ABOUT PAUL REED...ABOUT PAUL REED...
THE 'BATTLEFIELDS OF WW2' WEBMASTER
I was born in Sussex, England, in the 1960s: my father is a WW2 veteran who served with 24th Field Regiment Royal Artillery from Anzio to the Gothic Line. From him, and many of my uncles who were all also WW2 veterans, I developed a great interest in military history. While this is not confined to just WW2, I have been visiting WW2 battlefields for more than 20 years, and had the pleasure to meet numerous veterans. One of the highlights was meeting and chatting with Major John Howard outside the Cafe Gondree in the early 1980s!
I read history at University, and finished my Masters Degree in History in 1993. For more than twenty I have worked as a Battlefield Guide on the battlefields of WW1, WW2 and Waterloo; work that has meant that for more than a dozen years I have lived between the UK and our house in Northern France. Being 'on site' has meant I have been able to get to some of the battlefields more often.
I have written five books on WW1 (published by Pen & Sword in the 'Battleground Europe' series) and am currently researching a series of books about WW2; the first one will be about Normandy and others will follow on Arnhem and Italy.
I also work regularly with the BBC on their 'Timewatch' and 'Meet The Ancestors' series, and have appeared in a number of these relating to WW1 and in 2003 completed a new documentary with the BBC entitled 'Gallipoli - The First D Day'. This involved filming in both Turkey and Normandy, and was first screened on BBC2 in November 2003 with an audience of 3.5 million! In 2007/2008 I worked again on BBC Timewatch on programmes about the end of WW1, and WW1 Air Aces, and also a 4-part series about WW1 Ancestors which was screened on BBC1 in November 2008. In 2009 I worked on a three-part series for BBC1 about 1940, Dig 1940 and in 2011 I worked on a new series presented by Dan Snow, Dig WW2. In 2012 I have just finished War Hero In My Family for Channel 5 and am working on a new WW1 series.
My first book on WW2, Walking D Day, was published by Pen & Sword books in May 2012.
As you can see, I am always busy and military history is an all-consuming passion!
This website came into being simply because I tapped 'WW2 Battlefields' into a search engine and came up with very little - and felt that some sort of site detailing what to see and how to do it was now long overdue. This site is the result - I hope it gives you as much pleasure as I have had in researching it!
See you on the beaches!
Paul Reed
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