From a very early age, I have had a strong interest in history, and in particular military history – much to the bewilderment of my parents! I continued this to University level, gaining a degree in History & Ancient History.
My interest was certainly not lessened by 37 years as an Army Reservist, serving in a wide variety of roles and under multiple cap badges – Infantry, Royal Signals, Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. With my last unit, I planned and delivered a Battlefield Study to the Great War battlefields of Mons, Ypres & the Somme.
My first experience of digging in to military archives was after my mother passed me the Aircrew Log Book belonging to her late brother, whose aircraft disappeared during an anti-submarine patrol over the Atlantic in February 1944. 70 years after his last flight I visited the Runnymede Memorial and found his name.
A little later, I decided to try and find out something about the men and women named on the War Memorial in Harrogate, the town where I grew up and still live. I have been able to identify (and in many cases, put faces to) all but about 40 of the 1163 names, in addition to finding over 100 others who should have been included. I was heavily involved in the exhibition and events to commemorate the Centenary of the unveiling of the Memorial on 1st September 1923, including an interview on the ITV Evening News.
I joined the Guild in late 2022, and became an Accredited Member in January 2025.
I believe strongly in telling both the story of what happened on a battlefield, and also the stories of those who fought there.
In addition to being a member of the Guild, I am a local volunteer for the CWGC, conducting tours and talks locally.