Dave

All, A few points/reminders re the combat at Ashton Park. I covered this at the last training sessions at Rick's but realize some were not there or may have forgotten. We will be using Regia rules and guidance for this show. 1. Date line: there is no specific date line for the show so it will follow our generic 930 ish Wirral based kit. The exception will be kite shields and dane axe. With Ruddlan approaching we need to start practicing using and fighting against kites shields. Anyone who has one feel free to bring it along. Helmets are not compulsory but if you wear one it is speccy or nasel. 2. Protective equipment: you can wear protective equipment (vambraces, box, etc) but they MUST be under you clothing. Any visible (other than helmet and gloves) will have to be removed. 3. Prohibited kit: Great polish helms, lamellar armor, leather armor, anything Varangian/eastern looking (if you don't know what this is it means you haven't got any of the kit and so are good to go). 4. Sharp weapons: no sharps at the show. We cannot display them and there will not be a sharps display. If you bring a sharp you will have to leave it in your car or we will have to find somewhere secure to store it. 5. Combat display: Depending on numbers this will be decided on the day. One new addition will be a trial carried out by myself, Sam and Laura. This will be loosely based on HEMA and will involve using masks. If it works great we have an additional display we can use, if not I'll get a few extra bruises. With that in mind Sam, Laura, we will need two straight swords (no sabers), an axe and a spear. I'll run through the program re this on the day. Other points. The combat area as well as the wic is small. Please think carefully about what you are bringing. Do not bring stuff just because you have it. There will be limited space to store kit. Numbers: depending on how many want to fight we may have to have a split (some morning, some afternoon). As it is our first show back I want to give the client VFM. So you may see that the more experienced guys get to do a little more. Don't take it to heart if this is the case. Watch and learn because it the next show you will be doing more of the work. Any questions re this then let me know.

Continuing with the theme of how kit may have been carried by people in our period. If we were going far or had been called out on fyrd service away from our area then horses would have been used to carry the gear: weapons, armor baggage, etc. But what if we were going to a local town (Chester) or had to spend a few nights out looking after animals, what type of kit would be taken and how would it be carried? Personally I've always favored the bedroll and below are a few photos of the kit I would carry. Obviously the time of year would play a part in the items I would pack. If it were colder I may add an extra tunic. The photo shows the kit I would carry if I were away from the homestead for a day or two. The kit consists of a large piece of heavy woolen cloth. This doubles as the bivi/groundsheet and also I use it to roll up all the kit in for carrying. There is a small cauldron which I'd only use if I was spending days and nights out looking after the animals. If I were going to somewhere like Chester then I wouldn't need this. Then there is a cloak, gloves, hood, linen bag for food, bag for carrying bits in, water bottle, bowl, cup and spoon, flint and steel, small eating knife, seax and finally spear. Second photo is of the bedroll put together. In all weighs 4kg. Food and water would add to the overall weight being carried. There are still a few bits I need to sort out: sheepskin as a ground sheet and more authenty looking rope (I now have hemp rope). Have a think of the type of kit you would need and how you would carry it. Rick and Ste have looked at the use of frames to carry kit. There is also some evidence of (small) wicker type baskets being used. Trial and error is the way to go but think minimum. There are no light weight materials in our period so if you cannot carry it comfortably over the distance of a few miles, ditch it as its too big or too heavy. Any photos or ideas of your kit put them up here. Also any ideas lets hear them and test them out.

An update to the battle lines. First off big thank you to Col Powell for coming up with the names. As there were no other (real) suggestions they are now official. The left flank will be Raven (hraefin), the right will be Dragon (draca). So the line up is as follows: Jarl: Ste Bannerman: Andy Hraefin Draca Rick (jarl's guard) Dave (jarl's guard) Jake Paul Williams Jessie Mike Bray John N Josh C Cotty Sam Juliet Johnathan Phil Sprocket Sean Fran Nick Col Kerry Connor JD Craig Laura Bled Lee V Damian As usual any questions let me know. I don't know about the rest of you but if we could get everyone in place for a photo shoot, the line would look awesome.

Ok, battle lines set up. WSF Battle Lines Jarl Ste Bannerman Andy Right Line Left Line Dave C Rick Paul Williams Jake Mike Bray Jessie Josh C John N Sam Cotty Thomas Juliet Sprocket Phil Fran Sean Col Nick Craig Kerry Bled JD Laura If I have missed anyone off this let me know and I'll add you to a line. As an example of this in practice. At York the Right Line could be our front rank with the Left Line behind us in support. I will be looking for deputy line commanders and I suppose Rick will do the same. For me the criteria for this is commitment and enthusiasm (I don't care how long you have been with the group or how many stamps you have collected). Also rather than right and left lines if you have any ideas for names for your line (clean and presentable to the public) then lets have them and I'll change the line names. Any other questions re the battle lines then let me know.

As the number of people who want to take part in combat increases I'm looking at dividing the combatants into two lines. Each of the lines will be controlled by the Jarls Guard which at the moment is me and Rick. One line will form up to the right of the group standard and the other to the left. Over the next few months I'll go through the list of group combatants the experience etc and then allocate each of you to a line. I'll balance the lines as evenly as possible so the is an as even mixture of experience as we can get in each line. This Battle Line has nothing to with Regia and won't affect what you do at regular only shows. It will however be used at any show in which WSF are fighting as a group. The first event of this type is York. At WSF only events the two lines will mean that we will automatically have two opposing sides to set against each other. To get people used to fighting in their line we will set up two training events. mid December and one January just before Islip.

Aelfgar is a Mercian who was granted land on the Wirral as a reward for his service in the campaigns of 907 -910 (defence of Chester up to the Battle of Tettenhall). His land grant covers the north part of Wallasey and on towards Leasowe. He is a farmer who grows oats, barley and peas as well as tending flocks of sheep and a few goats. After paying his rent to the local Jarl, Aelfgar would trade any surplus in the market at Chester. The conditions of his land grant include that he keep a watch on the entrance to the Mersey and also the Pool (Wallasey Pool) and alert the local fyrd at the sign of any threat. He must also provide fyrd service for 3 months of each year as well as contributing to the repair of walls of Chester. When serving as part of the fyrd he holds the rank of Jarls Guard and would command the right flank of the Wirral fyrd in battle.

I'm changing nothing. I don't want to break it.