Despatches Spring 2020 February 2020
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Spring 2020 - Conference Edition www.gbg-international.com DE SPATCHES IN THIS ISSUE: PLUS Horse Guide Assignment 1 Direction Berlin Guides AND Ancient Guide An Italian Job 02 | Despatches www.gbg-international.com | 03 FIELD guides Contents Cover image: Normandy in November - Sometimes the elements do work in your favour, Julian Whippy explains the battle for the Mederet Causeway in June 1944. The River was flooded as it was during the hard-fought battle for the Bridge, the iconic figure of Iron Mike stands sentinel. (Picture Staff Ride Ltd) P2 FIELD guides P21 FIELD guides P5-6 HOLD YOUR HORSES P22-23 EARLY DAYS Uncovering ‘fake news’ A trip down memory lane P7 THE REMEMBRANCE P24 ASSIGNMENT 1 TRUST Thoughts from the Director Taking up the slack! of Validation P8-12 BATTLE OF ARONA P25 FIELD guides The Italian Resistance P26-29 A BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY P13 GUILD merchandise A break on a Greek island P14-19 GUIDING BERLIN P29 EVENT guide 2019 A tour based on the Guild Recce P30 GUIDE books P20 CECIL HEALY BIOGRAPHY Wins Nib Award GUILD winning team Walking Wartime London in November, Clive Harris Adam Williams exploring the Cadorna Line in Northern Italy. taking the Badge onto the streets of London with a Battle Honours London Blitz Walk. www.facebook.com/battleguide twitter.com/GuildofBG FIRS Tcontact: www.Instagram.com/guild_bg ) n j Guild Chairman Guild Secretary Guild Membership Material for publication in the i e l Mike Peters John Harris Secretary - Tony Smith K Summer edition of ‘Despatches’ m must be with the Editor no e l l Ascot House 15 Broadhurst Drive Trenanton i later than 1st July 2020 . W Norwich Road Kennington Shutta Road o t Little Stonham Ashford, Kent Looe This is a deadline and o h submissions should be sent as P Ipswich TN24 9RQ Cornwall PL13 1HP ( Suffolk IP14 5DL United Kingdom United Kingdom far in advance as possible. United Kingdom secretary@gbg- mbr.sec@gbg- All material should be chairman@gbg- international.com international.com sent via Guild Secretary The Nathaniel Wade Award went to Simon Bendry for his significant contribution to the UK Government FWW Centenary Tony Smith at: Programme for Schools. Simon also received his GBG Badge at the Annual Conference. Pictured with Simon are some of international.com the GBG Accredited Guides that worked on the hugely successful programme. [email protected] L-R Andy Johnson, Allan Wood, Simon Bendry, Tony Smith, Tim Stoneman and Terry Webb. 04 | Despatches www.gbg-international.com | 05 OPENING shot: THE CHAIRMAN’S VIEW HOLD YOUR HORSES Lucy Betteridge-Dyson Welcome fellow members and Guild Partners to the inclusive, international Annual Conference edition of your magazine, organisation. A Guild that continues to offer an ‘Despatches’ . It is traditional at the turn of the year to unrivalled programme of self-improvement, friendship I am a huge proponent of harnessing social media to help educate and encourage reflect on the past and whether you consider yourself to and peer review. interest in military history particularly among younger generations, but it does be a Battlefield Guide, a Historian or both, we do tend to As we go to print in 2020, two newly Accredited live and work in the past. So here goes… We are, Members have been announced, we can all look forward have an unfortunate side effect of giving new life to some of the age-old myths of depending on your definition either in the final year of a to congratulating a new wave of Badges being awarded the Great War. decade or if you apply things more loosely, at the at the GBG Awards Dinner. Another positive step beginning of a brand new, post-FWW Centenary decade. forward is that we have a new Guild Partner in Canada, The Guild is not much older than that and we have come welcome to ‘Liberation Tours’ and its distinguished team a long way from our conception in a pub car park to our of Canadian Historians. This year’s Conference will have ‘Fake news’ is something which has subsequent birth at RAF Marham in Norfolk. We are Members attending from across UK, Australia, Belgium, now a well-established, growing and confident Canada, the Netherlands, Ireland, the USA, Italy, plagued the field of military history organisation that is thriving in the new century. Macedonia and France. We have also just had a new long before Donald Trump The first decade of the 21st Century has certainly seen member join us in South Africa! There has been much popularised the phrase, and I know dramatic changes in the Battlefield Tour Industry, so comment about the low number of female Battlefield that I am not alone in finding myself much of that has been driven by technology, principally Guides seen on the battlefields. Although demographics incredibly frustrated at trying to stem the internet. The most successful guides today continue are against us, I believe that it is fair to say that we are the flow of ‘duff history’ perpetuated to maintain their ever-important thespian streak, telling being proactive in approach to encouraging female by the regular sharing of photographs their story in both an engaging and accessible way that guides to join us and that a significant proportion of the with erroneous captions. is open to as diverse an audience as possible. However, female guides working in what is essentially a male to maintain a position as a credible guide today, we orientated sphere have become members – long may this The picture to the right is a prime must harness the internet and Social Media (SM) for the positive trend continue! example and one which particularly key functions of research and marketing purposes. The In Summary – The GBG is in good shape and ready grinds my gears. It is often circulated latter can however be a double-edged sword that can if to embrace the challenges of the new decade. The accompanied by a caption such as poorly handled, leave enduring scars on a personal and Management Board continues to work hard to improve “1916 - soldiers pay tribute to the professional reputation. I still despair when I see Self- every aspect of what we do and to reinforce the horses who died in the Great War” . Drive Guides awarding themselves drinking medals on foundations and structure of your Guild. I would like to Whilst this is a gushingly lovely their SM Guiding Account or just plain old bigoted thank those who have contributed and supported that sentiment, it is quite untrue, which is political views, extremes of religion and a heavy helping process to date. We shall continue to grow in our of bad language – all saved in the ether for eternity were collective strength, stature, diversity and above all, we a shame because the real story behind a potential client or employer will find it. It does no are adapting to change. It is reassuring that we progress the photo is actually very interesting… harm to take time to review and consider our own SM while still retaining our original desire for improvement, The photo is actually part of a output and ensure that we as individuals are not causing underpinned with the enduring ethos of fraternity that series of shots taken by Michigan offence or unwittingly inflicting reputational self-harm. sparked the conception of our unique Guild. photographer, Almeron Newman. This kind of behaviour can also taint the Guild as a I do hope that you will all continue to enjoy your Newman was born in Portland in collective if the said individual advertises his or her GBG membership and get as much out of it as you possibly 1875 and began professionally taking membership on the same timeline. can. We are a very specialist profession that is few in photos in 1899. By 1918 he was living The complexities of technology and Social Media number, opportunities to meet and share our knowledge in New Mexico, where he registered aside, the core skills of guiding are long-established and and experiences of what we do are few and far between. unlikely to change, they sit at the heart of what we as a Being a GBG members offers so many practical benefits for the draft for the First World War. Guild are all about. The development of our own and access to an international network of members who personal skill set and the opportunity to improve offer friendship, a huge pool of knowledge and the bond through Validation and Accreditation is priceless. Those of a shared interest and passion for our craft – Please key skills are at the heart of the Validation Programme, make the most of your membership. Newman had developed a reputation as a specialist in panoramic and forced perspective photography, even a cursory scan reveals Assignments covering Finally – Wherever you all are across the guiding which suited the fashion at the time for ‘living photography’ - the technique of using people to create scenes Itinerary Planning, Customer Care, Research Skills, world, I hope you are all enjoying your Battlefield and objects. In August 1918 he took one of his most famous photos whilst working as a military Marketing and of course, the ability to deliver a Guiding. Whichever battlefields that you tread, if you photographer at Camp Cody. Camp Cody was an Army camp in New Mexico, originally created to defend historically accurate narrative in a clear and engaging meet a fellow member take the time to say hello and against the threat from Mexico during the First World War. It was a training camp for the National Guard, manner appropriate to your audience.