Bob Darby

Bob Darby served as a soldier in both the British Army and in the service of HM Sultan Qaboos the ruler of the Sultanate of Oman, where he spent 6 years as a contract officer. 'It was probably one of my better periods of military service, training an army of contract soldiers mainly Baluchi tribesmen from Pakistan'.  With the support of British military personnel, the Omanis in the earlier 80's decided to build a modern army, to be superbly equipped from an almost limitless budget. 'On a recent return to Oman after almost 20 years it was good to see that in the main the Omanis and Baluch have maintained the standards and traditions we had taught them'.  Operational experience included service in Northern Ireland and the Falklands. He was the Air Adjutant of 3 PARA during Op Corporate, the re–possession of the Islands from Argentine control and served with the Parachute Regiment both as a non–commissioned and commissioned officer, an association of which he is particularly proud of. 'The army gave me the opportunity to travel the world and in some cases to look at the battle sites of yesteryear, which fuelled my interest in becoming a Battlefield Guide.  As a Veteran of the Falklands campaign he has taken a number of tours 'Down South'. In addition he had guided military tours on to the battlefields of the Great and Second War at Battle Study and Staff Ride levels recently DCDC Shrivenham to Sicily 'Operation Husky'.  In addition he works with Poppy Schools (RBL) taking parties of young students to Europe as part of their Key Stage 3 and 4 education.  'Guiding is a passion for me, in particular taking parties of serving military personnel to battle sites and telling the story, relating not just the successes but also the failures of our military history and the reasons why.'  'I am particularly proud also of having achieved 'badged' status within the Guild as it is marque given to you by your peers in recognition of your efforts to promote good guiding. It should however, be regarded as a minimum standard for those who aspire to guide on the battlefields of the world.'  After soldiering he ran a successful Financial Services practice for almost 20 years but has now taken semi–retirement in order to focus on leading and guiding battlefield tours and... telling the story!  Bob Darby lives in West London with his wife Jill and their two children Thomas and Ellie.