Aloofness in Re-enactment.

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

Hio, I'm new. And I'm going to start with a bit of a rant.

I used to think of myself as an amateur re-enactor, but now I conceed that I'm merely a collector of militaria. I tried joining a re-enactment society- and I was promptly told that I wasn't nearly anywhere near the mark, and that, because I didn't have the correct number of belt buckles in all the different colours, I wasn't die-hard enough to be a re-enactor

I respect the dedication people put into their hobbies- some of the pictures and kit on this forum and others are brilliant, and I've absolutely nothing against that sort of thing, believe me. But I think that re-enactment societies and groups should be a tad more welcoming- how can anyone start the hobby as an amateur, if you are immediately judged and shunned for having a pip ever-so-slightly mis-aligned, rather than being advised on how it should be worn? You're expected to be totally in-the-know from the off.

And also hello- this forum's rather up my street! :eusa_clap

 

[m0nk]

That's the real value in this group; everyone had to start somewhere, and everyone gets something different out of the community. I personally don't have any piece of clothing dating further back than 1970, and my oldest hat is from the 50's, but I'm finding my own style from what I've learned and seen here at the FL. You're among friends here....

 

[ButteMT61]

What org did you join? There's a balance between reenacting and being exclusionary. It's a fine-line at times, but a group can't grow and prosper if you act this way, and I'd not be part of a group that does.

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

It was a small group in Cheshire- only about 14-odd people. But I recieved a similar welcome from other re-enactors, including amateurs,

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Hio, I'm new. And I'm going to start with a bit of a rant.

I used to think of myself as an amateur re-enactor, but now I conceed that I'm merely a collector of militaria. I tried joining a re-enactment society- and I was promptly told that I wasn't nearly anywhere near the mark, and that, because I didn't have the correct number of belt buckles in all the different colours, I wasn't die-hard enough to be a re-enactor

I respect the dedication people put into their hobbies- some of the pictures and kit on this forum and others are brilliant, and I've absolutely nothing against that sort of thing, believe me. But I think that re-enactment societies and groups should be a tad more welcoming- how can anyone start the hobby as an amateur, if you are immediately judged and shunned for having a pip ever-so-slightly mis-aligned, rather than being advised on how it should be worn? You're expected to be totally in-the-know from the off.

And also hello- this forum's rather up my street! :eusa_clap

Welcome to the Lounge, Mr. L. What kind of militaria do you collect?

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

I've got a few bits and pieces of old British kit, tunics, insignia, and the like- but I've a full set of a REME 1st Lieutenant's uniform, with all the trimmings, Sam Browne, holster and the like, which is pride of place.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Right now I'm collecting uniforms and insignia of various aviation units, particularly pilots and aircrew. Here's one of my favorites. The original wearer was a flight medic/aerial gunner on a rescue helicopter.

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

When was that issued? I'm not much good at modern kit.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

This example bears a 1996 contract date. The Woodland pattern BDU was worn by the Air Force from circa 1988 to 2011 when it was entirely phased out in favor of the current ABU (Airman Battle Uniform). From the research I was able to do, the original wearer had retired just this year.

 

[ButteMT61]

It was a small group in Cheshire- only about 14-odd people. But I recieved a similar welcome from other re-enactors, including amateurs,

Sorry to hear that. Maybe it's just the Brit way lolWe have some groups within our larger group like that, but ours is not so bad. They're forgiving with the newer folks, but as you move along, more is expected of you. The bottom line is to show up at events "correct" and to make sure the "farb" or incorrect gear is hidden, and avoided when possible. As many folks don't have WWII sleeping bags, we have a lot with modern bags, but cover them with WWII wool blankets. A concession to reality, but still looks good. Having to own an entire collection though is not required - just period correct attire for the period in which we're recreating.

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

My REME jacket- of course, I wear it with a Sam Browne and all that. It's much greener than this in real life.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I haven't reenacted for years, but when I did, I was with a group that kept loaner gear and uniforms around for the newbs. If you're going to be painfully authentic, you have to help out the newbs. The best looking (in my case American Civil War) reenactor only had one set of kit, but he looked really authentic. He was a skinny, bearded, semi-disgusting guy who had one shirt, one pair of pants, one jacket, and one Rifle. VERY authentic, but not overboard. He didn't buy new toys, but he went to a LOT of reenactments.

I'm always amazed that someone would try to get a newbie to leave.

Mike

 

[Stanley Doble]

14 odd people sounds right.

 

[30s sliphorn]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with the reenacting unit you approached. Unfortunately, on this side of the pond, things can sometimes be very similar. I've never understood why a newbie would be treated that way either. To me, enthusiastic new people are how we get enthusiastic experienced people. I had some similar experiences until I located a group that valued enthusiasm, and helped with loaner gear and advice. You'll find a good group too. Don't be afraid to keep looking.

 

[kiwilrdg]

I found your use of the term ameteur re-enactor quite interesting because my WWII group is mostly made up of full-time historic interpreters. They are dedicated enough to do other time periods (like WWII) in their off time. Our group has loaner kit and we do not pressure people who fall in with us to buy rediculous amounts of equipment. It is better to focus on the education of the public.

I re-enact several wars with the same guys and sometimes we even set up several camps at the same events and switch kit as needed to stay manned for all demos. We all have fun, if you found a group that you did not care for at first just keep looking. There are lots of types of re-enactors and not all are ones that I want to play with.

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

I was using the sense amateur in that I know the period and the history, and I know how to wear the uniform and all that, but I've only been to a few events and I'm not part of a group.

 

[the hairy bloke]

I don't know whether I count as am "amateur", as I don't get paid, or a "professional" as I've been at it for over a quarter of a century, here in the UK.

What I do know is that different groups have different characters. I have been "viking" for all that time and know they do things in a particular way. They have group kit and they have systems of progression and so forth. As a former vike group leader I would say they are very welcoming. Recently my partner and I have been looking at new things to do and we approached a large Roman group (no, not that one), and found them unable to understand that we had our own areas of expertise, and so we walked away.

We also looked at the Garrison and found them a much better bet, to the extent that I will shave and cut off my pony-tail when we start doing events with them.

What I wonder, Mr Lilleythorp, and feel free to take any offence you wish, whether you came in with some set ideas that didn't fit in with the dozen-crewed group you approached. You "know" the period? Do any of us "know" any historical period? I know that I am learning new things about my core periods (C10, Napoleonic & WWII) every week. Perhaps the group didn't feel able to accomodate your expertise. After all the Garrison told me that unless I shaved (etc) I couldn't join. But I still want to re-enact a hirsuit unit (13eme DBLE). So I have to "trim" as it were.

 

[Mr Lilleythorpe]

By the word 'know', I meant that I have a good amount of ground knowledge surrounding that period. And perhaps I did, but it's not an excuse to be snobbish over new members.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Some reenacting groups/units can be very cliquish, however, most are quite thrilled if an eager new recruit shows up. You probably just had the bad luck of running into a few cliquish, dysfunctional groups. Speaking from experience as a former unit commander and umbrella organization staff officer, getting/keeping numbers up is a prime concern of all reenacting clubs.

In fact, the umbrella organization used to be a member of actually has a "rank ratio committee" with the responsibility reviewing annual average turnout. If a unit doesn't field enough people during the year, the number of officers/NCOs they are permitted is be reduced. The reason for this is to eliminate the common reenacting anachronism of more brass hats than grunts.

One thing I will note is that, if you turned up at a reenacting event in one of your officer kits, it's possible you rubbed them the wrong way. In every reenacting group I've been a member of (2 American Civil War Umbrella orgs, a Napoleonic group, a WWII umbrella org), ranks are earned through merit/experience or by formal elections. To put things in perspective, I was a very active reenactor for four years before I was even promoted to corporal.

 

[rocketeer]

I was never into re-enactment but having an original A2 from the 15th USAAF caught a attracted a bit of attention from some of them, this was various groups at Beltring War and Peace show in the UK.
As I was wearing my usual combination of Desert Storm camo, Northern Ireland combat boots and original WWII jacket topped off with a 1950s Harley riders cap, one guy thought I was not serious enough to know the value of my jacket. So, when asked if I would sell it to complete his re enacting kit he offered me £300, so I came back with "So how much is an Eastman copy?" "Wouldn't that be a better bet as in WWII all the kit would be new and not look 60 years old"
In 30 years of collecting I have seen a lot of 20 year old Command Pilots and 17 stone aircrew, some wear moth eaten original clothing some, a miss match of original wartime(whatever era) and various quality repro. The thing is to collect and have fun. If re-enacting means performing for the general public at shows, would the paying public really guess that your tunic colour was slightly off?
John