WW1 Living History Event at Cannon Hall - August 2017

Over the August bank holiday weekend I went to a WW1 living history event which was took place at Cannon Hall (near Barnsley).

It was very interesting to see the men and women walking around dressed in period accurate uniforms. Nurses, soldiers and doctors were all represented, even the children were dressed in Edwardian style clothing. The tents were set out with replica equipment and weaponry for passersby to view. Of course it wasn't really like being at the front; For both obvious and practical reasons there were no trenches, nor was there any real sense of danger or of being at war. It was hard to imagine these men could have been hours away from battle on this polite and bright Bank holiday Sunday.

However, I was able to build up the courage to speak with one of the the re-enactors who as it turned out was very knowledgeable about both the First World War and military equipment. He was more than happy to answer my questions. I think it helped that they not only had an interest in the history of WW1 but also came from a military background.  I imagine that having actual combat experience makes it easier to relate to what the men of WW1 went through, than someone like myself can. The person I spoke to was an ex soldier, named Stuart. We discussed many things including what type of guns my two uncles might have used during their time with the Machine Gun Corps.

One of the high points of the day was being allowed to handle a (deactivated) Enfield rifle. I had never held a gun before. It allowed me, in a very small way, to connect with my ancestors and experience something they had. The gun I held had been modified so it couldn't be discharged, but demonstrations of other Enfield rifles being fired took place throughout the day. I recorded and uploaded one of the displays to YouTube. It can be viewed below.