BEING A BATTLEFIELD GUIDE
One of the questions I am frequently asked is how did you get into battlefield guiding? It is a story,…
Clients and Tour Operators
Ypres - Gallipoli - Somme - Fromelles - Bullecourt - Villers-Bretonneux - Hindenburg line - Dunkirk - Battle of Britain - Baedeker Raids - Bombing Campaign - Normandy - Battle of Arnhem
From the opening shots at Mons to the closing stages of the Great War join me on the WW1 battlefields. My expertise covers the British participation in the First World War and the events in which the Australian Imperial Force participated on the Western Front and at Gallipoli.
From the Battle of France and the miracle of Dunkirk in 1940, via the Battle of Britain and the Blitz, to the beaches of Normandy and the ill-fated Battle at Arnhem in 1944. Join me at key locations where Britain and her Allies fought against Nazi Germany between 1939 and 1945.
I have been a battlefield guide since 2004. Below are some of the sample themes and areas of expertise I focus on as well as the clients and tour operators I have worked with over the years.
The 1915 Gallipoli Campaign
As a battlefield it is haunting and surrounded by myth. More British and French troops were killed during the whole campaign than Australian troops. Yet, to the general public the focus is predominantly on the Australians. While it is fair to say that their participation was significant and their story incredible, we can only understand the significance of this battlefield and the events that played out here in 1915 by looking at all participants. This would be the first involvement of the Australian Imperial Force fighting alongside their British and French counterparts. From start to finish it was disastrous. It’s only success, it’s final evacuation would resonate with General Urquhart’s successful evacuation of the Oosterbeek pocket during Operation Market Garden.
The Australians on the Western Front
Having cut their teeth on the Gallipoli Peninsular the Australians found the Western Front to be a completely different experience. From the disastrous twenty four hours at Fromelles their experience would include their immense sacrifice at Pozieres, the ill-fated Battle of Bullecourt, their participation in the Third Battle of Ypres, their last-ditch defence during the German 1918 Spring Offensive before finally participating in the last hundred days alongside British and American troops and ending their war at Montbrehain. The Australian Western Front experience has many stories to tell of commitment, learning, adaptation and perseverance.
The British Army in the trenches 1914-1918
‘And it’s Tommy this and Tommy that and Tommy Go Away, But it’s thank you Mr Atkins when the Band begins to play’ Mud, blood and slaughter are words commonly associated with the British experience on the Western Front. Yet many men would never see the front line, many would claim their experience ‘the best time of their lives’ or ‘wouldn’t have missed it for the world’. Our focus as a nation tends to turn towards the first day on the Somme and the notorious Ypres Salient and less upon the many successes. By 1918 the British Expeditionary Force was a totally different beast than the Tommy Atkins who entered the battlefield in 1914. Their story is most definitely one of sacrifice but it is also one of comradeship, camaraderie and a unique experience for every individual who served.
Britain during World War Two
From the miraculous evacuation from Dunkirk, Britain and her people would experience their darkest hour. Children would watch dog fights over the Kent countryside, the enemy believing they could bomb the British people into submission. Night after night they focused their attention on the East End of London among other cities. The underground was rife with prostitution and black marketeering but on the whole ‘business carried on as usual’. However, it was with the help of our allies, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Poles Czech and other nations that the tide turned. The east of England saw an influx of men and material, turning it into a patchwork of bomber bases from which the fight would be carried to the German heartland.
The British Army during the North West Europe campaign 1944/45
6th June 1944 would see the largest amphibious operation of the war. Britain and her allies would fight through adversity and very tough times during the Battle of Normandy. In August Paris was liberated. But then things started to slow down. The enemy started to regroup and re-organise. The Allies had to achieve a bridgehead across the Rhine. To that end, Montgomery came up with an audacious plan, a plan to break through and hopefully end the war by Christmas. Operation Market Garden -- for me the most fascinating battle of WW2 – popularly classed as a failure, would end with an evacuation across the Rhine. However, many would remain trapped behind enemy lines. Their story and the story of the Dutch resistance who helped them culminated in the most successful escape of WW2. Known as Operation Pegasus, it forms a fitting end to the Market Garden story.
Working for different organisations, I regularly lead groups to battlefields of World War One and World War Two. Since 2004 I have worked with a variety of groups, ranging from tourist and school groups to military groups. All tours I provide are bespoke and relevant to the requirements of my client.
I am regularly invited to give talks and lectures on a specific World War One or World War Two battlefield or on subjects pertaining to these wars. Whether in a real time presentation, a podcast, or virtually, I deliver high quality bespoke talks and lectures that are both informative and engaging.
On many of my tours I incorporate pilgrimages to cemeteries and memorials, visiting the places where relatives of travellers are buried or commemorated. I meticulously prepare each pilgrimage by extensive research into their war time service, ensuring a memorable and respectful visit.
If you would like more information on my services regarding battlefield touring, a talk or lecture or are interested in a pilgrimage for your relative, why not contact me for more information on what I can do for you.
From organising tours during active military service to becoming a full time military historian and battlefield guide.
The daughter of a Second World War Soldier, I first became interested in military history when listening to my father talk of his wartime experiences in North Africa. In adult life, I worked for the MOD in Hong Kong. On my return to the UK, I enlisted in the Territorial Army as a Royal Signals soldier. It was at this stage that I first got involved in the planning and management of a series of Battlefield Studies for my unit. A move to Germany allowed me to study Operation Market Garden and to build up crucial experience as a guide, working for a Battlefield Tour Operator.
Enthused by guiding, I joined the International Guild of Battlefield Guides in 2004. I gained accreditation status and was awarded my GBG Badge by the late Professor Richard Holmes in 2010 and hold badge number 48. In 2017 I achieved a Masters Degree in military history from the University of Wolverhampton under the tutelage of Professor Gary Sheffield.
Equally at home touring the Western Front and Gallipoli, I also regularly lead tours over the WW2 battlefields of North West Europe. An independent Battlefield Guide, I am frequently hired by different battlefield tour companies, such as Mat Mclachlan Battlefield Tours and Battlefield Discovery. I have extensive experience of working with student groups, the military and commercial tours with British and Australian groups.
Next to guiding, I have also worked with Battlefield History TV in the production of a series of DVDs concentrating on Operation Market Garden. I am also a book reviewer and contribute articles to local newspapers and magazines. I have appeared on different online and live forums to deliver talks and lectures on the battlefields of World War One and Two. These have included working with Battle Guide Virtual Tours delivering tours on World War One and World War Two as well as several live appearances on Paul Woodage’s WW2TV channel. Finally, I have appeared in the Channel 5 series Secret History of World War Two.
One of the questions I am frequently asked is how did you get into battlefield guiding? It is a story,…
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or wish to receive more information on what I can do for you.
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