Little details from your day
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:25 pm
Yesterday, I went with my mates Joe and James to a military re-eneactment fair in Kent called Military Oydessy. It's meant to be the biggest gathering of historical re-enactors in the country and includes Romans, Saxons, English and American Civil War groups, as well as First and Second World War re-enactors. There was even a women's Viet-Cong group.
For the most part the re-enactors were wonderfully nerdy and there were many occasions I had to stifle my giggles. The most notable sights were: an elderly guy driving round in a electric wheelchair in the full regalia of a German general, a husband and wife Panzer crew and a family in which all of the children were dressed as Hitler Youth (it was all much like the episode of Peep Show, when Mark joins his work-colleague in a German re-enactment group)
Many of the stalls there were selling military ephemera (mostly WWII). Some of the stuff on sale was pretty grotty and a few of the stalls had one too many swastika flags for my liking. In fact, we had quite a sour experience with one particular stall-holder, which was perhaps precipitated by the fact that I had a camera on me and he quite probably had something to hide. I can't adequately describe the feeling that came over me when we found ourselves being stared at in a tent full of men in SS uniforms; needless to say it wasn't all that pleasant.
Whilst there were plenty very nice people there, who were happy to talk about their hobby, there were a sizable number that I found quite sordid.
In the end, my friend Joe bought himself a decommissioned MG-34, which had originally been captured at Stalingrad and sold on by the Russian Army, who apparently still have stockpiles of this junk. James was somewhat jealous of Joe's purchase, but I think he felt he would of had a hard time explaining buying a German machine-gun to his Israeli girlfriend.
Curiously, later in the day we were chatting with one of the German re-enactors about his group and I kept thinking I recognised him. He was very friendly and enthusiastic about telling us about his group and the half-tracks, tanks and Schwimmwagens they had brought along. It was only later that I realised it was John from the cult British TV 'reality show' The Armstrongs.
For the most part the re-enactors were wonderfully nerdy and there were many occasions I had to stifle my giggles. The most notable sights were: an elderly guy driving round in a electric wheelchair in the full regalia of a German general, a husband and wife Panzer crew and a family in which all of the children were dressed as Hitler Youth (it was all much like the episode of Peep Show, when Mark joins his work-colleague in a German re-enactment group)
Many of the stalls there were selling military ephemera (mostly WWII). Some of the stuff on sale was pretty grotty and a few of the stalls had one too many swastika flags for my liking. In fact, we had quite a sour experience with one particular stall-holder, which was perhaps precipitated by the fact that I had a camera on me and he quite probably had something to hide. I can't adequately describe the feeling that came over me when we found ourselves being stared at in a tent full of men in SS uniforms; needless to say it wasn't all that pleasant.
Whilst there were plenty very nice people there, who were happy to talk about their hobby, there were a sizable number that I found quite sordid.
In the end, my friend Joe bought himself a decommissioned MG-34, which had originally been captured at Stalingrad and sold on by the Russian Army, who apparently still have stockpiles of this junk. James was somewhat jealous of Joe's purchase, but I think he felt he would of had a hard time explaining buying a German machine-gun to his Israeli girlfriend.
Curiously, later in the day we were chatting with one of the German re-enactors about his group and I kept thinking I recognised him. He was very friendly and enthusiastic about telling us about his group and the half-tracks, tanks and Schwimmwagens they had brought along. It was only later that I realised it was John from the cult British TV 'reality show' The Armstrongs.