Jonathan Porter was born in Lancashire and has always had a keen interest in all things military and particularly the Great War. He took his first trip to the First World War battlefields in 1988, age 19, the first of hundreds of visits.
At the age of 16 he joined the Royal Marines serving a total of twenty years, the first nine years with 42 and 45 Commando’s, then after successful completion of Special Forces selection he served eleven years with the Special Boat Service. During his time in the forces he deployed on fifteen operational tours. In 2001 he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.
In 2005 he left the military to pursue his interest in the First World War. Since 2003 he has co-owned a business on the Somme Battlefields with his brother Richard. He is now a military historian and researcher. Over eighteen years he has studied the life stories of several thousand soldiers and the units they served with. He has taken an active role in an archaeological project and has guided groups and individuals around the Western Front battlefields. He is married with two children.
