Three cheers for the history and of course the wonderful photos. Hey Pvt Puddles, some questions for you. How long have you been reenacting and how long with "Marion's boys"?How long did it take you to put together your uniform and collectables? I would love to hear some background from you and from the other gentlemen. Thanks in advance.
Oh that would be so sad and very unfortunate!
Hi Marion,
Sorry if it went on a bit, I have a habit of getting too involved and too detailed when I start writing, as you will see in the following.
As with all people who have had surgery or an illness and talk about it, the following will probably drag on and bore the reader.
Let me know if it does and I will edit it out.
In August 2005 I suffered an injury to my back resulting in a burst vertebral disc which had to be removed under emergency conditions as there was a possibility of damage to my spinal cord and possible paralysis if it was not attended to immediately.
In early 2006 I had major back surgery to replace the disc with a prosthetic (metal) disc. During the surgery I had a severe bleed in the main artery which runs down into my right leg. This ended with me losing a large amount of blood and in me having a very large thrombosis as a result of the surgery.
I was still recovering from the surgery and the thrombosis when in August 2006 I attended an event (Military Odyssey Show, Detling, Kent) with a friend of mine, Pvt Dolly, who had joined the group in July 2006.
Wow! What an event, the lads, along with other members of SARA, (Southern Allied Re-enactment Association (http://www.southernalliedreenactmentassociation.co.uk/)) put on such a great display that they won the trophy for the best display / diorama at the event.
I took many pictures of the event, some of which Moose has already posted or shown you.
Even as a guest and not even in uniform, I was welcomed and treated as one of the group.
That got me thinking, if they can do this at such a large event, they must be one of, if not the best group to join.
I joined the group at the following months meeting!
Apart from not being able to keep up with other members, some of whom are much older than myself, or do what or as much I want to do, I have not regretted a single minute of it!
I was not deeply involved in re-enacting prior to this, though I had a strong interest in WWII.
I started collecting the basic kit and equipment at the same time I joined the group and I am still collecting now, as and when finances allow that is.
Kit can be obtained from many sources, but prices can vary.
E-bay and other online auction sites are a good place to look. But as with all things, buyer beware!
Never trust the description, most reliable sellers will answer your questions about the item and even offer advice about identification, etc.
Don't forget to add the shipping charges to the purchase price before buying, does it still work out cheaper than waiting for the next event when you may be able to get one?
Do you really need it?
Shows and events are always a good place to pick up kit, at least you can see what you are buying and some stall holders offer discounts to re-enactor group members on production of group ID cards.
Some stall holders or dealers will even offer to locate that odd piece of kit for you. Most sellers at shows and events will accept an offer.
Uniforms and weapons are the most expensive pieces of kit.
The quality of reproduction uniforms is getting better, but again, buyer beware, there are as many poor quality reproductions as there are good ones.
The best advice I was given when I started with the group was do not buy kit without asking the opinion of another group member first and try and get kit at an event or show where you can see it up close and possible get another member to have a look at it as well. Don't buy on impulse! There is always another one out there, be patient, the next one could be better quality / cheaper and possible an original at reproduction prices.
I recently picked up some items from a stall for £4.00 each. On the next stall they were asking £8.00 each and they were of poor quality! On another stall they were asking £12 each, though they were better quality than the ones I purchased, I could not see the point in paying out that much for something that would not be on permanent display, they were good enough for my needs as they would only be part of my kit not a main display item.
It always pays to look around.
Many members will build up a collection over a period of time and occasionally offer for sale those items they do not need or have duplications of. These are usually good buys as they would have been checked out by the member before they bought them.
The thing to remember when looking for or buying kit is to ask a member, advice is free, try and do some research into the item first, find out how to identify the correct item, buying the wrong thing can be very expensive and occasionally embarrassing.
If you are looking for a specific item, ask for advice, do some research, make notes on how to identify it, find out what is the average price to pay and look around before buying. Don't buy on impulse, unless it is something that you have been after for a long time or you just HAVE to have it!
Many of the group will tell you, you will never stop collection, you will either see something you have not got or something better than you already have and most, though they will not admit it, will have a shopping list in there pocket, just in case there is an opportunity to pick something up at an event or show.
Pvt Puddles