Christopher Sims was born in Nottingham, UK on 8 November 1953. Son of a British father and Belgian mother he immigrated to Belgium in 1965 where he graduated high school at the St. Vincentius College, Ypres. Continuing in the footsteps of his father he was assigned as Cemetery Associate to the Flanders Field American Cemetery in 1974. Through his friendship with John Giles, member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and Founder of the Western Front Association in 1980, he became one of the first Belgian contacts of this renowned association in 1983.  In 1989 he established the Belgian Branch of the Western Front Association and became the first area chairman. His lifelong friendship with Patrick Lernout encouraged them both to write this historical work.

 

Patrick Lernout was born in Roeselare on 6 December 1953. He graduated as a Textile Engineer at the HRITK in Gent and for quite some time he was employed as a Human Resources Manager. His interest in World War I started when he was a young child, passing an old German war cemetery every day. At age 14 he visited the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach and became fascinated and intrigued with what he saw. It encouraged him to know more about the boys who were buried closer to home. In gratitude for the sacrifices that were made, his curiosity to know more about the lives and strife of these young men and wanting to ensure that their sacrifice was not in vain, gave him the impetus to write this book. The cooperation and growing friendship with Christopher Sims resulted in the definite start of this project.