Find a Guide

Explore the world’s most trusted directory of battlefield guides

The Find a Guide directory details all those Accredited Members who have chosen to advertise their expertise and services as guides on the Guild website.  Each of these has passed our Accreditation Programme in which they have demonstrated the skills needed for us to say that they are high-quality guides who will give you a great tour.

When searching for a guide, we recommend that you filter by battle/campaign, country or capability and then click on the name of an Accredited Guide to read their biography. In stating their expertise and services, Accredited Members should be able to guide the particular battle or campaign on the battlefield. Sometimes physically guiding on that battlefield may be impossible or impractical, or it is presentation services that are required, in which case the Accredited Member should be able to guide the battle or campaign “remotely”.

As you will see, most Accredited Members have contact details by which you can contact them directly, and some have their own website, a Tripadvisor and/or a Google Review Page. If  you are having difficulty in contacting them, please contact them via the Guild Secretary  via our Contacts Page.

Please note, the Guild does not recommend or endorse any of the commercial products or companies of the members listed below. We are not responsible for checking that those listed below have complied with the relevant legislation or regulations in the jurisdictions they are based or guide in. Many are members of ETOA or other local guiding associations and some have a local authorisation to work with children or vulnerable adults. But it is your responsibility to ensure they meet all the criteria you need for them to work with your group.

Finally, this list shows only our Accredited Members. Our Ordinary Members are not listed here and if you would like to check whether a particular individual is a member of the Guild, or for any other further help (for example satisfying a request for which you cannot seem to find a guide), please contact the Guild Secretary via our Contacts Page.

Many Guides can develop bespoke personalised tours and can research where particular ancestors might have fought or died based on information which you may have, and this is generally part of their service. If you want to advice on following a particular ancestor and / or help and advice on researching military aspects of family history, there are several Accredited Members who may be able to assist with your genealogical enquiries.  A list of those members is here; if you would like to seek their assistance, contact details can be found by selecting their profile from those shown on this page.

Battle

Andrew Thomson

Accredited Guide Number: 14

I am a historian, tour organiser & private guide living in Winchester, delivering tours in France, Benelux, Germany, Czechia (Prague) & Austria (Vienna).  Battlefield guiding accounts for around two-thirds of my business; I particularly enjoy it as it combines history, people (both empathy with those who fought, and on-the-spot interactions with clients), landscape and travel – all passions of mine. References (look up ‘Dr Thomson’s Tours’ on Trip Advisor) pay tribute to my relaxed but authoritative style, the high level of organisation and flexibility, and my ability to make the complexities of war understandable to audiences either very varying degrees of pre-existing knowledge and interest.
(The ‘Dr’ is a PhD in American History, obtained in 1996.  I set up Dr Thomson’s Tours in 1997 after working in university management.  I was born in 1956.)

20th CenturyFirst World War 1914-18Western Front Allies of WW1...The French on the Western FrontANZACS on the Western FrontUS Soldiers on the Western Front 1917 - 1918Canadians on the Western FrontWestern Front - Stalemate (1915)Neuve Chappelle 1915Aubers Ridge 1915Festubert 1915Loos 1915Western Front - Counterattack (1916)Battle of the Somme 1916Delville Wood 1916Fromelles 1916Bapaume 1916Flers - Courcelette 1916Verdun 1916Western Front - Attrition (1917)Hindenburg Line 1917Arras 1917Vimy Ridge 1917Bullecourt 1917Messines 1917Third Battle of Ypres 1917Polygon Wood 1917Passchendaele 1917Cambrai 1917Western Front - Defeat and Victory (1918)German Spring Offensive 1918Operation Michel 1918Belleau Wood 1918Battle of Lys & Op Blucher 1918Villers-Bretonneux 1918Le Hamel 1918The Last 100 Days 1918Battle of Amiens 1918The Somme 1918Meuse-Argonne 1918St. Mihiel 1918Sambre Crossing 1918Other WW1 themesWW1 Poetry literature and artSecond World War 1939-45Occupation of Europe (1940)Fall of France 1940Liberation of Europe (1944)D-Day - Op Overlord 1944Normandy Campaign and breakout 1944Liberation of Belgium 1944Hürtgen Forest 1944Lorraine Campaign 1944Op Market Garden 1944 - Arnhem Eindhoven NijmegenArnhem 1944Eindhoven 1944Nijmegen 1944Aachen 1944Liberation of the Netherlands 1944-45Battle of the Bulge 1944-5Band of Brothers 101 AirborneEastern Front WW2Fall of Berlin 1945Advance into Germany (1945)Op Plunder 1945 - Rhine CrossingOp Veritable 1945 - Reichswald ForestOther WW2 themesNazi V WeaponsPeenemundePost WWIICold War 1945-91

AustriaBelgiumCzech Republic...Eastern EuropeEuropeFranceGermanyLuxembourgNetherlandsWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield WalksBespoke Group...Evening PresentationsFamiliesIndividualsMilitary & VeteranPilgrimage GroupsSelf-drive or guided toursShort ToursSmall GroupsTripadvisor / Google ReviewWebsite

Frank Toogood

Accredited Guide Number: 39

For over three decades Frank has had a successful career within the creative industry as a designer and creative director.

During that time, Frank also served 10 years in the 70 (Essex Yeomanry) Signal Squadron, part of 71st (Yeomanry) Signal Regiment (V), and had the distinction of having been the youngest qualified tradesman in the regiment by 12 months, at the age of 19.

Frank’s interest in battlefield guiding came from his father who served in BAOR and grandfathers who fought in WW2 – one in the Royal Artillery on the Western Front and the other in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front.

Frank has been battlefield guiding since 2006, specialising in Waterloo, the Great War, WW2 and more recently, Berlin, where in 2019 he was licensed to guide at the Sachsenhausen Memorial.

He also played an active role within the Guild and has held several positions on Council, including Members’ Representative, Brand Manager and Guild Secretary. 

In 2011 he was proud to be the first recipient of the Richard Holmes Memorial Award for Services to the Guild.

Frank is also a member of the Essex Yeomanry Association and a Life member of the Royal Signals Association.