Wholesome park.

 Hole park!  Some would say the flagship event of the Napoleonic association calender each year.. obviously missed in 2020 how would it go in this post-covid but not really post-covid autumn?

I think the sudden panic about petrol probably effected the weekend more than any pandemic issues.. with some late arrivals and early departures and possibly a few would be visitors staying at home, you really can't get there except by car. 

Being outside covid might never have existed, except for sanitizer in the portaloos and a bit around food, and no longer do bottles get passed around the camp fire, which is probably a good thing on many levels. 

I actually decided a few days before to put on a display table and found someone coming along who would kindly bring a fold out table as I certainly couldn't manage one and three bags on the train part of getting there, and got some pictures/information laminated. 

"What is the parsnip for?" May well have been the most common question of the weekend, usually answered with "Oh, that is for my dinner later."

"What, really?"

I actually thought it would be a conversation piece, but in practical terms it was also a good paper weight. 

No one guessed what the most common ailment in the French army was (scabies), dysentery or syphilis being a common guess and 'Lice' one of the closest. 

The display could of course be left unattended but I felt I had a bit too much spare time at Crouch ridge and then not enough here, I had to wait until the public were distracted by an artillery display to sneak off to the ice cream van. 

Whether I will do a display in future is uncertain, and table dependent, our infirmiere/surgeon already runs a grand display when he is with us although I was mindful of how I cover sickness, disease and medicine more than surgery, yet people do love to ask about bits being chopped off.

It was a good crowd, and the chap who owns the estate was very pleased with the weekend with talk of making the event bigger. I'm not quite sure how that would work, make it a multi period event or add something like an evening concert?

My British counterpart possibly being offered a cup of tea. My other roles of the weekend included Imperial coffee valet and returner of lost cavalry pom poms. 

The battles were in a smaller area than normal for Hole park but there were some wooden barricades and a little faux wood to break up the field. 

Casualties were taken generously on both sides but as a 'medic' I was quite limited in who I could reach owing to the firing lines, a Napoleonic no man's land. 

                

                      "Trust me, I'm a doctor."

Sunday being a French defeat, the last survivors withdraw with the Eagle! 

A novel part of the weekend was the after hours (i.e. no public) skirmish off away from the camp. I was asked to be a secret agent 'Ducos' type character that the British had to capture. If we survived an hour we could make it back to the French camp.

There were eight of us in a wood, and two cavalry, just outside and I decided if the enemy came from the front, half of us should fire and retire and hopefully lure the British into an ambush by the second half. 

After about fifteen minutes of suspense we heard the British band playing and assumed the sound was carrying from the camp as surely our opposing force would be about ten riflemen? They weren't going to have a band playing! but soon the sound was clearly coming in our direction. 

Our piquet line started firing at enemy in the trees as the British cavalry met ours.

Soon I had to fall back and seek shelter, with my attached guard, Simon. 

The cavalry met again near us and it was a memorable sight to see light cavalry fighting amid the trees. The Brits rode away but may have seen us.

Suddenly Brits seemed to be everywhere and running round the top of the wood I got collared. 

Crikey. No wonder our plan floundered. The Brits had about twelve riflemen, 3 officers, twenty redcoats, two cavalry and a cannon and crew! I suspect they had just assigned a brigade to it.

              

 Enemy observation balloon?

I certainly don't think it was a deliberate mismatch as I heard the British continue to look for 'the rest of us' after we had been disposed of.

I then laid on the comedy as it was decided I was such a rascal that I would be shot. 

I obliged by walking away, then just before the order to fire was given collapsed into the long grass, then ran away to the left.

No one gave chase but on another order to fire I collapsed into the long grass and threw my hat into the air. Then again lying on my back with one leg briefly being lifted up that was seen as my death throes.

Once again my trousers died, both flap buttons! I think an evening of fine dinning and a regency dance is more their thing... Three days in camp and on battlefields is beyond them. I intend to sew the whole area shut with strong thread. 

       Make Britain French again! 

The picture above, and indeed all the really good, high definition ones, are by Charlie Richards of Hushpuppy productions. 

And so it was the end of a season, three events, all good ones. The tea and biscuits grandeur of Stanstead house, the windswept rise of Crouch ridge and the estuary and the lively timetable of Holepark with it's dashing horsemen and host of friendly faces. 

Who knows what the future brings? It would be niiiice to see some of our continental comrades next year, small scale events have been going ahead but only within their own borders.  So many events (not just reenactment) have been postponed twice that maybe it will be a busy year, third time lucky.

The parsnip survived the weekend. 

                See you on the other side! 

Crouch ridge

Stanstead was a fine start to a season but the first big Napoleonic association event was here, in Essex, at Crouch ridge. 

It was a modest turnout and everyone had taken a covid test and it was outdoors. Sadly pingmageddon had hit some units, one after a training event took down most of the regiment. The French would outnumber the British for a change.

It started off wet but the wizard J'Ohn used fire magic to stop the rain by ten o'clock, it worked bar a couple of very brief showers.

He would also summon me a pint when the beer tent.. well, beer gazebo.. proved to only take cash! I know we dress like people from a previous age but....

    Top of the ridge looking down to the estuary of the river crouch, of all the places the French might have been driven into by bad weather... It was fortunately right on a vineyard! 

I would be joined in medical matters by the infirmiere, Tony, who is a great showman with a display of medical tools, bones, leeches and severed limbs strewn about. We came to a good pair up where he is the surgeon's assistant who learnt everything in the field and has stepped up as the surgeon is.. missing. Whilst I am the university taught Doctor who deals more with sickness, disease and everyday ailments (Although see below). 

I must confess I enjoyed sitting In the Imperial tent with Napoleon and a couple of staff and having a glass of wine, a lunch time tipple, but I will ALWAYS remember that I fought barefoot in my youth in the muddy fields of Valmy! 

Me, second rank, 37th man in from the right. 

The enemy approach from the camp, we must steel ourselves for the fight! It apparently looked great with the French appearing from nowhere on the ridge.

Both days battles went really well (bar some confusion after a unit decided it would die and disrupt the rough plan on day one). The downward slope meant the French could come down into a natural amphitheatre. Spliting into two main groups we could advance in a pincer movement down to the British and now we have the 2eme as a group of dedicated skirmishers they can contain the usual interference from the inevitable riflemen. 

  Said troops tried to get behind us on day two by going into the field but this was unfortunately off limits as a farmers field. Our officer is a great leader who did of course rise from being a trooper "Oi, get out of the f*cking field. It's not ours.... Chris, tell them to Fu*k off!"   

In the second battle I got to draw my sword to stand by the Eagle as the unit moved a little further away.   Shortly after that three of the 60th rifles tried to charge the flank and I found myself in hand to hand combat, cutting a greenjacket down. Then moments later trying to treat his wound, at least I already knew where it was. 

       The dead and wounded in the tall grass                     receive assorted treatments.

                             Rocket troupe! 

Only moments after getting back a very keen member of public started plying me with questions, until my voice started to dry out, but it was still enjoyable to see someone so intrigued by our display and also as an Essex man, he became open to the idea that the French/Napoleon did bring some good changes to Europe and the Brits were not the avenging angels at all. 

One casualty of the second day was my fall front trousers (so called because of a square flap at the front), literally as the 'assemblé' was sounded for the battle I had a wardrobe malfunction, the second of my buttons decided to give up and I had to improvise with a length of bandage being tied around my waist. War is very hard on the trousers. 

I have over a month to sort that out as the next event isn't until September at Fort Amherst, pings nonwithstanding.

Vive L'emporeur!

Stanstead park

 After nearly two years since the last event.. green lights have been given to several shows.. this being the first, hosted by the light dragoons. 

It was at Stanstead park, a country house with connections to Lord Ponsonby, the cavalry commander killed at Waterloo.  It was the estates first open day since covid too.

It would be my debut as a Westphalian doctor attached to the French brigade, after a few years of pondering a role where drill is not required. It was perhaps apt that I nearly had to leave the house in a cloak after struggling to get a coat on, but just managed amidst gnashing of teeth. 

After so long it was amazing how quickly old habits and routines re-asserted themselves with everyone.

The troops marched out to go through the moves and I remained to look after the camp with a few other non-soldats.

I wanted to champion the age as one of medical improvements and the beginning of the modern era... But engaging with the public I soon had to resort to humorous opening lines "Vaccinations here, your choice of knife." *Holds up small scalpel or fairly large curved knife* or just (still holding scalpel) "Have you had your vaccinations?" 

 People often know about Edward Jenner and it's a quick jump to mentioning the Napoleonic connection. The two met and Napoleon gave him a medal to recognise his scientific achievements. 

I had expected more of a partisan crowd given that it was a very 'British' occasion, with cricket, the band of the Grenadier guards and the looming football game but surprisingly there were relatively few 'French jokes'. 

The first modest battle.. a brief clash of cavalry then our two French infantry units versus two British. 

My plan was to dash to casualties, check they were not dead (and soon started asking if they wanted to stay dead, which was most often answered with a yes)..  and apply my tourniquet with it's corkscrew tightening device which I hoped looked intriguing, then reveal a clean bandage before swapping it out for a bloody one. I may even start hiding one up my sleeve for some sleight of hand action.

It went pretty much as intended except I found the straps needed tightening as arms are deceptively narrow. 

The French were meant to win but apparently no one told the British and there is a point where someone has to give or it all looks a bit silly as no one is dying/running away. 

This was put right on day two when the British were actually defeated.. on a Sunday!

       The sophistication of reenactment.
 

                                Er.... yes. 

How was the experience of being a Doctor compared to a fusilier?  

I had a bit more time on my hands but then this was often taken with talking to people by a small display of medicines and paraphernalia. 

I felt I didn't see as much of my comrades as usual, the comraderie is more apparent when you're marching and fighting together, and firing a well loaded musket is always satisfyingly.

But the freer reign was also pleasant at times and a British officer even bought me a drink! 

As with many events at country houses I got to enjoy a stroll around the grounds before the general public were about. 

An enjoyable weekend, only a bit wet to start off with, and it looks highly likely that a bigger event will be held there next year. 

..and speaking of bigger events it is only a little over a week to Crouch ridge, Essex, where Napoleon and a ship full of French troops have been blown ashore to be confronted near the estuary where the ships are being repaired.. 

Watch this space!