Lewes and Nunhead.

It has been a couple of weeks since these two modest events and I pondered whether to write them up, but decided to as a matter of completeness.

The battle of Lewes, the official poster for the event, without a single mention of where or what time anything was happening! 

I was only going on the Sunday but as Lewes is a short train ride away I decided to nip over on the Saturday night to catch a bit of socialising and broke out the Fransiscan habit, the only bit of kit I've got that has been improved by being a bit Moth eaten during lockdown. 

Played an amusing medieval board game, which no one knew the name of, but I may try and make my own copy.  Had a couple of pints in my half pint mug which involved drinking half a pint at the beer tent counter before transferring the rest to my modest mug. I have tankards but as a poor friar I don't think it would be appropriate to have something big and shiny.

Back in Lewes on Sunday I was twice accosted by visitors wanting to know where the skirmishes were.. at three points on the advance into town.. I only vaguely knew and was wandering in the general direction myself. I didn't really get any historical questions all day, although I was mistakenly referred to as 'Father' to which I replied "Oh no, I'm not a father, not that I know of.' 

The king gets beaten again on Lewes high street, some good cajoling went on. 

Back at the camp there was an assortment of stalls and attractions from the inevitable hog roast and mead to crockery smashing, archery and a treasure hunt, a leather hooded executioner did a very good show every so often, although someone told me they didn't think it was entirely suitable for children, mainly due to the crushing of testicles.

Despite being fairly local I had never seen all the ruins of Lewes priory which was once a pretty big, solid complex, like many laid to waste by Henry VIII.  

                       The ghost of the priory!

Nunhead cemetery open day.. I thought would be a bit of a niche event, one of our small band chatting to an old lady and her small dog whilst the rest sip tea and nibble on cucumber sandwiches. 

It was actually quite full on and busy with all sorts of visitors, including quite a few goths, naturally. 

The connection with the 45e is that a number of veterans of the Napoleonic wars are buried there, including a Corporal Dickson, who was apparently with Sergeant Ewart when he captured the Eagle. Several times in the day we marched up the main path and saluted the grave which drew some attention and gave the MC a chance to talk about the subject.

We were all kept quite busy with three tables of displays to talk about, or answer questions, why we were here and is that a real gun? being most common.

I often think I'm not keen on children but like all people it depends on them and a lot of the kids were very bright, and polite in that muesli belt kind of way. 

A much needed pint and pub meal followed, a warm day of standing, talking and gesticulating can really tire you out. 

Next..  should be Waterloo!  For many the first big event since lockdown. 

There was a possibility of going with the Prussians last year but covid still shut things down to Netherlanders only, but I may see them this year so plan to go as a civilian doctor capable of literally being in both camps. 

I have a 'new' doctors bag that isn't actually falling apart but there is a rather too modern lock on one side not shown in the picture (on ebay). Oh well, I'm sure it can be disguised or just held out of sight.

I could have got away with being a French surgeon but was a bit wary someone would discover some irregularity!  Also means I don't have to travel with a sword and big hat. Bonus.

Two week today I'll be enroute! 

A farewell to arms.

 ..and with the stroke of a pen Henriette went to live with a friend.

My musket since 2014 (although first used on the field of Leipzig in 2013) has been given up for several reasons. We are moving in a few months and a new place would require a new securi-chord being bored into the wall, not a huge deal but my licence runs out next year anyway and renewal now requires approval by a doctor and mine has been quite negative about signing similar things before. It can also be quite expensive for what it is.. and I might not actually use a musket in any given season.

It was nice to have incase an event was short of people who could fire or a filming opportunity came up, or if there is a post apocalypse scenario where I have to defend the house but meh, I'll just have to use the machette. A musket is also too slow to load if facing multiple zombies. 

I am now there to save people, mainly, I did stab a riflemen at Crouch ridge, but I consider that just part of my civil duty. 

New research on 45eme kit also means much of it requires change if I go to an event as a soldier and again it isn't worth adapting or buying new gaiters, breeches, shirt, stock etc and not using it. My veteran campaign trousers have retired. 

We had some grand times together (with Henriette, not the trousers), I remember a particularly satisfying double-loaded shot at Waterloo! and skirmishing in the woods at campaign events was always fun.. but things move on, Let it go!  

And what of 2022?  Sadly what would have been my first event has just been cancelled. After two years of covid cancellations.. we emerge into the light of a new summer with restrictions ended.. then Putin's darkness swallows the false dawn. 

It would have been near Hanover at a small palace occasionally inhabited by Jerome Bonaparte and I would have enjoyed a royal appointment for the weekend, think how that would have looked on my CV!  

It is sickening that we can have war in Europe in 2022 but I feel cancelling an event over it being inappropriate is not something I can really get behind, events didn't stop because of war in Syria or Yemen or Iraq or Afghanistan or Yugoslavia. 

What of Waterloo?  Will that go the same way? Assuming a new covid variant doesn't emerge. Some reenactors I know have said the covid slump drained their enthusiasm, got them out of the habit. 2022 needs to get them back out there! 

A big event in Russia (Borodino 2022) was still inviting participants just a couple of weeks ago.. suffice to say it was lots of non/no/nein/ne's from the international community. 

Reenactment is a community, I remember having breakfast with some friendly Russians back in 2013.  Hopefully we will all come together again. At the same event there was a small protest that the reenactment glorified war..  everyone involved knows better than the average person how much death, wounding, hunger and sickness goes hand in hand with any war. Education is often a goal but it is still a hobby meant to be enjoyed. 

I look forward to the day I can post about an event with friends from around the world! Maybe that will still be this year.  Stay safe!   

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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!

 

 

2020; CANCELLED.

                                       CANCELLED.

So for reenactment 2020 was pretty much a non event.

For the optimistic it went 'Maybe August will be okay.. September?  October?. Oh dear.'

I did plan on going to Austerlitz at the very end of November in Czechia (as the former Czech republic is apparently now known) but first UK travellers were banned, Then it was okay, then quarantine was imposed and unlikely undone in time so I cut my loses, with both sadness and relief, it is not a great time to be mixing it up and expected attendance at the event (not including public) had gone from 1000 to 3000 as event starved reenactors saw a big date that might be actually happening. At this moment I don't know if it still will. 

At the time of writing I have my doubts about 2021, it's like we've gone back to March in terms of rising infection numbers, international travel has ground to a halt again for many places unless you want to spend a fortnight each side of your trip in quarantine. I have heard the 200 years since the death of Napoleon event in St Helena has already been pulled.

How have we coped!? Some folk had zoom meetings, with most participants kitted up, some camped out in their own gardens particularly to mark big cancelled events like Waterloo. I only did a few zooms during lockdown, I find the stop - start -whose - talking? lack of social cues thing rather awkward. 

Some concentrated on making or researching kit and equipment for next year... See more below..

Me at virtual Bretten 2020. Just like it but without the crowds of people taking part, parades, (more than one) beer, food, markets, music, fireworks, and properly seeing friends in person, and not being in Baden-Württemberg. 

Friends. That is the main loss, none of my reenactment friends are local. Every year it's great to catch up and enjoy the social side of things. 

The closest I got to camping out was an overnight cycling excursion on the south downs  with a fair amount of Napoleonic gear for bedding and wearing a flouncy shirt.

In the brief glimmer of improved times there were actually a few events, one with redcoats and jacobites and one with Vikings that I know of, but the public were limited and at social distancing range and generally given a one way system to wander around the event.  

My own research has been in Napoleonic medical matters, much is made of the gruesome surgery of the day and that has been a part but I have mainly concentrated on the role of Doctors, not surgeons, so disease more than wounds although being generally overwhelmed by casualties most army doctors may well have had to roll up their sleeves and join in the bandaging, cutting and sawing.

If covid had come along in 1810.. It probably would not be recognised except as just another fever, such was the terrible mortality rate to sickness that we should all be thankful that covid isn't a patch on typhus or Smallpox which killed millions. Typhus killed more French soldiers in late 1806 Then the battle of Austerlitz itself due to the perfect storm of malnourished men being packed together in squalid conditions, for we know now that it is spread by tiks and parasites from one warm body to another. 

Stop there!  This is not a talk on contagions. Where was I? 

So what of 2021?  We will just have to see how the winter goes and of course hope for a vaccine.

 One suggestion has been more events without the public, which are more common in France, where to my observation it seems events are either over civilised with big hats at chateaux on what I call the champagne circuit or else it's out in the wilds stomping through the countryside, hoping to find some water. Here in the UK most events seem to be a partnership between the given reenactment society and some estate/museum/landlord who hosts the event in return for punters paying at the door. 

Smaller events like the two mentioned above could be a template, keeping visitors in their bubbles, but a bigger area for viewing a battle would be needed, possibly having spectators on three sides instead of one to spread them out. 

But what of the troops themselves? In an age where soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder could you get away with everyone in skirmish order? Or trust in declarations of not having symptoms? The trouble is you don't always know if you've got it until the symptoms come out. Maybe have a camp site re-enacting a camp site where cholera is present and where the chief medical officer is a contagionists (The contemporary term for those who believed in the theory of human contagion versus the anticontagionists) with historically correct face coverings and precautions in place.  Maybe! 

Who knows, maybe in 2120 people will be re-enacting the covid years. 

Ciao for now.