|
Born in Belfast in 1971, the son
of a soldier, I grew up in Germany, England and Northern Ireland.
After leaving school in 1988 I followed in my father’s footsteps and joined
the army as a Junior Apprentice into the Royal Signals. Transferring to the
Royal Military Police in 1990 I have served in many different theatres of
operations such as Germany, UK, Northern Ireland, Nepal, Bosnia, Kosovo,
Sardinia, Norway, Egypt, Falkland Islands, Sierra Leone, Canada and Belgium.
I have always had a passionate interest of Military History and have
endeavored to travel to many historical locations on my travels with the
army, often leading groups of soldiers on Military History orientated tours.
These have included El Alamein, Mount Tumbledown, Mount Longdon, Goose
Green, Lake Doiran, Jajce, Ypres, The Somme and many more.
Following a two year posting to Supreme Headquaters Allied Powers Europe
(SHAPE) outside Mons in Belgium I concentrated hard on honing my knowledge
of the First World War. The first shot fired in anger by the British
Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August 1914, was fired about 400 meters outside
the gates of the Barracks where I was stationed. With Ypres being about 70
Miles away and the Somme, 80 miles away I spent all of my free time visiting
the battlefields, gaining knowledge, leading tours and also making use of my
Private Pilots License to fly over the Battlefields taking photographs and
filming.
Since March 2004, thanks to my good friend, fellow historian and battlefield
guide, Paul Reed, I have been a part time battlefield guide for Leger
Travel. From March 2005 I have also operated my own battlefield tour
company. It has been a never ending learning curve and a privilege to study
the history of the men and women who were on the Western Front during the
Great War. As well as guiding tours of the Western Front I have contributed
to various BBC News articles concerning the Great War and Remembrance,
including contributing towards the BBC "My Family At War" and Channel 4 /
History Channel documentary on the discovery, excavation and exploration of
the Vampir Dugout.
I hope you take the time to look through and enjoy my website.
Iain McHenry
|