Some pictures shared by Jeff Bross.
The Society was invited to set up at the Wharton Canal Music and Craft Festival in Wharton, NJ, and we happily agreed. John and Kyle represented the unit, setting up our display with some helpful volunteers who very graciously lent us a hand in putting our fly up. We showcased our 18th, 19th, and 20th Century impressions and offered information about the Society to a steady stream of visitors. We can say that we had so many visitors that it was a non-stop event for us. While we do not know exactly how many people we spoke with during the day, we almost depleted all the brochures we brought along. Special commendations to Kyle for discussing and demonstrating the flintlock musket and comparing it against the SMLE of the First World War. John primarily focused on the uniforms of the regiment and how the Society itself operates. The festival itself was a very large affair and while we didn't get a chance to see it, we were told that about five thousand people had come throughout the day, being brought in by shuttle bus or locals walking to see. There were bands, crafters, kayak rides, ponies, and we were not the only reenactors present, either. Another Revolutionary War unit and a Civil War group was present, although they were on the other side of the festival. The event's staff and John Manna were wonderful to us, the weather was cooler than expected (which was also fantastic), and we found the occasion to be another great day for the British Empire. Some pictures shared by Jeff Bross.
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The 3rd annual Living History Timeline at Ringwood Manor was a success, despite the threatening weather reports on Saturday. A wide variety of historical representations were on hand each day and a brief rain shower on Saturday at 2pm did not extinguish the fun of the event. This year, our representations spanned the Roman Empire through the Vietnam War. Sunday's weather was perfect and saw larger numbers of visitors, engaging with our participants the whole time. Reuben Fast Horse, Lakhota teacher, linguist, and entertainer, spoke each day to gathered audiences and Michael and Maria Grillo as Mr. and Mrs. George Washington spoke on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up the event. Ringwood saw one of the largest turn-outs of Royal Sussex Society members in quite some time, spanning a number of different impressions, but nevertheless united by their common unit.
The Royal Sussex thanks the staff at Ringwood Manor and all the participating reenactors making this year a great event for everyone. We also thank Bethany Schulte and Chris Lauterbach for these pictures. The 35th Regiment's Grenadier Company was represented at the British Brigade's Battle of Monmouth this year. Our presence, albeit smaller, saw the 35th falling out with our stalwart allies in the British battle line. The real 35th's flank companies were present at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778, before being transferred under the command of General Grant to the Caribbean. This move was designed to counter the French threat after France openly sided with the rebellious colonies in their cause for independence.
Fresh off the streets from parading in Hawthorne, our Great War commanding officer was joined by Tony S. who represented a German officer for a historical presentation at the Annex in Glen Rock. The "Glen Rockin' Seniors" listened to a talk that ran just over an hour on the causes of the First World War, how the men at the front and women in support roles lived, and some aspects of the nature of the combat conditions themselves. Hand-outs were passed around the audience, including reproduction newspapers, a National Registration Act identification booklet, a pamphlet on food economy, and more. The end of the talk had a question and answer period followed by pictures. We were introduced to two members of the Daughters of the British Empire who came to visit and enjoyed speaking with them. We thank First Light Home Care and Daria Boyd for having us and for the opportunity to continue our historical public outreach.
The Royal Sussex returned to the Hawthorne Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 29, turning out one of our largest parade showings to date! Our Lt. Colonel led a Colour Guard comprising both British and American soldiers, carrying the UK and US flags. Our VAD contingent, our strongest turn-out ever, had two new faces in ranks, while we were also joined by a period civilian contingent to represent the home-front. The regiment marched behind the 6th New Hampshire Volunteers Civil War unit, following a route of just over one mile through town. On passing the reviewing stand in front of the Borough Hall, the Colour Guard saluted with an "Eyes Right." We thank our newest member, Bethany S., for taking pictures and sharing them with us!
The North Haledon Free Public Library was once again host to one of our presentations. They had a Revolutionary War program in February which was well received, prompting a request for a Victorian talk, to which we were all too happy to oblige! All the seats were filled for the talk which ran one hour, discussing some important aspects of the early years of the Victorian era, covering subjects from domestic life, labor, military policies, and empire. Sharon and John thoroughly enjoyed themselves, taking interesting and thought provoking questions from the audience at the end of the presentation. It was particularly delightful to see a number of people in the audience a second time, having enjoyed the talk in February.
Pictures by Library Director Susan Serico and Patricia Dykstra. Set exactly between St. George's Day and the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, the Society's early Victorians gathered to celebrate both occasions with a tea. Though the weather was generally abysmal (and British) spirits were running high. Anne, Athena, Meredith, Sharon, Kyle, Michael, Tony, Tom, Shane, and John passed an afternoon of diversions, snacks, story-telling, and a game of whist. A brief skit was also presented, with St. George and his Companion Knights giving souvenir coronation lapel pins out as well as seeing that the king was offered a toast for his reign. A fine time was had by all! A special thank-you to our members who shared their photos with us!
Once again the 35th Regiment was delighted to attend the East Jersey Old Town Village British Occupation event in Piscataway. The idea, like last year, was to present a colonial town that was occupied by British and loyalist forces. While Saturday had intermittent rain, we were still able to carry out activities and talk to the visitors. We tip our bearskins to Ray H. of the 4th Battalion NJ Volunteers Loyalists and the site staff for hosting the event. Saturday was a little rainy on and off (English weather!), but it seemed like the turnout was bigger than last year despite that. The idea was to showcase the crown forces side of the Revolutionary War and what a New Jersey town hosting or occupied by the troops would be like. The program had guard mounting duties, drills on the green, musket demonstrations, and cannon firings during the morning and afternoon. We were also delighted to be invited to join the tea party, whose gracious hostess talked about the history and culture surrounding coffee and tea in colonial America and England.
The site is a collection of historical buildings which have been preserved, framing a central green (or parade ground, depending on your perspective). Below is a list, provided by Ray, of the units represented during the weekend. Photos have been shared by Rebecca Cataldi and Jeff Bross. Royal Artillery 4th Battalion. Capt. Anderson's Company (Lamb's) Brigade of Guards, Grenadier Company 15th Regiment, Light Infantry Company 35th Regiment, Grenadier Company 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, Grenadier Company 4th Battalion, New Jersey Volunteers, Capt. Hayden's Company Von Wreden's Company of Hessian Feldjägers Von Preuschek's Company of Hessian Feldjägers Infanterie Regiment Von Donop Rhode Island Regiment (posing as Dunsmore's Ethiopian Regiment of Virginia) 2nd New Jersey Regiment, Helm's Company (who drilled as Loyalists) For World War One living history programs, the last few years have been hard, as they have been hard for everyone. The ending of the centennial in 2018 meant that some of the wind had gone out of the sails in the broader community. The Great War Association maintained its private battle events in Pennsylvania, however, and commendable organizations like the East Coast Doughboys had done their part to keep Great War living history programs going. But the wind-down of the centennial, combined with the closures of the all-too-real pandemic reenactment of a century prior, put a damper on WWI living history venues as a whole. However, there have been attempts to rekindle the fires and bring the Great War back into the mainstream of public interpretation again.
Matt Moore, and the staff at Fort Mott in Pennsville, had arranged for a one-day public Great War program on March 25. Unfortunately, rainstorms were coming through, triggering a rescheduling to Sunday two days before the event. The decision was a good one as Sunday was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the upper fifties to lower sixties, with low humidity. Perfect "wool weather." The idyllic day also brought out a lot of visitors to the park who spoke with the reenactors and checked out the displays. The entry road, near the park buildings, was the site of the event itself, with the Entente powers on one side of the road and the Central powers on the other. A wide variety of displays were set up, some with tentage and large displays, others specializing in something specific, while others were "mobile," moving about the displays. The 2nd Battalion, Royal Sussex, was represented along with VAD Sharon. At the start of the street was the American Expeditionary Force along with their medical contingent; the French Zouaves in their brightly colored, North African-inspired uniforms; Matt W. as early-war Beglian; ourselves representing the British; next to us the Canadians; and at the end, the Russian Empire. Opposite the street were the Bavarians with a display of pickelhaubes, other Austrians and Germans, and the Kaiser's navy. Our ambitions to set up the fly were checked when a support pole cracked, negating us having the shade we had planned for. Nevertheless, we kept calm and carried on. Our brazier and tea kettle got a lot of use throughout the day, with other reenactors availing themselves of Tommy's brew or heating up their rations over the coals. The program had an early start we we arrived about 8:30 to set up. Officially, the event started at 10 and went until 4. During the course of the day, a steady stream of visitors and families came through, checking out the displays, talking, and asking questions. A particular highlight was when a Mr. Softie ice cream truck pulled into the parking lot. All in all, it felt very much like a spring day with good company, high spirits, and a renewed enthusiasm for Great War living history work. The organizers said that they hope to expand the venue to a full weekend event next year, and we look forward to that. Thanks to the help and generosity of Erich, Samantha, and the Friends of the Passaic River Coalition, we were able to hold a "wedding tea" event at Willow Hall in Morristown to celebrate the 183rd wedding anniversary of Victoria and Albert, the royal couple which set the standard for all subsequent royal marriages. We turned out a large number of our Victorians, including bringing some new people out, and from 11 to 4 used the house and grounds for a relaxed afternoon a la February 1840. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness occupied the bay window area of the dining room while visitors and Victorians alike were able to sip tea and eat sandwiches and snacks provided by the site. Our 35th Royal Sussex soldiers kept guard and conducted drills outside the mansion and on the back parade. It was a good opportunity for trying to get some of the winter rust off and work on the Manual Exercise of 1828. Maneuvers practiced included advancing by files, forming line into column and column into line, left and right wheels, obliques, and more.
Sir John was also delighted by a surprise presentation of a birthday cake and cupcakes, slightly ahead of his actual birthday. All in all, a lovely Saturday spent in good company. Our thanks to Athena and Joe for contributing their photos, found below. |
Captain's Blog
Overview of activity, events, and other news for the Royal Sussex Society. Archives
April 2024
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