Jim SmithsonBorn and brought up in Sheffield, Jim always had a love of the countryside. He initially saw instructing in outdoor pursuits as a career prospect, but was soon persuaded that his interpersonal skills and personality were best suited to teaching. Gradating in 1990 from Durham University, he entered the teaching profession - and affter an initial couple of years teaching in West Yorkshire, he moved to Germany to teach in the British forces schools. After over 32 years' teaching, there he was: deputy headteacher in one of the secondary schools. Jim has always had a keen interest in military history - beginning with an appetite for wargaming as a teen. This started his interest in the First and Second World Wars - leading to him visiting the battlefields at every opportunity. This passion eventually led to him buying a house in France in 2007 - giving him a base in the heart of the areas of the Western Front he was studying, as well as the opportunity to ‘walk the ground’ of those battles on a daily basis. With the closure of military schools in Germany in 2014, Jim had the opportunity to retire, move to his house permanently and ‘live the dream’ - an opportunity that could not be passed by. Working as a battlefield guide on the Western Front has allowed Jim to share his enthusiasm with others - something he loves doing and making it the best job he’s ever had. He has an appetite for primary research and the fluency to be able to do it in both English and German - resulting in a deep knowledge and understanding of the First World War from both sides of the wire. It was only natural that Jim’s first book should have, as its subject, the very battlefield within which he lives - allowing him to share his intimate knowledge of the ground he regularly walks and gaining a deep insight into the fighting that went on there. Read More Read Less