HISTORY ON TRACK

History has been Graham Fleeton’s passion since the 1960s when he was a young Lieutenant in the University of New South Wales Regiment.

The retired Colonel is a military history expert and has been sharing his passion and knowledge with travellers for over 20 years.

His first tour was in 1999 after two of his Battalion Sergeants said they would like to visit battlefields where Australians fought and hear his accounts of what happened.

Since then his tours have taken in ancient battlefields such as Thermopylae where the Spartans were defeated while protecting Athens, Culloden where the pride of the Scottish Highlands was heavily defeated while trying to support Bonnie Prince Charlie’s return and also the famous battlefields of Crecy, Agincourt and Waterloo.

“By visiting those areas of past conflict, we become aware of the history as we walk the ground but when visiting those battlefields where Australians were involved, we also ensure that those who were lost there, shall always be remembered,” he said.

Studying Military History as an officer enabled him to further his tactical and strategic thinking.

He was Commanding Officer of an Infantry Battalion and of the first Army Reserve Recruiting Unit and was the first Director of the Army Personnel Agency.

His final posting before he retired in 2004 was the Honorary Colonel for Australian Cadets.

As well as leading tours across the world he is Chairman of the Board of the Army Museum of New South Wales and President of the Defence Reserves Association.

His next tour will be in April and will include the ANZAC Day service at Villers Bretonneux in France.

His July Tour is a Heritage Tour of the UK specially created for steam train enthusiasts and includes many train journeys, including some train-spotting, such as the Flying Scotsman as it heads off to Carlisle from York.

For details visit battlefieldhistorytours.com.au