Re-enacting!

One of my great passions is re-enacting,and as I will probably regale you with some of the many stories I thought I would explain why and how I got into it.

I come from a very military family (pretty much all the males for the last 5 generations have served in one or other of the forces, from my Victorian Great great Grandfather who was a naval captain, to my nephew who has just joined the Marines). I had dallied with the forces myself, being sent for commissioning board interviews and regiment visits, but was always told to get an education first (plus I really wanted to fly fast jets but was told that as I was 6 foot 2 at 15 I would be far too tall - roll on the lottery win when I can buy a custom built one!)

Leaving University with a degree in Anatomical Scinences I still had no idea what I wanted to do but again I thought about the army, but although I was offered a commission I had lost three good friends whilst in the TA and this was still very raw! In the end I went to law college yet still yearned for the military lifestyle (well to be truthful the comraderie that you get from spending time with your mates training and suffering all sorts in all kinds of weather!) Whilst at college my Father and I went to see an English Civil War re-enactment and both thought that it looked like a lot of fun, although we were both big fans of Sharpe and so decided to look into Napoleon's Grand Army.

In the end I found a group although when they turned up it turned out to be a group that portrayed a German paratrooper regiment from World War 2. My dad decided that he was too old to be running around, but I decided to give it a go, and have never looked back. Groups have come and gone, and I have dabbled in most historical periods from medieval onwards although the Guys are still the core of my first group, and we now have a very close knit group of friends who are more like family than friends. We have been through births, weddings and deaths together and I hope will be as close until we are too old to do it anymore!

So that was how, why is a bit more complicated. I think most of the re-enactors that I meet all had a real interest in history as children and progressed from toys to models, some through militaria collecting, to finally wondering what it would be like to wear the kit. I also find it important that those who went through it are remembered. It is a huge priveledge to meet veterans and talk to them of their recollections, and it keeps the memory of what they suffered still in the collective memory.

We are about to start a busy period, and I hope to keep you amused with some of the funnier stories from the camp!