International Women's Day - Sophie Scholl

Each International Women's Day makes me think of women whom I find inspiring. Each year I am continuously drawn to Sophie Scholl.

Sophie was born in 1921 in southern Germany. Like many young people in the 1930s, she initially joined the Bund Deutscher Mädel, the girls’ branch of the Hitler Youth. But as she grew older, she began to look beyond the summer youth gatherings and the sense of belonging they offered, and started to question the ideology that lay beneath them.

While studying biology and philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Sophie became involved with a small group of students who would later become known as the White Rose. There were just six members of the White Rose group, originally founded by Sophie's brother Hans Scholl and his friend Alexander Schmorell. They were joined by Sophie, Christoph Probst and Willi Graf, and by one of their professors, Kurt Huber.

Between 1942 and early 1943, the group secretly printed and distributed a series of leaflets that condemned the Nazi regime. Their writings called on Germans to resist what they described as a dictatorship built on lies, violence, and moral corruption.

On 18 February 1943, Sophie and Hans carried a suitcase full of leaflets into the university building in Munich. They placed stacks outside lecture halls so that students would find them as classes ended. Just before leaving, Sophie impulsively pushed the remaining leaflets from an upper-floor balcony so they fluttered down into the atrium below.

They were spotted by Jakob Schmid, a university caretaker loyal to the regime and immediately reported to the Gestapo.

After several days of interrogation, Sophie, Hans, and fellow member Christoph Probst were brought before the notorious Roland Freisler at the Volksgerichtshof. The trial lasted only a few hours, a typical Nazi sham show trial.

All three were sentenced to death.

Later that same day, 22 February 1943, Sophie Scholl was executed by guillotine in Stadelheim Prison. She was just 21 years old.

I can never begin to imagine the strength and bravery needed to engage in resistance activities, particularly at such a young age.

Sophie was driven by conviction that standing by and doing nothing, made you complicit. She would not be complicit.
In a world where it can often feel easier to stay silent, Sophie Scholl’s life challenges us to speak up and act.

Battle of Verdun - Attack on the Left Bank 110 Years Ago

110 years ago today started a crucial offensive on the Verdun battlefield. Having taken several objectives since the battle started on 21st February, such as Fort Douaumont on the right bank of the River Meuse overlooking the citadel of Verdun, the forces of Imperial Germany faced a serious problem.

French artillery and observation posts positioned on the left bank of the Meuse atop the hills Mort-Homme and 304 had been raining hell on the German advance. Eric Von Falkenhayn, the Chief of the German General Gtaff had been warned about this certainty, but he chose to ignore his Generals, citing a need to keep reserves only for the right bank. The infantry and their advance was now suffering the consequences and so it was only a matter of time until that decision was unwound, and it came on 6th March. So began one of the most brutal slogs across the Verdun battlefield.

The ominously named Mort-Homme was the key first objective as it lay relatively unprotected by fortifications. However, natural obstacles and further defensive fire could be brought down upon it from its neighbours, Goose Hill to the east and Hill 304 (the number referring to its height) to the west.

German troops of 12th and 22nd Silesian Reserve divisions started a two pronged attack of Goose Hill and Mort-Homme. What was to come for the next two months was the bloodiest of fighting, Germans inching their way up the side of Mort Homme, French soldiers doing all they could to push them back down. Conditions were so awful, that even cases of typhoid were reported. Eventually, the Germans reached the summits of their objectives, but could go on no longer. Attention was needed elsewhere as the battle raged on, on the right bank, rendering their foothold on the left bank largely pyrrhic.

The monument on Mort Homme is highly evocative

Ils n’ont pas passe.

They did not pass.

Mort Homme Monument, Verdun Battlefield

The year of the 110 anniversary of this battle is no better time to explore the Verdun battlefields. Sophie’s Great War Tours guides are experts in bringing WW1 to life with its highly personalised, professional approach. We are one of a tiny handful of fully ATOL bonded company’s who offer bespoke English speaking guiding of the Verdun battlefields.  

Battle of Verdun - 110th Anniversary

This 21st February marks the 110th anniversary of the start of the battle of Verdun. To mark this anniversary, Sophie and a group of her leading guides visited some of the key sites of the battle. 

Guests wanting to explore this fascinatingly raw battlefield can book one day tours or multi-day escorted tours.

Sophie’s Great War Tours is one of the only fully bonded, English language operator offering individually bespoke private tours of the battlefields of Verdun. 

The armies of Republican France and Imperial Germany fought each other to a bloody standstill over nine tortuous months, claiming the unwanted prize of being the longest battle of the First World War.

Nowhere else on the Western Front is quite like Verdun. The ghastly industrialised nature of killing is everywhere you look. It also reveals stories of unbelievable heroism, immortalised in General Nivelle’s famous war cry that “the time is now men, you must not let them pass”.

Visit Colonel Draint’s Command Post

Colonel Driant’s Command Post, Battlefields of Verdun

Sophies’ guides started with a tour of Colonel Driant’s command post which was in the very heart of the battle during the first two days of the German offensive in February 1916. Driant is a French national hero and it’s easy to see why when you visit the amazingly preserved site where he bravely commanded his troops, most of whom were to, including himself, make the ultimate sacrifice.

Driant, a famous writer and politician as well as brave leader of men had warned the powers that be that Verdun was poorly defended and that the Germans were likely to strike there. He knew what was coming but nevertheless was content to be in the frontline facing the onslaught. His bravery and sacrifice - and those of his men he commanded show the French will to save their country.

Walk the WW1 trenches Driant did and stand in the very spot he was killed as Sophie’s experts share this site with the sensativity it and the men deserve.

Fort Douaumont

Verdun Battlefield

Stripped of many of its guns and barely manned at all, this gigantic late nineteenth century fort was embarrassingly easily taken by a small group of German troops on the 25th February. It would act as a key launchpad and support for the Germans for much of the subsequent offensives as the Imperial high command tried to ‘bleed France white’ at Verdun.

It was the focus of furious attacks by the French to recapture a position that had assumed an importance that had not been envisaged when the great battle started. The fort is a key monument of the battlefield and welcomes visitors throughout the year. Let Sophie’s guides take you on top of the fort to get a true understanding for why this was such a pivotal point of the battle, walk the moat see where the Germans entered on the 25th February and where so many Frenchmen sacrificed themselves trying to put right this humiliating wrong. Eventually, this was achieved on 24 October 1916.

Within a stones throw of this gigantic fort is the Ossuary Douaumont; which contains the remains of 130,000 unknown French and German dead of Verdun.

The Villiage of Fleury-Douaumont

Before the battle, the hills to the east of Verdun was home to farmers and tradespeople for generations. After the battle, nine of these villages had ‘died for France’ as they had been completely destroyed by the war and are not resettled to this day.  However, the likes of Fleury-Douaumont can be walked with reconstructed paths and posts signifying who lived where. The village was key battleground of Verdun in the summer and autumn of 1916 with thousands dying amongst the rubble. There are few more evocative locations on the western front. Sophie’s guides can bring this village and sacrifice into the sharpest of focuses for you.

Forts Vaux and Souville

The Verdun battlefield abounds with stories, few more startling than the defenders of Fort Vaux who held out for 7 days fighting hand to hand in the dark polluted environment of Fort Vaux. A visit to Fort Vaux is to travel to the very limits of what humans can endure. Let Sophie’s guides tell their tale of heroism and glory.

Fort Souville was according to Petain the last lock on the door to Verdun. It remained French throughout the battle but was under bombardment throughout the summer. It proved to be a fort too far and marked the point where the French would turn the tide and go on the offensive.

This magnificent fort is sometimes overlooked by visitors to the battlefields but it provides some of the most rewarding walks around Verdun. Sophie’s guides can help you truly appreciate Souville’s importance to the battle and the French victory. 

Le Mort Homme and Hill 304

The Germans first thrusts in February 1916 focused on the right bank of the Meuse. However it soon became apparent that the key points of the left bank - Le Mort Homme and Hill 304 - would have to be captured in order to silence the French guns, which were raining a murderous fire down on the Germans attacking on the right bank. 

What ensued is some of the most savage fighting in the whole of WW1 as the Germans inched themselves up these hills, tunnelling beneath the earth and sacrificing thousands of lives charging the entrenched French positions. 

Today the hills have ben reclaimed by nature but Sophie’s guides can take you to the very epicentre of where these titanic battles took place, allowing you to walk the ground and see the trenches first hand.

This is merely a taster of some of the sites you can expect to see on a bespoke tour of Verdun with Sophie’s Great War Tours. Verdun is on a train line from Paris with one change, or why not take a direct fast train to the Reims and enjoy a glass of something fizzy before your tour.

Want to explore the battlefields of Verdun with an expert historian? Get in touch today.

The 2026 travel Trend - Multigenerational Travel

One of the most meaningful travel trends we’re seeing this year is the rise of multi-generational journeys, grandparents, parents, and children choosing to explore the world together.

Looking ahead at our bookings this year, we will be welcoming many three-generations of family onto the battlefields of Europe. Grandparents sharing stories passed down through their own parents, parents seeking deeper understanding, and younger generations encountering history not from a textbook, but from the very ground where it unfolded.

These journeys often become moments of connection, quiet reflection at a grave, thoughtful conversations over lunch, and memories formed that will be carried forward for decades.

Traveling together in this way creates space for shared discovery. History becomes a bridge between generations, offering context, empathy, and perspective in a world that often moves too fast. Our private, bespoke tours are designed to be flexible, thoughtful, and accessible for all ages, allowing families to move at their own pace while engaging meaningfully with the past.

If you’ve ever thought about traveling together as a family, not only to see places, but to understand them, we would be honoured to help you plan that journey. Discover history side by side, create memories that span generations, and travel with purpose.

Some stories are best experienced together.

Private Battlefields Tours in 2026

Private battlefield tours offer a meaningful way to explore history with depth and intention - truly travel with purpose.

Sophie’s Great War Tours designs bespoke journeys across Europe’s many battlefields, from Waterloo, Verdun and the Bulge. Our battlefield tours give you the chance to stand in the spots where history was made, or walk the city streets where lost stories are brought back to life.

Our tours are shaped entirely around you, your interests, your family history, giving you time to slow down, ask questions, and truly understand the ground beneath your feet.

Travel with expert guides who bring clarity, context, and humanity to every site.

Expect thoughtful pacing, excellent local food, comfortable accommodation, and space for reflection. These are not just trips from place to place, but journeys with purpose.

Private battlefield tours are about more than seeing history, they are about connecting with it, and carrying those stories forward as you travel through Europe.

Privacy Policy

Sophie’s Great War Tours – PRIVACY POLICY

We at Sophie’s Great War Tours understand that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared online.  We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our site, www.sophiesgreatwartours.com and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it.  You will be deemed to have accepted our Privacy Policy when you first use our site.  If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using our site immediately.

1.          Definitions and Interpretation

In this Policy, the following terms shall have the following meanings: 

“Cookie” means a small text file placed on your computer or device by our site when you visit certain parts of our site and/or when you use certain features of our site.  Details of the Cookies used by our site are set out in section 12, below;

“Personal data” means any and all data that relates to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified from that data.  In this case, it means personal data that you give to us when you use our site.  This definition shall, where applicable, incorporate the definitions provided in the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”); and

“We/Us/Our” means Sophie’s Great War Tours Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 08610063 whose registered address is at 15 School Lane, Mepal, CB6 2AJ.

2.          Contacting Us

Our main point of contact for data protection related queries is Sophie Shrubsole and she can be contacted by email at sophie@sophiesgreatwartours.com or by telephone on 07973 956373. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or ours site, please contact us using this email address.  Please ensure that your query is clear, particularly if it is a request for information about the data we hold about you (as under section 12).

3.          What Does This Policy Cover?

2.1  This Privacy Policy applies to our use of personal data collected when you become a customer of ours, when you enquire about our services or when you visit our Site. 

2.2  Our Site may contain links to other websites, including social media links.  Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

4.          Your Rights

4.1        As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:

4.1.1        The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data;

4.1.2        The right of access to the personal data we hold about you (see section 12);

4.1.3        The right to rectification if any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete (please contact us using the details above);

4.1.4        The right to be forgotten – i.e. the right to ask us to delete any personal data we hold about you (we only hold your personal data for a limited time, as explained in section 6 but if you would like us to delete it sooner, please contact us using the details above);

4.1.5        The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data;

4.1.6        The right to data portability (obtaining a copy of your personal data to re-use with another service or organisation);

4.1.7        The right to object to us using your personal data for particular purposes; and

4.1.8        Rights with respect to automated decision making and profiling.

4.2        If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, please contact us using the details provided in section 13 and we will do our best to solve the problem for you.  If we are unable to help, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office.

4.3        For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office who can be contacted via its website www.ico.org.uk, or telephone 0303 123 1113.

5.          What Data Do We Collect?

5.1        Depending upon your use of our site, we may collect some or all of the following personal and non-personal data (please also see section 13 on our use of Cookies and similar technologies):

5.1.1        name;

5.1.2        email address

5.2        If you use our site to provide us with the personal data of any other person, it is your responsibility to ensure you have gained consent from that person to transfer their personal data to us.

6.          How Do We Use Your Data?

6.1        All personal data is processed and stored securely, for no longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected.  We will comply with our obligations and safeguard your rights under the GDPR at all times.  

6.1.1        Your personal data will be deleted 24 months after being on a tour.

6.1.2        Where we have a legal obligation to keep it longer, we will delete it as soon as our legal obligation has expired.

6.2        Our use of your personal data will always have a lawful basis, either because it is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data (e.g. by subscribing to emails), or because it is in our legitimate interests. Specifically, we may use your data for the following purposes:

6.2.1        Providing and managing your access to our site;

6.2.2        Contacting you about your tour

6.3        Where our processing of your data is based on our legitimate interests, we will have ensured that such processing is necessary and will not do so where our interests are over-ridden by yours.

6.4        Our legitimate interests include

6.4.1        Contacting you about your tour arrangements

6.5        With your permission and/or where permitted by law, we may use your data for marketing purposes which may include contacting you by email with information, news and offers on our services.  We will not, however, send you any unsolicited marketing or spam and will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we fully protect your rights and comply with our obligations under GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

6.6        You have the right to opt-out or unsubscribe at any time.

6.7        Third parties whose content appears on our site may use third party Cookies, as detailed below in section 13.  Please refer to section 13 for more information on controlling Cookies.  Please note that we do not control the activities of such third parties, nor the data they collect and use, and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such third parties.

7.          How Do We Store Your Data?

7.1        Data security is very important to us and to protect your data, we have taken suitable measures to safeguard and secure data collected through our site.

7.2        We store your data on an internal Excel sheet which is password protected

7.3        We only keep your personal data for as long as we need to in order to use it as described above in clause 6, and/or for as long as we have your permission to keep it.

7.4        We endeavour to keep all of your personal information in the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA includes all EU Member States plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein.

8.          Do We Share Your Data?

8.1        We may sometimes contract with other third parties to supply services to you on our behalf.  These include Jo Hook Tour Guide, The London Jet Company, Albion Hotel Ypres, Arianne Hotel Ypres. In some cases, these third parties may require access to some or all of your data. Where any of your data is required for such a purpose, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data will be handled safely, securely, and in accordance with your rights, our obligations, and the obligations of the third party under the law.

8.2        We may compile statistics about the use of our site including data on traffic, usage patterns, user numbers, sales, and other information. All such data will be anonymised and will not include any personally identifying data, or any anonymised data that can be combined with other data and used to identify you. We may from time to time share such data with third parties such as prospective investors, affiliates, partners, and advertisers. Data will only be shared and used within the bounds of the law.

8.3        We may sometimes use third party data processors that are located outside of the European Economic Area (“the EEA”) (The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein). Where we transfer any personal data outside the EEA, we will take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated as safely and securely as it would be within the UK and under the GDPR.

8.4        In certain circumstances, we may be legally required to share certain data held by us, which may include your personal data, for example, where we are involved in legal proceedings, where we are complying with legal requirements, a court order, or a governmental authority.

9.          What Happens If Our Business Changes Hands?

9.1        We may, from time to time, expand or reduce our business and this may involve the sale and/or the transfer of control of all or part of our business. Any personal data that you have provided will, where it is relevant to any part of our business that is being transferred, be transferred along with that part and the new owner or newly controlling party will, under the terms of this Privacy Policy, be permitted to use that data only for the same purposes for which it was originally collected by us.

9.2        In the event that any of your data is to be transferred in such a manner, you will not be contacted in advance and informed of the changes.

10.       How Can You Control Your Data?

10.1     In addition to your rights under the GDPR, set out in section 3, when you submit personal data to us via email or via our site, you may be given options to restrict our use of your data.  In particular, we aim to give you strong controls on our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in our emails, at the point of providing your details and by contacting us).

10.2     You may also wish to sign up to one or more of the preference services operating in the UK: The Telephone Preference Service (“the TPS”), the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (“the CTPS”), and the Mailing Preference Service (“the MPS”). These may help to prevent you receiving unsolicited marketing. Please note, however, that these services will not prevent you from receiving marketing communications that you have consented to receiving.

11.       Your Right to Withhold Information

11.1     You may access certain areas of our site without providing any data at all.  However, to use all features and functions available on our site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.

11.2     You may restrict our use of Cookies.  You can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser.  Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all cookies or only third party Cookies.  By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies but this can be changed.  For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device. 

12.       How Can You Access Your Data?

You have the right to ask for a copy of any of your personal data held by us (where such data is held). Please contact us for more details using the contact details above.

13.       Our Use of Cookies

13.1     Like many other websites, ours uses cookies. Cookies are small pieces of information sent by an organisation to your computer or device and stored on your computer or device to allow a website to recognise you when you visit. They help us collect statistical data about your browsing actions and patterns but should not contain personal data (other than the cookie itself, which is defined as personal data under GDPR).

13.2     All Cookies used by and on our site are used in accordance with current Cookie law.

13.3     Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies, you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of our site may not function fully or as intended.

13.4     We may place and access the following Cookies on your computer or device, to facilitate and improve your experience of our site and to provide and improve our services:

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Description & purpose

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By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively.

13.5     Certain features of our site depend on Cookies to function there are four types of cookies.

13.5.1      Strictly Necessary Cookies –These are essential to make a website work and provide features you’ve asked for. Generally, these are used to provide shopping baskets and similar. Without these cookies the website may not work as intended.

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13.6     Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings, but please be aware that our site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.

13.7     Our site uses Google Analytics.  Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling us to better understand how our site is used. This, in turn, enables us to improve our site and the services offered through it. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of our site, it does enable us to continually improve our site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.  Google's privacy policy is available at: www.google.com/policies/privacy. 

13.8     You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access our site more quickly and efficiently.

13.9     It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.

14.       Changes to Our Privacy Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on our site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.

Happy New Year: 2026

Happy New Year!

What a year 2025 has been. We’ve had the honour of guiding guests from Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand across Europe’s battlefields. From Napoleon’s great campaigns, the horrors of the Holocaust to the final brutal chapters of Germany in 1945.

At Sophie’s Great War Tours, our mission has always been to connect people to the moments that shaped their families and the world we live in today.

We tell these stories with respect, depth, and genuine admiration for the sacrifices made for our today. Every mile travelled, every name read on a memorial, every photograph shared, that is why we do what we do.

A heartfelt thank you to my extraordinary team. Your passion, care, expertise, and sheer hard work continue to raise the bar. You really are the best in the business, and I’m endlessly proud of you.

And to our guests, thank you for trusting us with your family history. It is a privilege we never take lightly. When you share the story of a relative who lived, fought or survived through war, it reminds us just how precious these journeys are. That trust is special. Truly.

Here’s to 2026, to more stories told, more paths traced, and more unforgettable experiences shared.

Wishing you all a peaceful, meaningful, and adventure-filled New Year.

Sophie x

SGWT Advent Calendar: 25th December

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thank you for following along with our Advent calendar again this year. Whether we’ve shared stories from the Great War, the Second World War, or more recent conflicts, the heart of it has always been the same, remembrance, respect, and connection.

Only those who served can truly know what it took to step into a war zone. Our role is simply to make sure their voices are never lost, never softened, and never forgotten.

Thank you for being part of that with us.

Wishing you peace, warmth, and good company this Christmas.

Sophie and all the team at Sophie's Great War Tours.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 24th December 2025

We often imagine the First World War as silence punctured by gunfire. But on Christmas 1914, along certain parts of the Western Front, the night sounded very different. Corporal Robert Renton of the Seaforth Highlanders wrote home:

“On Christmas Eve the Germans in front of us started singing what appeared to be hymns. We were shouting for encores (their trenches are only about 150 yards in front of us), and they kept the singing up all night.”

In some sectors, men stepped into No Man’s Land and exchanged small gifts. Others simply listened, answering carols with applause. 150 yards is nothing, close enough to hear lyrics, accents, laughter and be reminded that the enemy were just like them.

And so, as we remember those voices carried across the wire, we send our gratitude to all who served, on every front, in every conflict.

Thank you for remembering with us this Advent. Merry Christmas, from all of us at Sophie’s Great War Tours.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 23rd December 2025

Sometimes I hesistate about posting graphic lines, but we cannot sugar-coat war. This advent series is about sharing the real voices of those who served and suffered. Cyril Hoodless, writing in August 1915 from Cairo says:

"I have been through the big hospitals and have seen some terrible sights – one poor fellow with a strong body but without either arms or legs."

Less than two years later, Private Cyril Hoodless died of head wounds received in action on 31 May 1917, only three months after his older brother, Arthur Hoodless, was killed. Two sons lost from one family. A story repeated in towns and villages across Britain.

We remember them not to dwell on horror, but to ensure their experiences are neither forgotten nor softened by time.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 22nd December 2025

War effects everyone differently. Some carry physical scars, others mental scars, some just carry that weight, every single day.

What an incredibly moving letter this is from American soldier Richard Luttrell.

“For twenty-two years I have carried your picture in my wallet. I was only eighteen years old that day that we faced one another on that trail in Chu Lai, Vietnam. Why you did not take my life I’ll never know… Forgive me for taking your life, I was reacting just the way I was trained.”

Lutterall was just doing his job but he had a lifetime with the consequences. The photograph carried for twenty-two years tells us something vital: the war did not end when the fighting stopped.

In March 2000, Luttrell travelled to Vietnam to meet with the daughter of the man he met on the trail in Chu Lai.

At Sophie’s Great War Tours, our work is about keeping these stories alive, not to glorify war, but to understand it, and to honour those who carried its weight long after the guns fell silent.

The picture and more amazing stories can be found here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/warletters-letters/

SGWT Advent Calendar: 21st December 2025

The most extraordinary moments in war can be described in the plainest language, language that allows us to visualise what's happening. Reading these words whilst standing on the spot where it happened is one of the reasons I love battlefield tours.

Tom Roberts wrote of his experiences in April 1915 in Ypres.

“It was wonderful, we were only about 120 of us with the Captain, another sub & myself, along with about 400 Terriers who had arrived in this country on Thursday & yet we held about 6,000 Germans through the night.”

There is pride & almost disbelief that courage luck & skill could combine to get him through the night. Once more allied troops barred the way into Ypres. Roberts’ words remind us that history often turns on fragile margins: a few hundred men, the stubborn refusal to yield.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 20th December 2025

In 1946 John Meades, stationed near Hamburg as Europe rebuilt itself, wrote home with a different kind of longing:

“Let us look forward to some day when it won’t be necessary to have to write, and I am a settled down City Business Man.”

It’s a striking line. Not heroic. Not dramatic. Just hopeful. After years of upheaval, he just wanted normality. A desk job, a routine, a future where letters were no longer needed.

John's letter reminds us that remembrance isn’t only about how wars are fought but about what people hope for when they finally stop. And perhaps that, more than anything, is why these voices still matter.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 19th December 2025

Today’s letter captures a crucial point about war & it's end, what is left behind when the guns fall silent. In 1918, US soldier Frank Striker wrote of an encounter with a French civilian.

“I as speaking to an old Frenchman this morning. He is about 60 years old. He pointed to a few standing walls and said it was his home.”

There is no drama in the sentence. No anger. Just fact. And that is what makes it so powerful. By the time US troops arrived in France in large numbers, vast areas had already been fought over repeatedly.

Villages had been reduced to rubble, farms erased, lives stripped back to the barest outline. For civilians who survived either occupation or displacement, they had to pick up what was left & try to start again. Some towns were rebuilt, many villages were beyond repair.

Letters like Striker’s remind us that the war did not belong only to those in uniform. It belonged to everyone who remained, standing among ruins, pointing to walls & calling them home. At SGWT, we tell the human cost of war, soldier & civilian alike.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 18th December

Some letters don't soften what war was like. 2nd Lt Wilfred Stanford wrote:

“A shell came along & landed about two or three yards away. The result was the man just in front of me was heard to call out ‘Oh!’ & has never been seen or heard of since.”

This was the terrifying speed with which a human life could vanish. Artillery could obliterate bodies completely. Trenches collapsed. Battlefields were fought over & over again until nothing remained but churned earth.

For families there was no grave to visit, no place to stand, no certainty beyond a name on a casualty list. Memorials to the missing were created to answer that absence. They serve as a substitute for a grave. Names carved into stone at Thiepval, Tyne Cot, Arras & many more.

They also speak to the scale of loss. The memorials force us to reckon with how completely war can erase a person from the physical world.

For descendants today, these memorials are often the starting point of discovery. Many families begin their journey with a single name carved into stone & build backwards, service records, battalion movements, battlefield locations.

If you’re searching for someone who never came home, come with me on a bespoke battlefield tour. Let’s uncover their story and stand where they were last known to be. Contact us today.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 17th December 2025

Some letters feel unnervingly modern, like this one from Louis Barthas, a French cooper turned infantryman.

“May the new year bring reason to men.”

It could have been written yesterday.

Barthas wartime notebooks are clear, compassionate, and furious at the waste of life he witnessed. He wrote to record it honestly, the boredom, the fear, the anger, and the longing for a world that might choose sense over slaughter.

If Barthas’ words resonate with you, I’d love to help you explore the French battlefields, places where history still speaks, quietly but insistently, to anyone willing to listen.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 16th December 2025

German soldier Erich Maria Remarque, who went on to write the world famous 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is the subject of today's letter extract.

He writes:

“In an hour’s time, everything will have disappeared and disappeared to the point that one might believe it never existed.”

How do you interpret this sentence? To me it says in spite of the horrific death toll, the lost landscapes, past present and futures changed forever, life has a funny way of moving on and forgetting.

Erich was warning us about memory, about how quickly places, moments, and lives can fade once the guns fall silent.

That is why remembrance matters. Not as ritual alone, but as responsibility. When we forget, we do a disservice to those who lived through war and to those who never came home.

At Sophie’s Great War Tours, this is our purpose. To walk the ground where history unfolded. To tell the stories behind the names. To make sure that the lives that once existed are not allowed to disappear into silence. Remembrance isn’t about looking back. It’s about ensuring that these stories continue to matter, now and for those who come after us too.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 15th December 2025

I particularly enjoy letters that give candid insights into the every day lives of soldiers. The small but crucially important aspects that often get overlooked due to the enormity of the Great War.

Bert Clements of the Royal Artillery wrote:

“They pay us ten francs a fortnight (sometimes), well that’s nothing, it only lasts about three days, and if we go on the beer it only lasts one night.”

Driving through French villages, you see estaminets and can picture men queuing up for that first longed for beer.

Bert survived the war.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 14th December 2025

Not all letters home tried to sound brave. Some were raw with grief, written in moments when the war stripped everything back to loss.

Australian soldier Owen Donlen wrote home after the death of his closest friend, George.

“I’m the miserablest and sorriest man in all the world since poor old George was killed. We were like brothers, we were never apart out of the lines, they used to call us husband and wife.”

When a close mate was lost, the survivor lost his go to, the person who knew exactly what it took to get through each day.

This letter reminds us that war is not only about death but about the permenantly altered lives of those who remained.

Sometimes the hardest thing was not fighting on, but carrying on alone.

SGWT Advent Calendar: 13th December 2025

Letters from the front weren’t always comforting. Some carried frustration and a sharp awareness of distance between those fighting and those at home.

Dr. Ivan Pirrie, Royal Army Medical Corps, wrote in 1914:

“If only some of those men in England who are still watching football matches would take their share, perhaps our poor devils could have a rest.”

Men wrote home knowing that life continued. Crowds still gathered, matches were played and normal routines carried on, all while they existed in a different world entirely.

This letter reminds us that war is never experienced equally.

This Advent, we share voices from all sides of 20th-century conflict, exploring the many ways war was experienced by those who lived through it.