I am a Green Badge Belfast tour guide, public historian, local resident and podcaster. I am obsessed with the history of Belfast, my adopted home, and want to share my fascination for the subject and love of the city with others.
Originally from London, I grew up in the Shropshire Marches from the mid-1970s until 1988, when I returned to the capital to read History at King’s College London. I remained at King’s, completing an MA in War Studies in 1993 and later a PhD, which explored the history of morale, cohesion and motivation among British soldiers during the First World War.
I’ve lived in Belfast since 2014 and completed my Belfast Green Badge in November 2021. Since then, I’ve been leading tours and am a member of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association. If you fancy joining me on one of my Belfast history tours, the details are here (this takes you to a different website).
I am also a Tutor on the QUB Open Learning programme and was formerly an Honorary Research Associate at Ulster University.
My research interests lie in combatant morale in 20th-century conflicts and how societies, contexts, organisational cultures and personal experiences shape the motivation of people to fight. I have a particular interest in the Great War and the service of my grandfather’s unit, the 1/13 Battalion, London Regiment (Kensingtons). I’ve presented at numerous conferences and have published several academic works.
Since being in Northern Ireland, I have contributed to various social and medical history projects, including Ulster University’s Belfast Epidemic medical history programme, Queen’s University Belfast’s Living Legacies programme, and the Men Behind the Glass Project at Campbell College Belfast.
I am currently a Trustee of the Western Front Association (WFA), leading on press and media relations, and serve as Secretary of its Antrim and Down branch. I occasionally appear on LBC radio and Sky News, offering commentary on contemporary security issues and military history.
A keen podcaster, I am the host, editor and executive producer of three history podcasts: the WFA’s regular Mentioned in Dispatches, which covers all aspects of the First World War; the Epidemic Belfast podcast, which explores local medical history; and the Combat Morale Podcast, which examines what makes combatants fight—or not—in armed conflict.
Before moving into public history, I spent two decades as a communications and public affairs professional. My career included roles as a Parliamentary researcher, speechwriter, stakeholder manager, lobbyist and special adviser across the NHS and other public, private and voluntary organisations. I became a member of the Chartered Institute for Public Relations in 2009 and began transitioning into public history in 2013.
