Military Throuh The Ages 2023

Last year, I attended my first ever Military Through The Ages at The Historic Jamestown Settlement in Virginia as a spectator. This year, as a presenter... well, what can I say about this year's MTA? 

It. Was. Awesome! 



This year, I participated by joining alongside the WW2 unit the British 1st Para and the British Red Cross as a member of the Women's Voluntary Services. 

A little bit about The WVS: It was a voluntary organization erected by Lady Stella Isaacs the Marchioness of Reading in 1938 at the beginning of WWII; They collaborated with both the Civil Defense Corps and Air Raid Precaution Services (ARP) and were responsible for aiding civilians during the London Bombings. As they sheltered survivors in the Tube (London's Subway terminals), the WVS provided essentials such as food, potable water, medical care, and donated clothing to those in serious need. Over the span of 53 days, the WVS mucked in on pretty much all tasks such as ambulance transport, salvaging raw materials (iron from wrecked buildings, etc.) and transporting children safely to safety destinations in Northern England  and all the way up to Wales and Ireland and Scotland.  



My plan for this interpretation, was to mimic a mock "recruiting" spot to both recruit women into service (WVS, WAAC'S, BRC, ect.), and to inform civilians about preventative care for them and their families during the London Bombings, just as many members of the WVS had done 50+ years ago. 


Here are a few photos taken from the event 
Pictured with Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment (1775) 

Pictured with a member of the Rhode Island Regiment 

Me with Mrs. Caldwell of the British Red Cross 


Taken by a member of the 1st Para with her Polaroid Camera. Truth be told, I haven't seen one of those in ages, so it definitely brought back some childhood memories of shaking the picture for the ink to dry.  



As always, I really had a lot of fun talking with visitors and fellow Reenactors who also showed interest in World History, Military History, etc. 

I cannot wait for next year! 




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