Jürgen Schmieschek was born in 1959, has lived in Dresden all his life and works as a layout artist. His first visit to Flanders in 1994 inspired his interest in the Great War, particularly as experienced by his fellow Saxons, and he began amassing the extraordinary collection which forms the basis of both Fighting the Kaiser's War and For King and Kaiser. He was the primary author of the second book's original German edition, Von Armentières nach Langemarck.
In Jürgen's own (translated) words from ca. 2014:
"It is a strange but uplifting feeling to hold these almost 100-year-old photos, diaries and letters from the field in one's hands, and naturally I am anxious to find out more about these people, their experiences and the places and circumstances in which they lived and died. This includes visiting the old theatres of war. I'm particularly fond of Flanders, although there is more left to marvel at elsewhere, e.g. the Vosges or the Masurian Lakes."
Through his collecting and researching he has made friends in many countries, and contributed to book projects in German, Flemish and English.