Text
Villages and Victories, 2010-2019
Commentary by Paul Murphy
Having led the society for 17 years, Tony Sayer handed over the reins to Roger Barry early in
2011. The decade had opened with ships on the river in Bedford, on a baking hot weekend
where the castle hill provided a unique view of the battlefield from
above.
Events in places old and new included Lanark as part of a regular
Scottish multi-period festival, continuing growth in the popularity of
the show at Corfe Castle, and of course our annual visit to Battle Abbey
as well as a welcome return to our calendar of larger events at
Rhuddlan Castle.
With English Heritage moving their renamed Festival of History to
Kelmarsh Hall, the event grew to a size that few of us could believe,
and featured WW1 and WW2 aircraft as well as ground displays from
just about every possible period, but all of that came to an end when
the site flooded after torrential rain in 2012, leading to the cancellation
of the event and a substantial loss for EH which effectively prevented
anything of this scale being attempted ever again. Hastings 2012
ended the same way, and also caused 2013 to be cancelled.
Despite these setbacks, voyages to distant lands were undertaken to
spread our enjoyment to new places – Clontarf in 2014 saw most of
Dublin come out to watch an excellent event where warriors from
Germany, Poland and Denmark took on those from the UK, Ireland and
the Netherlands in an epic weekend which featured three competitive
battles per display, with three displays per day. By the end of the
weekend, the score was 9-9, with our side having been 8-1 down at the
end of day one. It was an environment where the lessons had to be
learned quickly.
Those lessons were then put to good use with a number of trips to Moesgård in Denmark,
culminating in a larger contingent attending in 2017. We thought 2012 had been wet, but
the Baltic weather systems drenched us with a succession of 10 minute thunderstorms, and
the battlefield was ankle deep in liquid mud on both days. The atmosphere was electric, in
both senses, and it was a hugely memorable event for all involved.
Alongside these, smaller scale visits to Iceland and to Bukkøy in Norway spread our
experiences, and in 2018 a small group were also able to visit Vlaardingen in the
Netherlands for another millennium event.
As we celebrate more than 50 years of Viking re-enactment from the days of our founding
elders, two things remains constant – the camaraderie of those who stand beside you, both
in the shieldwall and by the hearth, and the enjoyment we take from celebrating our past to
the best of our ability. Long may it continue!
Commentary by Paul Murphy
Having led the society for 17 years, Tony Sayer handed over the reins to Roger Barry early in
2011. The decade had opened with ships on the river in Bedford, on a baking hot weekend
where the castle hill provided a unique view of the battlefield from
above.
Events in places old and new included Lanark as part of a regular
Scottish multi-period festival, continuing growth in the popularity of
the show at Corfe Castle, and of course our annual visit to Battle Abbey
as well as a welcome return to our calendar of larger events at
Rhuddlan Castle.
With English Heritage moving their renamed Festival of History to
Kelmarsh Hall, the event grew to a size that few of us could believe,
and featured WW1 and WW2 aircraft as well as ground displays from
just about every possible period, but all of that came to an end when
the site flooded after torrential rain in 2012, leading to the cancellation
of the event and a substantial loss for EH which effectively prevented
anything of this scale being attempted ever again. Hastings 2012
ended the same way, and also caused 2013 to be cancelled.
Despite these setbacks, voyages to distant lands were undertaken to
spread our enjoyment to new places – Clontarf in 2014 saw most of
Dublin come out to watch an excellent event where warriors from
Germany, Poland and Denmark took on those from the UK, Ireland and
the Netherlands in an epic weekend which featured three competitive
battles per display, with three displays per day. By the end of the
weekend, the score was 9-9, with our side having been 8-1 down at the
end of day one. It was an environment where the lessons had to be
learned quickly.
Those lessons were then put to good use with a number of trips to Moesgård in Denmark,
culminating in a larger contingent attending in 2017. We thought 2012 had been wet, but
the Baltic weather systems drenched us with a succession of 10 minute thunderstorms, and
the battlefield was ankle deep in liquid mud on both days. The atmosphere was electric, in
both senses, and it was a hugely memorable event for all involved.
Alongside these, smaller scale visits to Iceland and to Bukkøy in Norway spread our
experiences, and in 2018 a small group were also able to visit Vlaardingen in the
Netherlands for another millennium event.
As we celebrate more than 50 years of Viking re-enactment from the days of our founding
elders, two things remains constant – the camaraderie of those who stand beside you, both
in the shieldwall and by the hearth, and the enjoyment we take from celebrating our past to
the best of our ability. Long may it continue!