The Board of Trustees

Andie Hill

I have been a Trust member for 12 years and have a keen interest in Heritage and am a member of the Trust Events Team. With a background in theatre and costume, I ran my own design company for 20 years, working with many of the larger heritage organisations and Museums including the Royal Armouries at the Tower of London, English Heritage, National Trust, Apsley House, Osborne House, and the V&As Museum of Childhood... producing accessories and activities for family education packs and costumes for their education programmes. My experience in business gives me a valuable insight into visual communication and engagement. I am currently publicity officer for the "St Albans and Hertfordshire Architectural and Archaeological Society", and in more recent years have worked on installations and designs for museum exhibitions.

Howard Simmons

I joined the Battlefields Trust when it was originally set up and became a Board Member in 2012. I have worked in the public, private and voluntary sectors and helped to set up and run a variety of charitable and campaigning groups. Having originally worked in adult education I became a Chief Officer in 5 Local Authorities responsible for Cultural Services (Libraries, Museums, Galleries, Tourism, Sports and Parks) and Regeneration before becoming Deputy Chief Executive of a London Borough and most recently moving on to the national Audit Commission and then Boundary Commission. I am passionate about History and in a personal capacity am an accredited Heritage Guide leading walks and talks. I am also very interested in military history and archaeology and a member of the Arms and Armour Society, Lance and Longbow Society, Pike and Shot Society, Society of Friends of the National Army Museum and the International Company of Military Historians.

Chris May

I joined the Trust in 2011 and very quickly became an active member in the south-east region. I was a member of the project team of the Trust's First Blitz project to commemorate the Zeppelin and Gotha bombing raids on Britain during the First World War. I was also involved in elements of the Magna Carta 800 project. I have assisted at, and helped to organise, various events across the region and also nationally, helping to promote the Trust to the wider public. Becoming a member of the Trust has allowed me to rekindle my interest in military history, which had lain dormant during my working career. Since 2015 I have co-edited - with Harvey Watson - Battlefield magazine, during which time the number of pages in the magazine has doubled. Before joining the Trust I spent 30 years working in various roles in local government corporate finance, and I hope that my previous experience can be of value to the Trust.

Phil Philo

I'm a 'retired' senior museum curator who has worked in local/social history museums (Gunnersbury Park, London; Kirkleatham Old Hall, Redcar; and the Captain Cook Birthplace & Dorman, Middlesbrough). I've been a member of the Trust since 2017 and as Co-Chairman of the North East & Borders (South) region I have re-kindled my teenage fascination for the British Civil Wars. I am now particularly interested in the campaigns in the North. My recent work has concentrated on activity in the Tees Valley, as part of the River Tees Rediscovered Landscape Partnership Project (2014-19) and with heritage lead partners Tees Archaeology in association with the Battlefields Trust. This project has looked, in particular, at the strategic importance of the River Tees in the mid-17th century and has involved community exhibitions, talks, guided walks, the publication of a booklet, day schools and some fieldwork, particularly on the sites of Piercebridge, Guisborough and Yarm. I give talks on the Civil War, aspects of local history and Captain James Cook and live in Redcar.

Julian Humphrys

After reading History at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and completing a postgraduate course at the Polytechnic of North London, I spent 12 years at Chelsea's National Army Museum, setting up special exhibitions, liaising with the British Army, and acting as spokesman to the media on all matters of military history. I'm a qualified blue-badge guide and in 2002 I left the museum to set up and lead English Heritage's Battlefield hikes and tours programme. I now lead a wide range of historical tours both in the UK and overseas. In 2009 I joined the Battlefields Trust as Development Officer and over the years I have helped established the Trust's national coverage, served as editor of the Trust magazine, and developed the Trust's online presence. I lecture, write and broadcast on many aspects of British history - I'm a regular contributor to BBC History Magazine and History Revealed Magazine and my published books include The Private Life of Palaces (for Historic Royal Palaces), Clash of Arms: Twelve English Battles, and Enemies at the Gate: English Castles under Siege (both for English Heritage).

Louise Whittaker

A Battlefields Trust Member for four years to date, I was Yorkshire Region Chair for three of these, a role that involved revitalising the region through planning and providing Trust events as well as meeting and supporting local people and historical societies.This built on my many years customer facing experience as a civil servant. I am also a member of the Trust Events Team which staffs stands and engages with the public at re-enactments and other historical events. A history graduate, I have always retained my love of the subject, and my belief in protecting, promoting and enjoying British battlefields as a valuable resource in connecting with our past.

 

Bruce Logan

I've had a long-term interest in medieval history, in particular the Wars of the Roses which was my specialist subject at Cambridge University. I first encountered the Battlefields Trust when I went to a conference on the rediscovery of the Battle of Bosworth in 2010 and felt this was very much a charity worth supporting. Since then, I have attended a range of events, talks and walks from this period. Other hobbies include target rifle shooting at Bisley and I've recently taken up medieval longsword fighting.

In my professional life I'm a programme manager with a financial services firm in the City of London focusing on implementing business and IT solutions to meet regulatory requirements including entity set up and new governance structures. I'm very much a person who 'Gets Things Done' and get immense personal satisfaction ticking things off my To Do list.

I also support a number of other charities and aim to bring to the trust my experience of strategic planning, financial management and project implementation. I have volunteered to take on the trust's Company Secretary and Board and Governance officer roles.

Andrew Jeffrey

I rejoined the Battlefields Trust in 2020 and am big fan of the online lecture series that began during the pandemic. I have always had a keen interest in English history and living on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire/Northamptonshire border I am fortunate to be close to locations of that have driven my interest in the English/British Civil War and War of the Roses. However, becoming a member of the Battlefields Trust has allow me to explore other conflicts and associated history.

While my academic background doesn't extend beyond a degree in ancient history I am the Chief Finance Officer of an academy trust in Oxfordshire and a Trustee at another local schools Trust. I am qualified chartered accountant who specializes in not for profit and charity sector and I would look to bring his financial and governance experience to the Board.

Gregg Archer

I joined the trust in 2005 and in 2009 took on a committee role as Branch Secretary with the newly re-founded Mercia Region. In 2020 I became the co-chair of the region. Along with my regional activities I am also a member of the Zoom Tech Group, helping to deliver the Trusts series of online talks and the Social Media Group where I regularly post about Civil War battles. I also run the Trusts 'MailChimp' program sending out communications to members such as events and newsletters.

I have had a passion for history from a young age and my current research is on the Civil Wars of the 17th Century. My fascination is for the smaller, lesser known battles and skirmishes and I currently researching a number of engagements within the Mercia Region. My research on the Battle of Radcot Bridge was published in volume 1 of 'Battalia' the Trusts journal and I have recently authored 'The Battle of Middleton Cheney, 6th May 1643' published jointly by the Northamptonshire Battlefields Society and the Trust.

Having served in the hospitality industry for 28 years I believe that I can use my customer based knowledge to look at the Trust from a members perspective, both to improve our offer to members and to look at new ways to attract more members in order to help the Trust grow further.

Anthony Rich

My professional background is in law and public administration, including over 20 years service as an Honorary Legal Adviser to various national and local charities. My Master's in Public Administration Degree centred on my research project on improving governance in a national, volunteer led, charity.

I have been a member of the Trust since around 2012 and am now the Chair of the Marches & West Midlands Region, the co-ordinator of the Zoom programme of presentations for members, and a member of the Events Team. I was elected a Trustee in 2022. Coming from a diplomatic family I lived overseas for much of my youth, acquiring a fascination with military history of all eras, British & Foreign. My service as a reservist officer with both the British Army and in NATO posts, mainly during the Cold War, gave me a broad insight into how armies in the field actually work, and the daily problems of life in the field. Battlefield Walking and Guiding is a particular hobby: I have been a badged battlefield guide with the Guild of Battlefield Guides since 2016, leading tours and giving presentations to groups as diverse as local church groups to civic and public service dignitaries to veterans. If necessary I can deliver these in any combination of English, French & German.

My background was basically 25 years in the public sector and 25 years in the private sector with various roles - personnel, finance, management, tourism, marketing, Company Secretary, and Company Director. My main interests are WW1 and WW2 - which is useful in East Anglia because, unlike other regions, we were relatively undisturbed between the Vikings and the Germans!

Harvey Watson

I've been a member of the Battlefields Trust for over 30 years. I've led walks, given numerous talks and been chairman of the South-East region for some 20 years. I'm also co-editor of the quarterly magazine and a professional project manager.

Anne Curry

Anne Curry is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Southampton and well known for her researches on late medieval warfare, especially the Hundred Years War, Agincourt and Bosworth, and her pioneering work on soldiers (medievalsoldier.org). She was a president of the Historical Association (2008-11), Trustee of the Royal Armouries (2014 to 2020), Chair of the Agincourt 600 Charity (2014-16) and Master of the Worshipful Company of Fletchers (2021-22). In May she 2022 was appointed Arundel Herald Extraordinary.

More details of her publications can be found on the University of Southampton website.

Kevin Winter

After 34 years in the Royal Navy, I was looking for a new challenge when I retired at the age of 50. I had always been interested in history and in my final years in the RN I undertook an Open University BA (Hons) History degree, graduating the year after I left the RN in 2009. I began to look at a second career in the museum sector. I volunteered at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth during my final two years@ service and spent three months work experience in the oral history department there. I applied for a job as a Museum Assistant with Newark & Sherwood Museum Service and began work there in December 2009. I also began an MA in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester which I completed in 2011. After a variety of different roles in collections and learning I am currently the Collections and Exhibitions Officer at the National Civil War Centre - Newark Museum.

At a conference in Leeds about 11 years ago I was recruited into the Battlefields Trust and became Chair of the East Midlands Region about 10 years ago. In 2018 I successfully fundraised for the installation of interpretation panels for the Battle of Stoke Field (1487) . I am also the Vice Chair and Secretary of Newark Civic Trust and the Chairman of Newark Heritage Forum, which brings all of the heritage organisations in Newark together. In this role I have been the organiser of Heritage Open Days in Newark for the past few years. I have had a lifelong interest in T E Lawrence (of Arabia) and I am currently Chair of the T E Lawrence Society.