Brigade Training Weekend
30th March - 1st April 2002

So an Easter training week-end, with a couple of battles and no rain! Well maybe a bit of rain, but only after we'd retired to bed.

As for the event, apart from the early date, this was a reasonable little muster with as much pike fighting as you could manage between the 50 pikemen of all sorts that turned up. In some ways it was a shame they called it Brigade Training, as that must have put some people off (myself included). All in all it reminded me of Mells.

There was indeed Brigade drill on the second day, but that's true of practically all events anyhow. It passed eventually, as these things do, and we managed a bit of battlefield drill to shake out a few creases. This was helped by the new look pikes, with Mr Rabbitts having kindly taken the corners off the pikes, so that they are easier to hold and lighter! A great improvement and, as Paisley wasn't around, we didn't break any.

The battles were fine, though Monday found us on the Royalist side facing uphill against three larger (touching double figures) blocks with only Northamptons and the King's Guard in support. The Magnificent Seven - Mike Jeal, The Dangerous Brothers, Curly Dave, Darryl (a new boy/transfer), David Stickland and myself - promptly went down fighting ! I've taken a few names and we'll be getting them back when our Big Brothers turn up.

Special mention to: Q, for still holding up the standard (which is being entrusted to the pike block) in the midst of us all being rolled down the hill. Mr Stickland, for standing forward into the front rank on Sunday and deciding on the strength of a good showing against King's Guard and Lisle's to postpone plans to head home early (for Folkestone) for another go on Monday! Darryl, for fighting on with a sprained ankle in his first battle with the Blews and then insisting on taking his place, carrying his pike, alongside the rest of the block on the march back, despite all offers of assistance (reminds me of a young Jason 'Psycho' Thorn!).

We were also joined by Tim Metcalfe, another new recruit, on the Sunday, but he decided that pike-pushing was rather an extreme sport to be starting at forty-seven. Nothing discouraged, he'll be back for the banquet as the drinking was more to his taste and should soon find his niche in the regiment.

The pub was excellent, or rather it was plain, empty (except for a couple of old blokes) and served the best Marston Pedigree imaginably. Nine rounds on the Saturday and a few less on Sunday (plus a depth-charge!)