In this special edition, we’re joined by Jon Gedling, Director of Estates for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, to discuss the challenges and responsibilities involved in caring for First World War cemeteries in Belgium and France. We explore the history behind making these cemeteries permanent after the Great War, how maintenance practices have evolved, and the background to the so-called “black spot” issue. Jon explains what recent investigations have revealed, how the CWGC is addressing the problem, what the future might hold, and how visitors to the Western Front battlefields can support the Commission’s work.

If you want to report an issue in a cemetery you have visited you can contact the CWGC.

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In this 40th Questions and Answers episode, we explore some of the lesser-known battlefields of the Western Front, uncovering places where traces of the First World War fighting can still be seen today. We examine what really happened to trenches after they were captured in battle, discuss whether WW1 historians face a new challenge from Artificial Intelligence, and debate the nature of First World War generalship — were those in high command truly butchers and bunglers, or more capable than history has allowed?

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We travel to the area Behind the Lines of West of Arras, visiting cemeteries where Casualty Clearing Stations were moved back to in 1918, discuss a small village where WW1 meets WW2, discover some original Great War graffiti on a farm building wall and visit on the of the most important Arras cemeteries covering all four years of the fighting and seeing the grave of Canada's most decorated ordinary soldier.

Pte Claude Nunney VC DCM MM: Claude Nunney website.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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We return to the memories of WW1 veteran Malcolm Vyvyan MC, who served with 96th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery on the Western Front from 1916, and then latterly the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force. We follow him from the Somme to Arras, until he leaves his Battery for flying training in 1918.

The previous episode covering Malcolm's memoirs: A Siege Battery Gunner.

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In this WW1 Q&A episode, we explore the lives and social backgrounds of British Army officers, ask whether First World War veterans hated their German enemies, and share the remarkable stories of soldiers who were discharged but re-enlisted to fight again. We also look at how people living on the Western Front battlefields today connect with the war, and whether interest in the Great War is fading—or still as strong as ever.

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What was the “Forgotten Front” of Northern France? In this episode, we explore the stretch of battlefield from Armentières on the Belgian border through La Bassée to the ground near Loos, scene of the Big Push of September 1915: fought 110 years ago this weekend. We uncover the history, walk the landscape, and share the stories of the men who fought and fell on this often-overlooked part of the Western Front.

The Road to La Bassée Poem on the Great War Forum: The Road to La Bassée

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In our first QnA Episode for Season 9 we look at what happened to the German forces when the guns went silent on 11th November 1918, discuss the use of poison gas and it's legacy on the battlefields today, examine if British and German dead were buried in the same trenches on the battlefield, and ask what happened to the horses used by the British Army when the war came to an end?

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