04-20-2007, 09:50 AM
Adrian wrote:
Hello Adrian:
I remember in the Kirby Hall days when some of the various Roman groups came together. Not only did they field a legionary century there was also a large contingent of Auxiliaries including cavalry. As the Ermine Street Guard was the senior unit and at the time the largest it fell to Guard officers to org anise things. Which I am sure went down really well with the other groups! I do not know if you where there Adrian, as I was not wearing my glasses on duty so everything and everyone was a blur!
Guard members really looked forward to the prospect of me drilling them on Scarborough Roman signal station near the cliff edge!!!!
At the time I was squad leader of the Guard Auxiliaries so I had the pleasure of sorting out and drilling the group of Auxiliary infantry. Guard members were put at front and rear, non Guard members were placed in the middle. After a morning session of drill, the non Guard members could still not move from line of twos into column of fours and back into twos. Neither could they reform back into their original positions at Ad Signa. In this situation there is little one can do but to repeat the exercise and hope it will eventually sink in. After all, you can shout but some people do not appreciate being hit with the stick or butt of a spear! So we were still practicing when we were waiting to go out onto the display field which really annoyed some of the Guard members. (I got voted out as squad leader that year as a result, yes it was tough in the Guard!) Just as everyone seemed to be getting things right and we were about to go on the display in front of 12,000 spectators one member of another group just walked away! His colleagues offered the explanation that he did not like being ordered around which made me wonder why he had joined a military re-enactment society! Of course his action seemed to me to be not only totally unprofessional but he had just made it more difficult for those left in the ranks and who now had a gap to contend with. The following display and that the next day were both a total shambles, when the order was given to form on the standards soldiers were running around in circles trying to remember their position and then trying to swap places with the person standing next to them with arguments over who was in the right place, all this taking place in front of the public. For the first time in over 15 years of taking part in displays I actually felt ashamed.
The next year with even more members taking part and a much bigger Auxiliary contingent the new Guard squad leader asked me to help him out. It was not a happy prospect but I hit upon the idea of keeping everyone in their respective units even if that meant dispensing with the neat rows on the march, so one rank might have four the next three etc.... Everyone was next to someone they knew and could of course recognize their individual shield blazons and colours. I also adopted a less rigid formation when approaching the spectators and the soldiers fanned out but keeping their colleagues on either side and then reforming back into their own units within the whole column. It worked like a dream and compared with the previous year it was a pleasure to have taken part. I felt after-wards that I should have said at the end of the week end that it was a pity the Auxiliary units could not march together more often.
So Adrian if you want to bring together groups from all over the world to perform together and give a decent display you have my best wishes!
Graham.
Quote:My colleague Caballo (Paul B) came up with the idea that we (The RMRS) could make an open offer on RAT (romanarmy.com/rat) that any aspirant auxiliary group or existing Legionary group that wishes to have an associated auxiliary contingent, wishing to affiliate with the Batavians is very welcome, and can either be a ‘satellite’ peregrinus of COH I BAT or whichever Cohors (I, II, III, VIIII, Ala I). We would then provide the painting guides, epigraphic evidence, names, history, and advice free of charge via email. And of course, if people don't want to paint their own shield, a very similar off the shelf version from ‘Deepeeka’ is currently available. If they have a website, a credit and web-link to our site would be requested.
It could be the beginning of building a world-wide Batavian auxiliary unit that really would be THE leading (and largest) First Century auxiliary unit.
The opportunity to display at European events together would be fantastic.
Hello Adrian:
I remember in the Kirby Hall days when some of the various Roman groups came together. Not only did they field a legionary century there was also a large contingent of Auxiliaries including cavalry. As the Ermine Street Guard was the senior unit and at the time the largest it fell to Guard officers to org anise things. Which I am sure went down really well with the other groups! I do not know if you where there Adrian, as I was not wearing my glasses on duty so everything and everyone was a blur!
Guard members really looked forward to the prospect of me drilling them on Scarborough Roman signal station near the cliff edge!!!!At the time I was squad leader of the Guard Auxiliaries so I had the pleasure of sorting out and drilling the group of Auxiliary infantry. Guard members were put at front and rear, non Guard members were placed in the middle. After a morning session of drill, the non Guard members could still not move from line of twos into column of fours and back into twos. Neither could they reform back into their original positions at Ad Signa. In this situation there is little one can do but to repeat the exercise and hope it will eventually sink in. After all, you can shout but some people do not appreciate being hit with the stick or butt of a spear! So we were still practicing when we were waiting to go out onto the display field which really annoyed some of the Guard members. (I got voted out as squad leader that year as a result, yes it was tough in the Guard!) Just as everyone seemed to be getting things right and we were about to go on the display in front of 12,000 spectators one member of another group just walked away! His colleagues offered the explanation that he did not like being ordered around which made me wonder why he had joined a military re-enactment society! Of course his action seemed to me to be not only totally unprofessional but he had just made it more difficult for those left in the ranks and who now had a gap to contend with. The following display and that the next day were both a total shambles, when the order was given to form on the standards soldiers were running around in circles trying to remember their position and then trying to swap places with the person standing next to them with arguments over who was in the right place, all this taking place in front of the public. For the first time in over 15 years of taking part in displays I actually felt ashamed.
The next year with even more members taking part and a much bigger Auxiliary contingent the new Guard squad leader asked me to help him out. It was not a happy prospect but I hit upon the idea of keeping everyone in their respective units even if that meant dispensing with the neat rows on the march, so one rank might have four the next three etc.... Everyone was next to someone they knew and could of course recognize their individual shield blazons and colours. I also adopted a less rigid formation when approaching the spectators and the soldiers fanned out but keeping their colleagues on either side and then reforming back into their own units within the whole column. It worked like a dream and compared with the previous year it was a pleasure to have taken part. I felt after-wards that I should have said at the end of the week end that it was a pity the Auxiliary units could not march together more often.
So Adrian if you want to bring together groups from all over the world to perform together and give a decent display you have my best wishes!
Graham.
"Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream" Edgar Allan Poe.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
"Every brush-stroke is torn from my body" The Rebel, Tony Hancock.
"..I sweated in that damn dirty armor....TWENTY YEARS!', Charlton Heston, The Warlord.
