Introduction to Battlefield Guiding 14-15 March 2020

The course is an introduction to the skills of battlefield guiding. It is aimed at people considering developing their skills either as a volunteer or a professional or for a professional tour guide seeking to extend their expertise to cover battlefields. The course is based on the competences of the International Guild of Battlefield Guides. (GBG) the trade body which assesses and awards its Badge to guides who demonstrate their competence through the Guild Validation programme. The course is intended to give students a start in developing the skills and competences to become battlefield guide.

What topics will we cover?

We will cover the following:-

  • An introduction to battlefield guiding
  • The military history, presentation and duty of care knowledge and skills expected of a competent guide.
  • Legal obligations
  • Working as a guide
  • Developing a personal learning programme towards the Guild Badge
  • Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course you should be able to:

  • Identify the obligations of the guide in providing a battlefield tour
  • State the key competences of the Guild of Battlefield Guides’ validation programme and the standards of competences needed
  • Carry out your own simple self assessment of personal training needs
  • Plan you own personal development programme towards achieving the standards expected of a competent guide

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is set at the level of an intelligent lay-person with an interest in military history. Participants will need to have a general knowledge of military history.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The instruction will be in the form of tutor presentations, class and group discussions, and interactive exercises. There will be homework and a practical assignment between the first and second day. Participants will be expected to prepare and deliver short presentations.

Testimonials

“Excellent Course”

“Could not be improved”

“Practical focus, linked to personal opportunities and encouraged further study and involvement”

“ A good balance of relevant subjects”

“The content was wider and in greater depth than I had expected”

Summary feedback from students attending this course:-

100% : that the course would help them find work.

90% : That it gave them new knowledge and skills

90% : That it would help them to progress to the next stage.

90% : That it gave greater creative and intellectual fuilfilment

80% : increased self confidence.

Next Course?

10.00 – 17.30 on 14-15 th March 2020. Newton Room above The Devereux, 22 Devereux Court, Temple, London WC2R 3JJ £150
If you would like further information and are interested in attending the course please contact me via email.

frank@frankbaldwin.co.uk

What is New on the Old Front Line?

Just back from a well organised familiarisation tour to Flanders and the Somme organised and hosted by Tourism Ieper.  You might think that a year after the end of the centenary of the First World War that no one would be investing in developing First World War heritage.  But that is far from the case.  We saw a slew of new projects that enhance the experience for visitors.

View over the Passchendaele Battlefield
There is a panorama in each direction to aid orientation

It isn’t often that you see something on a tour around a familiar area that makes you change the way you plan a visit.  The high point (literally) of my trip was the visit to the Church Tower at Zonnebeke, which is open to the public. The website says it is free of charge, but you need a ticket from the Passchendaele Museum to operate the turnstile.  This offers an outstanding view of the Ypres Salient and is a good option to start a tour of the area.  Only worth doing if visibility is over two miles/ three km as there are 200 stairs to climb.

A fine collection of exhibits that would be improved with some explanation in the new app.

The Museé Somme Albert has a very fine and large collection of exhibits. A little unfashionably for modern museums these are mostly on display. An app is being written to allow visitors to find out more about the objects.  It is planned that visitors can download the app on smartphones.

Reconstructed trenches and panorama board on the site of Idiot Trench, illustrating why Hooge means “Heights”

I hadn’t visited the Hooge Crater Museum  for several years.  The owners have developed the museum to make it a one stop shop for visiting schools.  There are trenches demonstrating British and German trench designs on the site of the German 1916 front line and a good view over Ieper.  There is a gallery focused on medical services and a private room for a group. We were well looked after with a specimen student lunch (plus beer!)

There is a new museum dedicated to aerial warfare over Flanders and the great French air ace George Guynemer.  This is the Guynemer Pavillion Polecapelle

Yper Museum – model of the historic city

Yper Museum. The Yper Museum is situated at the other end of the Cloth Hall from the In Flanders Fields Museum. In Flanders Fields tells the story of Ieper in four years of war.  The Yper Museum tells the story of Ieper for the other 2,000 years of its history.  How the city grew and shrank with the wool trade, the sieges by the English and French.  Well supported by interactive exhibits, it is a reminder that the area is more than just a battlefield.

One nice feature of familiarisation tours is that they provide an opportunity for cafes and restaurants to show what they can do. The Depot did a great three course supper and Poppies Hostel at Albert and roof top terrace bar at the St. Bernardus Brewery Watou did a great buffet.  I hadn’t been to the brewery before. The view from the rooftop was also very worthwhile offering a panorama of the area west of Poperinge.

Another recent development is the local wine industry. Heuvelland is one of five Belgian regions recognised by a AOP Quality label.  The region claims to be the most northern wine growing region in mainland Europe.

Stefaan Vanderstreate on stage at the Clothe Hall gala singing and playing the guitar

This is the latest of a series of tours for representatives of the British travel trade.  The driving force has been the hotel businesses led by Stefaan Vanderstreate, the Ieper based entrepreneur who runs The Menin Gate accommodation business in Ieper and set up the Poppies hostel in Albert.  These are particularly well-run familiarisation tours.