On the beat again
Ending a busy week for the little men in the Naseby game, I was invited by the Battlefields Trust to include the display as part of the Battlefields Trust/Naseby Project zone at English Heritage’s Festival of History.
A great believer in the power of toy soldiers to inspire and inform interest in military history, I leapt at the chance. By Monday morning I had almost lost my voice, it had been worked so hard over the weekend. Friends will know that is no small statement (I am more than happy to talk about military – and many other – topics … I can be prolific and it takes a lot to wear me out!) …
Friday afternoon: setting up in the 'Pavillion' tent
The public graciously listened, even asked follow-up questions, as I pushed the little men from key position to key position demonstrating how tactics, decisions and sheer fortune determined the outcome of what became a key battle in English history. The key battle, many of us think.
The weekend also exposed my knowledge of the battle to an engagingly random series of questions: you start these events with an idea of what people find interesting, and confident in what you know. Then, when people start asking questions, you find out what you don’t know. And often they are good questions …
The Battlefields Trust: a popular attraction, even when the sun was out ...
I’m going to add a Naseby Q & A when I’ve completed this post … and answer some questions I wasn’t clear about on the day. A reward, perhaps, for anyone earnest enough to follow-up and visit these pages.
I must say that I never claim an encyclopaedic knowledge, and always make sure I have reference books handy to help with information. But as we all know, finding key paragraphs quickly is often less than easy.
Just visiting: some Covenanters looking at home in Northamptonshire ...
The Naseby corner, and healthy public interest kept me busy for most of the weekend, but there are some photos from the event on my other blogs (Ancients on the Move and P.B.Eye-Candy) and loads more if you image search Festival of History 2011.
Heirs to the New Model: British infantry through history
