Well, you are all obviously as cream crackered as I was Monday/Tuesday!
What a belter!
First event of the season for most of us and by golly, did it shake the cobwebs out and inspire us on to even greater things!
Where to start? The beginning I suppose; after a debilitating 5 hour journey in glorious sunshine, we arrived just in time for a torrential downpour. You had to feel sorry for the early birds as they were completely drenched and in some cases, washed away! If it hadn't been for the shelter-siting expertise of my tentmate Greg, we'd have joined the er, merry gang of bedding and clothes drying souls shadowing every fire till gone midnight.
Morning dawned and roll call brought out the enthusiastic but wary soldiery from all points of the compass. The fantastic turnout of our French comrades put most of the UK messes to shame, though the Volunteer Company and the Lardies were pretty well represented. Lots of civilians too, which bodes well for the future.
As would be expected, the first couple of drill sessions were garbage. We were all over the shop till the Ossifers took us back to basics, and from there on the facings, intervals and wheelings improved immeasurably. The Company increased in size over the weekend until it was possible to achieve a portion of the impossible UK Progressive dream - Battalion Drill! Two small midwar Companies were put through their paces by Tom Wheeley until we were well, pretty damn good! Just a word of praise here for Tom, Richard and Lo - it's a tough job being out there in front and subject to the vicissitudes of memory, hot-and-bothered soldiery, know-all NCO's and a drill 'square' with several strategically placed obstructions, but they coped admirably and by heaven, did we feel good post evolutions!
The Public Display Drill shows went off, it seemed to me, superbly. What a difference loading and firing those perfectly formed and accurate rounds painstakingly crafted by Pat Reardon. Without doubt, we have to stick to these and must get ourselves organised to produce them wholesale, keeping the rough and ready rounds for practice or for a mainstream shoot-em-up. Our thanks must go to Pat and Jimmy Sykes for taking on the onerous task of supplying us all and performing the necessary paperwork.
Despite the pre-event wondrous news from ROS that the 55th had raided a Depot or two before the climactic action of Gettysburg, not one tin of canned lobster was in view (much to my disappointment.) It is painfully obvious that years of parsimony in ration preparation for our Campaign events has led to a lack of imagination when given the opportunity to have a bounteous feast, a veritable cornucopeia of foodstuffs on offer. Well done, one and all, and my personal thanks must go to those crafters of mess munificence, Greg and Mickey T, for providing the Top 'o' the Hill Mess with a meal to gladden the womenfolk back home; they can rest assured that their boys will never starve with such a lip-smacking repast on offer.
It was a pity I missed the accordion wizardry of our German Fifer comrade (sorry, never got your name,) but I was a shadow of my former self Saturday night, having only got an hour's kip on Friday night. But I heard it and the notes danced wonderfully around a strangely subdued fire up our end. Get your butt to the next event Gus - your enthusiasm is missed!
The standard of impression looked better I thought this weekend, though mid-war Eastern Cornfed is the 'easiest' impression to do, bar possibly a mid-war Trans-Mississippi scenario. Lots of good gear was on sale around the camps and it was good to see our old comrade Steve's kit selling well through Kim and Keith. Glasses were raised to the man - he'd have loved this one, but how we missed his prescence. It was great to see Nathan Hopper there too - his Pa being another scion of the Civilian camp who'd have loved the great atmosphere and gypsy-like haphazardness of their spot. It was good to see young Nathan and Tegan survive being washed out on Friday and of course Eggy and Rachel brought the usual fun, wit and knowledge to the camp, Pete Veal and Tracey adding to the numbers on Sunday.
All bodes well for Aldershot and the Hill Plantation. A shame the French event at Blangy clashes with Aldershot because we really need to encourage these guys and cross-channel rendezvous should be a fixture in our calendar. Hopefully the Bizet politics between the French and Germans can be swept under the carpet and we can all pull together in the future. I've had a taste of fine Battalion Drill and want more. I want to see FOUR Companies drilling next Eagles Bath. No, that's not a dream.....if we can get the 18th Va boys here in strength (and maybe persuade the misguided that a Federal impression really DOES increase your knowledge and HONOURS the Confederate Infantryman,) and the Dutch and German lads, we'll crack it.
Well done, one and all. I had a blinding time....trouble is, I want more of it now....
Nobby
What a belter!
First event of the season for most of us and by golly, did it shake the cobwebs out and inspire us on to even greater things!
Where to start? The beginning I suppose; after a debilitating 5 hour journey in glorious sunshine, we arrived just in time for a torrential downpour. You had to feel sorry for the early birds as they were completely drenched and in some cases, washed away! If it hadn't been for the shelter-siting expertise of my tentmate Greg, we'd have joined the er, merry gang of bedding and clothes drying souls shadowing every fire till gone midnight.
Morning dawned and roll call brought out the enthusiastic but wary soldiery from all points of the compass. The fantastic turnout of our French comrades put most of the UK messes to shame, though the Volunteer Company and the Lardies were pretty well represented. Lots of civilians too, which bodes well for the future.
As would be expected, the first couple of drill sessions were garbage. We were all over the shop till the Ossifers took us back to basics, and from there on the facings, intervals and wheelings improved immeasurably. The Company increased in size over the weekend until it was possible to achieve a portion of the impossible UK Progressive dream - Battalion Drill! Two small midwar Companies were put through their paces by Tom Wheeley until we were well, pretty damn good! Just a word of praise here for Tom, Richard and Lo - it's a tough job being out there in front and subject to the vicissitudes of memory, hot-and-bothered soldiery, know-all NCO's and a drill 'square' with several strategically placed obstructions, but they coped admirably and by heaven, did we feel good post evolutions!
The Public Display Drill shows went off, it seemed to me, superbly. What a difference loading and firing those perfectly formed and accurate rounds painstakingly crafted by Pat Reardon. Without doubt, we have to stick to these and must get ourselves organised to produce them wholesale, keeping the rough and ready rounds for practice or for a mainstream shoot-em-up. Our thanks must go to Pat and Jimmy Sykes for taking on the onerous task of supplying us all and performing the necessary paperwork.
Despite the pre-event wondrous news from ROS that the 55th had raided a Depot or two before the climactic action of Gettysburg, not one tin of canned lobster was in view (much to my disappointment.) It is painfully obvious that years of parsimony in ration preparation for our Campaign events has led to a lack of imagination when given the opportunity to have a bounteous feast, a veritable cornucopeia of foodstuffs on offer. Well done, one and all, and my personal thanks must go to those crafters of mess munificence, Greg and Mickey T, for providing the Top 'o' the Hill Mess with a meal to gladden the womenfolk back home; they can rest assured that their boys will never starve with such a lip-smacking repast on offer.
It was a pity I missed the accordion wizardry of our German Fifer comrade (sorry, never got your name,) but I was a shadow of my former self Saturday night, having only got an hour's kip on Friday night. But I heard it and the notes danced wonderfully around a strangely subdued fire up our end. Get your butt to the next event Gus - your enthusiasm is missed!
The standard of impression looked better I thought this weekend, though mid-war Eastern Cornfed is the 'easiest' impression to do, bar possibly a mid-war Trans-Mississippi scenario. Lots of good gear was on sale around the camps and it was good to see our old comrade Steve's kit selling well through Kim and Keith. Glasses were raised to the man - he'd have loved this one, but how we missed his prescence. It was great to see Nathan Hopper there too - his Pa being another scion of the Civilian camp who'd have loved the great atmosphere and gypsy-like haphazardness of their spot. It was good to see young Nathan and Tegan survive being washed out on Friday and of course Eggy and Rachel brought the usual fun, wit and knowledge to the camp, Pete Veal and Tracey adding to the numbers on Sunday.
All bodes well for Aldershot and the Hill Plantation. A shame the French event at Blangy clashes with Aldershot because we really need to encourage these guys and cross-channel rendezvous should be a fixture in our calendar. Hopefully the Bizet politics between the French and Germans can be swept under the carpet and we can all pull together in the future. I've had a taste of fine Battalion Drill and want more. I want to see FOUR Companies drilling next Eagles Bath. No, that's not a dream.....if we can get the 18th Va boys here in strength (and maybe persuade the misguided that a Federal impression really DOES increase your knowledge and HONOURS the Confederate Infantryman,) and the Dutch and German lads, we'll crack it.
Well done, one and all. I had a blinding time....trouble is, I want more of it now....
Nobby
