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Formed in1992, we have already built up a
strong membership. We welcome families as well as single people and
we are sure that you’ll find us a friendly lot.
Our aim is to re-create the life of a British regiment of line
infantry during the Napoleonic Wars. We base ourselves on the early
Peninsular War period (around 1809), when the regiment fought with
Arthur Wellesley's army in Portugal and Spain. We aim to be as
authentic as possible in our dress, our equipment and our drill
(which we take from the 1807 Rules and Regulations for the Manual
and Platoon Exercises, Formations, Field-exercise and Movements of
His Majesty's Forces).
During the summer season (usually between Easter and October) we
give displays of battle tactics, living history and battle
re-enactments. These range from full scale re-enactment events
organised by the Napoleonic Association, in which many other
re-enactment regiments take part, to small living history displays
for local museums. We also travel abroad to take part in events in
other European countries, including the spectacular re-enactment of
the Battle of Waterloo that takes place every five years on the
actual battleground. Occasionally we have been asked to take part in
filming.
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Our Film and TV
credits include;
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Sharpe’s Regiment
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The BBC’s ‘Pride
and Prejudice’ and ‘Vanity Fair’.
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Blackadder Back and
Fourth
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Vanity Fair (2004)
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Pride and Prejudice
(2005)
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Time Team: Sharpe’s
Redoubt
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How London was
Built - an Adam Hart-Davis Documentary
During the winter
months we continue to meet once a month for drill practice. The
usual venue for our drill practices is Aldershot Military Museum.
For safety reasons, new members must attend these and demonstrate
that they are competent with drill and musket proficiency before
they can take part in battle re-enactments. But it is not all
"square bashing" - we also have social gatherings, and each year we
have a Regimental Dinner (In full uniform!).
The Regiment is organised into Light, Centre and Grenadier
Companies. While most men prefer to be a soldier, there are plenty
of other roles you can portray in our living history displays. Boys
under 16 can be drummers, while our female members take on roles
ranging from camp followers to society ladies. The camp followers
perform the much-appreciated task of preparing the food, while the
ladies hold tea parties and discuss the latest scandal. During
battle re-enactments, while the soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder
in the "thin red line", there is always the danger for the womenfolk
of being captured by the French if they raid our camp!
Camp follower roles can also be played by men, such as surgeons, or
even dentists who were recorded touring the battlefield extracting
teeth from the dead to make into sets of false teeth (although our
'dead' soldiers would object to this!). Whatever the role you decide
to portray, you are encouraged to research your chosen profession.
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