Our Team
We like to think that, from top to bottom, we have one of the strongest teams you will find in any battlefield touring company. Our crew of historians have almost a century of research, writing and touring behind them, so you will benefit from the most in-depth personalized military briefings available. We send an expert Liberation Tours historian with every coach.
Let our team take you inside the battles that shape Canada’s history and provide you with the trip of a lifetime.
Let our team take you inside the battles that shape Canada’s history and provide you with the trip of a lifetime.
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Phil Craig is Co-Founder, Lead Historian and Master Story-Teller for Liberation Tours. He's also a professional actor with numerous credits in film, television and stage including seasons with the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. In 2014 Phil embarked on a world tour in the highly successful stage production The Last Confession starring David Suchet (who many will know as BBC’s Inspector Hercule Poirot). Film-goers will recognize Phil as Rachel McAdams’ father in the hit movie The Time Traveler’s Wife or recall seeing him with Russel Crowe in Cinderella Man, or alongside Ralph Fiennes in David Cronenburg’s Spider. More recently he appears in the award winning The Handmaid’s Tale and guest stars in The Exorcist, following on the heels of the acclaimed Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove. He has contributed several memorable characters for the CBC hit series Murdoch Mysteries and continues to lend his voice to numerous radio ad spots. Much to his chagrin, he is often remembered as the guy in the Lotto 6/49 commercial that gives away cottages to his family – and that commercial was a long time ago! Phil has been guiding battlefield tours for over 10 years where his combination of story-telling skills, knowledge and passion for history takes you inside the battle in a way that few historians can. He has been studying military history since his teenage years and has made numerous trips to the battlefields of Europe to investigate, research and remember. Some of the most poignant spots we visit have come as the result of Phil ‘tripping over them’ during his battlefield discovery tours. Phil is co-founder of the Georgina Military Museum in Keswick, Ontario and has won many awards for his military historical work including the prestigious Ontario Heritage Trust Award. He recently became the proud recipient of the Minister of Veteran Affairs Commendation, awarded to individuals “who have contributed in an exemplary manner to the remembrance of the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of Veterans." Phil continues to make himself available as a guest speaker to ensure that the stories are never forgotten. Phil is thirty years happily married to Pauline and is the proud father of four university-age children. In his youth Phil was a member of The Hastings Prince Edward Regiment Cadet Corps in Port Hope, home of famed ‘Hasty P's’ veteran and writer Farley Mowat, and he recently completed a term as a member of the Queen's York Rangers Regimental Council based at Fort York in Toronto. Phil is a passionate traveler, whether it be the rolling hills of the Somme, the storied landscape of Britain or the more recent battlefields of Germany and Italy. They each have their poignant stories of service and sacrifice and Phil is honoured to be able to share them with you. |
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Mark Zuehlke is best known as the award winning author of the Canadian Battle Series, each volume of which focuses on a battle or campaign fought by the Canadian Army in World War II. There are currently twelve books in the series along with a companion title Through Blood and Sweat: A Remembrance Trek Across Sicily’s World War II Battlegrounds, which combines history and memoir to relate the poignant and grueling story of a group of Canadians—including Mark—who walked in the footsteps of 1st Canadian Infantry Division in commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. The twelfth title in the series is The Cinderella Campaign: First Canadian Army and the Channel Port Battles: a detailed account of the operations to win the French and Belgian channel ports in fall 1944. He is currently at work on a new Canadian Battle Series title focused on the Canadian Army operations in northern Italy during the late fall and winter of 1944 through to the withdrawal of I Corps from this theatre in February and March 1945.. With at least two more books planned for the Canadian Battle Series, its status as the most extensive account of any national army’s involvement in World War II written by a single author is assured. In 2006, Holding Juno: Canada’s Heroic Defense of the D–Day Beaches won the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. Mark is the proud recipient of the 2014 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, The Pierre Berton Award. He lives in Victoria with partner and fellow writer Frances Backhouse. |
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Mark Proulx brings an extensive background from a historical and current military perspective. With more than 12 years experience delivering material related to WW1 and WW2 to a variety of audiences, Mark’s gift lies in his ability to engage the audience and make personal connections. As a living historian, Mark spent a significant amount of time researching and experiencing the life and times those who served. Participating in a variety of television and motion picture roles allowed Mark to contribute to a more lasting legacy and ensure the stories and history were presented in a factual and respectful manner. Mark is formerly a Second Lieutenant with the Queen’s York Rangers of the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve. His passion for both historical and current military knowledge allows for an enriching tour experience and maintains connections between those who served and those who are serving. The juxtaposition between the equipment, tactics and strategy then and now, serves to show that soldiers are not that dissimilar when fighting for country, friends and loved ones. Mark is both a father and husband and with family the priority, rarely has down time. Mark works as a project manager with a not-for-profit organization and enjoys playing, watching and coaching hockey. |
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John Fotheringham is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces. He served with The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, Toronto's D-Day regiment, from 1985 to 2011, commanding the unit twice. During that time John had the privilege to meet many veterans, and visited key battlefields in Europe on numerous occasions. Highlights of his military career include:
He was involved with the Juno Beach Centre prior to its construction, and became a Director of the JBC Association in 2006, primarily responsible for the rotating temporary exhibits at the Centre. He continues his association with the QOR as the chair of the Regimental Museum and Archives at Casa Loma, as well as the Memorials Committee, which is concentrating on marking WW1 battle sites in the Ypres Salient. |
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Our European consultant and ground specialist, Mark Gascoigne was born and raised in Plymouth, England and has been working in the travel industry for 17 years. He has helped to manage many of our battlefield tours. After finishing his degree in French and Spanish Mark started out leading educational trips through Europe for North American students. He eventually became Operations Manager for the National Educational Travel Council based in Boston, MA (now part of the WorldStrides Group) where he was responsible for hiring and training new Tour Directors and providing them the on-the-road support needed to run successful tours. Over the past decade Mark has run over 100 trips for Trafalgar Tours, Europe’s leader in coached-based guided holidays. He possesses a vast knowledge of local history, culture, art, architecture and more – and has an extensive understanding of the battlefields of northwest Europe. Mark is conversant in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. After time spent living in the UK, Spain and Japan, Mark is now based with his young family in the historic Dordogne region of southwest France. |
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John Cannon is Co-Founder and Tour Director for Liberation Tours. John's interest in the remembrance tourism is traced back through his Dutch heritage - his family grew up in occupied Holland and experienced the harsh realities of WWII. Although he inherits by birthright the proud Canadian tradition of service to country, he is more truly a Dutch descendant who is thankful to the Canadians for his family's freedom. A long time entrepreneur, John has founded several successful businesses during his career, beginning with in the 1990s with a professional sports statistics service. When the internet came online to the general public he launched a web design and development company, which also provided IT tech support. His focus is on the overall travel experience and he particularly enjoys involving youth guests in the tour. He thrives when speaking to the group from the front of the coach, keeping things organized and light-hearted. He has come to appreciate some amazing places during his travels (the rolling hills of Devon, England, for example) but he finds himself most at home in his native Holland, where each spring the Canadian veterans, known to the Dutch as The Liberators, are treated like the heroes they are. John volunteered for five years with the cadet youth program in Aurora, Ontario in both administration and public affairs roles. He is Past President of several community organizations, and served on the Juno Beach Centre's Education Advisory Council. John lives in Ontario's cottage country, on the shores of Georgian Bay. |
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