The Royal Sussex Living History Group is a small group
dedicated to recreating the Royal Sussex Regiment as it would have been in the
Victorian period, keeping alive the days of scarlet tunics, buff leather
equipment and bell tents.
Victorian period tent line –
Formed
in 1996, the group is composed of members from varied walks of life. Whilst
remaining friendly and informal by nature, members are qualified in firearms
instruction, health and safety, basic first-aid, with one member who is a
military range-conducting officer, ensuring a high standard is maintained,
whether providing an illustrated talk for a local society, or recreating a
Victorian tent line for heritage organisations such as English Heritage.
Recreating
is the most appropriate description for what the group does, as virtually
everything used in the group’s ‘living history’ displays has either to be
acquired, or, where that is not possible, created by the group, after much
careful research. Where possible original artefacts are used, but much of what
is needed, uniform for example, is either too delicate, or too small, it should
be remembered that the Victorian soldier was, in the main, somewhat smaller
than his twenty-first century equivalent. Within the group is, therefore, a
wealth of collective knowledge, about military life, uniform, and equipment of
the period, and, like all enthusiasts, the group like nothing more than to pass
on that knowledge.
In
1999, at the request of Shoreham RAFA, the group extended its ‘living history’
to include the Great War, providing a modest encampment to compliment the First
World War aircraft display at Shoreham Airshow. The
first show was taken on at very short notice. The group had less than a month
to put together a WW1 encampment, uniforms, weapons, and equipment. Fortunately
much of the tentage used in the Victorian period was
still in use in 1914, so at least there was somewhere to sleep. In that first
year the group turned out a team of five, who were just about equipped to
survive the two days of the airshow, but in the years
since then a team of ten has developed, including two VAD nurses, and an array
of equipment from a WW1 first aid tin to a Vickers machine gun.
Over the years the group has
given talks and ‘living history’ displays across the south east, for
organisations large and small. Members have been involved, to a modest degree,
in radio, television, and film work.
Filming
BBC History Quest with Rory McGrath Filming the
The declared aim of the group,
which is a non-profit making venture,
is to provide an historical education service, thereby
“Keeping alive the name
and history of our County Regiment”.