What a great start to 2011,We kicked off with the 1st bank holiday in May at Waltham Abbey. We had very heavy rain and high winds but this didn’t dampen the spirit and enthusiasm of the members. We had a very good turn out and the camp looked impressive. Well done to all those who braved the elements to put on a good show.
Horndean, Portsmouth 29-31 May. Another good event and this time the weather was not too bad. A great turn out and another good display put on for the public.
Damyns Hall Aerodrome 7&8 Aug. This event is growing fast and is one not to be missed. This year we had a great turnout of members who put every effort into the display. We were lucky to have the Fieseler Storch,ME108, 1937 Bucker Jungmeister G-BUTX, and 1936 Bucker Jungmann G-BTDZ on our display, which were all used in the flight display. On the Saturday was the Battle of Britain memorial flypast of the Lancaster and Spitfire. On Sunday the BBMF flypast consisted of the Hurricane, Spitfire, and a DC3 Dakota plus the B17 SallyB and P51 Mustang. All very impressive and pulled in the crowds.
Military Odyssey Aug 28-30. This event is always a good one as it is multi-period and the majority of members attended. A few members went into the main battle over the 3 days, whilst other members got involved in the daily skirmish with the Essex Reg.
Swindon & Cricklade Sep 11&12. This turned out to be the usual relaxing weekend to round off the season, with a shower early on the Saturday but brightening up to be a sunny weekend. A good turnout again, with the guys enjoying the daily battle, with the free use of weapons & ammo, along with the scenario involving the downed pilots.
Buying Kit
Which brings me neatly on to the subject of buying kit. There are some good reproduction uniforms available for re-enactors now – but, unfortunately, there is a whole lot of rubbish that doesn’t look or feel right, and is invariably over-priced. If you are new to re-enacting and are still putting your uniform together, speak to members of your group (especially the older ones) as they can advise you where to go to buy what you need and how much it’s likely to cost you. Many of the more established groups have deals with the better traders for group discounts; make the most of these!
Is it Original?
If your uniform looks good you will be asked this question a lot: “Is it original?” Most commonly, this question will be asked by members of the public (aka MoPs). Now, whether you decide to buy pieces of original uniform is your choice. Some things like belt buckles, mess tins, water bottles, etc. are unavoidable, as these items are not reproduced at present. These are hard-wearing items and will survive being worn on a semi-regular basis with little to no detrimental effect.
However, things like boots, clothing, headwear (not helmets) are susceptible to wear and tear and the elements. If you wear your original M42 tunic in the field and it gets wet/muddy or damaged, that is a piece of history you have irreplaceably destroyed.
Original kit belongs in museums, not in fields. I have always had the opinion that people who buy original have accepted the responsibility to store or display it in a manner that will not allow the elements to deteriorate it, and generally look after that item until they pass it on to another collector.