Mapledurham, South Oxfordshire

[Noily]

This was the wording on the flyer sent to me :
Mapledurham Military Show
3 – 4 - 5 October 08

We are holding our first re-enactment / living history event at our country estate in South Oxfordshire on the weekend 3rd 4th and 5th October. Our estate also borders North Berkshire and is close to Reading.
The theme of our three day event will be of 20th Century warfare and it will be covering major as well as minor conflicts during that Century, ranging from World War One and World War Two up to the Falklands war, Vietnam War and the more recent conflicts in Bosnia and Iraq, to mention some. The event will occupy over fifty acres of land and we hope to have at least two arenas, so as to accommodate mock battles throughout the course of each day of the event. The area is also the location from where the film ‘The Eagle has landed’ was made and venues in that film still exist and we are hoping to include recreations of the battles from that film at those landmarks, using units such as yours.
There will be trade stands on site as well as refreshments, including a beer tent.
If your group / society would like to attend the event could you please respond to this e mail or call me on 01189461299 or 07871283782. If you are interested we would like the approx numbers that will attend in your group as well as information on vehicles to be brought along, so as to arrange a pitch for your unit on our land.

Yours sincerely,

MB Faulkner

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

After speaking to Mark it appears he has sent out two different flyers, the one in the previous post to Para and Fallshirmjager units and a basic one to all othe units.


Hope this helps.

[SchnellMeyer]

This is a super venue and it looks the exact same as it did in the film, ' The Eagle Has Landed '.We were there last month and got permission to do a small photo shoot. The area around the church and watermill has limited parking space .We will post more photos in due course.
My dear Schafer while there we also repaired the wheel at the watermill , now it is up to you guys to tie somebody else to the wheel , ha ha .
Good luck with your new club , the U Boat Society, just out of interest .U 260 sank off the coast of Co.Cork on March 1945 and all the crew were saved and interned in Ireland .I have contact with some crew members and 1 watch officer Lt. Siegfried Dreschel gave me his photo album .Some nice photos there if you want copies for your web site .PM me if you need material.

[Schäfer]

I have also been in touch with Mark. He states that all groups are welcome to attend, in fact, the more the merrier. If your group wishes to go then please contact him as per contact details in Noily's last post above.

[Hoffman Grink]

Mark has emailed AFRA for our support and we are encouraging our members to indeed support this one - Could be a good alternative to the North York Moors fiasco if it keeps up!!!

Anyway for those wanting to know where Mapledurham is rather quickly - Check out our website's locations list. If you want to submit one and you're not a member - PM me with details.....

If you're a member - log in and add a location with as much detail as possible - And a map....


Here's an example.
Mapledurham

[Schäfer]

My dear Schafer while there we also repaired the wheel at the watermill , now it is up to you guys to tie somebody else to the wheel , ha ha.

Actually, Justin, I have one or two in mind

Sorry I've taken a little while to answer your message, I've been quite busy on our new website and forum.

Good luck with your new club , the U Boat Society. Just out of interest, U 260 sank off the coast of Co.Cork on March 1945 and all the crew were saved and interned in Ireland .I have contact with some crew members and 1 watch officer Lt. Siegfried Dreschel gave me his photo album .Some nice photos there if you want copies for your web site .PM me if you need material.

Thanks Justin, for your kind words and support. Everybody who has contacted me so far has offered support and encouragement, it's very much appreciated.

I wouldn't mind seeing some pics if you have some readily available? Thanks again, mate.

Best wishes,

Kev.

[SchnellMeyer]

Hi Kev , good to hear from you .Make sure Peter Mooney is the first guy you tie to the watermill , ha ha .Send me your address by PM and I will send you loads of U 260 photos and info .Again well done and keep up the good work.

[Hoffman Grink]

Hi Kev , good to hear from you .Make sure Peter Mooney is the first guy you tie to the watermill , ha ha .Send me your address by PM and I will send you loads of U 260 photos and info .Again well done and keep up the good work.

Wouldn't he be better inside it? Running round to turn it?

[SchnellMeyer]

Yes, good point there Paul .Peter is a good organiser and well able to run the mill !!!! Maybe we can find somebody else to put on the wheel ????

[Heinz]

I know Mapledurham extremely well, used to run a site on part of the Estate (as Noily knows well LOL). Parking (which has been mentioned earlier) wont be a problem, when they run events there, they use some of the fields on the periphery of the Village for parking. With the backdrop of the "big house", the church and the watermill, its going to look fantastic.

Oh, and watch out for the bastard speed cameras on the A4074 on your way there

[Schäfer]

I have heard that this event is now off for this year, can anyone confirm this, please?

[carentan]

Must be very recent as I got a confirmation of attending from Mark Faulkner last week or so.

[Crazy Feldgendarme]

From Mark tonight.

Hi Dave
I did send you an e mail. Obviously you didn’t get it.
Well the rumours are right. The show is off this year and our first one will now be 2 3 4 Oct 09. The problem was with local councils and getting permission for the event to take place. It was about health and safety and risk assessments and the like. Basically our land covers two councils and we have double the shit to contend with. The jobs worth’s are a headache and we simply haven’t the time to get the show off the road in time for Oct this year. It’s sad, but that’s the way it is.
On the bright side the show will be bigger next year due to groups attending that couldn’t attend this year due to the short notice

I’ll keep you posted

Mark


So yes its off this year folks, bloody shame.

[Schäfer]

I was sent exactly the same e-mail as the one above, except for my name being substituted at the beginning.

Oh well, here's to 2009 then.