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Explore the world’s most trusted directory of battlefield guides

The guide directory details all Guild Accredited Members. Each of these has passed the our validation programme – so you can be sure they are all high quality guides and will give you a great tour!

You can filter by battle or country. Then click on the name of a Guide to read their biography and email them directly. This list shows our Accredited Guides, we also have many Associate Members not listed here. If you would like to check whether a particular individual is a member of the Guild, or for further help, please contact the Guild Secretary at secretary@gbg-international.com. We guarantee we’ll have somebody that can help you!

Many Guides can develop bespoke personalised tours and can research where particular ancestors might have fought or died. If you want to advice on following a particular ancestor please contact the Guild Secretary.

Battle

AllAntiquity

Viking battles in Yorkshire[1]Roman Invasion of Britain[1]Roman Invasion of Germany[1]

Battle of Teutoberger Forest[1]

Middle Ages[9]

Poitiers[1]Edward I’s conquest of North Wales[1]Battle of Lewes[1]Bosworth[1]Agincourt[5]Towton[1]Crecy[4]Hastings Campaign[2]Norman Conquest of England[3]

Fulford[2]Stanford Bridge[3]Hastings[2]

The 100 Years War[4]

Sluys[1]Poitiers[1]

British Civil Wars[5]

Sedgemoor[1]The Boyne[1]Culloden[1]Owen Glendower's Revolt[1]War of the Roses[4]English Civil War[5]

Marston Moor[1]London in the Civil War[1]

Monmouth's Rebellion[1]The Jacobite Rebellions[2]

Marlborough's Campaigns[1]

Blenheim[1]Minden[1]

Napoleonic Wars[16]British Colonial Conflicts[3]

Boer War[2]American War of Independence[4]Seven Years' War[2]

Battle of Minden[3]

Anglo/Zulu War[4]

Isandlwana[1]Rorke's Drift[1]Eshowe[1]Gingindlovu[1]Hlobane[1]Ulundi[1]

Crimean War[2]American Civil War[1]

Bull Run[1]Antietam[1]Gettysburg[1]Monocacy[1]

Franco-Prussian War[1]Austro-Prussian War[1]

Koniggratz[1]

20th Century

Russian Revolution and Civil War[1]Falklands War[1]First World War[44]Second World War[45]

Holocaust[1]Fall of France[3]Fall of Berlin[2]Operation Amherst[1]Operation Frankton[1]Operation Cockleshell[1]Normandy Preparations in UK[3]German Airborne Invasion of Crete[1]Bastogne[5]Operation VERITABLE[2]Sicily[2]Anzio[1]The Great Patriotic War[1]

Leningrad (St Petersburg)[1]Moscow[1]Stalingrad (Volgograd)[1]

Kursk[1]30 Corps[1]Battle of Anzio[3]Ardennes[6]Arnhem[19]Arras[1]Auschwitz[1]Battle of Britain[2]Battle of the Bulge[10]Battle of Calais[2]Cassino[7]Commando Raids of Bruneval[2]D-Day[14]Dieppe[8]Dunkirk[6]Eindhoven & Nijmegen[5]Gothic Line[1]Gustav Line[1]Battle of Halbe[1]Liberation of Holland[3]Krakow[1]London Blitz[2]Normandy Landings[17]Norway 1940 Campaign[1]Operation Berlin[5]Operation Market Garden[8]Operation Sea Lion[1]The Siege of Malta[1]Operation AVALANCHE[1]Operation CHARIOT[1]Operation HUSKY[1]Operation INFATUATE[1]Operation JUBILEE[2]Operation SHINGLE[1]Operation PLUNDER[1]Operation OVERLORD[2]Reichswald Forest[2]Peenemunde[2]Rhine Crossing[4]St Nazaire & Dieppe[3]Salerno[3]Scheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & Walcheren[4]Sedan[1]Warsaw uprisings[1]

Cold War[9]Spanish Civil War[2]Vietnam War[1]Oman[1]

Ian Gumm

Accredited Guide Number: 62

Ian Gumm is the founder and CEO of In The Footsteps, a leading independent battlefield tour operator, as well as a full-time battlefield historian and guide. He has led tours since 1998 and has visited the battlefield of the Norman Conquest, the Hundred Years War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Anglo-Zulu War, the First World War, the Second World War … and much more.

“Touring the battlefield is my passion, it is what I love to do and I feel extremely privileged to be able to escort people around the battlefields of the world visiting some of the most important historical sites that have shaped the world in which we live.”

Ian served in the British Army as a Reservist for thirty-six years during which time he commanded B (Rorke’s Drift) Company of the 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Wales; commanded the Regimental Contingent at the affiliation parade with 121 South African Infantry Battalion (a Zulu Battalion) in South Africa; was the officer responsible for training all junior and potential officers in Wales and was the staff officer responsible for the First World War Centenary Commemorations for Wales.

His experience, gained both on the battlefield and with the British Army, allows him to add a soldier’s perspective and paint the picture of a battle on the canvas of the countryside. This enhances your tour experience, as Ian is not only able to impart an understanding of the history, but also a feel for the men who fought the battle and the ground over which they were fought.

“So whether you are ‘following in the footsteps’ of an ancestor or relative on a genealogy tour; ‘following in the footsteps of heroes’ on a more general tour or retracing the steps of a military unit or formation on a battlefield study or staff ride you can be sure that Ian will deliver an experience that will leave you with memories that last a lifetime.”

As an Accredited Member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides, Ian endeavours to maintain the high standards, both in terms of service and good practice, that are commensurate with the Guild’s ethos. In addition to being an Accredited Member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides, Ian is a member of the Western Front Association, the Last Post Association and a registered tour guide with the European Tour Operators Association.

As well as leading battlefield tours Ian delivers interesting and informative military history talks and presentations to professional organisations, businesses, clubs, societies and other groups, small or large.

Battles Fulford Sluys Talavera...Charleroi Isandlwana Vimy Ridge Leningrad (St Petersburg)Middle Ages Stanford Bridge Poitiers Almaraz Rorke's Drift Villers-Bretonneux Moscow WWI Agincourt Hastings Fuentes de Onoro Eshowe Gallipoli Stalingrad (Volgograd)WWII Waterloo Anglo/Zulu War Ciudad Rodrigo Gingindlovu Sinai and Palestine Campaign Napoleon Arras Ligny Crecy Badajoz Hlobane Bastogne Aubers Ridge British Colonial Conflicts Salamanca Ulundi Operation VERITABLE Quatre Bras Norman Conquest of England Vittoria Sicily Wavre The 100 Years War Anzio The Great Patriotic War Battle of the Somme Wellington’s Peninsular battles Kursk Battle of Amiens Bullecourt Cambrai Arnhem Fromelles Battle of the Bulge Le Hamel Cassino Messines D-Day Meuse-Argonne Mons Dieppe Dunkirk Passchendaele Verdun Ypres Normandy Landings Operation Berlin Operation Market Garden Reichswald Forest Rhine Crossing Salerno Scheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & Walcheren

Countries Luxembourg Israel Africa...England South Africa Eastern Europe Wales Belgium Poland Western Europe Middle East Scotland Europe Turkey France Germany Greece Russia Italy Netherlands United Kingdom

Caters For Bespoke GroupGroup TypesClubs and Societies...College GroupsCorporate ToursFamiliesMilitary & VeteranSchool GroupsSmall Groups

Emailinfo@inthefootsteps.comTel.+441989 565 599Websitewww.inthefootsteps.com

John Patrick Hamill

Accredited Guide Number: 59

I am a retired Army Quartermaster (Logistics) and have been guiding professionally since 2009.

My interest in battlefields began as a boy when I caused uproar in his father’s garden by digging trenches and having battles with model soldiers in my father’s flower/vegetable beds. I joined the Army, aged 15 as a Junior Leader in 1961. Since then, my Regular Army career has been with many different Regiments and Corps (Middlesex, Queens, Royal Army Medical Corps and the Intelligence Corps), spanned 47 years, with operational experience in Northern Ireland and The Former Republic of Yugoslavia. In June 2002 I was awarded an MBE for my service.

I have had an extensive career serving across the globe. my infantry experience, both tactical and administrative gives me a soldier’s eye for ground with its impact on various weapon systems and the logistic support needed to maintain armies in the field.

I have an interest in medieval battles such as the Battle of Lewes and Wolverhampton, as well as the English Civil War. I have researched and led a Tour of the Battle of Waterloo in the past and have added this to my list of tours. Another area I am researching is the various Battles of the Hundred Years War with France and anticipate being qualified to take Tours in these battles.

I am also well qualified to lead tours on many of the battlefields of both World Wars.

Battles Battle of Lewes Middle Ages WWI...WWII Waterloo Napoleon Dellville Wood Battle of the Bulge Passchendaele Polygon Wood Verdun Normandy Landings

Countries Belgium Western Europe Europe...France

Caters For Adult Coach GroupsIndividualsMilitary & Veteran...School GroupsSmall Groups

Emailjhamill666@btinternet.comTel.+44 7979 065 114

David Harvey

Accredited Guide Number: 63

I began exploring battlefields, castles and other defensive sites as a teenager. These early interests became a lifelong passion in understanding the past through battles as turning points in history and led to membership of the Guild and gaining qualification as an accredited member.

A full career in policing has trained me in a detective’s way to look for corroboration of facts. There’s a saying ‘never let facts get in the way of a good story’, however I believe the truth holds a more revealing narrative than a mere story. Revisiting the accepted course of events is a rewarding way to explore scenes of battle, encouraging discussion about accepted facts.

Graduating from the School of Ancient History and Archaeology, Leicester University in 2012, I have a familiarity with modern archaeological techniques. This enables me to explain how advances in scientific analysis may significantly add insight for battlefield tourists. An example of this has been scrutinising the recent revelations of King Richard III’s battle wounds and reassessing the conduct of the battle of Bosworth through field walking and geophysical surveys.

I have visited and studied a wide range of historical sites across the Mediterranean and Europe from ancient to modern eras. Organising private tours to interesting locations overseas and in the U.K. has become a real pleasure, providing additional research and discrete visits according to client needs.

As a local historian, I am a member of a variety of community based groups with interest in maintaining a living heritage, such as the Rutland Historical Society. My archaeological skills are maintained through field-walking, surveys and excavations with community archaeological teams and Leicester University.

Personal historical interests extend from Roman occupation of Britain through Saxon and Viking settlement to the Norman Conquest. I have particular knowledge of the English Civil War and an understanding of the Wars of the Roses with fresh interpretation of the end of medieval age with the defeat of Richard III.

Battles Middle Ages WWI British Civil Wars...WWII Waterloo Napoleon Battle of the Somme 20 C.D-Day Passchendaele Battle of Halbe Ypres Operation Market Garden

Countries England Wales Belgium...Western Europe Scotland Cyprus Europe France Germany Greece Italy Netherlands United Kingdom

Caters For Adult Coach GroupsBespoke GroupCollege Groups...IndividualsPilgrimage GroupsSchool GroupsSmall Groups

Emaildavid_j_harvey@yahoo.co.ukTel.+44 1572 820 273

Tony Smith

Accredited Guide Number: 57

I come from a family that saw service in both the World Wars. My mother’s father was in France during the First World War and her two brothers fought in the Second War – one in the Royal Air Force, successfully evading capture at Dunkirk in 1940, and another with the Royal Navy in the Atlantic. On my father’s side of the family, my grandfather saw service in the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First War and later became an Air Raid Warden in Burton on Trent in World War II, whilst his brother was with the Royal Air Force in the Far East.

Talking to them sparked my own interest in military history which then developed to reading about battles and military campaigns – it was the part of the history lessons at school I liked most! When I had some pocket money I would buy books about battles and would always be scouring ‘junk shops’ for military cap badges, medals and the like.

Medal collecting led to me undertaking research into the lives of the individuals that had won them and in turn to research the battles in which they had fought. The next logical step was visiting some of those battlefields. Initially alone but later with friends and family, the visits developed into small guided tours with an emphasis on the human side of war and its effect on the people involved.

As well as general tours of the Western Front battlefields I also have a particular interest in the involvement of the Canadian and Australian forces in both World Wars and have led a number of tours to the European battlefields where they fought. I also particularly enjoy taking small groups on family pilgrimages and undertaking the research that is involved in developing these tours.

Battles Charleroi Vimy Ridge Villers-Bretonneux...WWI Normandy Preparations in UK Waterloo Napoleon Bastogne Quatre Bras Wavre Waterloo Campaign Battle of the Somme Cambrai Ardennes Dellville Wood Arnhem Battle of the Bulge Messines D-Day Dieppe Operation Michel Eindhoven & Nijmegen Passchendaele Ypres Normandy Landings Vimy Operation OVERLORD St Nazaire & Dieppe Scheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & Walcheren