To all the guides & past passengers from our tours & possibly any future ones. As I sit in garden yesterday my thoughts turned to what I should have been doing on eve of Anzac day. We can't be there physically so a quick thread on what those of you did experience on my tour 1/

Morning at Albion bkfast would be 7ish I would have prepped my tour notes for day ahead & lugged my cases down from my lovely little room at the top of the Albion. At breakfast I make sure everyone is ok had a good old English cuppa and collect sandwiches for the day ahead 2/

Our coach arrives. Lunches dished out & everyone senses excitment for day ahead. We have to be on time at Amiens - I remind pax that our coach has to be in Amiens on time otherwise coach can't move for dawn service IT'S THE LAW. Double check pilgrimages for day & we are off 3/

Coach swings under Menin Gate & we wave goodbye to Ypres & head out on road that will take us through Messines, down (past Plugstreet Wood). Heading towards border, architecture changes as we leave behind affluent Belgium into Northern France.

On coach over the mic I bring everyone up to speed on the day's itinerary and the chronology of events leading up to our first stop at Fromelles 5/

The ground flattens. I am asked for the umpteenth time what crops are in the fields to our left and right and for the umpteenth time I say I'm not into flora and fauna but ask me one on battlefields. 5/

The ground is now really flat & we talk about this sector of Western Front being the sector Aussies were fed into after their arrival from Marseille in Spring 1916. At this stage of the war some of them had experience via Gallipoli but for new reinforcements this is all new. 6/

Eventually coach turns left we pass Rue Petillon Cemetery & wend our way down narrow road leading us to Le Trou Aid Post cemetery. Le Trou is 1 of my favourites but I only use this for the grographical overlay & a quick talk. 7/

Off I get with a plethora of maps so we can focus on the ground (maps are a big thing with me as those of you who travel with me will know). 8/

Maps adjusted on ground - held down by wallets, mobile phones & cameras (after already 5 days everyone is helpful & knows my routine). A pointer is produced. We cover the history and ground via the maps before our tour of a particular battlefield 9/

We talk about lions led by donkeys - Brigadier General in Le Trou next to a private soldier - we talk about battle of Aubers Ridge 1915. Sun is shining & as everyone wanders around with their thoughts I know today is going to be emotional. 10/

today is real battlefield touring we are on our own out on the ground and the stories intertwined with the history will evolve throughout the day. 11/

You can't see battlefield properly from cem so we depart - we leave c oach & walk towards a farm. Farmer collects stuff churned up during ploughing & leaves this out so we can talk. My french is rubbish his English no better but both have a common theme. 12/

From his farm we walk up behind it - his two dogs are barking their heads off as we walk up the track that will allow us a view over the battlefield. 13/

I stop & get out inevitable maps pointing out salient features. From here you can see Fromelles, digger memorial and road markers just where huge drainage channel is - you can pinpoint dreaded Sugar Loaf & identify ground where the Aussies attacked. We are on frontline. 14/

My passengers will be taken on an imaginery journey of last 24 hours prior to going over top or hopping the bags. Imagine, if you will, the thoughts & fears of a young man prior to exiting breast works. We finish off with a blow on a 1915 trench whistle and then silence. 15/

Back on board we head to VC corner & get into nitty gritty of different brigades & what happened. I use words of Walter Downing here - he speaks eloquently from 100 yrs ago. 26 sets of brothers fought at Fromelles & point among others o memorial Wilsons who appear later. 16/

Most of us will now walk to the digger memorial although some choose to go with Sebastian on the coach (and quite frankly I don't blame them!). Our stop at the digger is purely photographic and to allow passengers to digest the story they have heard - it is an emotive one. 17/