'Meet The Ancestors: The Forgotten Battlefield' (2002 TV Documentary) with Paul Reed: Military Historian, Author, and Battlefield Guide

Military Historian, Author, and Battlefield Guide Paul Reed join Sean to discuss a BBC documentary that he took part in, Meet The Ancestors Series 5, Episode 3: The Forgotten Battlefield. The documentary details a group of amateur archaeologists called The Diggers, who discovered a complex trench system over 200 fallen soldiers, in the Ieper (Ypres) and Boesinghe (now Boezinge).

In an act of what Paul describes as "rescue archaeology" the diggers and historians-including Paul himself, race against time to uncover as much as they can before the area is completely covered by the building of an industrial estate. Paul also talks about what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

From the educational remit of British television in the early 2000's, to the emergence of amateur archaeology, and World War One remembrance and myths, this episode has it all.

Raised Questions:

-Did you know the BBC made a rival programme to Channel Four's Time Team?

-Why weren't professional archaeologists interested in World War One battlefields back in the early 2000's?

-Why wouldn't The Diggers be allowed to do their work today?

-Why does wood survive in Flanders Field?

-Why is it important to show the reality of war in documentaries?

Chapters:

0:06 Welcome to Review It Yourself

1:14 Revisiting The Forgotten Battlefield

2:55 The Evolution of BBC Documentaries

7:31 The Role of 'The Diggers'

9:19 Post-War Reconstruction Challenges

10:48 Discoveries Beneath the Surface

13:53 Amateurs vs. Professionals in Archaeology

15:28 The Significance of Archaeological Finds

21:02 Understanding the Reality of War

23:28 The Human Cost of Conflict

30:15 The Reality of Identification

34:59 Forgotten Events of the Past

38:54 The Fog of War

40:47 Officer Casualties and Leadership

45:44 Findings from the Battlefield Trench

47:45 Unearthing History

56:34 The Weight of Remembrance

1:01:20 Reflections on Loss

1:06:21 The Reality of War

1:08:09 Commemoration vs. Reality

1:16:56 Modern Discoveries

1:23:05 The Role of DNA

1:28:58 The Future of Historical Narratives

1:33:57 Sharing Knowledge and Passion

The Programme on BBC iPlayer (UK Only):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074n0m/meet-the-ancestors-series-5-3-the-forgotten-battlefield

Paul's Podcast:

Further Information can be found in Paul's podcast: The Old Front Line:

-Battlefield Archaeology & Essex Farm Episode (3rd April 2020).

-Forgotten Battlefield: The Reunion Episode (1st April 2023).

The Old Front Line Website:

https://oldfrontline.co.uk/

Thanks for Listening!

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