The Webmasters

Johan Vandewalle

Johan  was born and bred in Zonnebeke. He grew up surrounded by the legacy of the Great War and many childhood adventures in Polygon Wood. Although a skilled carpenter (and cafe/bar owner), his working life began as a professional civil engineer tunneller, and the combined knowledge of these disciplines has created a passion and technical understanding of the underground war that has made him the foremost explorer of the tunnels and dugouts in Flanders. In conjunction with military historians Peter Barton and Peter Doyle, Johan is author of the book "Beneath Flanders Fields - The Tunnellers War, 1914 - 1918." . He has a modest pride this Johan quietly explaining as well, how twice now he has been invited to Buckingham Palace and presented to Queen Elizabeth and honoured for his archaeology work in what has become known as 'The Harvest of Bones.''

Steve Bloxham

I was born in Liverpool UK and immigrated to Australia in 1960 on the £10 Pom scheme...I first went back to the UK in 2002 and caught with family and friends and so returning every year since.  My interests in WW1 goes back to my early Navy Days in the 1970's, when I would go visit some of the old antique shops in Oxford St Sydney, were I picked up some medals, diaries off those who had served during WW1 and since then I have continued my interest.  I have met so many genuine people out there, who are just as passionate about learning more, and this last trip was amongst the best, meeting up with Johan and his lovely wife Natalie again, Kristof, Ian, Donna, Lawrence, Liz & John, Mark, Mick and so many others who made me most welcome...thanks...especially to my mate Johan...

Ok, now a bit about my Navy career, joined  the Royal Australian Navy in 1972 and paid off as CPO Naval Police Coxswain in 1993, and to this day I am still on the books as a reservist, some 36 years later...I work in Security ( Gov) and live in Brisbane, my hobbies are: Militaria, Ham radio, computers, video productions and creating websites...and I will be back in Belgium in July/August 2009...