Yorkshire Wartime Experience July 7/8 2013

A First World War event for the group at this show. Taking turns between manning a section of trench (not quite deep enough for our liking!) and showing troops at rest in a field of bell tents the Diggers stood alongside The Manchester Regiment and the Gordon Highlanders. Plus on the Sunday the Lancashire Hussars.

The battle - over a realistic length of ground, but not churned up by years of shelling - was a spectacle, troops arrived by an original Albion truck on Saturday and by an original Thorneycroft on Sunday. D Troop, the Lancs Hussars provided a scouting party. Blue, Joey, Digger and Vic provided a contrast to the British troops (the Manchesters Serjeant was wary of coming past as he was introduced to 'two-up' in an effort to relieve him of his meagre wage). In contrast to last year when the show was almost completely washed away by heavy rain we basked in sunshine which gave the trench a distinct Gallipoli feel.

The weekend also gave Blue a chance to run out his Light Horse kit.

 

Photos here courtesy of Sue Whittenbury (D Troop, Lancashire Hussars) with slight modification by the editor.

Chalke Valley History Festival 29/30 June 2013

The Chalke Valley History Festival was a most enjoyable weekend. Perfect weather, great location, great event. As Blue says: "A great place in the middle of nowhere, fantastic air display, a Waterstones! The public were knowledgeable and interested, we were looked after by our hosts."

The first five photographs are courtesy of Juliette Foy (Juliette Foy Photography),whom we met on the Sunday. Thank you very much Juliette for the fine photos. It was a pleasure to talk with you.

Here are a few of the photos taken Karen.Thank you kindly Karen.

 

New Event - The Chalke Valley History Festival

The Chalke Valley History Festival will be a new event for the group and looks like it will be a most interesting multi-period event. We have been invited to participate in the World War 2 Living History area along with representatives of most of the major combatant nations covering various theatres and time periods. Our team will cover four of the theatres of operation that saw Australian Army involvement. These include Crete 1941, North Africa 1942, Kokoda (New Guinea) 1942 and 1944/5. We are there on the 29/30th June.

You will also be able to attend talks by leading historians such as James Holland, Max Hastings, Neil Oliver, Dan Snow and many others covering a wide range of subjects from the ancient world to modern times.

There will also be an exciting airshow on the Saturday afternoon. We hope to see you there.

Overlord 2013

Group members Lofty and Joey manned a WW1 trench with French allies at their side. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Wartime Christmas Festival 2012 - Bovington Tank Museum

The Diggers Living History Group were invited to help man the Bovington Tank Museum's indoors recruiting office, train platform in France and the trench system as part of their Wartime Christmas Festival 2012 held over the weekend of the 1st and 2nd December. This was carried out along with members of the Gordons and Essex groups. The display is very dimly lit so photography was difficult but here are some photos of the weekend. The groups first, formal annual general meeting was held on the Friday evening.

Blue and Digger wait for some room to become available during a rest period behind the lines

Lofty, Joey and Vic, too near to company HQ

Lofty, Joey and Snowy

Blue contemplating the current enlistment drive

Digger on the station platform in France

Vic, Lofty and Snowy lingering near HQ again

Joey

Snowy pretending to be a mannequin.

Digger

Remembrance Day 2012

Ned from the Diggers Living History Group was smartly turned out for Remembrance Day Parade with the British Legion in the village of Culcheth 11/11/12.

Bovington Tank Museum Wartime Christmas Festival 2012

Bovington Tank Museum Wartime Christmas Festival is on the 1st and 2nd December 2012 - The Diggers Living History group will be manning the museum's trench system in WWI Australian AIF uniform along with members of the WWI Gordons and some German Imperial Army troops.