A Civil Discourse About Reenacting

[Miss Sis]

Oh Elaina, I would be lying if I didn't admit that I like the clothes too!

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Then I ask you why do this then if you see public events as a joke?
I don't mind being the unpaid teacher for a weekend, with what passes for history in most schools what little knowdge I can pass on is a good thing.

I do it to support the units I am in, which sometimes do public events. As I said, public events just don't "do it" for me in terms of why I am in the hobby. I reenact for the living history aspect of it, because not only do I find it enjoyable in its own right but I find I myself learn immensely from it.

Living history and public events just don't mix. You lose the period moment the first time a guy with a fanny pack and Nikes comes up and starts looking all over your stuff.

I don't have anything against reenactors whose primary purpose is public events/educational, but I just think it is wrong to lump these people in with reenactors whose primary purpose is living history, rather than "preserving" it or educating the public.

 

[Paratrooper]

I do it to support the units I am in, which sometimes do public events. As I said, public events just don't "do it" for me in terms of why I am in the hobby. I reenact for the living history aspect of it, because not only do I find it enjoyable in its own right but I find I myself learn immensely from it.

Living history and public events just don't mix. You lose the period moment the first time a guy with a fanny pack and Nikes comes up and starts looking all over your stuff.

I don't have anything against reenactors whose primary purpose is public events/educational, but I just think it is wrong to lump these people in with reenactors whose primary purpose is living history, rather than "preserving" it or educating the public.

Ok I can understand all of that. To each his own.
Yea the 'mundanes' (a term from the Renn Fair that describes the general public) can throw things for a loop but at lease they are looking and at some level learning something. Now when the 'tourons' (tourest + moron) show up all bets are off, like the guy who told us that the Thompsons SMG's used .50 cal ammo.
or the teacher who told us that food only comes from a supermarket, that one was at a 1630's event.

 

[Trotsky]

Being a veteran paratrooper (Parachutist) myself, I find it so annoying when I see people strutting around dressed as if they had just landed in Arnhem or just liberated Port Stanley etc. These reenactors usually portray Generals, Paras, SAS, Commandos, Guards, Pilots or SS never Army Catering Corps or RAF ground crew! so it has nothing to do with living history but everything to do with reflected glory.Collect the stuff, display it but don't wear it.

If these people knew how much they where despised by the veteran community they wouldn't dare leave the house wearing a WW2 uniform. It should be illegal to portray a conflict where there are living participants. So anything WW1 or before well, fair game.

Or is it just veteran Paras that feel this way?

Ouch.

I will respectfully disagree with the statement "Despised by the veteran community". I have did one helluva lot of events over the years, some very specific World War II events that were advertised as such, and many vets attend and they all seem to enjoy what we do. My and the guys I am with have met some really stand up men who lived what we read about and were excited about what we did. This is not to say all vets like it, quite the opposite. But to apply a blanket statement like this is not true.
The whole Paratrooper debate has been going on for years. I do SAS, and that is because that is the unit I was recruited into years ago. We have one ex-paratrooper and two non-ones. I happen to like doing what I do. And, to further this whole reply, every other impression I do is specifically non-combat. My RAF is that of a Meteorology Office, my Royal Navy impression is one of a run of the mill intelligence officer. My alternate Army impression is that of, roll the drums here, Royal Army Catering Corps. I enjoy researching army rations, feeding an army, etc... and this fits with that interest. When I am a rich man I would like to have an actual field chow line.

 

[T.J. Godden]

Living History and the Modern Soldier

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Greetings to you all. I am new to this forum and found this discussion very interesting.

I am currently serving in the TA, in which I am going through my officer training. On weekends, when I am not learning about how to command a platoon in the current state of warfare, I represent a Lieutenant of The Norfolk Regiment during The Great War.

I find that there are many cross overs and, in fact, I often learn very useful lessons in my 'Great War' capacity that I can directly apply into my role within the modern day army. As a result, I have far more experience than most of my fellow officer cadets as I have had to deal with looking after thirty men in similar conditions. My training at Sandhurst and such institutions also means that I take my living history role very seriously and have the utmost respect for what I am attemping to represent.

I cannot ever condone battle re-enacting as I do find this more than a little crass. However, representation, living history, whatever one calls it, is a very effective learning and teaching method.

I do not have a problem if living history is done correctly. I do not like, and indeed take offence from, over-age, over -weight individuals parading around in roles that are totally unbefitting to their current age, size etc..

There will always be a little animosity from ex-service personel because there is a slight misconception that everyone who portrays a soldier wants to be a soldier. I know many members of the Great War fraternity who are very good soldiers, highly skilled, highly disciplined, who would have excelled in the modern day army too. However, it is the interest in the history that drives them not the interest in the army per se. Indeed, there are many who I would gladly have in my future modern day platoon.

An interesting discussion which I am sure will continue.

Yours &c.,

Tim Godden

 

[missjo]

People are throwing everything together on one big pile and then commenting on it.
There are countless of reenactment and living history groups, some really bad, some really good, some tasteless, some tastefull.
Yes there are groups where old long haired fat men pretend to be paratroopers in a bad reproduction uniform.
But not every reenactor is like that!
Saying reenactment is this or that is like saying all restaurants in the world are bad because you only tried macdonalds.

Even battle reenactments can be done good and bad.
Its also odd that people rarely get upset when people reenact medieval battles or napoleontic battles.

I have had veterans shake our hands with tears in their eyes, thanking us for what we did.
We worked on documentaries and for museums, actually I dont even remember the last time i fired a gun.
These days we specialize in showing the civilian side, talking to people who lived trough the war away from the frontline.
Only last month a lady told me a terrible story about the war, she then cried, I cried and she thanked me for what we were doing.
I feel emberresed every time a elderly person cries but even more so when they thank me while it should be me thanking them.

I do not want to be in the army, although i probably would have fought in ww2, if they had let me.

Overhere 99% of events are public and i find it easy to do living history there, I wouldnt know what else to do.

Anyway, here are some photos of events we did this month;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hab3045/

 

[Zemke Fan]

This thread has run its course...

We may return to this subject in the future. Maybe not. Paddy and I will decide. For now, it is closed, and the last few posts deleted. ZF