08-19-2006, 01:14 PM
Yes, Graham, I had heard that one about the plastic bag footwear. My friends never mentioned this one to me, although they did say that the 'direct weld' boots they were issued with simply fell apart after a couple of weeks use. One chap did say that he saw a Para stripping boots off a dead Argentinian soldier after measuring his own feet against them. Mind you, this is a Marine talking about a Para - so it may just be service rivalry!!!!
Of course, you are probably right about the appearence of the Guard depending on who was present at that particular event. I have several groups of photos of the Guard, taken both at Caerleon and at other events and they never look completely the same.
I think that there is a special problem where the army of Imperial Rome is concerned. So much of what the Romans did is mirrored in the armies of modern states that there is a tendency to think that if they were so alike in some ways, then they were alike in all ways - and there is no real justification for that belief. One of my little 'tricks' when giving talks at the museum in Caerleon is to read out the OOB for a Roman legion but then point out that it is almost identical to that of the British force that retook the Falklands (OK, Blues & Royals light tanks as the recce element instead of cavalry scouts, but you get the idea). Virtually every element of modern British Army practice can be recognised within a Roman legion - but it's still going to create pitfalls if you think that this is necessarily so! I am at some pains to make this clear to my audience.
Of course, it's not just the Imperial army that gets this treatment. The recent BBC film about Hannibal had every single Roman soldier dressed in red! However, I did think that someone had been to considerable trouble for this film as there were so many details that they had obviously researched, even down to the proper form of the senatorial footwear. Maybe there's hope for us all yet?
Of course, you are probably right about the appearence of the Guard depending on who was present at that particular event. I have several groups of photos of the Guard, taken both at Caerleon and at other events and they never look completely the same.
I think that there is a special problem where the army of Imperial Rome is concerned. So much of what the Romans did is mirrored in the armies of modern states that there is a tendency to think that if they were so alike in some ways, then they were alike in all ways - and there is no real justification for that belief. One of my little 'tricks' when giving talks at the museum in Caerleon is to read out the OOB for a Roman legion but then point out that it is almost identical to that of the British force that retook the Falklands (OK, Blues & Royals light tanks as the recce element instead of cavalry scouts, but you get the idea). Virtually every element of modern British Army practice can be recognised within a Roman legion - but it's still going to create pitfalls if you think that this is necessarily so! I am at some pains to make this clear to my audience.
Of course, it's not just the Imperial army that gets this treatment. The recent BBC film about Hannibal had every single Roman soldier dressed in red! However, I did think that someone had been to considerable trouble for this film as there were so many details that they had obviously researched, even down to the proper form of the senatorial footwear. Maybe there's hope for us all yet?
visne scire quod credam? credo orbes volantes exstare.
