NEWSLETTER JUNE 2011

Welcome to the latest Newsletter which I hope will keep you as up-to-date as possible with the latest activities of SOSKAN.

The last 2 shows at Belhus Woods and Stratford Armouries went well, and the first rehearsals for the BMT really started to make things come alive.  More about that later!

However, the less happy news is that Tony Symes, our Projects Officer, has had to resign that post due to unexpected family commitments.  Hopefully he will keep up with what we are doing, but clearly his family come first. Tony Beer had generously offered to help out with Projects as well as keeping his Publicity hat, and we are hoping to enlist a couple of people to make up a small team to help him out with both of these tasks.  The main task is really getting events for next year, so if anyone has any ideas or can offer him a bit of assistance, he would love to hear from you.  The more the merrier!

Bugle Call
Is also still in need of your contributions!  We still need more content to make this a bumper 150th anniversary edition, particularly anything which emphasises the involvement of the UK in any area of the ACW– political, economic or social, so that it’s attractive to both the UK and US readership, and of course genuinely contributes to the Bugle Call’s main aims to educate and entertain the public as a whole.  So please dig out your favourite:

• Short stories
• Quizzes or puzzles
• Short cameo profiles of people from the UK who did something interesting or unusual
• “soundbite” pieces (sort of QI information!) about daily life

I’m sure there’s loads out there as some of you are mines of information, so even if it’s just a “one liner” please send it over.

Merchandising
Jane Searle and Paula are working hard on developing a set of items which can be sold at all shows, but particularly at the BMT.  It is an excellent way for us to raise our profile and gives even more opportunities to encourage new recruits. They will be asking everyone’s opinions and will be bringing along samples, so do please support them on this. 

Events
Our next events are on the website, but briefly:
Sunday 12th June  Purfleet Heritage Centre, Centurian Way, Purfleet, Essex. RM19
Saturday 18th June Hailsham Carnival - Camping from Friday 17th. to Sunday 19th.
Raised fires only 1.5 mile march through the town. Fixed bayonets allowed. Parade starts 2pm. approx.
July 30th and 31st Alabama Weekend
August 6th and 7th Broadlands - Broadlands Estate, Romsey, Hampshire. SO51 9ZD
August 27th 28th and 29th Detling Military Odyssey, Kent County Show Ground, Detling, Kent. ME14 3JF.
Sept 24th and 25th The American Museum in Britain, Claverton Manor, Bath, BA2 7BD.
Finally the British Military Tournament 1st- 4th of December
The presence of the Director of the BMT was very helpful at Stratford, and I think everyone much appreciated someone of his standing taking time out of an extremely busy work schedule to come along and support and inform us about the event as a whole.
Chris Joll has now provided us with a final script, so we are looking at ways in which that can be used at events.  If anyone has a PA system, a bullhorn or a very loud voice, please let Paula or Lesley know!  As the script is copyright, he has also given us instructions of what we are to say to acknowledge that ownership, but also to promote the event as part of the script.  A London based hospital radio station called Citybeat has kindly offered to produce a timed recording of the script which can be used at shows wither played out over a PA system, or used by a reader (hence the bullhorn), which should help enormously with the timing.  As soon as the first draft has been recorded we will pass it to the army commanders to have a listen and make comments about the timings, so we can get a proper sense of how things will flow.
The big question of overflow accommodation has now been resolved, thanks to the Trojan efforts of Paula who is doing the co-ordination for everyone’s attendance at this event.  The site has male and female accommodation (no married quarters), showers, cooking facilities, parking and a bus shuttle to and from Earls Court.  Please help Paula out by being clear about when you are attending the event, (whether you want accommodation or not) so your name is on the list for security.
As mentioned before in earlier briefing notes, there will be somewhere to leave costumes and uniforms at Earls court for the duration of the event, there is a very secure facility for weapons etc.
One word of warning for those of you who will be in the arena is about the floor surface.  It is a particular material designed to be non-slip for horses as well as people, but it secretes a slightly sticky substance, which can cause drag, so you are advised to bring along some Fairy Liquid to wash the boots after each performance, so you don’t get glued to the floor at the crucial moment.
The event is being launched on 7th June, and some of our members will be attending that, and the photo shoot associated with it. Following the launch, at all our public appearances to December 2011 we have been asked to announce via the PA system and/or printed programmes that SOSKAN will be performing at BMT 2011 and that tickets can be bought via www.britishmilitarytournament.com.

One of the key issues which arose was the use of bayonets and ramrods, and the army commanders are looking at that from both a scenario and a health and safety angle over the coming months, and will be encouraging as much training and practice as possibl.  There will be further rehearsals at Broadlands, Detling and finally Bath, where Chris Joll will again visit to see how we are progressing.  The main problem with using ramrods is that one of our Association’s Regulations excludes the use of ramrods by members on the field:

RE3.2 Musket ramrods may be carried, but not used on the battlefield, with the exception of one per regiment,                                                                                                            which is to be carried by a designated member of the regiment, for the sole purpose of clearing fouled musket barrels.

It has been proposed by both Tim Chance and Russell Francis as the army commanders that this Regulation be changed to read:

Musket ramrods may be carried, but not used on the battlefield, unless prior agreement has been made by the officers of both sides and the Executive Committee, with the exception of one per regiment,                                                                                               which is to be carried by a designated member of the regiment, for the sole purpose of clearing fouled musket barrels.

This mirrors the Regulation about bayonets  which we already have and which will remain:         

RE3.1  No edged weapons will be used during close combat, except by prior agreement of both sides officers. Edged weapons with the exception of bayonets are only to be carried by Officers and NCO's unless by prior agreement of both sides officers and the Executive Committee. 

Since this is only a Regulation, and does not substantially change the Constitution, it does not need an Extraordinary Annual General Meeting to be called in order to chage it.  However, as it is a significant change in our practices at events, it is important that we get the approval of the membership before putting it into practice.  Therefore a voting slip has been included in this Newsletter, which should be returned to the Secretary by 1st August.

VOTING PAPER
PLEASE RETURN BY 1ST AUGUST TO………………….

RE3.2 Musket ramrods may be carried, but not used on the battlefield, with the exception of one per regiment, which is to be carried by a designated member of the regiment, for the sole purpose of clearing fouled musket barrels.

It has been proposed by both Tim Chance and Russell Francis as the army commanders that this Regulation be changed to read:

Musket ramrods may be carried, but not used on the battlefield, unless prior agreement has been made by the officers of both sides and the Executive Committee, with the exception of one per regiment, which is to be carried by a designated member of the regiment, for the sole purpose of clearing fouled musket barrels.

Please tick the statement with which you agree:

I AGREE WITH THE CHANGE OF REGULATION 3.2 INDICATED BELOW…..

I OPPOSE THE CHANGE OF REGULATION 3.2 INDICATED BELOW…………

Name

Regiment

Date

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2011

By now most people should have been briefed by their Officers and NCO’s regarding the events this year, so I hope you are all getting ready for the first proper show of the year at Belhus Woods (see below for full details, which are also on the website).

One of the main things we want to promote this year are the camp tours, and to encourage the public into the camps, and the general consensus is that we need more visual encouragement for people to visit.  Paula is therefore looking into the suggestion that we have more banners, which can be used to attract the  public, and hopefully we will be able to look at some designs, and perhaps a trial one to assess at Belhus. Paula has done some costings for  one large Banner and two medium Banner but will wait for more ideas at Belhus, so we have a variety of choices to decide upon.  The main suggestion is that each banner should have our logo in the top two corners with our name in-between, possibly two photos of our battles in the other two corners then a message about what we do (“bringing the American Civil War to life with battle re-enactments, displays and living history”).  We will also need a space for a black painted square which can be written on for the battle and other activity times.
  
It has also been suggested that we need something a little more in keeping with the authentic camp, for example a chalk board big enough to attract attention with the details of times of events etc.  However, this could be bulky, and depends on someone turning up with it.  Are there any ideas of how we could do this in a reliable way?

We would also like to establish a focal point at shows which are essentially for information and recruitment, and will have a timetable for camp tours, battles and any other activities.  If anyone is willing to take on this task, let me, Al or Paula know.  It has also been suggested that the youngsters could be involved with handing out flyers to the public, with details on them to encourage them to turn up, with perhaps an “incentive” that everyone who comes along will get a free $1 Confederate dollar bill – we used to have a supply of these, so if anyone knows where we can get a big roll of them, that would be great.

The main event of the year is of course the Earls Court show, and I hope that the two Briefing Papers I sent out to Officers and NCO’s who should pass this information on to regimental and company members.  If you have not seen both documents, please ask them.  This is really the best way to cascade down information which is coming out at a more rapid rate than for normal shows, as it does not entail extra work and expense in sending out hard copies.  We will have hard copies at each show, and of course if anyone feels that they are out of the loop and does not get information from the usual sources, let me know and I will get it to you.

Belhus Woods Country Park, Romford Rd, Averly, Essex, RM15 4J
29th April to 2nd  May.
Camping is from Friday midday to Tuesday 10 am.
To get to the authentic camp enter main gate to park go through second gate and follow road through.  The camp site will come up on the right hand side.
To get to the family camp, come through main gate and take road on the left hand side.  Follow the road and enter the first gate on left. This is also to be used as the authentic car park. Cars are to be lined up against the fence on the right hand side.
The plan for the week-end is:
Saturday morning drill practice and maybe a camp scenario if anyone has one.
Saturday afternoon BMT meeting for rehearsal plan for officers and NCO’s where possible or company representatives.

To View the Draft Camp Layout please click here.

NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2011
Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2011.

As you will see from the latest events list, there is a lot of nervousness around about finances. Some large events nationally are being cancelled, and Tony, our Projects Officer, is getting a number of enquiries, and has been chasing up leads, but none of them are keen to put money on the table, so I’m afraid at this point in time, we are looking at rather a lean time.

However, this could be an advantage, as it means that we can all make a special effort to support each event, and we can also try to make every show count by improving our image and making a greater effort to engage with the public. At the Officers and NCO’s meeting, which will be on Saturday 5th March at the Training week-end at Stratford Armouries we can discuss how this can be done, so that every regiment or unit can take part.

At the recent EC meeting, it was decided to make one of the currently vacant EC positions into a specific Health and Safety Officer post.  If you are interested in offering yourself (or someone else!) let Lesley know. At this stage it could be covered by more than one person so don’t be shy!

The EC also decided that the Bugle Call and the Newsletter would revert to their much earlier purposes.  The Bugle Call will focus on articles and information about the ACW, and the Newsletter will have information about events and day-to-day issues.  We would like the Bugle Call to come out twice a year, and we already have a keen team who are actively looking for articles on the following:
Army or Navy Union or Confederate;
Civilian life;
hints on “How To Do It” particularly for new people,
“Did you Know” which should be short but interesting facts or figures,
a Kids section with games, quizzes or some such,
and generally anything which you think would interest or entertain not just our members, but members of the public, to whom we may either give or sell the magazine.

As a theme for this year, we would like contributions which reflect the impact the ACW had on the UK – economically, politically or personally, and I am sure there is a whole load of information out there to pull up, so please start your contributions coming through NOW!  E-mail to Lesley, who will pass them to the relevant Bugle Call team member.

As for the NEWSLETTER, we are planning to issue this around 6 times a year, and the next one will have more details of the events, such as directions.  However, Tony our PR Offficer is working hard to get full details up on the WEBSITE, which will give directions, and hopefully camp layouts, so do please start looking on there from early February. Tony would still appreciate any help from web literate members to up-date and generally keep the information on the site moving.  Do call or e-mail him if you can help.

NOW FOR THE EVENTS SO FAR!

5-6 March  Training Camp. Also Officers and NCO’s meeting on the Saturday at 2pm sharp. Stratford Armouries.  Camping from Friday night, toilets, firewood etc will be provided.

16th.+17th.April. Wimpole Hall.  This will not include a battle, as there is now no money on the table. Contact Projects if you would like to go as a vendor, or just as decoration.

Sat 16th April. Excell WarGames event is on as well at The Excell Centre, Docklands, London. It’s a paying event and we need about a dozen Federal and a dozen Confederate, plus any civilians who wish to go.

30 April-3 May Belhus Woods.  Battles on Sunday and Monday.

28th.+29th.+30th.May. Stratford Armouries.  Battles on Sunday and Monday.
 
COLCHESTER IS CANCELLED 23rd.+24th.July. Colchester Army Days. Below is an extract from the e-mail received from Howard Giles of Eventplan regarding this cancellation.
With great regret I have to inform you that the Colchester Military Festival has just been unexpectedly cancelled, another victim of the current financial situation. Although the festival was pretty much self-funding and highly successful, there appears to have been a major change in MoD policy following the latest defence review and the festival has become longer financially viable. I'm informed that the army's other surviving main public show, the Aldershot Army Tattoo, has also had to be cancelled. I'm really sorry to have to tell you all this, as you can imagine it has come as a blow to EventPlan too.  Naturally if any other event opportunities arise I'll let you know, but as you would probably agree, its starting to look quite a challenging year.

30 + 31 July.  The Warrior for the Alabama Crew.

6th.+7th.August. Broadlands. Two battles each day, Saturday and Sunday.

27th.+28th.+29th.August. Detling.  Battles Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

24th.+25th. September. Bath. Battles Saturday and Sunday, beer tent plus music Saturday.

Thursday 1st of December 2011 to Sunday 4th of December 2011.
British Military Tournament at Earls Court London.

More details will come out on the website / forum and in next newsletter as they unfold. 

It was agreed at the EC meeting that event points would be awarded for each DAY that members attend for any official SOSKAN event, regardless of how many battles take place on each day.  This will include events to which SOSKAN has been invited and in which we take part as SOSKAN.

As well as our dwindling events, we are also suffering from a slowdown in membership renewals.  Kim would like to emphasise that renewals should have been in by the end of January at the latest, so if you know anyone who has not got round to it yet, give them a nudge! He can be contacted at e-mail: kimpunderwood@hotmail.com

We have been approached by the American Civil War Round Table UK, who would like to have closer links with us, which can only be a positive thing.  They are an academic group, who issue a very interesting magazine Crossfire, and have conferences and talks on all aspects of the ACW.  Their next conference is on 7-8th April in Oxford. We will be exchanging information with them in the future, and plan to publicise each others events, so do check them out. www.americancivilwar.org.uk

If anyone wants to comment, contribute or volunteer his or her time and talents to any of our activities, just contact me.  In the meantime, stay safe and warm!

Lesley
assesors@inspiron.co.uk

Executive Committee
Lesley Borzoni – Chair, Karen Smith – Treasurer, Paula  Shipton   - Secretary
Kim Underwood – Membership, Tony Symes – Projects, Tony Beer – Publicity
For first contact, e-mail them via the addresses on the website