A Military Odyssey 2025

So here at last was the BIG ONE, the Military Odyssey 25th Anniversary show. As in previous years Tony, Brian and I waited in the entry queue on the first day with excitement, anticipation and a small measure of unease, the latter because there was a new event organiser now at the helm so would the 2025 Anniversary show live up to the high standards of previous years? Rather than make my reader scroll down to my “And finally…” section where I summarise my thoughts on how the show went allow me to answer that question now with a very definitive YES! It was indeed the Military Odyssey that we have come to look forward to so much and was as excellent as ever, doing credit to previous shows and organisers.

There were some changes, no not changes enhancements, to this show reflecting the new management, briefly listed as follows:

  • English civil war returned to the show and the Battlefield – a huge “Hurrah!” from me here.
  • There was a new Speakers Corner where various experts spoke for 30 minutes a time on their specialist area
  • Battlefield action was more or less continuous from 10:00am until 4:30pm
  • The vehicle parade was broken down into two parts – pre-1960 and post 1960
  • There was a greater variety of food vendors available

As a paying member of the public and very regular visitor to Military Odyssey, I think I’ve missed only 4 shows in total  the first two because I only discovered it at show three, I think I’ve as good a claim to being an expert on visiting the show as anyone and so feel very comfortable in saying that the 25th Anniversary show was brilliant and continued to build on the foundations of previous shows and to develop the event.

A word about the images

I don’t consider myself as a professional photographer and don’t have professional camera kit. Almost all of the photographs on this page were taken with a Cannon 90D SLR using a Cannon 18-135mm EFS lens. The photograph taken by the camera is often just a starting point for the image that I will make using Photoshop. Where possible I try to tell a snippet of a story from each image,  for example I have reduced the colour on some images greatly where I’m trying to create an image that looks like a postcard of the scene might in times past.

 And so now, finally, on to the images…

Around the show

There are so many aspects of Military Odyssey that I love not least of all wandering around the show visiting the camps and just seeing who I come across. This sections is the result of my meanderings mostly mine photographs but with worthy and helpful contributions from my chums Tony and Brian…

English Civil War (1642-51)

Not seen for some while at Military Odyssey was an English Civil War reenactment courtesy of the English Civil War Society. The battle presented was based on the Battle of Maidstone.

The battle took place on 1 June 1648. The Royalist forces in Maidstone wered attacked by Parliamentarian forces led by Sir Thomas Fairfax. The fighting took place in the early evening during heavy rain; fighting was fierce and ended with hand-to-hand street fighting.  The result was a Parliamentarian victory, the Royalist defeat being a major blow to their cause.

The re-enactment was most impressive with something like 250 reenactors including artillery, cavalry (most impressive!) pike and musket formations. Accurately demonstrated in the display was the interaction between musket and pike including that well known tactic known as “push of pike”.

American Civil War (1861-65)

Once again, we were treated to splendid displays, both in the camps and Battlefield, by the Southern Skirmish Association (SoSkan). First formed in 1968 they are a mature and well-practised group dedicated to remembering and honouring all those who fought in the American Civil war.

For Military Odyssey 2025 we were presented with a skirmish from one of the last actions before the surrender of the South, a battle that probably had no need to be fought and cost the needless death of around 500 men of both sides.

As always, the skirmish was realistically presented supported by splendid pyro technics and commentary.

The Die Hards & the Victorian Association (1854-1901)

Usually at this point I would present a selection of photographs of the Victorian soldiers of the Die Hards, however this year I was fortunate enough to be asked by the Group to come along and take particular photographs including a shoot on the Battlefield after the show closed. I have ended up with such a wealth of material that had I included all that I wanted here it would have rather swamped the page accordingly I have prepared a page dedicated to the Die Hards and the Victorian association which you can view via this link, The Die Hards at Military Odyssey 2025

10th Essex – WWI (1914-18)

I’ve rather cheated here in that I have included pictures of the 18pdr with the Garrison Artillery Volunteers with the 10th Essex Regiment; the two groups are not connected but the 18pdr gun of the was too good to pass by and as both represented WWI grouping the pictures with the Essex Regiment seemed logical.

This year rather than a trench system as in previous years (click here to see pictures on my 2024 page of the trench) the 10th Essex took on an aeronautical theme presenting us with a RFC aerodrome during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915 with a replica Nieuport fighter and attached services such as medical and chaplain. As always, the group were excellent presenting the very best of the reenactors art.

World War II – North Africa (1940-43)

World War II battle reenactments are always popular typically featuring vehicles, both armoured and soft skin, and plenty of action and pyrotechnics.  Often the enactments are based in Europe, so it was most gratifying to see one based in North Africa; the scenario was a Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) patrol probing forward into the outposts of Rommel’s Afrika Korps. What ensured was initially a LRDG jeep and crew being surprised and captured by the Afrika Korps forces before the main body of the LRDG unit arrived to rescue them and engage the Germans. This involved plenty of action with LRDG jeeps, armed with both Vickers and .5” browning machine guns, whizzing around the battlefield blasting away with their guns. Support on the British side was provided with a very realistic ‘firing’ mortar. The Afrika Korps reenactors put up a very creditable defence but were ultimately put to flight by superior numbers.

World War II – Beach Commandos (July – September 1943)

The Royal Navy Beachhead Commando Reenactors are a brilliant group and one that has particular meaning for me as most of the previous generation of my family were sailors, mostly Royal Navy (RN), in WWII. My uncle Roy served from 1942 until the end of the war on four ships and was present on the Artic Convoys, at D-Day and at the surrender of the Japanese armed forces in Singapore, as I said the RN has particular meaning for me.

The task of the Royal Navy Commandos, informally known as Beach Commandos, was to control landing beaches and the flow of men, vehicles and supplies passing through; it follows that Beach Commandos were vital to the success of any beach landing to ensure troops could move quickly inland toward their objectives. These guys, usually portraying the invasions in Sicily and Italy, are extremely authentic and if transported from the grass fields of Kent to a beach in Europe could easily be taken for the real thing. The group are also very helpful to photographers, I took these photographs late on the Sunday afternoon and roused them out of their tents where they were resting after what I’m sure had been a busy day, so once again my thanks for being so obliging gentlemen.

World War II – European Battle (1944-45)

Traditionally at Military Odyssey the Battlefield action ends with a European battle and this year was no different. We were transported back to France in August 1944 after the Allied armies had broken out of the Bocage country and were driving the Germans before them toward Falaise and into a pocket. In our re-enactment a German Kampfgruppe (an ad hoc unit usually of armour and infantry) stands in the way of advancing Allied reconnaissance units. Initially the German forces had the advantage but as the size and strength of the German forces becomes apparent more and more Allied units are fed into the battle…

Speakers Corner

A new addition to the show was Speakers Corner where a group of very knowledgeable speakers presented on subjects as varied as Commonwealth War Graves, filming the TV series Sharpe (Jason Salkey), First World War archaeology and insights into the war (Andy Robertshaw) and LGBT inclusions and welfare (Anthony Knight). Time precluded me from listening to all the speakers but I did catch Jasons talk on filming the Sharpe TV series which was both entertaining and informative in equal measure.

Most talks were to a packed house so much so that for Jason’s talk I had to sit on the floor! This is a great new addition to Military Odyssey and I hope it has generally proved successful enough to return next year.

And finally…

And so, we came to the end of another Military Odyssey, sorry that should be brilliant Military Odyssey, the event certainly did the 25th anniversary of the show proud. Could it have been better, well yes in that it could have been four days instead of just three as there really was too much to see in just three! Actually, I can’t see that such an extension would be practical in both financial and time, after all most reenactors have day jobs but I can always hope!

I have covered neither all of the groups that attended nor all of the displays, mainly because I did not have time to visit every group and display, to nthose that I have missed my apologies.

As ever I claim sole responsibility for the page and any errors or omissions areb my responsibility. If you see any errors and / or have any suggestions for improvement I’ll be happy to hear from using the website feedback form.

My last words will be thanks to the new organiser, Dave King, and his team for putting on such a brilliant show, to all the re-enactment groups without whom we would have been looking at empty fields and last, but not least, my chums Tony & Brian for sharing the event with me (and some beers in the pub at the end of each day) and for their worthy contributions to the photographs on this page.  Meanwhile I very much look forward to the 2026 show!