Yorkshire War Time Experience

The Yorkshire War Time Experience, the north’s biggest event is only 20 mins drive away for me and PTE Heaton. As so, I drove up the site during the week for a recce of our trenches, over the winter they had fallen in badly and needed work, I cleared some nettles and left a sign with our name on it. Some Suffolk’s wanted to join us this weekend, our new 3DIVIA group is set for this purpose. 

I packed Thursday evening, taking almost every bit of kit I had in the garage, 5 ammo boxes, cammo net, sandbags, various pioneer tools & the 14 man tent. 

We arrived Friday evening to find Col/SGT Hebden sunbathing, we unpacked the tent and sleeping gear, the rest we left in the car. Friday was evening was a little windy and had a chill, so we tried the beer tent for warmth, here we found PTE Pozniak, not 2 mins after getting there, Ben and his dad Paul, from the Suffolk Regiment LHG had turned up, so I ran along to great them and show them the camp, after they were settled I ran back to beer tent..£4 for 3.8% beer from Morley...we decided cans of beer from our stock was better so headed back. 

Saturday morning was pleasant, it was obvious it had rained in the night which wasn’t a bad thing, as it kept a lot of dust down. The rest of the Suffolk’s then arrived, this was a brilliant effort, they all had to set off around 4am to get there on time, closely after them PTEs Wilson and Etherington and PTE Dennington.

After we’d all greeted each other we made our way to the trenches, where we found PTEs Dixon and new Member Elliot, everyone now on display we had 15 men & 2 ATS. 

Throughout the day the men made the trenches as comfy as possible, we also watched the stuff going on the in main arena, plenty of armour and vehicles to be seen, followed by a post war Battle & a First World War battle, then more vehicle displays.

“All In stew” was made for dinner on the Col-SGTs petrol cookers, brilliant for quick pots of tea and warming stew, however a little scary to use as you’re cooking on a pressurised petrol burner...basically a small bomb. At 3.30 the main battle Started, for me I never really enjoy these big battles as there’s too much going on to think about, and the spacing is too close, but we joined in with the Duke of Wellingtons and took the right flank, we moved up behind a Stewart tank and had to wait for him to stop until we could deploy, this took us about 60feet away from the Germans...we deployed and tried to make it look good, we won pretty quickly, after the battle we had some water and then it was finish time. Back to camp for a few beers and sociallising.

Again we attempted the beer tent, but after an hour we moved back to camp, we spent all evening chatting and getting to know each other and even finished off a bottle of port. 

Sunday was pleasant weather again, me and Col-SGT Hendon cooked breakfast for everyone, sausages and bacon grill. 

Back in the trench for much of the same apart from a new skirmish, we were treated to the battle of Crete, with some Brit’s in full KD chasing off some fallschirmjager who’d landed, they then continued to run across open ground, to meet the Germans, who counter attacked and pushed the Brit’s back in to the original fixed positions...

In the battle we moved further right this time and took some German trenches, then moved passed the Stewart when he stopped, by the time the Stewart had stopped, the Germans were no more then 30 feet away, so we couldn’t fire any weapons for safety, as a result all the East York’s and some Suffolk’s took hits, lieutenant Preece took the remaining Suffolk’s and Duke of Wellingtons further up to capture the Germans. That’s the problem with all the armour on these big battles, it’s not correct tactics for infantry to follow them up the field, and not safe for us to go in front, this results in us being far too close to the Germans by the time we can safely deploy. After the battle we packed down and moved back to camp. A few of us emptied the sand bags in to the pyro holes, idea being that next year the trenches should be left deeper. 

After everyone had packed up we thanked the Suffolk’s for a great weekend, said our goodbyes and set off home, landing 20 mins later. A brilliant weekend.

CPL Heaton

York Army Museum 8th June 2019

By the time I arrived, I was greeted by Sgt Hebden, Cpl Heaton, Pte Heaton and ATS Mellor. They were busy sorting out the dining shelter. I got parked up and joined the effort. The dining shelter was soon up and we were busy arranging the display. We were joined by Privates Hancock, Dixon and Dennington. Despite a damp start the weather was improving and the sun decided to make an appearance. I decide to take the canvas of the Jeep. This was a big mistake as no sooner had I done so than it started to rain. At first, the rain was only slight and we soon had a few members of the public stopping to chat.

As this event was on the 8^th of June we wanted it to have a strong emphasis on what the East Yorks did on D-Day. The museum was playing its part and had arranged for East Yorks D-Day veteran Bert Barrett to attend. To meet Bert was the actor William, who will be playing Bert in the play Bomb Happy and the show's producer/author Helena. The play is being performed at the museum on 14-16 June.

 Additionally, we had Jane Milne, daughter of East Yorks D-Day veteran Captain Oates, visiting. Captain Oates won the Military Cross for his courage and determination in getting his men off the beach and taking their objective despite being wounded.

Jane had very kindly provided us with many of her father’s documents including his personal diary. A great addition to our understanding of the East Yorks on D-Day.

We were visited by BBC radio York as part of their Finders Keepers feature. This gave us the opportunity to get a bit about the East Yorks live on the radio.

As the day progressed the weather worsened with only a few brief rain free spells interspersed with heavy rain. At several points, the display was completely without public.

Lunch was had and the weather continued with the odd dry spell and a great deal of heavy rain. By 15.00 hrs we had no public and the cold was beginning to seep in. So we started to tidy up the display ready to call it a day. The Sarge went to get changed and I put the canvas back on the Jeep. As soon as these two tasks had been completed it stopped raining and the sun came out and so did the public. We then had a final flurry of interest in the display. At 16.00 hrs we started to pull the display in which was hampered by a constant stream of interested public. Gradually everyone got there kit sorted and loaded into cars and people started to depart.

I stayed with Pte Hancock who was waiting for a pickup. I had loaded the jeep and Pte Hancock had piled up his kit ready to load into his van. However, the public was still interested and we kept getting kit out and then putting it away again. Eventually, Charlotte arrived with the van and we were able to get loaded up and get on our way.

Sargeant Hebden And Corporal Heaton keeping dry in the museum

The crew

The Rain

The public

Kentwell Hall 3IDA event 27th and 28th April

Left home at 10.45, Picked ATS Mellor up and after a fairly decent voyage (apart from an unscripted tour of Cambridge), we arrived at Kentwell Hall at 4.30pm. The officers tent was set up for the purposes of a cooking, a few of the Suffolks group were already there setting tentage up. Cpl Heaton and Pte Heaton arrived about 6.30, we immediately put up the 14 man tent. The East Yorks are no strangers to Kentwell, we used to take part in the "Requisitioned" event every October, i think its about 10 years since we last visited for an event. Afew more of the Suffolks arrived, so it was time for a visit to the pub (The Hare)  at the end of the very long drive, a few beers were consumed and it was soon time to head back to camp and bed.

 On Saturday we were woken by the Suffolks Sgt at 07.00, A breakfast of Bacon grill butties and tea was consumed, it was then time for an O Group, followed by section drill, i took the small group of East Yorks (now joined by Pte Dennington), for some drill, we did both foot and rifle drill, we practiced the "about turn on the march", which was very good indeed - even i am getting the hang of it now!.  At 10.00 am we had an opening parade, taken by Lt Preece, this was followed by Platoon drill, i took this, with CPL Gibson taking over for a bit. It was soon morning break time, this was followed by the East Yorks sitting in on the Suffolks weapons handling tests, lunch was had at 12.00pm (stew). The afternoon was spent on section tactics, first a single section and then 2 sections, we moved into the woods and did some firing in support of a small skirmish with Sgt Shane and C/Sgt Legg acting as the enemy.  Lt Preece then gave a very informative lecture on patrolling and house clearing - That was the training part of the day over. We had a look at the hall and a walk round the site, a BBQ was had and as the weather turned a bit wet, we retreated to the "Turks Head" (a small pub next to our camp), later on we went back to the Hare for a very sociable few beers, we stayed there until 11.15pm.

Sunday dawned a bit damp and windy, the start time was a bit later - this came in handy following the social activities the night before! The cooker then decided that it was going to break down (faulty gas regulator), i had a small spare stove, so this was used to cook a lovely breakfast of sausages, we then had a morning parade, this was followed by the group splitting into 2 groups - one group did house clearing, whilst the other group went onto the woods to practice Patrolling  - Lt Preece took the house clearing,  i took the Patrolling exercise - this was again done using Sgt Shane and C/Sgt Legg and the 3 ATS ladies as an enemy, the idea was that we would patrol into the woods and try not to be detected - on both forays into the woods, both patrols were detected - it was a very interesting exercise. Given the poor weather, it was decided that we would finish training and break camp earlier than the the programmed time, a final parade was had and we then set about taking down tents and packing vehicles. Goodbyes were said and we set off on our respective journeys home.

This was a 3rd 3IDA event and the Suffolks "home" event, there will be more - i think this alliance is the way forward - common minds, same uniform, same ethic, all that's different is the cap badge. A very good weekend indeed, interesting and informative lectures, good interaction between the 2 groups, a lovely location, good sociable evenings - whats not to like! 

C/Sgt Hebden

East Yorkshire Regiment Living History Group Morley St Georges Day 2019

East Yorkshire Regiment Living History Group Morley St Georges Day 2019

In order to make an early start, I packed the jeep up on Saturday evening. I had decided to take the radio tent as the weather was unsettled.

After a short and uneventful drive, I pulled up at the side of the road to drop the Jeep’s windscreen so as to make a proper entrance. As I got back into the Jeep I noticed a car pull in behind me. This turned out to be Pte’s Dixon and Hallet. With them following we entered the rugby ground and found our designated place. We had cowboys to the left of us and the Home Guard to the right.

We soon had the tent up and our small display laid out on the ground. With a bit of time to spare between the show opening and the public arriving, I dispatched Pte Hallet off in search of water. Meanwhile, I unpacked the Hurlock stove and prepared it for lighting. As soon as I had the water I set about getting the stove going while Pte’s Dixon and Hallet had a look around the other displays. The stove was a bit slow and had just got up to temperature when they returned. We had a warmish cuppa and chewed the fat. There were one or two folk about mainly from the other stalls so we were gently eased into the display routine.

There was a brief lull just prior to the parade returning so we ate our sandwiches and had another cuppa. Eventually, I managed to get the stove working properly and were able to keep the char flowing.

Just after midday the parade, led by Sir Kevin of Morley on his horse, arrived back and so did the public. We were soon flat out explaining the kit and equipment. There were many and various display in the arena covering the many ages of conflict. The grand finale was the WWII battle. The German contingent dutifully took its place in the arena but the P.A. was in the hands of a lady overseeing a tournament between some knights. The tournament didn’t sound like it was going to end but was eventually cut short and the battle began. The Germans were “dug in” around a 1970’s Ford Escort with a Jago Jeep body kit on it. First, they were attacked by some airborne chaps in a Jeep who were then backed up by some British infantry. That sort of just fizzled out. Then they were attacked by the Russians and after that by the Americans who won the day.

While all this excitement had been going on we had got the tent down and packed. As soon as the last of the public had disappeared Pte Dixon fetched his car. Both the Jeep and the car were quickly loaded and we departed.

Despite the weather having been very good I felt that there weren’t as many public as in previous years. My attempts to turn the conversation towards the East Yorks on D-Day did not succeed and I was a bit frustrated by this. Having said that we had a good day and it didn’t rain.

Cpl Lycett

Bodrhyddan Hall - 13 & 14 May

I packed on Wednesday night, collecting the 14 man tent (or 16 natives) from CPL Lycett’s house, this way me and PTE Heaton could get a quick get away on Friday evening. 

Friday came and we got a good get away; by 18.06 we were on the M62 down, it didn’t take long to leave England and enter Wales, as we arrived nearer our destination the scenery was amazing. A country road took us along the mountain side and overlooked the coast, I can imagine during the summer this is a great view to set your eyes on, however....this isn’t summer... it is early April....

After arriving at Bodrhyddan Hall it was clear, that my guess of warmer weather down south was wrong, and in fact I’d rather be in Castleford. The tent went up super quick and beds put up in F1 timing. Me, PTEs Heaton & Pozniak, Colour SGT Hebden and ATS Mellor retired to the Radio tent for a warm and a beer, a bottle of port helped keep off the cold, it was VERY VERY cold and windy!

Saturday was sunny but windy, with a morning frost, our camp set up on the far hillside was well attended, for a first event it had lots of public, PTEs Etherington, Wilson & Klejnow had arrived and helped set up our display. 

The 2pm Fire Display was short and sweet, PTE Heaton gave a short talk about our group and kit, then me and PTE Klejnow took the public through the Lee Enfield no.4 and Mk2 Sten, the blanks for which were kindly supplied by the organisers, this was a warm welcome from a new event, a number of the big events don't contribute to ammunition, it’s nice to know some event organisers appreciate us travelling and bringing original kit along for their events. 

Saturday evening after PTEs Pozniak, Etherington and Wilson had departed, we decided to go in to the local village for a beer and walk around, we visited the sea and found a pub for some food, at £8 a round though we decided to leave and find another pub, to my delight it was showing the Leeds United game...4 games left before promotion! We sat down and had a lovely meal together. 

Saturday night was warmer and beers around a fire were enjoyed, Sunday morning was much the same as Saturday...until the sun went away. Wind, wind and wind kept us cold all day, ATS Mellor’s lovely stew gave us some warmth at dinner time, and just after the firing display we packed up. One of the earliest pack downs we’ve done and quickest. By 4pm all of us had said goodbye and were back on the M62 north. A brilliant weekend!! 

CPL Heaton 

Pickering Castle 2018

So to the season finale and the East Yorks stormed Pickering Castle! (Not much to storm nowadays!) No A64 closures so traffic was normal for this weekend. Members arrived Friday afternoon and evening and bunks were set up in the Education Room then set off into an unseasonably mild but blustery night to sample a few beers. Lights out was around 12.30am and the heating and extra blankets weren’t needed. What a contrast to Friday night at Rufford!

Saturday morning saw more arrivals and the camp was set up in the castle grounds. Weather was still mild but the wind became stronger and was to cause problematic for the tent later in the day.

The training scenario was a section attack on a German bunker with pyros and plenty of blank-firing weapons with Pte Heaton giving his much detailed talk about the battalion, uniform, kit and weapons afterwards. The windproof smocks came in useful to portray late 1944 infantry. There were around thirty viewers and most obviously knew what was happening turning up minutes before the start.

Lunch came in the form of a delicious stew made with anything that needed using up! As we were lining up after the 2.30pm scenario the tent finally gave way to the wind so all hands were needed to erect it again.

Saturday night was Col. Sgt. Hebden’s East Yorks stag night so members dressed in best BD’s and civilians with the Heatons attired as gangsters. Well, they are from Castleford! Didn’t turn out to be much of a stag night as we were all back at the billet by 11.00pm with rolls of unused cling film! Lightweights!

Sunday turned out to be a miserable wet day with relentless rain. The scenarios were altered so no pyros or Bren team, and the talks were done in the Chapel. Visitors still turned up so the show must go on! Thanks to those who did brave the walk up to the Castle to see us.

Again the same faces turned up as they have in previous years and the 9 year old had brought his mate this year.

Because of the weather the English Heritage guys in the hut said we might as well pack up early so most were on their way home by 4.30pm, just as the clouds were breaking! Can’t really grumble as we have been very fortunate with the weather for quite a few years at Pickering.

Still a great weekend though to chat and chuckle with friends.

PTE G Cooper

Rufford Park 2018

This year saw the groups return to Rufford since 2015. After a change of organisers it was decided that the group should attend an event that has been on the calendar for many years before. A lovely setting in the grounds of a 12^th century abbey and later a 16^th/17^th centuries stately home.

On arriving camping and exhibitors were lead to their destination at walking pace by a guy with a red flag or one playing a flute!

Friday afternoon was T-shirt weather as tents were pitched but due to clear skies the temperature dropped and we had to wrap up well under the dining shelter then trekked over to the Rose Cottage for a pint or four.

And now to Friday night/Saturday morning which will be talked about for years to come as it was ‘expletive’ freezing!!

We awoke (or not for those who couldn’t sleep!) to frost but the sun soon warmed up and we were in shirt-sleeves. This year we had no commitments so time to chat and wander. After more arrivals our numbers rose to eleven and as well as the usual dining shelter table-top display, there was Pte Pozniac’s radio set up (the typewriter a favourite with the kids!), Pte Haycocks’s RAMC display and Pte Clewlow’s 1930' Ford hotrod proved popular.

As with Friday the temperature dropped but still some of us hardy souls braved the trip to the Pub and the night proved to be not as cold as the previous.

Sunday before long became a pleasant day, the crowds flocked in and our display was busy with interested visitors which included ex-services who had used some of the weapons on show. We also had an excellent view of the NFS scenario with the guy hosing the flames 50 feet up the extendable ladder. Wouldn’t get me up there!

Rufford housed officers and its grounds were used by the Army during the War so a very appropriate setting and it’s hoped that it still has a future within the WW2 re-enactment calendar.

PTE G Cooper

Spetchley Park 11-12 Aug 2018

Spetchley Park 

We chose this event to be this year’s outing for our relatively new 3^rd British Infantry Division Association.  Made up of three individual WWII British Infantry re-enactment groups ( Suffolks, Warwicks & East Yorks regiments ) we had tried this out at the Victory Show last year where it had worked well so Adam and I were looking forward to seeing another successful outing for the combined group.

Spetchley Park is a fine Georgian stately home and grounds in Worcestershire just off the M5 south of Birmingham. After an early start on the Friday evening we managed the trip from Castleford in two hours twenty minutes which appeared to be the shortest travel time for any of the attendees. Horror stories of delays and roadworks and traffic jams and one trip taking in excess of five hours suggested we had got off lightly.

After getting beds set up in the 14 man tent we spent a pleasant evening under the dining shelter and later at the beer tent. The pop-up bar ‘The Wheatsheaf’ was there again giving a representation of what the inside of a period boozer would have looked like.

This event is a multi-period event and covers re-enactors from the ancient Greeks all the way up to WWII with just about everything in between. This year they even had a group re-enacting the Texas Revolution of 1835/6. I have not seen that re-enacted before. For those not in the know this was a rebellion of colonists from the United States who joined forces with Texas Mexicans to take up armed resistance against the Mexican Government (Remember the Alamo!). It ended with Texas becoming independent from Mexico and then later Texas applying for and being granted permission to join the Union of the United States of America. Anyway, history lesson over now. What I was trying to say is that it is an event which literally has something for everybody.

In view of the event taking part in the landscaped grounds of the house, we were not allowed to dig in and show ‘troops in the field’ as our display. Instead, we depicted a tent city of troops in lockdown in holding camps prior to embarkation for Operation Overlord. It worked – a tent city it was indeed. We even had a medical aid section and the ATS working to fix a problem with the transfer box of a Jeep.

Saturday morning was intense. Parades, introductions, rifle drill and square bashing started the morning off.  With the numbers from three different groups, we had more than a full strength Platoon including an Officer and appropriate NCOs. I could tell that this was going to be a good weekend.  The morning finished with the groups splitting into separate sections and repeatedly practising the left/right flanking movements. This was time well spent and paid massive dividends later.

After lunch, we were given some time to ourselves to look around and see the other re-enactments/mock battles ours being last of the afternoon and scheduled as a ‘skirmish’. Seeing thirty plus WWII Tommies in full battle order is not something you see often and we received many comments of approval from the audience as we moved into place ready for the skirmish to begin. I thought it was probably going to be a bit one sided as there were only about twelve German Fallschirmjagers against us.  

As to how the skirmish went, well I can’t tell you from a first-hand account. I guess it was like that back in 1944 as each individual soldier only saw his little bit of something much bigger. It seemed to go well to me and I had seen the other sections moving independently under the control of the Officer. Then, after the action was over and we lined up at the crowd line for safety checks and to receive applause, the commentator on the public address system could not contain himself and went wild with appreciation.

Shortly after when we joined in with the final parade of all the re-enactors we had many complimentary and appreciative comments at what we had done.

With the public departing as the afternoon concluded the rain clouds gathered and it turned rather wet. Adam and I had intended to put best kit on to go the Beer tents. Not wanting to have to spend the following day in a damp heavy woollen serge battledress, we changed into modern (comfortable) kit. This was a wise move.

Across the evening we again received many appreciative comments regarding our skirmish. Somebody commented that it was the best WWII battle the event had ever seen to the point that we didn’t look like re-enactors. No, we looked like real soldiers.

Sunday morning started dull but brightened as it went on. After a spot of square bashing, we had a walk through how a platoon attack works with the three sections moving independently to support each other. Now I could understand how and why the public, the other re-enactors and the commentator were so impressed.

The Sunday skirmish came a little earlier and started off with us being caught in a cloudburst as we formed up, just to make it unpleasant. However, this had blown over by the time the skirmish started.  Lessons had been learned from the previous day. Adjustments were made to the shape and the events of the skirmish. Again it went well to me but this time the commentator was even more excited and enthusiastic saying it was even better than the previous day!   

 After another final parade of all the re-enactors, it was time to pack up. After saying fair well to all our chums both old and new Adam and I set off home at about 5.20pm. An early departure helped by the fact that some were staying another night and so the tents and other facilities did not need to be taken down and packed.

Again it was about two hours and twenty minutes home and after swiftly unpacking we paid a trip to the pub for a final beer before bed where we talked and talked about how good the weekend had been.

This was indeed a very successful weekend and has again proved the concept for combining groups to form a Divisional Unit. I think it is the future for WWII British Infantry re-enacting and understand plans are already in hand for similar events next year. I can’t wait!

Article by: PTE Dale Heaton. 

All Photographs Courtesy of David Hartland of the AFPU Reenactment Project

Pateley Bridge 28th-29th July 2018

Pateley Bridge 2018

When I set off for Pateley Bridge the weather was hot and sticky. I made the 30-mile drive in good time but the sky was looking increasingly dark and heavy.

Dave and Christine had arrived earlier and got the dinning shelter up. We quickly unloaded the jeep and started getting the big tent up. I was still dry but it was threatening rain. We then set about getting the Radio tent up. This was to be used for accommodation for Anna and the girls. Just as we put the last few pegs in the first drops of rain fell. This quickly turned into a deluge. It was at this point that I realised I had made a bad choice of clothing. I was wearing a T-shirt, shorts and sandals. I had my uniform with me but nothing else. Adam and Dale arrived and got their kit stored in the big tent. Bill also arrived and set up his radio display shelter ready for the morning

The rain persisted for the rest of the evening. Anna the girls and I stayed at the camp while the rest ventured into Pateley to sample the local beer and food.

It was beginning to get chilly sitting under the dining shelter so an early bed, but not to sleep. I was woken at regular intervals by the torrential rain battering the tent. It was so loud that I couldn’t hear Christine trying to speak. I have spent many rainy nights under canvas over the years but I have never heard anything like this. You couldn’t even hear the Sarge snoring.

It was still raining at daybreak so Anna and the girls decided to break camp and go home. While they were getting organised I breakfasted and got into kit. Slowly the clouds began to clear and eventually the sun showed its face. We got the display sorted out and we were joined by Tim Shellcock and Chris Dennington. The public soon started to arrive and we had a busy day chatting and explaining the various bits of kit. The organisers provided meal tokens and a detail was sent off to gather the supplies. It was just a sandwich and a bag of crisps but more than most organises bother to provide. About 3.30 p.m. it began to cloud over and soon it was raining heavily. This stopped the flow of public and soon we were just standing in the rain chatting to each other. We got the display undercover and Chris and Tim set off for their respective homes. Once again a small party headed out for the highlights of a wet evening in Pateley Bridge.

It quickly got cold and I made an early retreat to the warmth of the relatively dry tent. Saturday night was much the same a Friday and again it was still raining at daybreak. Adam and Dale made an early departure. We breakfasted and waited for the weather to lift. After a while it became clear that the weather was set in for the day and there were no public about, so we reluctantly decided to call it a day. We then set about dismantling the camp but still leaving something to shelter under. We got the big tent down and I had to put the jeep under the dining shelter to load it and then get the canvas upon the jeep. All my kit was put in the radio tent and then the dining shelter was taken down. I had earlier let Anna know we were calling it a day and we only had a short wait in the rain before she turned up. We soon had the car loaded and then got the radio tent down and thrown on top of the big tent in the back of the jeep. I bet we look a right sorry sight. Goodbyes were quickly said and we were soon heading for home.

A good little show spoilt by the sudden return of the British weather.

Yorkshire Wartime Experience 7th - 8th July 2018

Yorkshire Wartime Experience 7^th – 8^th July 2018

This is a local event, for some of us, in Hunsworth, Bradford on the CleckHudersFax ridge. This is its 7th year of running and we’ve supported it since day 1.

Pte. Heaton and I arrived on Friday evening, to find Col Sgt. Hebden and Pte. Klejnow already there with the dining shelter up, CPL Lycett had earlier, dropped the 14 man tent off, to return later on. After a couple of beers and catching up at camp, we headed to the beer tent, Pte. Clewlow had joined us by then.

Saturday morning Privates Etherington, Wilson, Sprague, Hallet, Shellcock & Dennington all arrived in good time and we were all on site and ready with an hour to spare. We set up our display in our usual trenches. The display looked quite impressive. Cpl. Lycett used the Jeep to position the 6 pounder under the tree between the two trenches. The two 3" Mortars were sighted in the left-hand trench. The right-hand trench was used as a communications trench. Pte. Etherington had bought a couple of rounds for the 6 pounder. The trenches were then liberally dressed with ammo boxes, personal kit and small arms. Additionally this year Pte. Klejnow and I had rented a live Bren gun. PTE Hancock joined us and helped making for a very strong turn-out.

It was already warm and the heat proved to be a problem for us in full woolen uniform, even in shirt sleeve order. Tin hats had to be worn at all times and proved to be very hot. We always try to be as accurate as possible in our actions as well as our dress, so for the battle, we kitted up in skirmish order, full battledress with skeleton webbing. We had 10 men in the field and 3 LOB firming the mortars, this worked very well, the battle plan, however, as it most times does, went a little odd.

We had been asked to form up behind the Valentine DD tank and follow it out until it stopped. We were then expected to deploy left and right, go firm and put down covering fire so another unit could storm the German defenses. The problem was that the tank never stopped and we ended up almost on top of the German positions completely exposed to their fire. While we were trying to sort out this mess one of the other unit stormed the German positions and it was all over.

After the battle, we watched a superb flypast by a Lancaster bomber from our trench, sadly the fun ended there. The "Tank rides" had been going most of the day, and gotten quite giddy, by the afternoon they had started taking long corners fast and were kicking up dust everywhere. Every time they went past we were treated to a smothering dust cloud. Not only does this ruin hundreds of pounds worth of kit, it is seriously bad for our health. We suffer this as long as we could but were forced to retire to camp.

Sunday was much if the same, but we swapped Pte. Hallet for Pte. Pozniak, he brought his radio gear and sent up in the small communications trench.

Today’s battle went better but not without some excitement. The tank set off early before all the pyro’s had been fired. So we walked out into a barrage of explosions. Every time the tank moved forward we were exposed to another set of explosions, getting slightly singed and showered in debris every time. However this time we were better positioned and managed to subdue an armored car that was causing a certain amount of difficulty. The Bren performed well, with me as no.2 and Pte. Klejnoiw as no.1.The close proximity of the pyros was somewhat unsettling but made for a very authentic experience.

Again the Lancaster gave us another excellent fly past. It’s been two years since we’ve seen it, and then we get to see it twice in one weekend, a nice treat. The tank rides had taken advice from the organizer about slowing down and keeping dust to a minimum, so life was much more bearable in the trenches.  At around 4.30 it was time to pack up, the many pairs of hands soon made short work of the de-camp. At 5.15pm we were all packed up and ready for home.

A very very enjoyable weekend for us all.

CPL Heaton

Harrogate Valley Gardens 17th of June 2018

Harrogate Valley Gardens 17^th June 2018

The Valley Gardens event is another one-day event, set up to help raise funds for the restoration of the Old Magnesia Well Pump Room by Friends of Valley Gardens.

Our attendance was hindered this year as Cpl Heaton decided to get married on the same day. Having said that we managed a reasonable turnout.

I arrived first closely followed by Colour Sargent Hebden, we were soon joined by Pte Dixon, Pte Pyle and Pte Sprauge. The day started cloudy and threatened to rain. C/S Hebden had brought the dining shelter which we decided to put up just in case it did. We quickly got sorted out and the public started to arrive. Pte Dixon laid out his One Man’s Kit, display which as you might infer is everything that one man would carry. This is a very effective way of getting across to the public just how much the WWII British Soldier was expected to carry.

Harrogate is always a very busy show and this was no exception. Soon we were going through the various bits of the kit to a seemingly never-ending audience.

The threatening rain never materialized and we were treated to a flypast by a Spitfire at 2.30.

In no time at all, it was time to pack up. We were all keen to get off as some of us were due at Adams wedding do later that evening.

This show is going from strength to strength and the new organisers are keen to keep improving it. 

York Army Museum 9th of June 2018

York Army Museum 9^th June 2018

I had the Jeep pack and ready to go on Friday evening. I was looking forward to our annual display for the York Army Museum the next day. On Saturday morning I was on the road bright and early. I had arranged to pick Dale up en route and I was soon pulling in at the designated layby. Just as I got out of the Jeep Adam’s car pulled in behind me. We quickly got all Dale’s kit loaded on to the Jeep and we were back on the road. It was a lovely sunny morning and our spirits were high as the Jeep trundled along the road.

We got to York in good time and Colour Sergeant Hebden and ATS Mellor were already herding the geese of the display area. We had just finished erecting the dining shelter when Pte Dixon arrived closely followed by L/C Shellcock and Pte Dennington. We got the display sorted and the museum provided the first cup of tea of the day.

Very soon we were talking to many people from all sorts of backgrounds. At one point we were mobbed by a group of Chinese tourists who all decided to climb into the Jeep at the same time to have their photograph taken. One of them told me of his father who had fought in the Second World War and had been captured in Burma. He had survived that and after the war returned to China to be imprisoned by the Chinese state. I also met a Chinese Naval Captain retired. Cups of tea were regular but it was difficult to find the time to drink them. We took staggered lunch breaks just to keep the numbers on the stand up.

The event at York is a great event. You get to talk to people from all over the world. We had a good talk with a couple who had just come into York to buy some pillows. I also talked to a group on holiday from Lithuania, one of who was in the Lithuanian Army.

The display area, on the grass below Clifford’s Tower, is quirky but good with lots of exposure to the passing public. It is also a great opportunity to support the East Yorkshires Regimental Museum.

RAF Elvington

Colour Hebden and I arrived late Friday afternoon and between us managed to set up the dining shelter with a bit of a struggle. A little later CPL Lycett arrived with the 14 man tent and between the three of us we managed to put that up as well. A little later still PTE and ATS Clewlow arrived with their white bell tent. The NAAFI was not open which was a bit of a shame but we spent a pleasant evening nevertheless catching up on news. 

It rained quite heavily during the night but we stayed warm and dry with just three of us in the 14 man tent.

After a massive 'full English' in the NAAFI courtesy of the museum we were on duty by 10.00 performing our duties as gate guards and perimeter defence. By this time PTE Shellcock had arrived and we took in turns on duty with each of us being relieved every half hour. The weather gradually brightened up as the day wore on and the afternoon was particularly pleasant. Many photos were taken of us as we marched on and off our stints at the gate. Saturday evening turned damp pretty quickly and it rained very heavily all through the night. Fortunately the NAAFI was open and we took advantage of the bar, just to take shelter of course!

Sunday morning dawned cool and damp but again it gradually brightened up and the afternoon was very warm indeed. Our day was much the same as Saturday including another massive breakfast though CPL Lycett & PTE Shellcock had departed. They were replaced by PTE Sprague. Whilst we had not intended our little encampment to be a display and merely be our sleeping accommodation and rest area, our habit of not fencing ourselves off paid dividends in that it encouraged visitors to talk to us and ask questions. I spent most of Sunday afternoon giving lectures and demonstrations on the Lee Enfield No .4 MK I and the MKII STEN!

As things wound down towards the end of the afternoon some of us had the privilege of having a guided tour around the Halifax Bomber which had been taken out of its hanger and parked outside. Whilst it looks huge and imposing on the outside, there is very little space on the inside and I am now even more impressed with the achievements of the brave men of bomber command.

Whilst we were small in numbers there were just enough of us to manage and overall it was a very pleasant weekend. I think the museum were happy with our contribution to their event.

Private Dale Heaton.

St George's Day Parade, Morley

Report by CPL Heaton 

As PTE Heaton and I packed the car, the morning was a fresh crisp spring one, the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a nice day. 

We arrived in Morley to find C/SGT Hebden and CPL Lycett already waiting, with the dining shelter out. After 5 mins the shelter was up and PTE Dixon with PTE Hallett arrived. 10 mins later we were set up and waiting for the public. 

At 11.30 the Parade arrived, and brought with it, the rain! Former East York’s member Kevin Morley leading the parade as St. George on horseback. The public descended and with us being right next to the entrance we had lots of interest all day. 

Before long it was 4.pm and time for the ending battle, we packed up and watched it from our shelter. 

A very nice a local first event for us. Just what you need to blow the dust off the webbing and BD. 

Pte Heaton on tea duties

Personal Kit Display

Infantry Weapons Display

Cpl Lycetts Jeep

Early Morning Sun

Pte Dixon explaining the Bren 

Pickering 1940s

The final event of the year with the group based in the castle grounds and use of the education room. Friday saw the arrival of Sgt Hebden, Pte Cooper, Cpl Heaton, Pte Eaton and Pte Pozniak.

It was usually mild for the time of the year and a pleasant time was had in some of the water holes of the town. 

Saturday morning and still mild when Pte Roberts, ATS Mellor, Pte Etherington, Pte Sprague and Cpl Lycett turned up with ATS Dennis in support. The training scenario involved not one but two snipers with Pte Cooper's Oscar deserving casualty performance stealing the show! 

Saturday evening and those still around stepped out in various outfits conversing with familiar faces and friendly locals. 

Sunday and the temperature still in the high teens with the addition of Pte Shellcock, the group went through the same routine of welcoming visitors and reenacting and a new addition, the Key Parade for Pickering Castle. Nice to see the same young faces who make a point of visiting us every year. We must make a good impression. It was a really enjoyable and successful event that concludes the 2017 season.  

Pte Glen Cooper 

Victory Show 8-10 Sept 2017

Hi folks, it's been asked of me to write a few lines on the Victory show, so this is a Grandads point of view!

It's been on the cards for a few months that several groups would join together for this event and show British 3rd Division 44'45 in their glory. Luckily for us no re-badging involved. 

So, I arrived on Friday, all excited for my first event of the year. Some lads already in and others arriving throughout the day. Numbers were well up for the East Yorks as everyone was expecting it to be a good show. 

We all messed around with the trenches a bit and soon realised the organisers had given us only half the area needed....a great shame. It turned out we would field around 50 men between the groups. 

The atmosphere was good and moral very high. It was decided by the big wigs we would alternate sections to the pits, one hour on and two off. So on Saturday and Sunday this is what happened and it worked very well. 

The weather was only 'OK'...... On the Saturday morning the show announced cancellation of the air display due to weather conditions. This was very disappointing for us but more so for Joe Public who were, it appears, charged full whack. This affected the footfall no doubt, as much as the bad weather forecast. 

 We all thought the public were thinner on the ground this year as was armour and some other groups were missing. Made obvious by large gaps in the display field which we could have used well if we'd been given some more space. 

Many of us have attended other events with very few Brits so it was great to see this turned around at this event and have a big contingent of Brits. I felt very proud. 

I feel because we do it right more and more people see this and are coming our way, which is great. 

It was really nice to see so many old faces and with such a good turnout we were able to fill positions we often can't due to numbers. So special thanks should go to these men; Phil, Dave, Al, Bob and more - great to see you. Nice to see Chris Bell all the way from Canada and the Tigers who have been in this show since the start. 

The battle went well for us again both days. Well commanded sections working together and doing it right. I watched the battle myself on Sunday and I thought it would be rubbish but you know what, guys it was really good. Even though, the organiser had thrown in a Rambo that no one knew about! Cpl Heaton handled this very well indeed. 

Generally the feeling was that we had all enjoyed ourselves. We did a good representation. We handled the events problems well. We were pleased to work with other units. 

For us, it all worked and went well. Thanks to all concerned;
Suffolks 
Warwicks
East Yorks 
Leicesters
Middlesex 
RAMC 
DR 
Provosts 
Officers and NCOs
And if I missed anyone I'm really sorry. 

I hope we can repeat this someday 

Pte Etherington