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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 our Accreditation Programme – so you can be sure they are all high quality guides and will give you a great tour!

You can filter by battle/campaign or country and then click on the name of an Accredited Guide to read their biography. Most Accredited Guides have contact details by which you can contact them directly. If not, or if you want to pass a message to them, please contact them via 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. If you want to advice on following a particular ancestor and you have not identified a particular Accredited Guide, please contact the Guild Secretary. We guarantee we’ll have somebody that can help you!

Finally, this list shows only our Accredited Guides. 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, please contact the Guild Secretary via our Contacts Page.

Battle

Simon Bendry

Accredited Guide Number: 104

Simon has been interested in military history since he was a child. He first visited the battlefields on family holidays and soon became fascinated with D Day and the Normandy campaign. In his teens he developed an interest in the First World War and led his first guided tours to the former battlefields of the Western Front while still at university. After graduating with a history degree, he went on to train as a teacher and for 15 years ran annual school tours to the Western Front.

From 2014, Simon ran the prestigious and multi award-winning First World War Centenary Battlefield Tours Programme – a UK government funded initiative which saw 8,500 students and teachers visit the former battlefields of the Western Front. Simon led more than 90 of these tours and as the programme’s lead for on-site education became an internationally recognised expert in leading students and teachers on the battlefields. He has also led tours for adult organisations including universities. Simon also has a passion for historical research and is able to bring the battlefields to life with personal stories, while also placing these stories in the immediate and wider historical context.

Simon is a member of the British Commission for Military History and the Western Front Association.

EuropeUnited Kingdom

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Simon Burgess

Accredited Guide Number: 108

Simon retired from the British Army in November 2022, and qualified as a badged guide (Badge 108) in May 2020.

He originally served in the Royal Air Force before leaving to pursue a career in the oil industry, and also serving as a reserve officer. Rather to his surprise he ended up joining the Regular Army 9 years ago.

Simon has served on operations in Gulf War 1, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq (where he ran Basrah Fire Brigade) and twice as an aviation planner in Afghanistan (including with the US Marine Corps) and has worked at battlegroup, brigade and divisional level .

He has served as the Operations Officer in the Attack Helicopter Force HQ, and as the aviation specialist in the Collective Training Group at the Land Warfare Centre. He delivered training to brigade and division HQs, particularly in the use of aviation and air land integration.

Simon has recently guided tours to Normandy, Sicily and the Western Front battlefields of World War 1.

He is particularly interested in Normandy in WW2 (particularly the British 6th Airborne Division) and in all aspects of air power in WW1 and WW2.

He is also passionate about the American Civil War, particularly Gettysburg and the Eastern theatre battles.

American Civil WarBattle of the SommeNormandy Campaign...Normandy LandingsNormandy Preparations in UKOperation OverlordWWIWWIIYpres

BelgiumFranceUnited Kingdom...United States of America

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Paul Colbourne

Accredited Guide Number: 113

Paul has had a life-long interest in military history and graduated in 2019 from the University of
Wolverhampton with a Masters degree in the History of Britain and the First World War. He has a
particular interest in the Western Front and has been visiting the battlefields for 30 years. He is a
freelance guide who works part time for a number of companies including Back-Roads Tours
focusing on Australian and New Zealand involvement during the First World War.
Paul is also a volunteer for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Eyes On Hands
On project and is also a speaker on the CWGC Kantor Programme. He is a member of the
Western Front Association, Great War Group and the Hawthorn Ridge Crater Association.
Having progressed through the Accreditation process, Paul is now the proud holder of Badge
number 113.
‘Your depth of knowledge, presentation and empathy was much appreciated by everyone on the
tour’ – Guest – ANZAC’s on the Western Front Tour

ANZACS on the Western FrontBattle of the SommeBullecourt...FromellesMessinesNeuve ChappelleVillers-BretonneuxVimyVimy RidgeWWIYpres

BelgiumFranceWestern Europe

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Jo Hook

Accredited Guide Number: 48

Jo Hook is a full time military historian and Guide and has been guiding for sixteen years.  Jo spent four years in Hong Kong in the 1980s working for the military and upon her return to the UK she spent eighteen years as a Reservist with the Royal Corps of Signals including an operational tour of Bosnia in 1994.  It was during her time as a reservist that Jo began guiding initially with military groups wanting to focus on Operation Market Garden, Normandy and the First World War.   Jo has a History Degree in Modern to Medieval History and an MA in First World War Studies under the tutelage of Professor Gary Sheffield her thesis concentrated on the involvement of I ANZAC Corps at Bullecourt in 1917.  She has also worked as a presenter with Battlefield History TV and their DVD on Operation Market Garden as well as providing articles for local papers and local radio stations.  She is passionate about military history and feels that through her work as a military historian she is able to continue the legacy of remembrance and understanding of both World Wars.

Jo presently works for Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours predominantly guiding Australian and New Zealand clients on the Western Front, Gallipoli, Normandy and Verdun and has led tours to all the major Australian First World War centenary commemorations in Gallipoli and on the Western Front.  Whilst working for Mat McLachlan Jo has also led four different Australian schools to the battlefields of Normandy, the Western Front and Verdun.  She has also been heavily involved within the UK schools battlefield study market where she works with Galloway Battlefield Tours for Schools, Battle Honours and has undertaken work with the military for Staff Ride.  As well as working for some of the major battlefield tour operators Jo also undertakes private work and regularly guides RAF Cadets to Arnhem..  She has a diverse knowledge of both World Wars and an intimate knowledge of the Australian involvement in the First World War on the Western Front and Operation Market Garden.  She is however equally at home guiding British groups to the First World War battlefields and has guided on the beaches of Normandy, at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and the Gallipoli landings.

Jo was awarded her Guild Badge in October 2010.  She is one of only a few accredited members to have never been referred during her validation.  Until 2017 she was the Membership Secretary for the Guild of Battlefield Guides and she continues to work full time on the Battlefields of Europe.

ArnhemArrasAubers Ridge...BapaumeBattle of the SommeBullecourtD-DayDelville WoodDunkirkFromellesGallipoliVillers-BretonneuxVimyVimy RidgeWWIWWIIYpres

BelgiumFranceNetherlands...TurkeyWestern Europe

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Graeme MacPherson

Accredited Guide Number: 115

Graeme is a serving Army officer with a background in military logistics. He has served full time and part time for over 34 years in a range of command and staff appointments.

He has been a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides since 2014 and became a badged guide in 2021. His interest in the military started at a young age as he learned of the service of his grandfathers in the Second World War, one as a Royal Engineer, the other as a Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineer in 79th Armoured Division.

He has led a number of military group tours to the WW2 sites of Normandy, Monte Cassino, Sicily, Arnhem and Berlin before developing an interest in the Western Front during WW1.

Graeme has designed and led the Commonwealth Soldier programme taking school and community groups from SE England to the battlefields of France and Belgium to study the contributions made by Commonwealth troops in WW1. He has also delivered a number of tours in the UK and overseas has had the opportunity to lead a tour to the Falkland Islands. In 2018 he supported the Army Cadet Armistice 100 programme to the Somme and the National Muslim Armistice commemorations at Woking’s Indian Army Muslim burial ground memorial.

He is particularly interested in the human aspects of conflict and bringing the personal stories of those who served to life. In addition to leading groups, Graeme also has an interest in research and has delivered a number of WW1 community research projects, presentations and events as well as delivering individual bespoke research projects for families wanting to know more about their relatives.

He is a volunteer speaker for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and a member of the Western Front Association.

AnzioArnhemArras...Battle of AnzioBattle of SicilyBattle of the SommeDelville WoodDunkirkFalklands WarFall of BerlinLoosMonte CassinoNeuve ChappelleNormandy CampaignUK Home FrontYpres

BelgiumFalkland IslandsFrance...GermanyItalyUnited Kingdom

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Joris Nieuwint

Accredited Guide Number: 112

My name is Joris Nieuwint and I will be your tour guide! For the past 14 years I have been a
resident of Veghel, located almost on top of Hell’s Highway. Before that I’ve lived in Arnhem for
almost two decades. Living so close to the battlefields meant that Operation Market Garden always
had my interest and I’ve been studying the battles for all those years. In 2012 I’ve taken up guiding
and have taken many individuals, small and large groups, relatives, school and military groups on
tours.
On my tours I share the history of the battles and the soldiers with the aim that the torch of
remembrance is passed on to the next generation.
We will visit the battlefields of Operation Market Garden (and others) and on site we will talk about
the history of what happened there, tell the stories of who fought there, and explain why this still
matters today. My words are supported by maps, photos, aerial photographs, audio and video to
give you the best possible experience.
We will discuss the big picture, why the operation was launched, what the goals were and how
they were to be achieved. Then we focus on what happened to the troops on the ground, what
were their experiences, what decisions were made that caused the outcomes and we reflect on the
human cost.
By the end of the tour I hope to have inspired you to pass on what you have learned, that you too
will help carry the torch and help keep the memories of their sacrifices alive.

ArdennesArnhemBand of Brothers...Battle of the BulgeEindhoven & NijmegenLiberation of the NetherlandsOperation Market GardenWWII

Europe

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Edwin Popken

Accredited Guide Number: 93

I am a Military Historian from The Netherlands, but with a master’s degree in Military History from the University of Birmingham, UK. For more than 25 years I have read, studied WW2 through archival research and site visits. Not only the military aspect, but also the experience by individuals, soldiers and civilians alike. Since the early 2000s, I have shared my knowledge with different groups of people, taking them to these locations and sharing the stories.

Professionally, I focus on World War II operations in North Western Europe between September 1944 and March 1945. My main interest are the operations aiming to get the Allies across the Rhine from the North Sea to Switzerland, and Germans measures and operations to prevent this. My main areas of expertise are Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Scheldt, the liberation of Brabant, Hurtgen Forest, Battle of the Bulge, Operation Veritable, and the 1945 Allied Rhine crossings. A special theme I cover is the experience of Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne from The Netherlands to Zell am See.

Since 2012, I have run my own research and guiding company, called Battlefield Discovery. Through my company I cooperate with several Dutch museums and the National World War Two Museum in New Orleans, USA, and am a partner of both Brabant Remembers and Airborne Region in The Netherlands.

Besides being a member of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides with badge no. 93, I am a member of the Liberation Route Europe Guide Network.

ArdennesArnhemBand of Brothers...BastogneBattle of OverloonBattle of the BulgeEindhoven & NijmegenHürtgen ForestLiberation of the NetherlandsOperation AintreeOperation BerlinOperation BlockbusterOperation Market GardenOperation PlunderOperation VeritableReichswald ForestRhine CrossingScheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & WalcherenWWII

BelgiumFranceGermany...LuxembourgNetherlands

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Brian Rogers

Accredited Guide Number: 109

I am a serving Army officer and qualified as a badged guide in May 2020.  I have served with the Household Cavalry both operationally and as a mounted cavalryman on state ceremonial and public duties, as well as working on the staff in the wider Army.  Military experience of the Middle East, Balkans and Afghanistan.

I have been visiting battlefields for many years and have led a number of small group tours, for military personnel, veterans and members of the general public.  Very interested in all matters involving the cavalry where I like to think I have a unique insight, as well as armoured operations where I also have significant practical knowledge.  I continue to develop and learn my craft, and I am currently studying for an MA in the History of Great Britain and the First World War.

NapoleonWWIWWII

EuropeUnited Kingdom

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Robert Shaw

Accredited Guide Number: 106

Robert Shaw is an accredited Battlefield tour guide and has written military history books on the SAS, SOE and the Cold War. He retired from the British Army after a career spanning over 25 years where he worked in the fields of IEDD, logistics and intelligence, working for UKSF and DIS. He subsequently managed training for the UN and NATO in Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine, Nigeria and Somalia. His battlefield tour expertise and experience includes the American Civil War, WW1, WW2 and the Cold War in UK, USA, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sicily, Crete, the Baltic States, Ukraine, Poland and the Balkans. Robert has a Master’s degree in Global Security from Cranfield University and lectures at UCL on intelligence and defence matters and counter proliferation.

American Civil WarCold WarWWI...WWII

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Andy White

Accredited Guide Number: 37

Andy White served in the Intelligence Branch of the Royal Air Force from 1985 to 2011, reaching the rank of Wing Commander. During that time, he saw operational service in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, and Iraq, working closely with UK and Allied air and ground forces. He also worked with a variety of intelligence and special forces agencies, both national and international, at home and abroad. Andy has been a battlefield guide since 2001, with experience in guiding school, adult, and military groups. Andy has had two books published, both biographies of airmen. He holds the Guild of Battlefield Guides Badge, number 37.

Fall of BerlinNormandy CampaignWWI...WWII

Europe

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