Acknowledgements

My interest in battlefield touring was fired by two wonderful school trips: one to the Western Front and the other to Normandy. Several years would pass (University!) before I had the chance to visit again. By this stage I had decided to take the leap into the world of teaching and, in a strange twist, I found myself working in the same department that had taught me as a school boy.

Les Shears, Tom Verinder and Paul Franks were outstanding colleagues and they were the ones who “schooled” me in the art of leading group visits to the battlefields. Les, scrupulously musing over his trench maps, a master of the smallest detail and was largely oblivious to the forty students waiting for him to get back on the coach. Franksy, the unlikely hero of the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry dance floor and a man kind enough to politely point out when my spiel was completely incorrect (remember the “quagmire” at Lijssenthoek!?).And Tom, the man who taught me all I know about beer equilibrium and someone I am proud to call my closest friend. I owe them a huge debt, not just for the trips but for shining light on an area of history which has gripped me ever since. We would, of course, be joined on our annual jaunts by the living (just about) legend, Nigel ‘why are we here/pass me a Duvel’Owen – a man I cannot begin to explain but one that you are certainly poorer for not knowing. Time moves on, as did I, and the dream team came to an end. To Les and Nige in retirement, Franksy in Saudi Arabia and Tom somewhere in a pub in Wakefield… cheers boys (and sorry if I have stolen most of your spiel for this book)!

In recent years my battlefield buddies have been Adam Hall, Ed Long, Laura Powell, Hannah Biggin, Jonathan Sykes and Jonathan Webb. The Hull-Zeebrugge ferry always knows when Adam has been on board, his desire to get his money’s worth on the buffet is legendary; Ed, on the other hand, is just pleased not to have spent his own money. Webby, special thanks too for passing comment on the early drafts of this book – that Cambridge mind is invaluable.

Paul Bennett deserves particular thanks: he has painstakingly trawled through my manuscripts, making correction after correction and never once tiring of that monumental task! Paul is an outstanding battlefield tour leader in his own right – his “run ashore” evenings are particularly good fun and to be whole-heartedly recommended.

A huge thanks to my wife, Rachel, who became the official photographer for this book. Almost all the photos were taken either by her or by Mike McKinstry, a very talented student and photographer who came on a trip some years ago and took beautiful pictures which I have always intended to use in some way; finally I have a reason! I also thank my father, mother in law and daughter (19 months old at the time!) for putting up with being dragged around the Western Front, with Rachel and me, in the summer of 2013. So to Graham, Denise and Claudia – you were marvellous company!

The wonderful people at Pen & Sword deserve so much praise. Henry Wilson is the man who took a naive teacher with a vague idea for a book and made it into a reality; he took a risk and I am delighted that he did. Matt Jones has steered me in the right direction on numerous occasions and Jon Wilkinson designed a quite brilliant cover. Finally, you have Nigel Cave to thank for this book being credible and actually readable. Nigel, battlefield expert/author/editor of the Battleground Europe series and all round good egg, is the best copy editor/fact checker/suggestion-maker that I could have hoped for. Without him this book would simply not have been good enough; I owe him a huge debt. In fact, I do not think that I dare write anything in future unless he casts an eye over it first!

Finally, thank you to every student who ever came on one of my tours – you are the reason that I keep doing this and, more importantly, keep loving doing it.

GJH, March 2014