War and Peace Show

You could tow a trailer with the K/rad on it!

the layout was very confusing –

as for very little aviation stuff – i saw lots of stuff

butterfly bombs, fuses, uniforms, helmets, some very nice pieces of Ju88, MG-15

in fact all sorts of stuff

i was looking for a german bakelite radio – found 3 all on 1 stall.

the vehicles field was way too large to see everything in a day and the trails around the vehicles was very confusing and full of dead ends.

it is the first time there and i am sure they will learn a lot from it.

Access to the site was excellent – glad it was dry otherwise it would have been a nightmare to get in except in a 4WD

long drive back to northampton was the downside

might take my kubel next year

The Lanc nose was by the funfair. Facilities and loos a lot better than at Hop Farm. Food good and not too expensive, beer pricy at £4. New layout seems to in volve alot more walking, rather than walking round the venue, you often have a long walk out along a strip only to have to walk all the way back and start again,also was a nearly a mile walk from my tent to the grandstand. Still a great event, bit too hot for me though! Massive site with so much to see, I doubt you could do it in day unless super fit and jogged!

It probably was on site, as there was only one at Brooklands last week when i popped in.

It is primarily a show for military vehicle enthusiasts so aviation content is low, some years barely anything, but we go because you never know !

I was lost this year with the layout totally baffling but after years of going to the old site hardly surprising, I looked for the Lanc nose but couldn’t see it I was hoping to have a chat with it’s owner but sadly it all got too hot for me

I have been to the last three W&P including this years. My observations. Toilets were certainly more numerous than the other site. There were even public ones in the various ‘fields.’ The arena has a flat public area instead of the large bank as at Beltring, definitely a minus point. There was little aviation content this year just the usual Spitfire, Hurricane and Me109 FSMs plus a Lanc nose. How you collectors could spot what interested you amongst all the trade stalls beats me! As an OAP paying £16.50 this is what I think I paid at the Duxford Autumn air show so the cost is relative.
Access was easy with the entrance within 400 yards of the M20 junction. The new site looks promising and as anywhere can be developed in the future.
mmitch.

Whilst GOKONE makes some valid points with which we all have sympathy and understanding, might I make a point in response?

Albeit that I didn’t go to W&P this year because I was too busy I am not sure that it is fair to lambast the organisers over the £18.50 entrance fee. As an organiser of a (very!) significantly smaller event the matter of admission fees is always a tricky one. Even at my event, the charging of £5.00 (or £15 and £10 for ‘early bird passes) gets annual howls of protest: “How much?” and “He must be making a fortune!” I wish.

We don’t know the overheads for W&P, but they must be HUGE! Yes, they have income from the traders and punters but the rent, infrastructure organisation, staff, insurance, advertising etc etc etc must be COLOSSAL. Plus, a pretty much 12-month admin task to manage. So, I think it is a bit unfair to be critical of admission fees at any event if we don’t know the full picture. No sane organiser will be wanting to charge a fee that is a rip-off or unrealistically inflated so as to deter visitors. On the other hand, a very low fee doesn’t necessarily compensate through a larger gate. At the end of the day, the organiser(s) need to make a profit. Such events are a business and the organisers don’t run these things out of a sense of altruism or charity. Frankly, with my little event the profit margin is mightily slim and most people, looking at that, would also say: “How much?” To a man, they would all probably say: “If you think I’d put in all that effort for that return…I wouldn’t!” Working it out on an hourly rate for effort expended…..well….no sane person would! :rolleyes:

So, I get ever so slightly rattled when there is criticism of entrance fees when we don’t know the full picture. For my part, I hope that the W&P organisers make a good profit – but just because the place is heaving it doesn’t always follow that they are. In this case, though, I suspect they are doing all right. And good luck to them. It will ensure there will be another event next year.

THE USUAL
I think all the vehicles turn up for free too and a breakdown of turnover and outgoings would be good to see. A major concern is that based on some of the events I’ve been to (and many others I’m sure) we often don’t do big events very well in terms of amenities and certainly not without high prices for some basics usually. I just don’t want to go and see silly prices for food yet again, as at Marham Families Day last year after the RAF were compelled to use a privatized concern who were just too expensive – £7.50 for fish n chips. it makes me very cynical I’m afraid.

Some dealers are staying for a fortnight and paying £150 for private toilets (imagine just 1 week of using public portaloos in hot weather!) and with the high temps we have at present it will be pegs on noses time again if the toilets at Folkestone fail to be emptied when needed as at Beltring in the past. This was especially offensive when downwind of the portaloos in the early 2000’s whilst trying to eat an evening meal, in the days when we did 4-5 days selling there.

Fish and chips were £9 at Buckingham Palace last week but they were very nice fish and chips. Also had posh portaloos but if you looked hard there was a brick built “Gentleman’s Lavatories” and that was very nice too.

WAR & PEE 2013

The last time I looked it was £13 admission some years ago at the Beltring location and I don’t care how many stalls in a field that allows you access to, I thought that was enough even then – but a single adult entry is now a whopping £18.50 and it seems that organizers feel that they can charge what they like. I can’t recommend that fee to anyone in these times myself.

THE USUAL
I think all the vehicles turn up for free too and a breakdown of turnover and outgoings would be good to see. A major concern is that based on some of the events I’ve been to (and many others I’m sure) we often don’t do big events very well in terms of amenities and certainly not without high prices for some basics usually. I just don’t want to go and see silly prices for food yet again, as at Marham Families Day last year after the RAF were compelled to use a privatized concern who were just too expensive – £7.50 for fish n chips. it makes me very cynical I’m afraid.

I don’t know what the toilet arrangements are like for the public, but based on previous Beltring ‘War and Pee’ experiences as we came to call it and the admission and fuel costs (no way I’ll let the ‘train take the strain” as suggested thank you, bearing in mind our over-priced privatized rip off merchants) I don’t think I’ll ever be going back to this particular show again. Yes you might find something aviation and make it worthwhile but the effort and expense is enough to deter some people at least it seems.

COSTS
One chap in Norfolk said it would be £50-£60 in fuel then the admission cost and then food and drink before he even started thinking about buying, I think these days more people will be conscious of their financial limitations but the real die-hards will still go I’m sure – and good luck to them.

Other costs if agreeable are a jive and swing band live in the V Marquee evening for £15 or a John Miller and his orchestra swing evening with wartime rations for £25.00 – day visitors of course will be heading home while its up to people staying over as to what else they want to fork out more money on.

As an exercise I’ve had one test rail quote of £29.90 from London Bridge (it will almost certainly be more) leaving 05.45am and returning at 19.45pm – just no way in the current hot weather for me thanks. Say £2.10 to get to London Bridge, then the £29.50, then £18.50 admission = £50.10 minimum. Though I need throttles for my Vulcan project I couldn’t justify that just for the hassle of the trains alone and getting up at the time needed let alone traipsing around in extreme heat looking for any treasured bits that might get snapped up beforehand anyway or are too dear to purchase.

Some dealers are staying for a fortnight and paying £150 for private toilets (imagine just 1 week of using public portaloos in hot weather!) and with the high temps we have at present it will be pegs on noses time again if the toilets at Folkestone fail to be emptied when needed as at Beltring in the past. This was especially offensive when downwind of the portaloos in the early 2000’s whilst trying to eat an evening meal, in the days when we did 4-5 days selling there.

Think I’ll do other more enjoyable things like watching the boats go by the panoramic Royal Naval College at Greenwich while sipping an iced ASDA GnT at non-extortionate prices, with a visit to the market and other free museum attractions with a walk in the park. I’ll certainly be keeping cooler and conserving some money (and energy) while not paying silly prices for food and bottled water and…………………

I heard there was a falling out with the Hop Farm so the new venue was found, silly for the Hop Farm to let such a big earner like that go. The new venue seems to be as big as before, but I couldn’t explore it all due to the heat, might go again not sure yet.

Why did they move from Beltring?

Lightning does strike twice 🙂

Didn’t spot much else, but I was weakened by the heat, some Arado stuff, canopy cowls etc, not much cold war stuff but there may be more stuff, it turns up all the time

I saw a very very nice deactivated Vickers K Gun for sale, the only one I have ever seen for sale, very very rare item

God, that brings a few memories back:highly_amused:

Vulcan throttles 🙂

Well JC, what did you buy?

I am off down there in the morning

hopefully a bit cooler going by bbc weather

my main interest is german militaria to go with my kettenkrad and kubelwagen

kettenkrad is up for sale if anyone interested

philip