About Paul Reed & D Day Ancestors website

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 25 years, and had the pleasure to meet numerous veterans. One of the highlights was chatting with Major John Howard outside the Café Gondree in the early 1980s!

I read history at University, and finished my Masters Degree in History in 1993. For more than sixteen years I have worked as a Battlefield Guide on the battlefields of WW1, WW2 and Waterloo; work that has meant that for more than a decade 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.

A regular broadcaster, I also work regularly with the BBC on programmes like Timewatch, Meet The Ancestors, My Family At War and Who Do You Think You Are. Other work has included the BBC News, History Channel, Channel 4 and Radio 5. I am currently working on several TV projects about WW1 and WW2.

As you can see, I am always busy and military history is an all-consuming passion!

I began D Day Ancestors as simply a Roll of Honour for those who died on 6th June 1944; however, it has now grown to become an on-line resource for the British & Commonwealth forces who fought in Normandy June-August 1944. It is important we remember these men and their contribution to the outcome of the war in North-West Europe: a contribution all too often ignored by Hollywood films. 

Lest we forget...

Paul Reed

Kent & Northern France