Since our last post in 2019 not that much happened due to the great COVID plague.  Far more important things had to be done than Warwicks14-18 stuff.

In that time we've lost and gained members and developed our Boer War impression.  The website will be updated with new photos soon.

Our last grand event was a closed event conducting Great war manoeuvres at a secret location in Staffordshire.  We had access to 14 acres of farmland on which the section had free-reign.  This consisted of a training day within the bounds of the camp to practice basic skills, field movements, weapon handling and other skills required by the Great War soldier.  The second day saw the section given a recce & scouting task to bring back information to HQ for a more complex attack on enemy positions at a later point.

The luxury of having the real-estate was that the area hadn't been set foot on by the majority of the members so was all new ground.  The Lt chose his own routes and decided how the task would be completed.  At certain points the enemy engaged the section and it was then down to the section Cpls to advance or retire.  This came as a total shock to those taking part, they weren't expecting to be fired upon or to take "casualties".  Luckily they advanced and subdued the enemy.  A definite hit and something we want to repeat on a larger scale.

As the site shows we also portray Boer War Infantry and continue to develop the impression being the only group in the UK to do so.  Look out for our Boer war events.

So since the last blog update (yes, we wrote a couple of lines not worthy of much) quite a lot has happened.

The Group commemorated the Centenary of the First World War over the 4 years, following each year as the war would have progressed including 3 overseas visits.

Our first in 2014 to MONS, highlights included being invited to the King of the Belgians reception in Mons Town Hall on the strength that member “H” had a moustache which rivalled that of a gentleman in Mons town council who had visited Warwick earlier in the year.  They were like kindred spirits.  Power to the moustache.

Next was to Mailly-Maillet on the SOMME in 2016.  Invited by our friends the Great War Society along with Tommy’s Sisters from Holland.  Tommy’s Sisters are by far the best WW1 British nursing group and they’re not even based in Blighty.  We set up a large camp in the centre of the village who hosted us admirably.  All groups came together for the village’s Remembrance Parade and conducted their own pilgrimages to areas of interest on the Somme.   The Warwicks followed the routes taken by various Battalions of the Regt 100 years to the hour on the 1 July 1916/2016.

Our last overseas jaunt was supposed to be to the Asiago Plateau in Italy where the Regt fought in late 1918 but technicalities prevented us.  Maybe for the future?  Not to be put off we went back to France and Belgium to revisit Mailly-Maillet, Auchonvillers and Albert as well as heading to Vimy Ridge, Mons, High Wood and other places en-route.

In between these jaunts we carried on with our usual business of historical events, closed training, school visits and film work.  You can see some of the members in the the superb film Journeys End.  Our non-WW1 impressions are developing and we feel confident that we are able to portray the British soldier from 1879 through to 1919.  Our default impression is as a pre-war 1914 Regular Infantry Battalion.  As far as we are aware the only group doing so too.

New members are welcome, you’ll find details on this site, and we’re pleased to say that younger interest has come about since the Centenary.