This year saw the 3rd Suffolk Military Show, but only my first visit to the event, my holidays having clashed with the dates for the first two shows. The show takes place on the Suffolk show ground and being just a 40-minute drive me, I class it as ‘my local show’. I was anxious to see just what I had been missing out on and how it would compare to the other living history shows that I regularly attend, including Temple At War which is run by the same team.
The show opened to the public at 9am, we arrived at 8:30am to find a well organised, spacious car park and a greeting by members of the Lazy Company living history group (LHG) who portray a scout squad from the US 11th Armoured Cavalry Regiment. Ticket checking was quick and efficient, made even more so for those who had pre-paid tickets, and we were in through the gates, so let’s move on to see just what the show was like…
Around the Show
One of my favourite parts of any LHG is wandering around the site looking at the camps, chatting to the re-enactors and taking snaps. This show was to be no disappointment with an excellent selection of re-enactment groups ranging from the Viking period, through the medieval period and right through World War II to current times.
My snaps below will show the quality of the re-enactors rather better than my words…
The Battles
Viking Skirmish – 800-1150 AD
Blodorn Englar are re-enactors who recreate conflict between Vikings, Anglo-Saxons, Normans and Slavs. The re-enactments are not choreographed, they fight with real armour and weapons, albeit the latter are blunted!
Medieval Tournament – late middle ages, 1400-1500 AD
The Suffolk Swords living history group represent men-at-arms in the late medieval period. Fighting with metal armour and blunt steel weapons, they typically recreate the type of combat that would have been seen in competition tourney. Carefully choreographed the ‘fighting’ has a splendid air of reality and even includes the famous English warbow, more often known as the longbow. The knights are chivalrous, but some more so than others…. will the evil Black Knight triumph over his more chivalrous opponents?
North Africa – World War II, 1942
In North Africa the British 8th Army, soon to earn the accolade of Desert Rats, fought the German Afrika Korps, led by the famous general Erwin Rommel. The fighting took place over the rocky, sparsely populated desert areas, which in many ways was the ideal battleground with no civilians to get in the way of the combatants. In this fighting the British Long Range Desert Group (LRDG), using the ubiquitous Jeep and Chevrolet lorries for transport, ranged far and wide behind German lines, attacking fuel dumps, airfields and isolated German garrisons; this re-enactment recreates one of these encounters, with Jeeps of the LRDG mounting a surprise attack on forces of the Afrika Korps depending a supply base…
Northern France – World War II, late summer 1944
Taking us to Northern France in late summer of 1944, is the second of the World War II battles. D-day is over and the Allied forces are successfully established, they have broken out of the Bocage country and are driving the German forces before them. A light reconnaissance force made up of infantry and jeeps are probing ahead of the main British army, looking to establish just what resistance can be expected. The re-enactment shows what might typically might have happened when contact is made…
Show Guide
A full colour show guide was on offer, providing details of the re-enactment groups and arena activities..
And Finally…
And so my first ever Suffolk Military Show is over, and what did I think of it? Great venue, great layout, great re-enactment groups, great arena entertainment and great food… thinks… just how many ‘greats’ does one need to make a superlative? I think I have enough so in my book I officially declare the Suffolk Military Show most splendid and another addition to my ‘must visit’ show list.
It only remains for me to say a big thanks to those that posed for my photographs, and to those that I snapped without their knowledge an even bigger thanks, usually I ask before pointing the camera, but sometimes the most natural shots are when the ‘subject ‘doesn’t know that he/she is being snapped. If you recognise yourself in any photographs and would like a copy, without copyright, please do drop me a line at webmaster@trainstanksandplanes.com and I’ll be happy to oblige.
Finally, I admit that any errors on this page are mine and mine alone, if you spot any goofs relating to you or your group, including caption errors, please do reach out to me and I’ll do my best to correct.
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