Bespoke Western Front Battlefield Tours

11/11/2024

Humbling.

11/11/2024

26/10/2024

Very fitting for all those at the 100th museum who have kept the history alive.

26/10/2024

Book signing day!
Come along, art fair too, so at least there’s something interesting too …😉😉😉😉😉

20/10/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/kjZPkTjy2MP6BJvS/?mibextid=WC7FNe

18/10/2024

The coffin of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, London.

The Unknown Warrior is an unidentified member of the British Imperial armed forces who died on the Western Front during WW1. He is interred in a grave at Westminster Abbey, also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

He was given a state funeral and buried on the 11th of November 1920, simultaneously with a similar interment of a French unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in France, making both graves the first examples of a tomb of the unknown soldier, and the first to honour the unknown dead of WW1.

The guests of honour were a group of about one hundred women. They had been chosen because they had each lost their husband and all their sons in the war. "Every woman so bereft who applied for a place got it."

At the burial, 74 Victoria Cross recipients, along with 12 other highly decorated servicemen, formed a guard of honour. I have read, that originally there was meant to be 100 VC recipients, but due to the difficulties of the time, including the Spanish flu pandemic, the numbers could not be achieved on the day.

Officially, the buried man may be from the Army, Navy or Air Force (hence the name warrior instead of soldier) and from any part of the British Empire at the time. However, the National Army Museum notes that the UK Government had also previously confirmed that the interred was a soldier and that he was most likely from the British Isles, not the Empire.

On the 17th of October 1921, the Unknown Warrior was given the United States' highest award for valour, the Medal of Honor, from the hand of General John Pershing; it hangs on a pillar close to the tomb. On the 11th of November 1921, the American Unknown Soldier was reciprocally awarded the Victoria Cross.

Lest We Forget.

Some information came from Wikipedia. Photograph came from Imperial War Museums IWM Q31518.

09/10/2024

I’ve just watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time in more than decade.

It had a much deeper effect on me than when I saw it on release when I was pretty much half the age I am now.

26 years after its release I have greater life experience, we’ve lived through the war on terror, there’s another major land conflict in Europe, and I have been a student of military history of both WW1 and WW2 for the last 8 years as a result of becoming a battlefield guide.

Having stood on the Normandy beaches, the gentle elevating ground of Passchendaele and spent a lot of time walking the Somme battlefields I am in awe more than ever of the bravery and sacrifice of those who’s stories we convey.

The cast and movie making of this film are simply outstanding, inspired by the story of the Niland Brothers.

08/10/2024

We were recently asked to collaborate with a specialist destination management company to run a bespoke London walking tour encompassing London history and a slant towards WW2.

What great day one of the London team had starting out in Kensington and finishing around Whitehall and St James.

The WW2 elements included the Churchill war rooms, the statues of the great generals in Whitehall, the cenotaph, Bomber command and Battle of Britain memorials, discussing central London blitz damage, examing the history and role of the old Admiralty and War Office and a side helping to faded markings of war time London as seen in the pictures.

We covered London history from Roman times to the post war London and also included the wider story around ‘Giro’ from just before WW2.

Now maybe looking at opening a wider portfolio than day tours, keep watching!

Best wishes the team.

25/09/2024

Always inspiring but also very sad and humbling.
It was nice to be back to a region that was once home.

25/09/2024

CWGC gardens beware!

25/09/2024

An unexpected opportunity to call by today and pay respects.