Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Every 10 Years Forum Colchester Military Festival

Well last weekend I was down in Essex drilling, marching and fighting in 30C heat and brilliant sunshine at a large multi period event. By the end of two days my feet ached, I had a sunburn lip, and i has sweated out what felt like half a stone of weight. It was great despite the miserable face

In fact things were so hot that after our dispays I simply had to find a shady tree and rest

It was a great weekend and full of re enactors from all over the country and doing all periods in History.

It was slightly surreal to be sat in a modern British Army garrison in a beer tent surrounded by Redcoats, American Civil War, Russian troops and a large contingent of Wermacht who got progressively drunker with the WW2 Americans.

During the day we were camped in between Boer War commandoes, and 15th C Swiss mercenaries, with Roman Legionnaires and Greeks just up the road and Union Blue coats across the way (next to the Vikings)

The finale at the end of day one was spectacular as all participants were in the area as the band of the Wessex division played the 1812 overture and our muskets provided the gunfire.






some professional pictures click on the menu at the left for Cholchester

And I have just been pointed to another professional site. We are in there as well, Look for the redcoats with the green facings and the bugle horn bandge on the Shako

I think we start to appear around page 15

The closest we'll ever get to time travel. In a comic book, everyone would have been fighting each other regardless of period. No Star Wars/Star Trekkers?

I suppose that uniform is nice, hot wool.

no, they're all down here.

Oh yes indeedy.

When on the field we wear, thick hot grey woollen trousers, with woollen gaiters over hob nailed boots. A linen shirt (which was wringing wet by the time we finished) with a heavy wool red coat. Round the neck we wear a three inch high leather stock (to keep our heads up and make us look like soldiers) and the hat is a heavy felt. Two leather white cross belts to carry a leather cartridge case and a bayonet. Add to that a haversack on one hip and an oak 3 pint water canteen on the other and top it off with a wooden framed backpack and woollen blanket and you get an idea of what we were carrying. Add to that a 12lb musket and we were wilting a bit by the time we got back to camp.

It sounds like total bloody torture and yet at the same time a bloody good laugh.

Humans.

We are very, very strange.

*Hands Faraway Lad the keys to the Time Bubble*

Now, no going past the point of creation!


Glad you had a fun time.

ditto. but we' rather have had you with us in SD.

This looks suspiciously like a soldier resting for the rawdiness that was to come later...