Preparing for Chester

This coming Bank Holiday weekend, I'll be one of the many who trek to the beautiful city of Chester and after a couple of months of inactivity on the re-enactment front, I have to say I'm really looking forward to it.



(By the way, on the picture above, on the left, you can see one of this blog's regular visitors and commenters, Andy, of The King's Guard... looking very fierce and warlike!!)

On Saturday, there's a march through the town,
and the Sunday and Monday both involve Living History displays and sizeable battles at Chester Racecourse.

Full details are here...
http://earlofmanchesters.co.uk/

So, this week I've been getting my kit out of the cupboard, cleaning thoroughly my new flintlock (which I'm rather proud of!), making up cartridges, and making a few minor repairs to various bits n bobs.
With the weather forecast being "mixed", and anticipating the possibility of showers, I decided to take extra morale boosting victuals this time and so a   special supermarket run was needed to get the supplies required for such a weekend. I wouldn't want the normal weekly shopping trolley to collapse under the weight of extra alcohol and food!
Now, I'm all set; just got to load up Shogie tomorrow, and make an early start on Saturday.

If you're in the Chester area why not persuade the rest of the family to come along and enjoy the spectacle.

Naseby - 370th anniversary weekend

The first rainy muster of the season... but fortunately I really only got wet on the Friday evening as I pitched my tent. The rain stayed off during the battles on both Saturday and Sunday, so no one had their fun spoilt.

The battles themselves were the usual mix of hurry up and form up, then wait around, then march (and these marches were unusually long), then plenty of confusion on the field... so pretty authentic!
On the final day I staged a dramatic death near the crowd line (poser!) being cut down by ironsides when our cause was lost and most others had already fled or died.
Managed to get some more practice firing in, this time with a flintlock which I may soon own (subject to a visit/ inspection of my storage arrangements at home tomorrow morning).

The Sunday morning included a commemorative service in Naseby village. Although a realistic degree of soldiers' apathy and grumblings had broken out when this was mentioned, the turnout was rather good... with a massed march to the Church green in the village where we joined the local congregation for an outdoor service. Very tasteful. And quite right too. Whilst the Sealed Knot is a hobby and all about fun, it's good to properly remember the sacrifices made 370 years ago... just as we all see fit to commemorate more modern conflicts with such reverence.

The local populace seemed friendly enough, and interested, and despite the ever-present threat of rain, our route to the battlefield each day was lined with folk wielding iPads, phones and other gadgetry to capture the spectacle and the pageantry.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the weekend...

Below: a Soldier's Life... Bob catches a few valuable zzz's before we have to     muster for action. Keith can also be seen, horizontal, on left... more zzz's!

Above: forming up. Prince Rupert's Foot regiment, with the stripey pikes of Godolphin's in the background.

Below: the pikemen of our own brigade, ready for the long march to the battlefield.

 

Below: members of Owen's regiment, also in our brigade.

Below: returning from battle ... "Give Way"?! The Royalist Army gives way to no one!!!

 

 

More scenes from the weekend.

Below: the start of an evening in regimental HQ! Armed with sufficient alcohol and snacks we can talk for hours... and do! Mind you, Keith's got his work cut out selling those strawberries! The Cadbury's chocolate fingers, on the other hand (excuse the pun), went in a flash!

 

On the Saturday evening, the chatter in the regimental tent (once the bawdy singing had abated), turned to the subject of flags. It seems that some research suggests that at some point during the wars, our regiment (at that point named Washingtons), had been issued with Infantry Colours (their role as dragoons and also occasionally as infantry perhaps mirroring our own re-enactment role which switches between the two). These colours, it is reputed, may have been green and white... Hmmm.
More news as it breaks...

 

Below. Breakfast Club... a Sunday morning tradition! Just 4 of us this time...

Yes, that's full English breakfast, plus a bottle of claret ... of course!.

Next big muster is Chester (August bank holiday... so 29-31 Aug). But might manage a couple of short outings before then.

Thanks for stopping by...

Stanford Hall Muster - 23-25 May

Another cracking long weekend - they're coming thick and fast now!
Lots of training shots fired too (20) as I await the arrival of my various licenses.
I'm at the stage where, having completed the loading sequence, I am always relieved (and somehow surprised) to hear the gun go bang!
I have to say, I'm veering towards flintlock as my preferred weapon.

The battles themselves were good fun, with around 800 people on the field I think... and this time with some cavalry on both sides.
And I'm now fully blooded too! I picked up a "war wound" on the Monday as someone whacked me on the finger with their sword... a fair bit of blood and bruising under the nail... but "only a flesh wound!" Despite suggestions from others that I should really leave the field and get it tended to, I bravely (haha!) fought on for the cause of the King!

Some pictures of the weekend, sent to me courtesy of Keith Foster...

Above: our regiment, looking sprightly despite the weekend having included "one of the most eventful night-time guard duties" anyone could ever recall.

And below: marching onto the field, with a spring in the step, regardless of the fact that on both evenings, alcohol was taken and songs aplenty were sung! A number of the unit's members are talented song-smiths. Having purchased the regimental songbook, however, I was able to join in and reduce the talent quotient to a more unacceptable standard!

 

Next up, Naseby. 13-14 June.
This will be the 370th anniversary of the battle so should be another great weekend.
Check out the Naseby battlefield website for details of what's happening, and come along to give your support to the event. I'm sure you would agree, it's important we keep our history alive.

Newark Muster 2-4 May 2015

It was a fine weekend... some showers, to keep the camping interesting, but on the whole the weather held and in fact it was warm on both the Sunday and the Monday for the actual battles.

Much beer was imbibed, and it was great to meet Andy (a regular commenter on this blog, also Elder Sergeant in The King's Lifeguard), who I bumped into at the beer tent, and who was kind enough to ensure I had a full glass, whilst we passed a while chatting about wargaming, re-enactment and life in general. Next one's on me, Andy!

Anyway, here are some photos from the weekend...

First up... Our regiment was detailed with creating the authentic camp in The Queen's Sconce...

 

and maintaining a guard/ presence there all weekend...

 

Many interested folk visited the site over the weekend, and we chatted about all things civil war and re-enactment in general.

On the Saturday afternoon we went mob-handed into the town...

 

Below... The pubs of Newark were full all weekend! This photo is just prior to us getting a special tour of the new National English Civil War Museum, situated in the town. A good visit, and I'd encourage anyone to pop in. They have a neat diorama of the sconce there, as well as many artefacts and so on.

 

 

Final shot, below, shows members of the regiment preparing for battle.

 

 

The battles themselves were great fun, and seemed to provide ample entertainment for the plentiful crowd, who all applauded throughout and showed their appreciation as we marched off at the end. I wish I could capture the action on camera, but ... you'll just have to join up if you want to get that "troops' eye view".

 

The highlight of the weekend for me was in being able to do some training musketry with black powder, under strict supervision on both Sunday morning and Monday morning, before the main events of the day. So far, just running through the drill has been fine, but loosing off those first "real" shots was great... a real buzz (well, more of a "bang" than a "buzz"!)
Having fired both matchlock and flintlock weapons, it's time to start considering the options on which I want to purchase.

Talking of purchasing things, one retiring member of the regiment arrived with a load of kit to sell on. A lovely sword caught my eye, and I swooped. Really pleased with it.

 

Roll on next event... Stamford Hall, Leicestershire, 23-25 May. The battles are taking place on the Sunday 24th and Monday 25th.

I'll be there!

Once More Into The Breeches

Thanks to those who keep visiting and commenting. Much appreciated.
Just managed a couple of hours at The International Living History Fair, at Bruntingthorpe. 
Went along to buy a couple of bits n bobs, and came away with another pair of breeches!
 How did that happen? 17th century shopp(e)ing is far more interesting and addictive than the modern version.
Also nice to bump into Dave Ryan of Caliver books, and Dave Lanchester of Lance & Longbow Soc, manning their book stands, and to "chew the fat" in an alternative context to the usual wargames shows. 
I imagine the event will be packed tomorrow, so glad to have done it on Friday instead.
Next week, back to work in earnest. However, very much looking forward to a busy couple of months on the reenactment front.
Next stop is Newark on 2-4 May...

Debut Action - Basing House

Yesterday was the big day, and we set off early for Basing House, in order to arrive in plenty of time for Keith and Bob to draw powder (I'm not yet licensed to fire.... "licensed to kill", maybe!). We also wanted to have a little drill session before lunch and before getting onto the field of action.

With just the three of us from our regiment attending, the intention was to join the musket block of one of the larger units, and so it was that we found ourselves defending the earthworks atop the hill along with Newcastle's Whitecoats, and Tillier's regt. We also had Rawdon's and Godolphin's as allies in fighting for the King.

Ranged against us...
... were various Royalist regiments acting as Parliament for the event (this was a Royalist training weekend muster, so all Royalist units at this one), chiefly Prince Rupert's bluecoats, and sundry others.

We played to the script...
... fired off a few shots, whilst the pike blocks mashed each other and shoved and huffed and puffed all across the hill top position. We did a bit of hand-to-hand stuff, and then fell back, before we all played dead, allowing the Rebels to repeat history (to a few boos from the crowd, which was encouraging!).

All in all, great fun. And the weather couldn't have been better... any warmer, and it would have made life quite uncomfortable in the woollen coats and breeches.

Now, what did I learn?
From a wargaming perspective, very interesting.
1. Clarity of commands above the noise is essential, and therefore junior officer/ NCO level control is critical, even at this low level action (there were probably only 300 participants).
2. Once it "kicks off", your awareness of what is happening beyond your own unit is VERY limited (apart from the units immediately to your front). At one point, one of our adjacent musket blocks moved away to take up a new position, and I had been so engrossed in what our little block was doing that I didn't even notice till some 10 minutes later.
3. Once in hand-to-hand combat, it really is fog of war, and awareness of the rest of the field, even of your own unit officers, drops to zero.
4. If unit officers and NCOs get embroiled in the hand-to-hand action, they completely lose control of the unit, and understandably their focus zones in to just their individual combat with the person opposite.

and other lessons:
5. There's nothing like fresh air, a warm day, and the smell of black powder, to bring on a healthy ale-thirst!!
6. The SK are a good bunch of guys, everyone is very friendly, and safety and the enjoyment of all participants is paramount.
7. It's a spectacle that can draw a crowd - it interests and informs the public, who are very encouraging and genuinely keen to know more.

And so, to a few pictures..

Above: Keith and Bob unloading from the back of my car - a horse called "Shogun". OK, so it's not like we're real dragoons dismounting before entering the fray!

 

Below: the queue starts to form for the issue of powder. 

 

Above: yours truly, during the pre-match warm up/ drill session.

 

Below; the three of us, posing (ready to loose off a "Swedish salvo") for a passer-by to take pictures... I've switched to a Montero cap for this shot (this picture, courtesy of Keith Foster ).

Roll on next time...

About The Regiment

Now, I know a number of readers and blog visitors are eagerly awaiting photos of me in kit (some are merely wanting to "take the mick", but...), and that may soon happen, when I get ready on Monday for the first muster of the season. However, in the meantime, I thought it would be appropriate to give a little background to Prince Maurice's Dragoon regiment. Note; like Rupert, Prince Maurice raised 3 units... one foot, one horse regiment, and one dragoon regiment. It's the latter we are referring to here.

Prince Maurice's Dragoons was originally raised in early September 1642 by Colonel James Ussher in the South Midlands, it's officers and men being primarily drawn from Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.
It is possible that it was present at the first action of the war, Powick Bridge.
What is certain is that the regiment played a significant part on the Royalist right wing at Edgehill where they cleared the enclosures and hedgerows to their front of Parliamentarian commanded musketeers, and secured that wing to allow Prince Rupert to launch his famed sweeping cavalry attack.

The regiment is often referred to as Washington's Dragoons (Lt Col Henry Washington taking full command following Colonel Ussher's demise at Lichfield in April 1643).

The regiment was active throughout the first civil war. In fact, it stoutly defended Worcester during its 2-month siege at the end (Washington surrendered that city on 23 July 1645), making the regiment the longest serving unit in the war.

For more information on the regiment, both the historical unit (including uniform and flag details as well as service history) and the re-enactment version, see the Prince Maurice website in the links on the right.

Right, better get warmed up for Monday's muster!
Have a happy Easter!!