About

Hi, I’m Laurance and welcome to my site.

I was born way back in 1987 into a military family. I’m a proud mongrel of Manx (Isle of Man), Irish and British descent. My father was a member of the Royal Irish Rangers and some of my first memories are of going to work with him, getting to ride in APCs, Land Rovers and climbing about in stores.

Being surrounded by the military instilled a love for all things military related. I joined the Army Cadets as soon as I was able to. Then attempted to follow my father’s step and join the British Army. I was turned down and so took a back door through the Territorial Army. I spent 3 years before being medically discharged.

My interest in Finnish Military History started back in March 2011. My first visit to Finland saw me staying around the corner from a plaque dedicated to members of the Swedish Volunteer Flight Regiment 19. This plaque then set me off on a journey that has occupied me for the last few years.

Finnish Military History holds a vast amount of stories but unfortunately most of those are hidden by the language barrier. Outside of the more popular tales of brave Finns holding fast against hordes of Soviets during the Winter War or how they launched an offensive alongside the Germans during the Continuation, there is rarely anything else known about Finland’s illustrious and extensive Military History.

This personal project is my contribution to helping more of this amazing piece of history reach more people.