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I have always been passionate about history, archaeology, geography and travel. So naturally, being a battlefield guide is absolutely my ideal job. I began guiding whilst I was studying archaeology in the 1980s, conducting tours around various British archaeological sites of all periods. In 2009, I progressed onto guided town walks, fundraising for charity. Since 2012, I have operated Robin’s Red Ramble Tours. I now specialise in leading battlefield tours in Normandy.

I firmly believe that a guide must only conduct tours in areas for which they have a deep local knowledge of the history, archaeology and topography. For this reason I spend a considerable amount of my time investigating the archives, studying the primary sources and researching all of my tours. This may involve translating documents and carrying out additional archaeological fieldwork myself. I thoroughly enjoy the thrill of uncovering new or forgotten pieces of the jigsaw, especially if there is a new or interesting personal story to tell. I have been specifically researching the Battle of Normandy and the ‘Atlantic Wall’ fortifications since 1999. I have now accumulated a wealth of material both published and unpublished which has now filled my home!

As I am constantly researching new material, all of my tours are unique. I endeavour to make my tours as personal and tailored to the individual clients as possible. Whilst this can be a challenge at times, I do believe the individual’s personal story must be told. It is always worth the extra effort to tell ‘His Story’ both accurately and completely, fitting it into the overall context of the battle or campaign.

I hold a full UK class D coach driving licence. I have experience with groups both large and small. I actually enjoy driving minibuses, coaches and double-deck buses. I try to ensure my passengers have the best possible experience on their journey. I like to give them the smoothest and most enjoyable ride that I can and I always go that extra mile.

I am Roel Dekkers, a retired officer of the Dutch army.

Since my youth, I have been interested in World War II, especially the battles in Europe.

During my time in the Dutch army, we used many examples from World War II during training and education, which further increased my interest.

I was given the opportunity to give battlefield tours to my own unit, and this gradually expanded.

In 2017, I became a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides, and in 2018, I completed all my assessments and received my coveted battlefield badge.

My battlefield tour specialises in the British and Canadian operations during Operation Veritable, which began on 8 February 1945 in the Groesbeek/Nijmegen area.

I also have a special interest in the follow-up to this operation, Operation Blockbuster, which was carried out by the Canadians. Finally, I give tours about the Rhine crossing Operation Plunder and the airborne operation Varsity.

You can also join me on a tour of Market Garden, following the exploits of the 82nd US Airborne Division in the Nijmegen area and/or the 1st British Airborne Division in the Arnhem area.

Using extensive photographic material and maps, I will try to bring the story of the battle to life at various points of interest.

My tours are suitable for individual participants and groups of all ages, military veterans, active military personnel and staff rides.  If desired, I can also go into more detail about the achievements of a particular battalion that your ancestors may have been part of.

Other specialisms:

On special request of individual family members of mostly deceased veterans, I provide a special tour where their relative spent their time during the battle for the Rhineland.
I also provide tours for specific military units.

During the tour about Operation Veritable, we can delve deeper into the various divisions such as the 51st Highland Division, 15th Scottish Division or other British divisions. This also applies to the various regiments within such a division.

What applies to Operation Veritable also applies to the Canadian divisions and regiments during Operation Blockbuster.

I also give presentations to schools about the Second World War in general, special presentations about specific battles, and presentations about my efforts in crisis areas during my military career.

Michael’s interest in battlefields started whilst researching his great uncle, whose name was on the local war memorial in his home town. This took him on a long journey through the UK and France. He eventually found his grave in Belgium, bringing closure to a family mystery of over 80 years and allowing family members from as far as Australia to visit his grave and pay tribute to his memory.

This discovery led Michael into researching many battles and physically walking the ground enhancing his knowledge and understanding of tactics used on both sides. Armed with this knowledge, he began organising individual, group and bespoke tours to Ypres in Belgium, Normandy in France and Arnhem in Holland which he continues to this day.

As a former Warrant Officer, with over 38 years in the British Army, his operational tours included Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, and exercises in Canada, Cyprus, Kenya and Poland. He has worked with many multinational forces giving him a thorough understanding of how other countries’ militaries operate. He was employed in many roles in the training, administration and welfare of over a hundred strong workforce during peace time and on operations. He was often called upon to plan, conduct and deliver intense training packages for servicemen as part of their continuous personal development and annual mandatory training.

In 2010, Michael gave evidence as part of the Iraq Enquiry, headed up by Sir John Chilcot, regarding the problems incurred during Operation Telic.

In 2020, together with his wife Jane, he set up their company “Avalon Tour de Force” which specialises in family research, bespoke group and individual battlefield tours, military history presentations and living history shows where they travel to schools, public and private events.

Michael was awarded Badge No 117 after completing the Guild’s validation scheme in November 2024.

I was born and brought up in Jersey, Channel Islands and from an early age became passionate about its history as well as military history generally.

One of my grandfathers had wartime service with the Canadian Infantry on the Western Front in WW1 and the other was a career soldier with the Royal Army Service Corps from the 1920s to 1950. My paternal great-grandfather had also served with the Royal Garrison Artillery for 21 years including the whole of WW1 on the Western Front. My father, whilst not joining up, did an apprenticeship at the Royal Woolwich Arsenal in the 1950s, a very interesting time in post war weapons systems development. It is hardly surprising that military history would help form my interests and I even contemplated a military career myself. However, that didn’t happen, and I followed a career as a lawyer for 35 years.

I got into guiding accidentally as a result of our law firm entertaining some visiting conference lawyers on a coach tour. I thought that the “pre-taped” commentary was so bad that I grabbed the microphone and gave my first guided tour! I was hooked and did tours whenever I could and upon retirement from my legal career, I set up my guiding business and at the same time became a licensed public service vehicle driver so I could legally undertake driver-guiding.

I focus on providing personal service for small groups as a driver-guide, although I am happy to guide larger parties. I believe in providing a complete experience to my clients to help them get the best of their exploration of a battlefield and the local environment. I love drawing in other aspects of history, as well as introducing disciplines like archaeology and geology to better understand the topography.

Most of my guiding is in the Channel Islands, which have an incredible history of battles, military history and fortifications extending as far back as at least the Iron Age, then all the way to WW2, when the Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by Nazi German forces for 5 years. However, I also guide elsewhere in Europe, particularly in France which is only about 15 miles away at its closest and which I can see from my garden!

I particularly enjoy the educational element of battlefield guiding – be it for individual clients, a class of school children or a military unit undertaking battlefield study exercises for visiting military units. My mother was a teacher, so I suppose that is where I get that from!

Finally, whilst not yet published, my research will hopefully result in books on the Hundred Years’ War in the Channel Islands; an answer to why the Channel Islands become some of the most heavily Nazi fortified places in Europe; and the life story of an extraordinary pair of sisters who served on the Western Front as F.A.N.Y.s in WW1 and then as senior officers working with the S.O.E. in WW2!