Whether you’re looking for a professional guide to take you on a battlefield tour, or you’re already a Battlefield Guide, just interested in finding out what battlefield guiding is all about, considering a future in battlefield guiding or improving your battlefield guiding skills, or simply have a general interest in battlefields – the International Guild of Battlefield Guides is for you. Our Honorary Members include Tonie and Valmai Holt – the pioneers of battlefield guiding – and Guild President Doctor Spencer Jones – the acclaimed First World War historian – the Guild is the foremost organisation in the world dedicated to Battlefield Guiding.
Coming Up
Guild Christmas Lunch – CANCELLED
Unfortunately owing to the present Coronavirus restrictions, our popular annual Christmas lunch has been cancelled as the Union Jack Club are unable to host it. Hopefully we will be able to organise an alternative event once restrictions are relaxed and venues are able to cater for a Guild gathering!
Verdun, France
This recce is being planned to take place in Spring / Early Summer 2021. Dates still be advised (1 Jan date showing merely to reflect year as the web software requires precise dates!).
Contact Simon Worrall to register your interest
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides will be held online, using Zoom. More details, including formal notice of the Meeting, will be circulated in due course.
Annual Conference, Venue TBC
Given that the Covid 19 restrictions might still be affecting the hospitality industry in January next year, it has been agreed to delay the Annual Conference (date to be decided - date shown is just to mark a place) More details will be added when known. The Annual General Meeting of the Guild will still take place on the planned date (30 January 2021).
(Image is our 2018 Annual Conference dinner in Mons, Belgium)
Guild Portuguese Peninsular War Recce – Rescheduled Dates
This Recce had been scheduled to take place in April 2020 but was postponed as Europe went into Covid 19 lock-down which prevented all but non-essential travel. The recce has now been rescheduled to 15th to 20th March 2021.
Please contact the organiser if you are interested in going if you were not down to go on the original recce dates as there may be spaces available.
This 6 day Guild Recce visits the battlefield of Bussaco where Wellington’s strategic genius saw the demise of Massena. We walk Wellington’s early battle sites of Rolica and Vimeiro and contemplate his vision and strategy at the Lines of Torres Vedras. We examine Wellington’s decision making at Oporto where Nosey’s army routed Soult’s French into full retreat.
The intent of the reconnaissance is to visit and consider main battlefield stands, suitable hotels, restaurants, museums and relevant places of interest in order to conduct future successful tours. We will have fun and certainly fair better than our ancestors who soldiered and suffered here during the Napoleonic Wars.
Full details can be found in the attached document.
https://www.gbg-international.com/gbg-recce-2-7-apr-20-ff-2/
EOD, Malta
The Guild recce to Malta will take place from the 9th to the 11th of April 2021. The theme of the recce is the defence of Malta during WW2, with the emphasise being on the Explosive Ordnance Disposal capability of the Islands. It will also cover air and sea campaigns, the experience of the Maltese population and the Axis plans to invade the islands to provide background and context. There will also be a presentation on the siege of Malta in 1565.
Despite being the most bombed place on earth in WW2, Malta is a beautiful island with experiences and sights to suit everybody from narrow meandering streets with baroque church’s, medieval towers to some of the oldest known human structures in the world.
The Islands have rightly been described as an open-air museum with superb weather, fantastic beaches and 7,000 years of intriguing history.
To register an interest contact Bob Shaw
Special Forces in the UK
The Guild Special Forces recce will take place on the 11th and 12th September 2021 in the Poole area.
The theme of the recce is the development of Special Forces capabilities during WW2 and will study the Special Operations Executive, The Auxiliary Units, the Special Raiding Force, Special Forces Communications, Air support to SF operations, MI9, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, the COPPs and Operation Frankton.
This promises to be a packed weekend with lots of historical info and a fun but challenging quiz night. You will be home on Sunday in time for tea and medals!
Contact Bob Shaw to reserve a place.