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 is a former Chair of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides and has led tours since 1998. During that time, Ian has visited the battlefields of Anglo-Saxon England, the Norman Conquest, the Hundred Years War, the War of the Roses, the English Civil Wars, 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 the training of all junior and potential officers in Wales; trained junior managers in the Defence Industry as the Officer Commanding the Sandhurst Leadership Challenge 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 took part in the battle and the ground over which it was 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 Battlefields Trust, the Last Post Association, and the Society for Army Historical Research (SAHR).

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

AgincourtAlmarazAnglo/Zulu WarAnzioArdennesArnhemArrasArrasAubers RidgeAuschwitzBadajozBapaumeBastogneBattle of AmiensBattle of AnzioBattle of LewesBattle of Lys & Op BlucherBattle of SicilyBattle of The AisneBattle of the BulgeBattle of the SommeBosworthBritish Civil WarsBritish Colonial ConflictsBullecourtCambraiCassinoCharleroiCiudad RodrigoCrecyD-DayDelville WoodDieppeDunkirkEdward I’s conquest of North WalesEindhoven & NijmegenEshoweFall of BerlinFall of FranceFestubertFromellesFuentes de OnoroFulfordGallipoliGingindlovuHastingsHastings CampaignHindenburg LineHlobaneHolocaustIsandlwanaKrakowLe HamelLiberation of the NetherlandsLignyLoosLudendorff OffensivesMessinesMeuse-ArgonneMiddle AgesMonsNapoleonNeuve ChappelleNorman Conquest of EnglandNormandy LandingsOperation AvalancheOperation BerlinOperation HuskyOperation InfatuateOperation JubileeOperation Market GardenOperation MichelOperation OverlordOperation PlunderOperation ShingleOperation VeritablePasschendaelePoitiersPoitiersPolygon WoodQuatre BrasReichswald ForestRetreat to the MarneRhine CrossingRorke's DriftSalamancaSalernoSambre CrossingScheldt Estuary - Breskens Pocket & WalcherenSluysStanford BridgeTalaveraThe 100 Years WarThe War of the Seventh CoalitionTowtonUS Operations on the Western Front 1917 - 1918UlundiVerdunVillers-BretonneuxVimyVimy RidgeVitoriaWWIWWIIWars of the RosesWaterlooWaterloo CampaignWavreWellington’s Peninsular battlesYpres

Countries

AfricaAustriaBelgiumEastern EuropeEnglandEuropeFranceGermanyGreeceItalyLuxembourgNetherlandsPolandPortugalScotlandSouth AfricaSpainTurkeyUnited KingdomWalesWestern Europe

Caters For

Adult Coach GroupsBattlefield StudiesBattlefield WalksBespoke GroupClubs and SocietiesCollege GroupsCorporate ToursCultural ToursEvening PresentationsFamiliesGroup TypesIndividualsLeadership & Management TrainingLong ToursMilitary & VeteranPilgrimage GroupsSchool GroupsSelf-drive ToursShort ToursSmall GroupsStaff Rides

Areas of Expertise

Second World War

Western Europe

· Fall of France and Dunkirk 1940
· Dieppe 1942
· D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
· Allied landing in Provence – Operation Dragoon
· The Lorraine Campaign
· Operation Market Garden
· Battle of the Scheldt
· Liberation of North Brabant
· British and American Rhine Crossings
· Battle of the Bulge
· Fall of Berlin
· Band of Brothers

Italian Campaign

· Sicily – Operation Husky
· Salerno – Operation Avalanche
· Anzio – Operation Shingle
· Monte Cassino
· Ortona

First World War

Western Front

· Ypres Salient 1914 – 1918
· Mons and the Great Retreat
· The Forgotten Battles of 1915 – Neuve-Chappelle, Festubert, Aubers Ridge and Loos
· Battle of Verdun
· Battle of the Somme 1916
· Battle of Arras 1917 – Vimy Ridge and Bullecourt
· Cambrai 1917
· Kaiserschlacht – The German Spring Offensive
· The last hundred days
· ANZACS on the Western Front
· Canadians on the Western Front
· America in the First World War

Gallipoli

British Colonial Conflicts

Anglo-Zulu War 1879 – Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift, Inyezane, Eshowe, Intombe, Hlobane, Kambula, Gingindlovu, and Ulundi

Napoleonic Wars:

· Peninsula War – Talavera, Fuentes de Onoro, Albuera, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca and Vitoria
· Waterloo Campaign – Charleroi, Ligny, Quatre Bras, Waterloo and Wavre

Wars of the Middle Ages:

· Norman Conquest of England – Fulford, Stanford Bridge and Hastings
· Hundred Years War – Sluys, Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt
· War of the Roses

Presentations and Historical Talks:

· The Day of the Dead Moon — The 24th Regiment at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift.
· The First Battle of Ypres
· The First Day of the Battle of the Somme
· The Battle of Mametz Wood
· The Battle of the Pilckem Ridge
· The Kaiserschlacht – The Kaiser’s Battle
· Tunnellers of Holzminden
· Life in the Trenches
· D-Day, 6th June 1944
· The Liberation of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Holland
· Operation Veritable

Other Specialisms:

· Genealogy Tours
· Battlefield Studies
· Staff Rides
· Management Development
· Leadership Training
· Team Building