Why Do The British And Kiwi's Dress Up In Old Uniforms?

Army group south are great guys.We had them at the MAAF FlyIn last weekend.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43047&id=100000087798917
Also seek out Terry Kronk with his fw190 replica.They have a little “show” as well down in Helidon.
http://www.landandairshow.com.au/

For my displays , im at least in my prime – 30s or just past it :).

http://heritageflightgear.blogspot.com

Im a tall fella for me im a 6’3 225lb bloke.

10years ago i weighed 180lbs tho… so lifestyle and working does catch up with people…

I did find climbing into the Sabre jet with parachute on tad hard few years ago… 🙂 needed to do more stretches…

Doing a P-40 display last year was interesting – the P-40 is so roomy cockpit…

I do agree with some people that an age or physical constraint is maybe suitable for some renactments.

More important the stuff is preserved for future generations i feel.

I met the family of a very famous RAAF pilot at the HARS airshow this year while i was dressed in my 1960s RAAF Sabre gear. I was actually quite a popular item to photograph as most of the public had never seen the flightgear before on display and asked questions.

The family thought someone honouring their father’s role was most humbling and appreciated. Their dad’s name was on Sabre jet for display.

I commend you, looking at old aeroplanes is interesting but I think I have one fly-in/airshow too many with the current format in Australia, we need more re-enactment – flying gear displays to revive my interest. Ex-military vehicles are always a great interest and add a lot of value.

Of particular importance is the value they add in allowing photograhers to get a complete picture the vehicle, plane and the crew back in period attire.

I have enclosed an image from 5 SQN RAAF Operations Log showing the typical vehicles thatthe squadron had at the time they were at Toogoolawah in 1942/3 (now Watts Bridge). Wouldn’t it be great to see some of those vehicle types given pride of place along with the aeroplanes.

cheers

Thats who I was thinking of! Born in New Zealand …

Teamwork, that’s us! 😀

Thats who I was thinking of! Born in New Zealand …

Unless they flew in 11 Group in the Battle of Britain … ! :diablo:

Details, please. At my age, the memory machine SUCKS! 😮

BTW, does Keith Park count as a “Dominion” guy, or a Brit? :confused:

In the end, the “Dominions” ended up reporting to either Brit, or American commanders.

Unless they flew in 11 Group in the Battle of Britain … ! :diablo:

… the operations of Australian forces were hampered by restrictions placed by McA, which relegated Australian & Dutch units to areas that got little attention and were perceived as being “less important” than those which American troops were tasked with.

Hear, hear! I commented in another thread how many Australians volunteered for, or were sent to, the action in North Africa & Northwest Europe.

However, the “400 Series” Squadrons seemed to have their TRUE identities in parentheses e.g. 410 (RCAF) Squadron, or 455 Squadron (RAAF).

The Australian situation was much worse than ours, in that we were never victims of direct attack, other than some tragic U-Boat action in the St. Lawrence.

In the end, the “Dominions” ended up reporting to either Brit, or American commanders. “Dugout Doug” was certainly the worst offender in diminishing Commonwealth efforts, in my humble opinion.

For my displays , im at least in my prime – 30s or just past it :).

http://heritageflightgear.blogspot.com

Im a tall fella for me im a 6’3 225lb bloke.

10years ago i weighed 180lbs tho… so lifestyle and working does catch up with people…

I did find climbing into the Sabre jet with parachute on tad hard few years ago… 🙂 needed to do more stretches…

Doing a P-40 display last year was interesting – the P-40 is so roomy cockpit…

I do agree with some people that an age or physical constraint is maybe suitable for some renactments.

More important the stuff is preserved for future generations i feel.

I met the family of a very famous RAAF pilot at the HARS airshow this year while i was dressed in my 1960s RAAF Sabre gear. I was actually quite a popular item to photograph as most of the public had never seen the flightgear before on display and asked questions.

The family thought someone honouring their father’s role was most humbling and appreciated. Their dad’s name was on Sabre jet for display.

The thing that makes me laugh are the American ACW reenactors who mostly are about 3 times the size in all directions of the real soldiers of the period.

Dunno if it’s still up, or of one of the people pictured has sat on it, but it’s well worth Googling “Fat re-enactors”…

Adrian

Apparently, my depreciation of the American “contribution” and my attempt to portray the view that the Australian efforts in New Guinea and elsewhere were “tainted” by American meddling and credit-seeking were too subtle for you.

I certainly did not interpret your posts as being deprecating to the American effort in the SWPA. Your subtlety was lost in the impersonal nature of the internet.

Gooday

Didn’t reasile that original ww2 webbing is valuable, wonder what one of those strap on HF field radios is worth in its original box complete and working. I was thinking of tossing it but couldn’t bring myself to do so. Got a lot of Marconi radio units out of a Canberra as well HF units from the equipment bay.

A lot of webbing is still very available and very cheap – but if you really want to make a mint, put a replacement for good old blanco on the market – the original stuff is now as rare as hens teeth and therefore very expensive.

Mate, don’t make the mistake I did and ask one why they do ‘dress ups’; I did and had to deal with a bloke having a real hissy fit.

I collect British and Commonwealth service firearms and have a near-complete representative collection of all main arms from 1810 to the late 1950s. I also have a decent collection of militaria and uniforms, but I have no desire to actually wear any of this stuff. I figure that as I’m 39 years old, I’m a little too old to play the part of a 19 year old infantryman. To each their own though.

I’ve uploaded a few You Tube videos of my firearms, and the comments section of some of them are interesting to read in relation to reenactors;

http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollygreenslugg

Good for a chuckle.

Cheers,
Matt

Firebird

Well the biggest aviation event in my neck of the Woods is the QVAG Festival Of Flight at Watts Bridge and I don’t recall seeing a lot of them there – maybe the odd one or two, certainly a lot of very interesting ex-military vehicles.

Would love to see it in an organised way.

cheers

Bager1968

There is a term often used in Australia called “******” and I can tell you that if I dressed up then I would feel like a ******.

Having said that, I would love to see the custom of dressing up to come into fashion in Australian.

Maybe your reverse logic question is the right one to ask.

We do have medival re-enactment groups and they get right into in, but it hasn’t caught on with the ex-military groups in any big way.

You haven’t looked too far then have you….. this lot are from your neck of the woods I believe 😉

http://www.armygroupsouth.org/

I see a chap at Sywell a couple of months ago, dressed as a LAC, all of 65 years old and hadnt had a wash for almost as long, well judging by the smell when we passed him!

Umm ….. maybe he was the real thing and hadn’t changed his uniform for a while.

However speaking of reenactors, we do have a fairly thriving interest in it in Australia, but it is relatively small. The thing that makes me laugh are the American ACW reenactors who mostly are about 3 times the size in all directions of the real soldiers of the period.

Gooday

Didn’t reasile that original ww2 webbing is valuable, wonder what one of those strap on HF field radios is worth in its original box complete and working. I was thinking of tossing it but couldn’t bring myself to do so. Got a lot of Marconi radio units out of a Canberra as well HF units from the equipment bay.

ummmm – what Proctor/Auster/Tiger bits can I swap them for! Remember aircraft restorer rule number 1 – never give anything away swap for something you need or can swap on. Gets around the awkard question of money.

Daniel, what shows have you done around Brisbane, Australia

cheers

The days of 40 pattern BD tops for £3 at the corner army surplus store are long gone. There must be 4 or 5 different suppliers offering new battledress to re-enactors now, and prices start at £95 for a BD Blouse – tailored of course to the fuller, taller figure……………

Ben Gunn’s in Pompey… long gone now, but in the ’70’s every kid at my school used WWII gasmask bags & backpacks for carrying stuff to school. He must have sold thousands of them…

I have seen the ‘B5 bomber’ Crew twice, Their tasteful displays of British aircrew clothing and equipment are in my mind second to none. To see how the kit was worn, and all of the different patterns is a must to see. The lads themselves actually look the part. Being of an age comparitive of RAF aircrew certainly helps paint the picture. In this context renactment is education.

What I cannot stand are the re-enactors who are largely overweight and of years befitting OAP’s who squeeeze themselves into uniforms thinking they ‘look the part’. give it up lads, you are not a good representation of the fighting man of the forties!

I see a chap at Sywell a couple of months ago, dressed as a LAC, all of 65 years old and hadnt had a wash for almost as long, well judging by the smell when we passed him!

You don’t want to dress up in old uniforms any more anyway – they’re far too valuable!

Original Denison smocks are now going for £5/600 and are increasingly too valuable to wear – hence the spawning of a worldwide industry creating reproductions of everything from socks to appropriate paperwork to fill your pockets to battledress and ammo boots

Every dustbinman used to wear leather trench jerkins – now there is a trade in reproductions as the supply of originals has virtually dried up (Conolly hide food does the trick…)

The days of 40 pattern BD tops for £3 at the corner army surplus store are long gone. There must be 4 or 5 different suppliers offering new battledress to re-enactors now, and prices start at £95 for a BD Blouse – tailored of course to the fuller, taller figure……………

Even 49 pattern BD is disappearing. 44 pattern webbing sets used to be as cheap as chips – now you hardly ever see them.

The more I study the full history of American-led campaigns in WW2, the more I am impressed (or depressed, rather) by the sheer naivety, borderline incompetence, and unjustified arrogance of the American generals.

As opposed to the huge UK victory at Arnhem?:rolleyes:

Blunders were conducted on all sides.
I tend to give generals (from all sides) the benefit of the doubt…they were fighting a war in locations (especially for the Americans) undreampt of a couple of years before.

For an American general who came of age militarily in the 20s and 30s when America was largely isoltionist, and whose experience came from WWI (largely a UK/French show..and we know how well that turned out) I’m surprised they did as well as they did fighting in Asian jungles.

The UK on the other hand, should have been better prepared since they had colonies there to protect.
If the Aussies got the short end of the stick, I don’t think the Americans are to blame. The UK-Aussie leadership had plenty of time for plans and preperations to fight the Japanese on their doorstep. After all, Japan’s actions in Asia should have been a clear warning that peace would not last long.