As you may have noticed, we got very involved recently in putting together the Military History Weekend in Colonial Williamsburg over the weekend of 17/18 October. I had a fantastic time and just wanted to mention a few of the people I was lucky enough to meet and show you a few photos.
Friday night was Open House at the Toymaker in Williamsburg. The Toymaker is a fantastic shop for kids and adults alike with a great range of toy soldiers upstairs. We had a rack of books alongside a scene from W Britains featuring US Airborne taking on German Paratroopers designed by their very talented sculptor Ken Osen. Outside in the rain a dedicated reenactor from the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion (Preservation Association) and a Korean War GI stood guard over the shop.
On Saturday morning we took a small party out the the Virginia War Museum for a personal tour by Colin Romanick from the museum. The museum has a diverse range of exhibits from the War of Independence up to the modern day and is well worth a visit.
By the time our party had returned and collected their goody bags the show had started at the Hospitality House, a variety of military vehicles were drawn up outside and vistors and reenactors alike were coming though the doors.
On the Osprey stand we had an array of Osprey authors, signing books, discussing their work and pitching new ideas. It was great to see Steve Zaloga, Alex de Quesada, David Bonk, Robert Forcyzk and Rob Hodges all in one place and working hard. We were also joined by Colonel Ed Shames who wrote the foreword to Tonight we Die as Men and who went on to speak at the W Britains Collectors Evening on Saturday night.
Whilst we were busy with our books there were plenty of other activities going on to keep all the family amused on a damp afternoon in Virginia. In the Tranquility Suite coffee was being served for partners tired of tramping round the stands. For the kids there was a variety of activites including the Revolutionary Bootcamp, Modelling Paint and Takes and Introductory Wargames. the Medieval Fantasies Company put on a display of fighting techniques to thrill the crowd.
Sunday was a bit quieter which gave me time to get round and see some of the other stands including the Company of Military Historians and the Military Vehicle Preservation Society.
Despite the long drive back on Monday it was a fantastic weekend of military history and I'm looking forward to doing it all again in 2010!