Life in the Talbot Settlement (1)

 

     On the weekend of September 26-27, The Backus Page House Museum in Wallacetown, ON hosted a historical event - the "Life in the Talbot Settlement" timeline. This may have been the only full reenactment in Ontario this year. Just about every possible precaution was arranged to prevent an spread of the pandemic virus, including social distancing, masking, hand cleaning, and COVID-19 tracing information. The number of guests was limited to 50 each half-day period. 

     For example, Saturday morning, the gates opened at 10:00am. At 11:00, an equestrian display by the WWI reenactors took place. At 11:30, a display of 1812-era cannon fire, of an American Civil War volley gun (although it did not take place Saturday morning), and a Spanish Civil War machine gun (all done by compressed air) took place. At 12:00 noon, a "raid" on the house by War of 1812 reenactors took place. At 1:00pm, the first batch of guests was to be gone and a second batch came in. The afternoon's activities mirrored the morning's.

     Reenactors were present for the American Civil War (55,000 Canadians volunteered in various units during that conflict), the War of 1812, WWI, the Spanish Civil War (the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion of the International Brigades), and WWII. All the assembled reenactors reflected a portion of Canada's military history. A small number of units withdrew prior to the event because of health concerns, especially since they were coming from areas with a much higher infection rate than our Elgin County.

     Now the photos, which say more than my words. (My thanks to Laughing Devil Photography, Steve Zronik, Beth Goldsworthy, Rob McGuire, and Kylee Lanigan for the kind permission to use their photos.)

Although anachronistic, masks were worn by reenactors (outside their camp areas),
guests, and staff. Health and safety first!!!

Here Raiffe repeats his mantra:
"Keep your distance, you filthy plague rats!"

Among the sutlers, the Toymaker and friend.

This fellow had the most amazing stock for sale!

The ACW camp - Confederate to the left, Union to the right.

Many of the reenactors helped the museum by monitoring traffic
in and out of the house. Here a WWII reenactor in Canadian kit
watches the front door.

This way to the BID's camp and display!

The American Civil War surgeon shows the tools of his trade.

Backus Page house with Gwen and Paul

The music was fantastic!

Angela, the museum's cultural director, unveils a display honouring Jim Waucaush of the Oneida
of the Thames First Nation, who was captured at Dieppe and survived the POW camp to return to
Canada at the end of the war. His son -seen here- was present for the event.

The "Mac-Paps" showed up for their first public reenactment and showed up in style!

 

That's a WWII ambulance hiding under the camo netting... in case you can't see it.

A Lewis Gun reproduction belonging to the WWI reenactors.

Reenactors of the WWI Canadian Mounted Rifles go through their paces.

You can see the detail on this WWI reenactor's uniform and equipment.

A Confederate reenactor shares a salute.

The Union's supply officer/store keeper works the books.

A talk in the Union Camp.

Loading the volley gun.

... and firing it!

"No Pasaran!!"  ("They shall not pass!")

Jordan and Brendan in Mac-Pap kit.

It's never fun... to haul the machine gun.

Jordan and his toy... which drew plenty of attention.

The Mac-Pap troops carried and fired both the Canadian Ross rifle and the Russian Moisan-Nagant.

Canada's volunteers for Spain!

Daryl as the chief machine gunner.

Peter as part of the Canadian Blood Transfusion unit.
These Canadian medics pioneered battlefield transfusions.

If I seem to have spent a lot of time and ink talking about the Mac-Paps, it is because I find the unit interesting. SCW reenactors are very few and far between. This is a period of history that is almost unknown to many and their fight is worth a remembering. The Spanish Civil War was an exceptionally brutal conflict, pitting Fascists/Nationalists assisted by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy against the Left-wing Republicans who were supported by the Soviet Union. Men from all over the world went to Spain to volunteer for the Republic's forces. Some volunteered for the Nationalist side but it was less so. Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls are both written about the Spanish Civil War, Hemingway's a novel and Orwell's a first person account.

     This is getting lengthy, so I'll continue with a second blog shortly.

Kings of War painting plus... other stuff

With the turn of the new year, I'm pastoring only one church. Due to circumstances beyond my control and that are not worth writing about here, I remain the pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Aylmer, ON while no longer serving as priest-in-charge of Trinity Anglican Church. I have a bit more time to do other things... like blogging. However getting back into the swing of that takes time... and I'm VERY good at wasting time.

A number of my crew at the Hamilton Road Gaming Group and my family have taken a serious look at a game called "Kings of War", a fantasy large unit table-top game. My son, Rob, scoured his house and came up with a dwarf army. Daughter Katie put together an Elven army and has already developed a "grudge match" with our friend Tyler and his Salamanders. My wife is putting together an army for the Basileans based on Arthurian mythology. Since I had a Warhammer Fantasy Battle Empire army gathering dust in the garage, it was a simple matter of changing their identity to an army for the Kings of Men with pikes, firearms, cannon, and heavy "gendarme" cavalry. I have an idea for another army... but I'm keeping that to myself for now.

So painting is underway. My wife (and my daughter both) purchased a two-pack of ballistae from WizKids at a local shop. Cast resin models, they're affordable, available, and pre-primed. My wife permitted me to paint her two... and I'm rather pleased.

Beth's bolt throwers crewed by some scrounged Ral Partha classics.

The models lend themselves to an easy paint. The "lump" above the bold is a skull which I covered
with Elmer's glue to turn it into a fixture or something like it.
I never did understand the Warhammer fixation on skulls.

The crews are vaguely Viking or Saxon, but they work out well.

A little minor surgery on the kneeling figure removed the bow and permitted him to better turn the windlass.

I'm not sure how my daughter would want her two bolt thrower painted. They'll work well for the Elves, since any Elvish army MUST have bolt throwers.

On other fronts, as it were...

A plastic dinosaur from the dollar store takes in the view from the front window.
Oddly enough, my daughter's cat, Pangur Ban has adopted this toy or acquired it by right of eminent domain
and she wrestles with it. 

The kitten had never seen snow either. Of course, she won't step in it.

The kitty has also absconded with a green army man.
We haven't figured out where she found that thing yet.

A while back, we played Kings of War at the Games Group and I set up Bear with a barbarian/Chaos style Kings of Men
army including this beast that has a ballista in the howdah. I liked the model so I filled the tower with loose figures.

Martin and I continued our mutual fascination with the Pike-and-shot era. I fielded an Irish army from O'Neill's rebellion.
Martin promptly stomped it, but he learned to respect the galloglaich in the woods.
These are examples of the late Jamie Fish's 15mm figures. 

Really old Minifig castings of WWI German light machine guns. I think they'll end up in my Finnish WWII army.

Andy and I have been playing a good bit of Battlefront WWII (Flames of War's older brother).
Here are two German ATG's that lie in wait for the advancing Soviet armour.
Since they were had to spot, I held my fire until the T-34's were "in my eyes."

Soviet Russian ATG emplaced and waiting for the advance of the Germans. These guns didn't wait quite as long.
This gun and the one in the photo above are part of Andy's collection.

A Soviet Maxim gun from Plastic Soldier Company in 15mm.
Nice figures at a decent price although they are a bit "fiddly" to assemble.

All for now. More can be expected later.

Further Facinations

Since I've been finding interesting art work of late, I thought I'd share some more of it.

These works are from the Polish artist, Jakub Rozalski. His subjects tend more to the "Steampunk" than the futuristic Science-fiction. He draws the inspiration for his art from Polish history and from some rather grim mythology. Some of his work illustrates an other-when Soviet-Polish War of the 1919-1921, a Polish rebellion against Tsarist Russia in the 1830's, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and some horrific (in the sense of horror movies) works from what he calls his "Wolfpack 1863." I'm not much for horror movies, but this man's work is very interesting. His early 20th Century Steampunk works are evocative of such things as the band, Steam Powered Giraffe, as well as some alternative fiction. Many of his illustrations are for video games where they set the atmosphere.

An illustration of a twisted, steampunky version of the 1831 rebellion.
Even the Napoleonic-ish constructs are wearing shakos.

A little view of some futuristic Polish army units on some not-to-be-hoped-for battlefield.

An interesting view of the advance of the Kosciuszko Squadron made up of American volunteers.
There actually was such a unit in the Polish-Bolshevik War, but it was a squadron of planes.
Pity.
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be as calm with the flocks if those mech stomped by.

A German/"Saxonian Empire" armoured unit advances.
The officer in the foreground is one of the characters in the video game, as his his wolf.
The mech is based on the hull of the German A10 tank from the First World War.

The Polish resistance, led by Anna, another named character from the video game.
She's usually accompanied by her bear, Woytek.

There he is! On detached duty.

Nordic Empire intervention forces. I think they're from Scandinavia and might be
Swedes or Finn (who had a bone to pick with the Bolsheviks.)

"Iron Fields" Cold... mechanized... industrial...

Anna and Woytek ask directions... and get them, I'd guess.
Note the harness and packs on the bear; he pulls his own weight.

A Nordic Hunter... a Steampunk viking! and why not?
Of course you can mix genres! It's imagination!

Polish cavalry and mechs advance past some women continuing to work in the fields.
They're braver than I.

I think this is called "Leaving Home." The woman is handing the sabre to her man before he rides off to battle
with the uhlans and the mechs in the background.
I find this piece very evocative and romantic... and really cold.

If you look close you can see the Soviet mechs firing while Red Army cavalry advance in front of them.
The Poles, both mechs and cavalry advance from the right of the piece. It appears some cavalry have been
detailed to screen the farm workers.

Winged Hussars... with bazookas! Oh, yeah!

The Battle of Warsaw. Steampunk romantic art.

Crimean Tatars with a wild tricycle mech in the background and a walking one behind that.

This is just called "Medic." My wife and daughter find it heart-breaking.

This fiery image is a piece showing the German/Saxonian (I'm at a loss) invasion of the newly
revived Polish nation.

This one has to do with the 1939 German invasion of Poland...
with a massive steampunk twist.

Scary stuff from the "Wolfpack" gallery. I don't like Werewolves very much.

This is a separate case. The Krampus and Santa Claus duke it out in the snow while children watch.
A bit disturbing.

The artist also has a series of works based on a world where Samurai Japan intersects with Viking homelands.
I think it's called "The Ancients" and there's plenty of large monsters or deities or demigods all around.
Here the giant Shogun cuts into a Samurai army.

This is just a small sample of Mr. Rozalski's work. There's lots more... some of which I'm not as much interested in. The "historical" works I find intriguing. I recommend you look them up and enjoy them. I may do more another time.

One last one... entitled "Knock knock."