Doug will tell the story of his great uncle, a Londoner, who joined a London battalion and arrived in France in June 1916 just before ‘the big push’. He and his battalion were involved in the diversionary attack at Gommecourt. The presentation includes photos from the period and a letter written during the war which is crucial to the story. The presentation lasts about 1 hour 20 minutes and he’ll be happy to take questions afterwards.

Formerly a teacher in Hertfordshire, Doug had a career change which saw him work for several investment and pensions companies in a variety of business development roles until he retired in December 2019. Although he taught some history, he became increasingly interested in WW1 and family history after watching Ian Hislop on the BBC programme ‘Who do you think you are?’. Doug has given this talk to numerous audiences over the last 10 years, not least to WFA groups, most recently presenting to the Essex and Birmingham members.