NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2011

Welcome to the Autumn Newsletter. The season seems to have gone really fast, but all the shows have gone well, and we had a particularly good turnout at Romsey and Detling. Both these shows have had good battles, but the problem of getting members of the public into the camps remains, despite efforts of individual members. The 1863 Town Square Project which appears later in this newsletter is proposed in order to address this issue, and I urge members to think seriously about it. This newsletter also includes details about the British Military Tournament, which many of you have been waiting for, so do please have a good read!

Bath
Chris Joll will be coming along on both Saturday and Sunday to see how the BMT rehearsals are coming along, so there will be at least two walk-through’s and rehearsals, where we will experiment with the new portable PA system. It’s called a Block Rocker, and we are hoping that it will be really useful for smaller shows where there is not a PA system available from the organisers. We will use it both for a playout for the BMT commentary to help with timings for the rehearsals, and for the presentations on Sunday. Times of the rehearsals will be clarified by the army commanders and advised when you arrive Friday afternoon/Saturday morning. As most of you will know by now, there will not be any beer in the beer tent, so bring your own. There will be music and the usual group, so no change to the entertainment and the fun!

AGM
The usual date for the AGM is mid-November. However, as the BMT is only a couple of weeks after the usual date, it would be unfair to a new EC to be loaded with this responsibility, so the AGM will be transferred to Sunday 5th February at 12.00 as usual at Theale Green School. Nominations for the new EC should be made as soon as possible and you can download as many Nomination Forms as you might need. ALL posts need to have nominations. Even if someone in post is willing to stand again, they will need to be nominated and seconded. The final date for nominations to be received is 3rd December, so that Voting Papers can be sent out for postal votes before Christmas. We know for sure that Kim and Karen will both not be standing again, so we need pretty well a completely new EC and it is very important that we get a full working EC for this coming year, as we are very short of shows.

Bugle Call
Hopefully by the time you read this, the Bugle Call will be in it’s final stages, and will be ready for you to read before we start to sell it at the BMT. Many thanks to Patrick and Simon for their hard work on this.

Ramrods
Many thanks to those of you who voted on the change of the regulation on ramrods. The result of the vote was in favour of the use under strictly controlled circumstances, so the new regulation has been included in the Constitution, Rules and Regulations as follows: RE3.2 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.

Link to earlier newsletters please Click here

Accommodation
Scout Park address is Gordon Road London N11 2PB.
Arrival time from Tuesday 29/11 /11 is from 10 am till 10 pm
Departure time is Monday   5/12/11 11am.

For those of you staying at EARLS COURT, Warwick Road SW5 9TA, you should arrive from Tuesday 29/11/11 at 10 am.  Departure is Sunday, but if you wish to stay over until Monday 5th please could you let Paula ASAP know as security need to have the details of who is staying as a matter of urgency.

Paula will be bringing to Bath the details of where people will be staying either the Scout Park or Earls Court, and will give each officer the relevant paper work. This will include Scout Park rules and regulations, which must be observed fully.

Parking.
Thanks to the local Council changing the parking regulations around the Scout Park from 1st September, the best parking option now is Arnos Grove station, Bowes Road N11 1A. The cost is £22.50 five days and a £1 for Sunday.  The car park is manned and has CCTV cameras twenty four hours so is very secure. It is within easy walking distance of the Scout park, so you can drop off your kit and other equipment at the Scout park, and then put your car away for the rest of the time.
There is NO PARKING at Earls Court, except for designated vehicles bring in cannons and black powder.  Paula has the details.

Transport
A coach has been booked to pick up from the Scout Park each morning, and come back at night.  Exact times will be given on the individual days, but think around 7am in the morning to pick up, and leave Earls court no later than 11pm.
If you have any queries about the Scout Park, please DO NOT contact the park directly – they are dealing solely with Paula, and will only refer you back to her, so please do not embarrass them by calling them.
 
Surface
The surface in the arena is equestrian non slip material.  It is a Vaseline base, and is very thick, so is comfortable to fall on, and will not damage clothing, but the recommendation is to wash the soles of your boots in Fairy or similar, to prevent them getting too sticky.

Passes
Everyone who is coming to the event will have a pass issued to them, and you must also carry their SOSKAN membership card along with the pass at all times.  Only full members can take part in the event– no “guesting” will be permitted.  Non-member friends and family etc. are not permitted to go back stage, so if you are meeting people who are attending the event, you must meet them in the public areas only.  Paula will be sending the full list of registered participants to the organisers very soon, and anyone who is not on the list will not be given a pass, and will therefore not be able to take part.

Extra rehearsals
A field belonging to the Chiltern Open Air Museum Newland Park, Gorelands Lane, Chalfont Saint Giles, Buckinghamshire, HB8 4AB has been booked for the week-end of 15-16 October.  There is a single large field, in which we can rehearse and camp. Raised fires only. There are brick toilets and showers, water points and an overspill car park which can also be used by caravans at the end of the field for our use.  The field is completely fenced, so there is a barrier between us and the public, who will be on site during the week-end.  Access will be from 4.30pm on Friday, and departures on Sunday.  Vehicles are not permitted to drive through the site while the public are around between 10-5, so camps are best set up as close to the car park as possible if you want to leave before 5pm on Sunday so you can walk your things over to the car park.

Please note this is a MUSEUM, it has ancient buildings, open air exhibits and equipment all round the site, so extra care must be taken with property and buildings.  Smoking is only permitted in the areas away from museum buildings and exhibits.

The Museum also has a very sensitive ecosystem, so if you are using the showers etc please only use ECO-FRIENDLY products as they drain into reed beds, not a main drainage system.

The museum is well placed for access by car from all main motorways, and has brown directional signs from the M25 and the A413 Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter.  There will be leaflets etc available at Bath, and a map of the campsite.

You are advised to bring all the food and drinks that you need for the week-end with you, as there are no shops, restaurants or pubs within a 5 mile radius.  The Museum will also be locked at night, and there will only be one key for the main gate, so entertainment is advised in truly authentic style!

Recruiting event

You may have seen an earlier post regarding this on the forum, but the date has now been changed to Saturday 29th October.

Dr Thomas E. Sebrell II, the Honorary Postdoctoral Associate at the School of History, Queen Mary University of London has been looking for a small army - or even a big one – to go one one of their ACW walking tours of London, and then spend some time with the walkers in a seminar, to discuss the war and it’s implications on the UK.
Queen Mary University is notifying the media in time of this event, and so it’s a great opportunity for SOSKAN to advertise for new members, as well as spreading knowledge and interest of the American Civil War in the UK where the subject does not receive adequate attention.

This is the proposed schedule:
Saturday,29 October :
14:00 - Meet by Green Park tube station, in costume/uniform, and join the guides. We will break into 3 different groups, to cover 3 different walks, which will start at 15:00 
17:00 - tours will end at this time at the latest, and then move to the University.
18:00 – 19.00 Seminar at Queen Mary, University of London, members of SOSKAN discussing/comparing/contrasting the 3 different routes' sites and their significance, as well as 'where they fit in the big picture' - the impact of events in London on the war's outcome.

Purpose
The purpose of this project is to establish a focus for recruitment, as well as acting as an interactive portal for the general public at shows.

Why?
We have all noticed that the number of public visiting the camps during events is low. Although we have some notice boards, and we have some good individual impressions within the camps, and the Civilians have some very positive displays and roles, we are still not getting the public into the camps to see them.  As a result of this our opportunities to recruit new members and educate the public about the period are minimal.

The Proposal
The proposal is that we establish a “front of house” area, in the form of a Town Square, which will be pitched as close to the public as possible.  It can consist of Civilian “shops” and services, and the centre of the square can be used for itinerant activities, such as musicians, kids playing with period toys, men gambling etc.  How this is represented is open for discussion, but we can use tents, wooden flat pack frontages, painted canvas, or any other ideas we may agree upon.

If the Square is pitched in front of the military camp lines, it can appear as a town which is on the fringes of the conflict, and if sited carefully, can funnel visitors (perhaps through a special “street”) to the camp sites, and also be a meeting point for camp tours.  By separating the military from the civilian we can overcome the problems of civilians in the military lines, and at the same time, ensure a strong and pro-active role for civilians (particularly men). 

The Square itself needs to be attractive and inviting, with at least 10 static impressions, so there are plenty of opportunities for new impressions to be developed.  Currently, on a good day we have the potential for:
Gunsmiths (Ian and his display); Soldiers Aid (Carol); Doctor/Surgeon (Donald); Laundry (Elaine); Army Recruitment (Mick); Post Office (Rae); we also have a milliner and a new member who has a forge.  However, we need loads more ideas and impressions for basic town services, such as boot repairs, barber, baker, saloon, undertaker, candlemaker, Town Mayor etc.  If the frontages are good the props can be quite small and portable, so with some imagination, and a lot of welcoming faces, it could be an attractive place for people to visit  (for those of you who have been to Detling, think the 1940’s town).

Comments
However, a venture of this sort is only as good as the people who support it, so this is YOUR chance to have your say, shall we give it a try, or not????

Let Lesley know your thoughts at assesors@inspiron.co.uk