I've been fascinated by the First World War since I was 8 or 9, but I came to formal study late, starting my undergraduate degree at the age of 30. My first interest was in the people and experiences of the war. But after reading Prior and Wilson's Passchendaele: The Untold Story while in Belgium visiting the battlefields the book was written about, I really began an interest in the way the war was conducted. This book (and literally everything else Prior and Wilson have written) demonstrated that it really wasn't as simple as poor bloody infantry callously disposed of by indifferent generals, and I found that what it actually was is fascinating to study, hard to come to grips with, and critical to our understanding of what actually happened. I was so absolutely privileged to be able to do my PhD under him and Professor Gary Sheffield several years later, and I'm even more privileged to have been able to contribute to the conversation over the conduct of the First World War in a meaningful (if incredibly small) way.

I will never stop being fascinated by the way in which the war was fought - what they were trying to do, how they set about doing it, and what the end result was. And, of course, what that meant for what they chose to do next! But my involvement in the Last Post Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial (I've written more than 1,100 biographies for the project!) has really heightened my appreciation for people and their stories as never before. History is fascinating - fascinating - and sharing its excitement, intricacies and quirks with any kind of audience is my favourite thing to do.