I started to write a review of my year. It included a round up of most stuff and then it was going to have my top five things I was most chuffed with. However it started to become a mammoth task and I decided to start from scratch, so here goes...
From a Conflicting Interests point of view 2011 has been ace! We roamed up and down the country, went to (not in order) Kenilworth Castle (Smashing) Dover Castle, twice, (Fantastic) Bodiam Castle (Very satisfying) Herstmonceux Castle (Brill) Kentwell Hall (Always a pleasure) Tewkesbury, Bosworth, Hatfield, Kelmarsh, Weald, Collchester, Bentley, Wellwyn, Hadleigh Round House, Mannington Hall. We fought in battles, skirmishes, tourneys; from 1 on1 crest melees with the Knights Tourney of Foote (Thanks Mark Vance et al) to 1000 a side dust ups like Tewkes (thanks the Tyrrels) and everything in between. We have enjoyed a wide range of Living History activities and displays. I have become the MSS Script Writer's Guild and have written and co-written several scripts for our battle displays, which is a very satisfying thing to do. We met some great new friends and reaffirmed old friendships. In fact reenactment this year has proved itself to be everything I got into for and more. I can't wait for next season.
In the wargaming world, I have completed projects, started new ones. I have had two more articles in print in Wargames Illustrated (that's five now) I had a photo shoot for some more articles for next year (F&IW) and was asked to write a special article for the 300th anniversary edition for next September too. I have managed to get a wide variety of games played, and found some new opponents with whom I hope to play more. Our Very British Civil War campaign is off and running and there are lots of new models to paint and play with. So on that front all is good too.
There were a couple of moments that haven't really got a mention on this blog this year and I am slightly remiss for this so here are a couple...
Our season always starts with the Suffolks' COW (Council Of War) our household gathers together in the spring to discuss the forthcoming season and which events we are aiming to go to. The calender discussion is usually fairly brief, we then focus on the main part of the COW, dinner! This takes the form of a medieval banquet usually cooked by Francis, Bess and Mirabel. Everyone else strips our livingroom and redecorates it with suitable medieval kit. We all dress for dinner and then have a slap meal. The highlight of this year's COW was the bird within a bird, within a bird, within a bird. Partridge, in pheasant, in duck, in chicken nom nom!
Already looking forward to the COW 2012.
Another highlight was when five of us went down to the Bentley Wildfowl trust in Sussex for an MSS event. We only went for one day, so went light. The highlight of the day (Aside from fighting for our friends the Ap Harrys) was the walk in. We kitted up in the car park and then marched into camp with all of our kit, just as we would have on campaign. It looked pretty good. One day I will do an event where I literally take just what I can wear and carry... one day.
Right at the end of the season I was called to do something I don't usually do, Victorians. Again new friends made, this time Daisy and Alex Richardson of Past to Present Historical. We spent a weekend at Audley End, in North Essex, entertaining the masses who queued to see Father Christmas. I went essentially as a 'Dodgy Victorian pub dwelling cove' not too tricky you would think for me. We cobbled kit together for me, thanks for all the loans guys, and off I went with a pocket full Victorian pennies and some cards to find the lady. In the end very little lady finding occurred but a great time was had, the highlight of which was getting several hundred queuing folk to do a Cockerney wave, ( Just like a Mexican Wave, just with more Dick Van Dyke) you had to be there. and we certainly will be next year:0)
So what was the best moment of the year? I thought it would be really hard to select, but as it turns out it was a piece of cake. It happened at Kentwell Hall during the Grand Recreation of Tudor life. On the third weekend of the event the military types put on a Tudor Pageant to celebrate the Master's natal day (birthday) the pageant took the form of the Battle of Azincourt. Now this essentially was a ruse to get a handful of fully armoured Men At Arms to be shot at close range by English archers, always great fun for those taking part and those watching. The rest of the 'battle' included combat between the French and English: The French and English Kings going toe to toe: The French cavalry, played by 9 and 10 year old lads on hobby horses assaulting the English lines and lots of other silliness. On the whole it was great success. The battle ended with heavily armoured and French and English knights fighting to the inevitable defeat of the French.
So was that it then? The best bit of your year? NO...
The best bit came moments later. Usually a 'battle' like this ends with the dead coming back to life and the combatants all indulge in some self congratulatory back slapping, but on this occasion it was a little different. Our pageant in 1553 had been hijacked to celebrate the accession of Lady Jane Grey and we just happened to have her eight year old sister Lady Mary Grey on the manor. At the end of the battle, in a flash of genius of whom I do not know, the Queen's sister took the field to accept a Royal Bow. In one moment our show and my season was topped off by an eight year old girl nervously walking amongst a collection of sweaty, armoured warriors who all fell to one knee in deep reverence, heads down and eyes averted in silent tribute.
I know it was all pretend but it was just a perfect moment on an English Summer's day. For those of us lucky enough to have been there it will stick with us forever. For those of you not lucky enough to be there I suggest you get out to some historical locations next summer in case some thing as cool as that happens again.
Thanks to all who have been on the road with us this year.
Roll on 2012. I'll see you in the 15th or 16th centuries.Swallowtail TedPollet Virtus
Well that's the end of the summer holiday for me, back to school in a couple of days. Loads of action, not much rest. After Dover castle it was off to a quiet gig at Hatfield Forest in North Essex with COJO (the Company of Saint Joseph) a 15th Century group who focus on craftsmen and artisans. A splendid event was had by all. Lovely venue and very appreciative public. Although most of the weekend we spent concentrating on skinning and hunting there was time for a Man At Arms demo where I got to hit my friend John quite a lot. 
After Hatfield I had to go back down to Dover Castle for one day to film for BBC1 show National Treasures Live. Ant and myself spent the day at the castle with a couple of other re-enactors teaching presenters, Dan Snow and Sian Williams all about Medieval missile weapons. We spent a great deal of time 'hurry up waiting' but the whole process was very interesting and we were guaranteed getting out mugs on the TV as it was a live show. At the end of a great but windswept day we did our bit. Sian finally managing to shoot Ant's crossbow and hitting the butt, and Dan firing the pole gun I was crewing. Stardom beckons... I think not. 
Right then, from Dover Castle to Bodiam Castle. An MSS gig at one of the finest castles in England.
I wrote the scripts for this weekend, and having picked up a niggling wrist injury at Dover Castle I decided not to fight (A first for me) and commentate instead. It was great fun. Writing a script is rather like writing a roleplaying scenario, the only difference is that real play it out in front of you. The other challenge at Bodiam was that the script needed to focus on the siege of Bodiam in 1483, a rather anticlimactic event that lasted probably 15 minutes and resulted in no loss of life. My script had to last at least half an hour with loads of bodies. It did both days and for the first time on a medieval battlefield I watched archery in action as it should be. Usually archery consists of one volley of of arrows every now and then from opposing blocks of archers. Now each block shoots four or five arrow volleys at a go resulting in hundreds of arrows falling continuously throughout the battle, very cool!
A week after Bodiam, was the Battle of Bosworth. A trek to Leicestershire to fight in the War Of The Roses Federation event with the Tyrrell's retinue (The martial arm of COJO) This is a four battle weekend. We fight Tewkesbury in the morning and Bosworth in the afternoon, a 2, 2 draw for us. I tend to be the shouty bloke for Tyrrell's a sort of Sergeant At Armes, I get to get stuck in but also have to keep our block in order, which this year involved, on more than one occasion, wandering across the field to some wayward warriors and saying to them "My Lord Tyrrell, requests the pleasure of you fighting in our fecking block!" Just like a real battle it can get confusing out there. 
This was a brilliant weekend, as usual. The fighting is hard with the Fed, and the addition of cavalry and lots of guns really give it a battle feel. Added to that my wonderful wife was invited by a friend to go out and gun as she has had a shoulder injury that has kept her off the field. The upshot of which, is that we may well be ordering medieval pieces over the winter, gonna need that gun cabinet now:0)
Saturday evening was completed with NERF mayhem on the battlefield with a free for all Zombie Apocalypse game, which meant we were forced to take extra kit and 'double tap' the undead!
The week after Bosworth saw us return to the MSS fold for the biggest event in the MSS calender, The English Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex. This is a great event, last year our Household entered the Living History competition and did very well. The down side to this was we saw very little of the event, so this year we chose not to compete, juts do what we do. The main feature of Herstmonkeys (as we call it) are the two battles fought in the morning, outside the castle, and the afternoon on the field out the back of the grounds. Again I wrote the scripts for this event and my household ended up with a central role (writing scripts has perks you know?)
I took the role of the Duke Of Suffolk and laid siege to the castle. Although this is a MSS run battle we have many guest groups who also take part. This boosts the numbers on the field and gives us different people to fight. The battles went pretty well, but we did suffer from communication problems (The Fog of War) which led to cannon not firing when they were supposed to and arrows not always going where they should. However the battles on the Monday, the third time we fought them, went really well with some brilliant elements including the best flat shooting I have seen. The Hartley household, armoured in plate from head to toe, taking arrows shot at them as the advanced across the long bridge over the moat. Every arrow found a mark and the guys in tin looked terrifying.
The weekend was topped off by Heidi making her first appearance on the battlefield in combat, this year, in her brigandine (that she has made herself, more of that over the winter) wielding a pollaxe and scarying the BeJesus out of our opponents, good to have her back:0)
So that was my summer. Somewhere I was supposed to stop and take it easy. Didn't happen really. But we did have a brilliant time. Made a whole bunch of new friends and reaffirmed some old friendships too. I am fortunate to be involed in various groups so the variety of events keeps the whole thing very interesting. Our household is at full strength and we move towards the last two events of the year with relish. Gonna have to start on some wargaming stuff soon.
(Must thank Pat Patrick for the photos from Bosworth and Hertsmonceux, some great shots)
Cheers
Already looking forward to the COW 2012.
Right at the end of the season I was called to do something I don't usually do, Victorians. Again new friends made, this time Daisy and Alex Richardson of Past to Present Historical. We spent a weekend at Audley End, in North Essex, entertaining the masses who queued to see Father Christmas. I went essentially as a 'Dodgy Victorian pub dwelling cove' not too tricky you would think for me. We cobbled kit together for me, thanks for all the loans guys, and off I went with a pocket full Victorian pennies and some cards to find the lady. In the end very little lady finding occurred but a great time was had, the highlight of which was getting several hundred queuing folk to do a Cockerney wave, ( Just like a Mexican Wave, just with more Dick Van Dyke) you had to be there. and we certainly will be next year:0)
