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Questions and Answers Episode 60
Description
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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