the same individual have ended up in different graves, and how did organisations like the Imperial War Graves Commission ensure accuracy and dignity in commemoration?
Next, we break down the sheer scale of the Somme fighting. Was it a continuous daily offensive, or a series of smaller battles? We explain how the campaign unfolded between July and November 1916, highlighting key phases such as the Battle of Bazentin Ridge and the Battle of Flers-Courcelette to give clarity to one of history’s most complex battles.
Finally, we turn to literature, examining Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. How accurate is its depiction of trench life and tunnelling warfare? We compare fiction with historical reality, exploring where the novel captures the truth, and where it takes creative licence.
Main Image: Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery during the Centenary in 2018 (Old Front Line Archives)
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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 the full story in audio + ebook formats here https://payhip.com/b/C9B6s
Website where folks can keep up to date about the project
www.vog.care
www.facebook.com/voicesofgallipoli
Main Image: The Otago Regiment landing at Gallipoli 1915.
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In this in-depth Questions & Answers episode of The Old Front Line, we tackle four fascinating listener questions exploring the aftermath and realities of the First World War.
We begin in the Ypres Salient, examining how the Commonwealth War Graves Commission replaced thousands of temporary wooden crosses with the iconic headstones we see today. How was this monumental task organised? How many stonemasons were involved, and how long did the process take?
Next, we explore the often misunderstood concept of “machine gun barrages” during trench warfare. How did these indirect fire weapons work, and how effective were they on the battlefield? We also look at examples of the barrages and developing use of machine-guns on the battlefield. 
We then move behind the lines to investigate burial practices at Casualty Clearing Stations and Field Hospitals. With thousands buried in short periods, what environmental and public health challenges arose, and did these cemeteries pose risks to local populations after the war?
Finally, we examine the complex issue of land ownership after 1918. Across former battlefields in France and Belgium, how were destroyed landscapes surveyed, boundaries restored, and compensation provided to those who had lost everything?
More on the Vickers Gun: Vickers Machine Gun Collection & Research Association.
Main Image: A Vickers machine gun team from the Machine Gun Corps (MGC) wearing PH Type anti-gas helmets in action near Ovillers during the Battle of the Somme, July 1916. (IWM Q3995)
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