Julian - Battlefield Guide

Julian Vernon came to Battlebus with a varied and interesting background. He had managed a successful car repair and sales business in Brighton, been a steward on ocean-going cruises to Mexico and Alaska and also been a jewelry salesman. This experience gave him plenty of background knowledge and it’s his impeccable people-skills that immediately made him a top-notch guide with battlebus.

But his specialist knowledge is also excellent, he has been in the British Territorial Army, is an experienced shooter and is trained in sea survival and lifeboat safety too!  He is also an avid collector of militaria from the Normandy campaign.

His love of Normandy led him to becoming a battlefield guide and he had visited France many times as a tourist, searching out fortifications and battlefields along the beaches. In 2004 for the D-Day 60th anniversary he used his WWII Jeep to transport various veterans to the ceremonies taking place. This first-person contact with some of the D-Day vets was the inspiration behind his move to Normandy. On the subject of his Willys Jeep, it was his pride and joy, he bought it in Crete and spent two years giving it a ground-up restoration.

We were pleased to have Julian join us in 2007, indeed when we advertised for a new member of our team, we had over 40 applications for the position within a few days. We knew right away that Julian was perfect.  Now in his fourth year with us, Julian's engaging and enthusiastic personality make him especially popular with children and families.
                            Quotes from Client Testimonials about Julian

“Julian was a great tour guide: fun and upbeat, yet very serious about the subject of D-Day and the Normandy invasion.  He brought the story of Overlord down from the overwhelming maze of facts and figures and told it at a personal level.”

“Julian's profound knowledge of the subject was evident at every stage of the tour. I was very impressed by the skill with which he wove together the many different stories of the D-Day invasion, and I also greatly appreciated that he was able to include some elements of humor at appropriate moments.  Having worked as a tour guide myself, I cannot speak highly enough of the wonderful job he did for us.”

“Our guide Julian, demonstrated an excellent knowledge of the campaign and his enthusiasm for the subject made the day most entertaining and enjoyable.”

“Our guide was Jules Vernon and he was absolutely excellent.  From the bridge at La Fiere to Graignes to the hedgerows to the beaches and finally to the cemeteries, and all the stops between, he provided both eucational and anecdotal information from both the German and Allies sides about the D-Day landings."

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