Hi Yaron,
I emailed you ref Detling recently, not sure if I got your address right. please acknowledge current address on my personal email RobAnderson@UKOnline.co.uk
Best regards
Rob

glad i captured your wife in all her glory yaron and what a lovely horse too.

HI Yaron,
nice to meet you here. Yes, that event was a cold one! But remember the french 22ème who were staying during the night without a tent, just wrapped in their greatcoats!

Hi Spud

Sol Solomon is my name and I'm the Secretary of the Australian Napoleonic Association. (yeah we even have it here.) John Haskell asked me to contact you about the SOPs you made reference to. If you would like to see what we have here I can email you a copy of the artillery section. I'm sure that the NA people could do the same.

Regards
Sol Solomon

Hi Yaron,
I too agree and support your intervention on this issue. It needed to be said. All re-enactment for events within 100 years is a minefield as we are into the realms of living memory but some some areas of recent history are still so shocking that it is amost beyond belief that groups should wish to portray them. Such people to seek to justify their portrayals employing many specious arguments but it all boils down to the key word you chose, sensitivity. There are still secrets from WWII considered so sensitive that they are still under wraps because of the distress and outrage they would cause the living relatives of those affected.

When I first went to Kirby Hall in 1995 I was amazed to see a group of around 30 German paratroopers participating in the WWII display. I got my head round it as it was plain that there was a great interest in WWII Brits/US kit and history. A lot of re-enactors felt uncomfortable having them there at all but reasoned that "you can't very well have cowboys witout Indians" and in the grand parade on the last day the crowd were silent as they passed despite appauding every other group. Times have moved on and since then the WWII side of re-enactment seems to have grown enormously and within that the German units in the UK has grown even faster. This is worrying in itself but what is even more alarming has been the emergence of SS units. In the early days you didn't see any swastikas and I never expected them to be allowed. When we go to multi-period shows now they have become commonplace and I do not think this is right. You have spoken on behalf of a lot of re-enactors who find such things unnacceptable and I for one will back any initiative to challenge these things wherever they arise.
Rob

Hi Yaron,

Just read your discussion about the HY group and I totally agree and support your request of having a less political sensitive groups avatar.

I didn't respond to the discussion because you had closed it, but I did wanted to express my support to your request :o)

I see you are with the royal horse artillery, two weeks ago I bought the book "Journal of the Campaign of 1815" The experiences of an officer of the Royal Horse Artillery during the Waterloo campaign and it tells the story of Captain Mercer. It was one of four books of the paperback "eyewitness to war series". I haven't start reading it yet (started with one of the other books I bought) but I am very interested to read about this Captain Mercer.

Do you know the book, if so, have you read it ?

Have you ever been to the Panorama at Waterloo ? I love that painting and one of my favourite details of the painting is the attack on the royal horse artillery, not because they are under a severe attack, but because of the proud attitude of one of the soldiers and the little scene of one soldier supporting his wounded comrade.

if you want to see what I mean please surf to my blog about the panorama

http://lepanorama.web-log.nl/panorama_waterloo/2007/12/panel_2.html#more

and

http://lepanorama.web-log.nl/panorama_waterloo/2007/12/panel_3.html

if you scroll down through the pictures you sure will find the ones I mean.

cheers !

Lumière

Hi Yaron,
Very pleased to see you pick up the ball on the foil issue. It's better that the nitty gritty of the debate is sorted out between the artillery specialists. Even if it takes a month before we really get down to facts not opinions it will be worth it. If we all work together we can finally be in a position to take a rational position based on the best information available. Only then can we decide whether to stay as we are are or lobby for change. If the debate is conducted well, the truth will emerge. Let's nail this one professionally, then move on to re-examine the next sacred cow.....
Rob

with guns?

Couldnt work the PM, so here's a more public posting...

Thanks for that Spud. I have conflicting reports that say they wore gold, even though I have seen silver frogging. The headwear - I've been told that they wore Shakos, and yet again the images differ.
My goodness knows how many great great ancestor was Edward Cotton, who wrote the now famous book on Waterloo and was buried at Hougoumont. Someone has done a small montage here: http://waterloobattletours.users.btopenworld.com/index_files/Page4583.htm
(You will need to wait for all the pictures to upload).