Biography

Ed Church I am not an academic historian but a historian by passion and interest. I have had a life–long fascination of the Great War & WW2 having been brought up in a large family surrounded by uncles who served in both conflicts and in all arms. Those stories that they told me fired up my imagination and interest and, when I was old enough, I started to read as much as I could to discover exactly what they had gone through, and from what I learned I was amazed that they had retained their wonderful dry sense of humour after all they had done and seen. It begged the question: What sort of men were they, who readily set aside their jobs, lives and families and went off to war? – and it is still the human side of the conflicts which fascinates me most today. In 1996 I started a battlefield tour business with a colleague aimed specifically at school parties, and in 1999 I formed my own company, 'Past Endeavours' to cater for individuals and small groups of adults interested in visiting the Western Front and other N.W. European battlefields of both wars. I spend a considerable amount of time walking the battlefields, reading and researching particular battles and actions to better understand the Wars 'in the round' so to speak. To quote Blackadder — 'How fortunate I am my job is also my hobby' Thanks to Graeme Cooper I became interested in the battle of Waterloo, and after much research and study I have now added it to my repertoire of tours. I am particularly fascinated by what I think of as the 'forgotten army', the original BEF, which went to Flanders in 1914 and I hope to write a book about the 1914 battles of the Menin Road. I feel that the only true way to learn about a battle is to walk the ground over which it was fought and see it from the foot–soldiers perspective. This is why I have added structured walking tours of the Somme, the Ypres Salient and the battles of 1915 in particular in addition to the conventional tours already offered. My other great passion is the equipment, weapons and uniforms of both the Great War and the Second World War. An avid collector and re–enactor, I have built up a collection of period artefacts, which I use to dramatic effect on tours to enhance learning and enjoyment. Gaining my badge was one of the most satisfying moments of my life, knowing that one had been judged proficient by one's peers is a feeling that has to be experienced to be fully understood. I endeavour to live up to what it stands for — 'I may not add much to its lustre, but I shall certainly not tarnish it' If approached to guide a school or military group I will refer the request to Anglia Battlefield Tours to arrange the tour for me to guide it. He validated before his fellow members and received his Guiding Badge from the Patron of the Guild, Professor Richard Holmes, at Royal Air Force Uxbridge on Saturday 27th November 2004.