With the passing of the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar we are know entering a ten year period of bi-centenniels marking battles from the Napoleonic wars.  The next big one to come up is Austerlitz on the 2nd December this year, the final marker will be Waterloo in June of 2015.

I am a Napoleonic enthusiast and re-enactor so the next few years should be pretty busy.  I fight in the British Napoleonic Association as a member of the 1st Light Batallion Kings German Legion, a re-enactment group that strives to recreate the winter camp life and tactics of the battalion in around 1809.  We have a camp at public events and dress in period costume, sleep in peiod tents and eat 18th - 19th century food.

The fun (noisy!) part is demonstrating Napoleonic Skirmish tactics for the public.  The orders are given in German and the men were more strictly controlled than the Sharpe series would like you to think.  The 1st Light Battalion fought in a uniform very similar to the more famous 95th Rifles and was armed with the Baker Rifle. We use replica weapons, our rifles are smoothbore due to shotgun licensing rules and obviously we don't load ball due to the possibuility that we might actually hit the enemy!  For those of you with an interest in History |I can recommend this as a passtime. Good friends, good beer and a healthy lifestyle.

Some background:

The KGL was formed in 1803 from emigres from recently fallen Hanover.  Small at first by 1809 there were 8 Line Battalions, 2 Light Battalions, Artillery, Cavalry and its own Engineers.  The Legion served with distinction throughought the war and was disbanded soon after its conclusion.

When Hannover formed it's own army it took the regimental histries of the disbanded KGL units and kept them on and when Germany was formed and these units became part of the German army the tradition continued.  Thus during the Great War there were several battalions on both sides that shared the same battle honours on their Colours.

The KGL is littkle known in Britain and the sacrifice of the men who served in its ranks is little regarded.    There are currently 10 or so fighting members of the re-enactment group and a similar number of non-combatants.  While we remember them their memory will not die.

Will

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That can't taste very nice, must be well beyond its sell by date now...

Waterloo - I wonder what the celebrations for that will be...

You mean the British and German soldiers won't be allowed to attack the French? How dull

Twas a surprise H... but I think it is the British obsession with fair play that lead to that unlikely alliance

Sounds reasonable Will

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??? does that involve hitting eachother with womens purses?

Beware the errant lipstick up the nose