Rob Deere

Accredited Guide Number: 80

Originally commissioned into The Gordon Highlanders, I served for twenty years as an infantry officer in the British Army. This included tours at regimental duty as a rifle platoon and close reconnaissance platoon commander, adjutant and company commander. I have also served as an aide de-camp, infantry tactics adviser to the Kuwaiti Army, close reconnaissance instructor at the Land Warfare Centre and a staff officer at brigade and divisional levels.

As a civilian, I have worked in West Africa as a security sector reform consultant to the UN; then as a humanitarian programme manager and operations director reducing the negative impacts of rogue ex-combatant groups small arms, ammunition and unexploded ordnance in conflict-prone communities.

My military service, including operational tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and my time working in Africa has given me a solid grounding in the theory and conduct of military operations and the impact of war. I have a Masters degree in Military Strategic Studies and I am a graduate of the Italian Joint Forces Higher Command and Staff College. I bring this experience with a lifelong interest in military history to my battlefield tours, offering clients a coherent strategic, operational and tactical perspective. I work hard to ensure that the memory of those who fought is properly honoured and respected.

I am a fluent Italian speaker and can get by at colloquial level in German which helps considerably with tour management.

I am accredited with the International Guild of Battlefield Guides and work as a freelance guide for a number of companies, including Staffride, Albatross Tours, Galloway Travel and Battle Honours. This means that I work with adult groups, schools and military units. I also work privately for individuals, families and groups to deliver bespoke tours in Italy, France, Belgium and Berlin.

Battles

20th CenturyFirst World War 1914-18Gallipoli 1915-16Western Front - Counterattack (1916)Battle of the Somme 1916Western Front - Attrition (1917)Arras 1917Third Battle of Ypres 1917Second World War 1939-45Operation Berlin 1941Italian Front WW2Gustav Line 1944Gothic Line 1944-5

Countries

BelgiumEastern EuropeEuropeFranceGermanyItalyTurkeyWestern Europe

Caters For

Adult Coach GroupsFamiliesIndividualsMilitary & VeteranSchool GroupsSmall GroupsWebsite

Areas of Expertise

Wars covered:

  • First World War
  • Second World War

Areas of expertise:

First World War:

  • British Expeditionary Force 1914 -1918
  • Ypres 1914-1918
  • Somme 1916-1918
  • Arras 1917
  • ANZAC on the Western Front
  • Italian Front First World War

Second World War:

  • Rise of the Nazis
  • Normandy Landings
  • Salerno
  • Cassino
  • Anzio
  • Gustav Line
  • Gothic LineSoviet Operation Berlin

Other specialisms:

  • Tactics, operations and strategy
  • Leadership studies
  • Assistance with research