Present were, Darren & Owen Paul, Peter & Val Holt, Malcolm Sarah Christina Alistair & Byron Smith, Guy Story, Claire Morris, Gareth Hamilton, Lindsay & Tom Wilkinson, Andy Charton & Anne Bland, Chris & James McAneary, and of course Tug & Georgie the Beagle puppies!
Saturday morning after roll call & signing in, we all got ready for a firing display, and a drill session in the arena to open the carnival. Mark, Kelvin, Stephen, Susan & John of the 118th Pennsylvania, and Hoppy, Laurence and Kel from the US Signals mucked in with us to form a good sized 2nd Company. The drill and firing displays in the arena were really good and professional.
Not long after we were to get ready for the parade through the town from the leisure centre back to the event field. Around 11.30am an open top bus took two trips to take ACWS members to the leisure centre for the start of the parade. After waiting around the car park for around 30 minutes watching the Market Deeping fire engine shoot off to an emergency, and then various members of the Market Deeping public dress up in American related costumes....Elvis, Wonderwoman, Statue of Liberty, and a UFO from the film Independence Day (LOL), we started on the parade. We marched through a couple of residential areas, which were really quiet, before having a rest stop in front of a residential care home where we were given welcome drinks by the organisers. We then marched on to the town centre, where a few hundred people had gathered. Once back at the event field we stood down having only an hour to get a bite to eat before the battle at 3.30pm.
The battle arena was really only a postage stamp! Two cannons each side had been carefully positioned but we were all desperately short of room. From our starting positions at the top of the area, the 19th Indiana went around the rear of the cannons and out on the left, whilst my 2nd company had very little room, and we pushed down the right, tight up against the arena ropes (thanks to Corporal Mark Hamilton of the 118th Pennsylvania for keeping our line nice an tight against the ropes). We pushed the really small company of Rebs towards their cannons, and continued firing until they went down. The Union massively outnumbered the Confederates again, by my estimation at least three to one. The battle over, we lined up for the usual firing display and march past before moving back to camp.
After the battle the public were around the camp again. They were all really friendly and polite, and complementary of our displays.
Once the public and fairground had left, the field was ours again, as well had tea and sat around the campfire chatting. An impromptu game of “shovel cricket” was played between most of the members who stayed over, after Tug the beagle found a tennis ball on the BMX track. John McCullough’s team beat Tim Davies team 38-32 after a fierce and competitive contest, of hard running, stylish bowling, and impressive catching. Fun time by all
Everyone seemed to be up early Sunday morning and many were ready to leave before 10am (what a shock!!!!). Good time was had by all I believe, roll on Hingham on the 11th July.
See you next time
Claire
