Just occasionally something in life comes along that you really want to get your teeth into and offer to help someone. This happened recently following a telephone call from our…

If you have not already looked at the start of this Vinter Brothers story then I strongly urge you to do so. Click Here, to fully understand why Derek needed…

Mike Stokes had previously visited the location in Germany where his grandfather was interned as a Prisoner Of War. But, Mike wanted to visit the area in France where he…

George II was the last British monarch born outside the British Isles of Great Britain; George was born and brought up in what is now known as Northern Germany. He…

It is without a doubt a phrase that is well known; The Dambusters. Be that for one of the best war films ever produced, with my old friend Richard Todd…

Recent research has thrown light on the last soldiers to be killed on 11 November 1918. The research clearly shows that In the closing minutes of World War One, the…

I remember fondly joining Bill Wicks on a tour of The Somme battlefield. Bill had travelled from New Zealand and hoped to better understand what it was that his Grandfather,…

The motivation and drive for doing a battlefield tour can be varied and for many reasons, to visit the campaigns and battles of past family members; to pay respect to…

To visit the place a relative, or loved one, fought and to try to understand what they endured is one of the most popular reasons for a battlefield tour, and…

In England, on 23 April, we celebrated St George’s Day, the patron saint of England. George was credited with slaying the dragon and it became a day when a traditional…

The Great War of 1914-18 was fought on a scale never before witnessed with casualties and damage beyond any war previous to it.  In military, social and economic terms it…

Lance Corporal John Richard Nisbet (Jack) served with 458 West Riding Field Company, Royal Engineers, 49th West Riding Division.  He landed at Le Harve on 21st June 1915 and his…

Much has been written about Captain Noel Chavasse being the most decorated officer of the First World War, and many of you will have joined me as we stood by…

November is a Month of Remembrance and like many, I am sure you had your Two Minutes Silence, many do so on the declared Remembrance Sunday in a local church…

We often hear on television that as a country the United Kingdom faces the threat of unhealthy eating and diet and all the associated health risks, indeed one TV presenter…

Many of you will know about the most highly decorated soldier of World War One, William Harold Coltman VC, DCM & Bar, MM & Bar.  In turn, many have joined me…

So often on a battlefield tour, people are fascinated at the World War One Memorial Plaque, often better known as The Dead Man’s Penny or sometimes The Widows Penny, that…

Taking people on battlefield tours is enormously rewarding; to help a modern-day generation ‘contact’ a distant relative who fought in a past conflict, is still the highlight of many a…

I had the great pleasure of receiving the following soon after returning to the battlefields of France and Belgium with Mike and Amber Stokes, Mike has visited before but this…

During battlefield tours I have often spoken about the need, for the first time, for a ‘The Home Front’ during World War One, how industry was required to support the…

One of the most memorial pictures to come out of the Titanic Disaster was of a newsboy standing in Trafalgar Square selling the newspapers that told the world of the…

Over the years some people have questioned remembrance and the wearing of a poppy, saying we are Glorifying War. It is worth remembering that Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, are…

Since the 1920s at exactly 2000 hours, or 8:00 pm, every night the sound of the bugle can be heard in the Belgium town of Ypres. Every night the local…

Many of you who have travelled to the battlefield of France and Belgium with me will know that if there is one thing I hope you take away it is…

“In Flanders Fields” is one of the most famous poems from World War One and is often credited as the reason why the ‘poppy’ was chosen as the flower of…

Here in the United Kingdom almost every week we hear stories of racist comments; sadly all too often on the sports field and not always by the spectators, whilst I…

This is not intended to capture all conflicts and military operations since 1952, nor is it intended to be a history lesson on the conflicts of recent military operations.  But…

It is with great sadness that recently the last known surviving veteran of World War One, Claude Choules, died at the age of 110. Many of us will identify with Harry…

The first professional footballer soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross was “Donny” Bell.  Donald Simpson Bell was born on 3 December 1890 to Smith and Annie Bell, who resided in…

With the fast transport system, from England to France and Belgium, it is now so easy to visit the battlefields of The Western Front from World War One. Nevertheless, it…

Much has been written about the Christmas Truce of World War One in 1914, some say it never happened as it was not correctly reported – but let us just…

The relationship between war and the film industry needs little explanation. The war film has long been a favourite and was often Sunday afternoon entertainment on the telly – even…

The names of Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing are world-famous for the first recorded ascent of Everest on 29 May 1953, but can you name anyone else involved in the…

I had the great pleasure of taking a battlefield tour to Normandy which was made special by our guest, Mr Richard Todd. Richard Todd, the actor, may be better known…

Many of you who have joined me on battlefield tours will know about my love of working dogs, the fact I own a number of working English Springer Spaniels and…