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

Ewan Carmichael

Accredited Guide Number: 84

Ewan’s particular interests are Leadership, the Realities of War and Close Combat, through the ages, but particularly the ‘horse and musket’ era. On tour, he believes in balancing depth of research with enjoyment.

He is a direct successor to Wellington’s McGrigor as Director General Army Medical Services. He set up and led the British Army’s Air Assault Medical Regiment and then commanded all of the Army’s Field Hospitals operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He was awarded an MBE for Squadron leadership in the First Gulf War and CBE for his direction of the Army Medical Services (AMS), at a time when the AMS achieved its highest battle casualty survival rate in history (halving the death rate).

A graduate of the Army Staff College and member of the Royal College of Defence Studies, his MA was on whether it is possible to create a strategy which endures. A Fellow of one of the Medical Royal Colleges, he is also an Apothecary and Freeman of the City of London.

Gregarious rather than combative by nature, he was surprised to be elected as President of the Combined Services Martial Arts Society by its members, and even more pleasantly surprised to win the first Worldwide Open tournament for renaissance sword & buckler at Hanover in 2010.

Stephen Chambers

Accredited Guide Number: 75

Steve is one of the leading military historians on the Gallipoli campaign. Even though this is his prime passion, he also has in-depth knowledge of many British military campaigns and battles that include Waterloo to the end of the Second World War. Stephen is a freelance battlefield guide, author and researcher specialising in British military history, from the redcoats to khaki.

He has written several books; his first book in the Battleground Europe series, Gallipoli – Gully Ravine (Pen & Sword 2002) had high acclaim, along with its follow-on volumes; Anzac The Landing (Pen & Sword 2008), Suvla: August Offensive (Pen & Sword 2011) and Anzac: Sari Bair (Pen & Sword 2014). British and commonwealth military history has continued to have been a successful theme, with Uniforms & Equipment of the British Army in World War One (Schiffer Books, 2005), the first serious work on the subject. Recently Stephen co-authored Gallipoli: The Dardanelles Disaster in Soldiers’ Words and Photographs (Bloomsbury 2015) with Richard van Emden and is working on Walking Gallipoli, to be published in 2018. Stephen’s Battleground Europe guidebooks have all been translated in to Turkish.

When not writing, Stephen is on the Battlefield, continuing his research and guiding groups. The best way to study a campaign is to walk in the footsteps of those involved, whether in the grasslands of Zululand, the mud of Flanders or the beaches of Gallipoli.

Stephen is a Trustee of the Gallipoli Association and a member of the Western Front Association and Orders and Medals Research Society. He is also a director of Great War Digital Ltd (http://www.greatwardigital.com/), home of the WW1 mapping Linesman GPS product.

Bob Darby

Accredited Guide Number: 29

I have been guiding on the battlefields of the world for some 20 years. After military service with the Parachute Regiment I followed this with over 6 years spent in the service of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos of Oman. My military experience included service during Op Corporate, the recovery of the Falkland Islands with 3 rd Bn The Parachute Regiment as well as service in Northern Ireland. After retiring from a successful Financial Services company in 2005 I have pursued a further career as a Battlefield Guide/Historian.

My guiding experience has taken me on tours to Italy including Sicily, Crete, Germany, France, Belgium India, Singapore, Oman and the Falkland Islands. I have worked with and toured at Higher Command level with the British Army as well as leading and writing Battle Studies and Tours for Junior Staff.

I have worked with a number of companies on tour for schools looking at European History in places like Berlin and Krakow as well as more traditional tours to France and Belgium to see the Battlefields of both World Wars.

I also carry out public speaking engagements and arrange subject matter/venues for a number of Clubs

Dudley Giles

Accredited Guide Number: 26

Dudley Giles has been an active battlefield guide for over 25 years and was an early member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.

A former British Army officer, Dudley managed, in a career spanning nearly 34 years, to serve a third of his time in North West Europe (Germany and Belgium), a third in the UK (including three residential tours in Northern Ireland) and a third in ‘exotic’ locations such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, Canada, Croatia, Kosovo and the flanks of NATO (Norway and Turkey). In 1990 he attended the Army Command and Staff Course, and, in 2001, was serving as NATO’s senior military police officer during the climactic events post 9/11. In 2006/7 he deployed to Afghanistan as General Richards’ senior police advisor and his last appointment in the Army before finally retiring in 2012 he was Deputy Provost Marshal (Army).

In 2006/7 Dudley found himself on the modern battlefields of Afghanistan and was able to help soldiers, diplomats and journalists understand the historical similarities between the present and past experience of British soldiers in that country. On his return he acted as the chief battlefield guide for the very first Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bike Ride and continued to support the charity in that capacity until 2013. This experience eventually led him to set up a specialist touring company -‘Battlefields by Bike.

Dudley took his first degree in Law (LL.B (Hons) at the University of Leeds in 1979 and later a Masters Degree in British First World Studies (2010) – graduating with Distinction.

When not running his own tours or carrying out research, Dudley works as an independent contractor for schools, military groups, families and other battlefield touring companies.

Middle AgesBritish Civil WarsEnglish Civil War 1642-1651...19th CenturyNapoleonic WarsWaterloo Campaign 1815Waterloo20th CenturyFirst World War 1914-18Western Front Allies of WW1ANZACS on the Western FrontCanadians on the Western FrontWestern Front - The beginning (1914)Mons 1914Retreat to the Marne 1914Battle of The Aisne 1914Western Front - Stalemate (1915)Neuve Chappelle 1915Aubers Ridge 1915Festubert 1915Loos 1915Gallipoli 1915-16Western Front - Counterattack (1916)Battle of the Somme 1916Delville Wood 1916Fromelles 1916Bapaume 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 1918Battle of Lys & Op Blucher 1918Villers-Bretonneux 1918Le Hamel 1918The Last 100 Days 1918Battle of Amiens 1918The Somme 1918Meuse-Argonne 1918Sambre Crossing 1918Second World War 1939-45Occupation of Europe (1940)Norway Campaign 1940Fall of France 1940Arras 1940Dunkirk 1940Battle of Calais 1940Operation Sealion (Seelöwe) 1940UK Home Front WW2London Blitz WW2Air War over Europe WW2Combined Bomber Offensive WW2WW2 Commando and other Raids in Occupied EuropeOperation Chariot - St Nazaire 1942Bruneval Raid 1942Operation Jubilee - Dieppe 1942Italian Front WW2Operation Husky 1943 - SicilyOrtona 1943Operation Avalanche 1943 - SalernoMonte Cassino 1944Operation Shingle 1944 - AnzioGustav Line 1944Gothic Line 1944-5Liberation of Europe (1944)Op Overlord Preparations in UK 1943-4D-Day - Op Overlord 1944Normandy Campaign and breakout 1944Op Dragoon 1944 - South of FranceLorraine Campaign 1944Op Market Garden 1944 - Arnhem Eindhoven NijmegenArnhem 1944Eindhoven 1944Nijmegen 1944Liberation of the Netherlands 1944-45Scheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & Walcheren 1944-5Operation Infatuate 1944 - AntwerpOp Blockbuster 1944 - Canadian drive to RhineBattle of the Bulge 1944-5Band of Brothers 101 AirborneEastern Front WW2Kursk 1943Estonia 1944Battle of Halbe 1945Fall of Berlin 1945Advance into Germany (1945)Op Plunder 1945 - Rhine CrossingOp Veritable 1945 - Reichswald ForestPost WWIICold War 1945-91Yugoslav Wars (1990s)21st CenturyAfghanistan 2001-21

AfghanistanAsiaBelgium...Eastern EuropeEnglandEstoniaEuropeFranceGermanyItalyNetherlandsNorwayScotlandSicilyTurkeyUnited KingdomWalesWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield StudiesBattlefield Walks...Bespoke GroupClubs and SocietiesCorporate ToursCultural ToursCycling battlefield toursEvening PresentationsFamiliesIndividualsLeadership & Management TrainingLong ToursManagement DevelopmentMilitary & VeteranPilgrimage GroupsSchool GroupsSelf-drive or guided toursShort ToursSmall GroupsStaff Rides

Piers Storie-Pugh

Accredited Guide Number: 12

Piers has been guiding groups consisting of veterans, students, relatives and military groups to battlefields and war cemeteries of Europe, The Far East, The Mediterranean and North Africa for the past 35 years. He started his tour operating career with Major & Mrs. Holt’s Battlefield Tours before setting up Remembrance Travel in 1985, for the MoD/RBL, which he continued to run for 25 years. In 2011 he was appointed Chief Executive of The Not Forgotten Association, a tri-service charity for the wounded.

Piers is a qualified guide, badged no. 12, with The Guild of Battlefield Tours, qualifying on The Ypres Salient 1914-1918; The Somme 1916; The Chindit Operations of Burma 1943-44; The Battle of Hillman in Normandy 1944 and The Battle of Arnhem 1944; just some of the World War battles of which Piers is an undoubted expert.

He has taken thousands of relatives to their chosen war cemetery as part of the Government funded War Widows Grant in Aid Scheme, 1985-2010. He wrote the blueprint for the Big Lottery/MoD initiative “Heroes Return”.

Piers comes from a military background, his grandfather serving in the Great War, wounded at The Battle of Loos; and his father, having been captured a number of times in the early part of WW2, was sent to Colditz for four years. Piers himself served in both regular and territorial armies, enabling a personal military perspective to be brought to his tours.

His public speaking topics include “Escaping from Coldtiz”; “Chindit Operations of Burma 1943-44” and “War Cemeteries and Memorials Worldwide”.

Piers is one of the most experienced battlefield and remembrance guides, whose speciality is to personalise his tours to his audience and specific requests for family connections to those who fell.

20th CenturyFirst World War 1914-18Second World War 1939-45

AsiaBelgiumEurope...FranceMyanmarNetherlandsSouth-East AsiaWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBespoke GroupClubs and Societies...College GroupsFamiliesIndividualsLong ToursMilitary & VeteranPilgrimage GroupsShort ToursSmall GroupsWebsite

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

Ray Wilkinson

Accredited Guide Number: 58

Ray is especially interested in the British volunteers of the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War, the Roman Invasion of Britain in 43 AD, and the military career of Major General James Wolfe; he also has a broad interest in the Roman Occupation of Britain, land warfare during the First and Second World Wars, the American Civil War, and the British Civil Wars.  In addition to leading battlefield tours in Europe he has led business study tours to the USA and throughout the UK facilitating best practice learning by client organisations from the Middle East, the Far East, and the UK.

 He is a romantic idealist at heart and a firm believer in the power of the human spirit, with a heartfelt dislike of DIY born of much unfortunate experience, it is the actions and motivations of individuals in the context of military history and battlefields that interest him the most – and it is on those aspects that he focuses his attention.  His aim as a battlefield guide is to encourage clients to consider events and situations from a fresh perspective learning lessons from the past.

He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London (DL) and a former Army Reserve Officer.  He was awarded the Territorial Decoration (TD) in 1993 and the Queen’s Volunteer Reserves Medal (QVRM) in HM The Queen’s Birthday Honours 2011; HM The King sanctioned his appointment as a Member of the Order of St John (MStJ) in 2024.

Ray was a Council member of the Army Records Society and has a CMS, DMS and an MBA from the Open University Business School; he is the Priory Lead for London of the Order of St John, the Chair of Voluntary Action Surrey East (VASE), a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of The Drapers Company.  He has been the Chief Validator for the Guild of Battlefield Guides since 2022.

Ancient / RomanRoman Invasion of BritainMedway 43AD...British Civil WarsWyatt's Rebellion 1554Wrotham Heath 1554English Civil War 1642-1651Maidstone 164820th CenturyFirst World War 1914-18Western Front - Counterattack (1916)Battle of the Somme 1916Western Front - Attrition (1917)Third Battle of Ypres 1917Spanish Civil War 1936-39Brunete 1937Guadalajara 1937Jarama 1937Madrid 1936May Days & Barcelona 1937Siege of Toledo 1936The Ebro 1938Second World War 1939-45Post WWIICold War 1945-91Berlin

BelgiumEnglandEurope...FranceGermanyScotlandSpainUnited KingdomWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield StudiesBattlefield Walks...Bespoke GroupClubs and SocietiesCollege GroupsCorporate ToursCruise shipCultural ToursEvening PresentationsFamiliesIndividualsLeadership & Management TrainingManagement DevelopmentMilitary & VeteranPilgrimage GroupsReenactorsSchool GroupsSelf-drive or guided toursShort ToursSmall GroupsSpecial Educational NeedsYoung Offenders

Adam Williams

Accredited Guide Number: 56

I served with the Army Air Corps for 24 years as a Helicopter Pilot/Instructor and Examiner and was first introduced to Military History during this time.  I come from a ‘Military Family’ with a Great Grandfather who fought in the Zulu War of 1879, a Grandfather that saw active service with the Fleet Air Arm in WW2 and a Father in the RAF.

I was first introduced to the Battlefield in 1984 on an Operational Tour to the Falkland Islands.  Fortunately, there were many veterans of Op Corporate on this tour and much of my spare time was spent with them on the battlefield.  It was during this tour that I developed an interest in Military History, but it would take a further 20 years before I started Battlefield Guiding.

Being a Pilot meant that I was fortunate enough to see the Battlefield from an aerial perspective.  I have
since conducted tours from the air, ranging from the Somme to Normandy and even Iraq! After reading a book about 9 Parachute Battalion called ‘The Day the Devils Dropped In’, I found my interest being directed towards Normandy and the D Day Landings of WW2.  I have led many tours of the Normandy Landing Beaches with a particular interest in 6th Airborne Division and the 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment.

I have a developing interest in the SAS/SOE Operations in WW2 and have also led tours of the SAS action in Oman in 1958/9 on Jebel Akhdar.  I currently live in the Middle East where I continue to fly Helicopters.

19th CenturyBritish Colonial ConflictsAnglo/Zulu War 1879...20th CenturySecond World War 1939-45Post WWIIOman 1963-75

AsiaEuropeFrance...Middle EastWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield WalksBespoke Group...Clubs and SocietiesCollege GroupsCorporate ToursCultural ToursIndividualsLong ToursMilitary & VeteranMotorbike GroupsPilgrimage GroupsSchool GroupsSelf-drive or guided toursShort ToursSmall GroupsSpecial Educational NeedsYoung Offenders

David Winn

Accredited Guide Number: 46

David has been guiding the battlefields since 1997, with his main interests in WW1 & WW2.

His enthusiasm for military history originated from several sources, not least his 20 years in the British Army, predominantly with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, serving in many parts of the world. Also, his father was a Battle of Britain pilot, while his mother was one of the decoders on the Enigma machine at Bletchley Park. Hence his desire to become passionately involved in military history, and especially the personal stories of those who partook.

Though he works as an independent guide, he is presently guiding for four companies, including one in America and another in Canada, taking schools, universities, adult and military groups (including Staff Rides), and offering private bespoke tours. All tours always include any research to meet client requirements.

As one company recently requested, when they contacted David. ‘Can you do a Normandy tour in one day? The reply being, ‘but it takes at least 4 hours just to drive there’ (from England). The company’s response being; ‘no, it’s only 45 minutes by private aircraft’. What a tremendous tour!

Allan Wood

Accredited Guide Number: 66

Allan served for 22 years in the Regular Army in the 17th/21st Lancers and Queens Royal Lancers, a career which ended at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle Gunnery School, Lulworth.  Allan was later commissioned into the TA serving for a further 9 years firstly with the Dorset and later the Royal Wessex Yeomanry in Bovington where he began guiding battlefield tours.

Allan’s first battlefield tour as a guide was for the Yeomanry to Normandy in 1999.  He has since guided nearly 200 battlefield tours for both Regular and Territorial Army units, schools and numerous adult groups to the Western Front, North West Europe plus other campaigns outside of the two World Wars including Waterloo and Agincourt.  Allan has guided many ANZAC focused tours of the Western Front, 1916-1918.  Allan retired from teaching to give himself the time to be an active Battlefield Guide and works freelance for several companies and organisations.  Allan also regularly gives talks on Military History to a wide variety of audiences from those including very senior serving officers to local groups in the Dorset area and wider afield.

Allan is an Accredited Member of (Badge Number 66) of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides and a current Validator for candidates on the Path to their own Badge.  He is a member of the Western Front Association, Royal Lancers Regimental Association and a Trustee for the Dorset Yeomanry Association.

Allan is an Alumnus of the Duke of York’s Royal Military School, Dover.  Whilst in the Army he studied and graduated through the Open University, later training as teacher at the University of Bath after which he taught History in a secondary school in Poole.  Allan was later appointed as the Headteacher of the Compass, the school responsible for providing Alternative Provision for young people in Weymouth, Dorset. Allan still lives in Weymouth with his wife Angela, who tolerates both his guiding and golf in exchange for holidays in the sun!  They have two grown up children.

Middle Ages100 Years War 1337-1453Crecy 1346...Agincourt 141519th CenturyNapoleonic WarsWaterloo Campaign 1815Ligny 1815Quatre Bras 1815WaterlooWavre 1815First World War 1914-18Western Front Allies of WW1Soldiers of the British Empire WW1ANZACS on the Western FrontCanadians on the Western FrontMons 1914Retreat to the Marne 1914Battle of The Aisne 1914Western Front - Stalemate (1915)Neuve Chappelle 1915Aubers Ridge 1915Festubert 1915Loos 1915Western Front - Counterattack (1916)Battle of the Somme 1916Delville Wood 1916Fromelles 1916Verdun 1916Western Front - Attrition (1917)Hindenburg Line 1917Arras 1917Vimy Ridge 1917Bullecourt 1917Messines 1917Third Battle of Ypres 1917Passchendaele 1917Cambrai 1917Western Front - Defeat and Victory (1918)German Spring Offensive 1918Belleau Wood 1918Villers-Bretonneux 1918Le Hamel 1918The Last 100 Days 1918Battle of Amiens 1918Meuse-Argonne 1918St. Mihiel 1918Second World War 1939-45Occupation of Europe (1940)Fall of France 1940Arras 1940Dunkirk 1940Battle of Calais 1940WW2 Commando and other Raids in Occupied EuropeOperation Chariot - St Nazaire 1942Operation Jubilee - Dieppe 1942Liberation of Europe (1944)D-Day - Op Overlord 1944Normandy Campaign and breakout 1944Op Market Garden 1944 - Arnhem Eindhoven NijmegenArnhem 1944Eindhoven 1944Nijmegen 1944Liberation of the Netherlands 1944-45Battle of the Bulge 1944-5Cold War 1945-91

AsiaBelgiumEngland...FranceGermanyLuxembourgNetherlandsScotlandSouth-East AsiaThailandUnited KingdomWalesWestern Europe

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield StudiesBespoke Group...FamiliesIndividualsMilitary & VeteranSchool GroupsSmall GroupsStaff Rides