ROCKINGHAM CASTLE - 3-5 May 2008

Members Guidance Notes for
Regimental/Unit Leaders and Society Officers

The Rockingham Castle multi-period event at the 1st May Bank Holiday weekend is the first whole Society event for ACWS, to start the 2008 season. The site is a massive one, with wonderful views of the surrounding countryside.

The postcode is LE16 8TH. Get there off A14 junction 7 and take the A6003 north towards Corby (follow the brown signs for Rockingham speedway track until you pick up the brown Rockingham Castle signs. The site is near to Corby. Coming from the south on the A6003, the entrance is a farm gate on the left, before the entrance to Rockingham Castle itself, and the roundabout, one way into Corby and the other way down the hill into Rockingham village.

Camping from Friday 2nd May to Tuesday 6th May. You may turn up on the Thursday, if you like. NB early arrivals/late stayers will be required to help the event organisers, re-enactors themselves, to set up and take down the event! Depart only after 5.30pm on Monday or Tuesday daytime.

ACWS and Napoleonic’s are the two big Societies at this event, although there are a lot of other Societies, from Romans to World War I, also participating. Jo Baker, Duke Henry and Sally Green of Call to Arms (Events) Ltd are the organisers. If they ask or tell you to do something - please do it!. A pleasant chap called Gandalf (you will know him when you see him!) is the arena and events co-ordinator - similarly co-operate with him fully, please! On Friday night the main gate off the A6003 will be open all night. Otherwise the gate into and out of the event, for the rest of the show, will be locked at 12 midnight, and opened again at 7.30 in the morning. Because the public have to use the same entranceway, re-enactors getting cars onto the site will NOT be possible after 9.00 Saturday morning, until 5.30 that evening. On site, between 9am and 5.30pm ONLY the organisers / honeywagons / ambulances vehicles move. Same arrangements for each day i.e. you cannot take your car off until the event has closed for the public and there is no further conflict of movement risk i.e. not before 5.30 of an evening. Regrettably there cannot be separate entrances for re-enactors and the public, because of the layout of the area.

The battlefield is between the wood and the track, and is a substantial area. On the right hand side or north easterly edge is an open copse ( looking with your back to the main road ). The Confederate authentic camp and the Crimean impression will camp on the copse side, and the Union army authentic camp on the other side of the battlefield, again adjacent to the track. At the rear of the wood(s) will be an area for the Cavalry (please ensure no family (plastic) camping or vehicle parking infringes on where the Cavalry are putting the horses, to the left).

Hide the caravans, modern tents and all the cars behind the wood. Parking in the Family (plastic) camp will be shared with other societies. Vehicles are to be parked in rows, car-park fashion, with tents and caravans next to them, with a standard fire-lane gap between tents / caravans. NO open fires at all permitted in the family camp.

Jayne Olden, leading the authentic civilian impression, has leeway to site her Period Civilian Village - please consult Andy Hopwood and Roger Willison-Gray. On the other side of the track from battlefield / authentic camps will be two beer tents, a mead vendor and toilet blocks, and a market area, among other things. Behind the two copses there will be more toilets, plus containers to empty the contents of chemical toilets from caravans etc. into - please do not put it into the porta-loos! Re-enactors arriving post the 9am ‘no vehicles onto site’ cut off time can park in the public car parking area, and walk onto site with what they need for the day, demonstrating to the entrance staff collecting money from the public that they are re-enactors to get in for free. They can move their cars onto site after 5.30 that evening. So, you CAN turn up after the event opens to the public - its just a case of temporary daytime parking !

ACWS has decided to represent aspects of the Chancellorsville campaign over the 3 days - Saturday, Sunday and Monday - for our major battle, which on each day will be about 4pm in the afternoons lasting about ¾ of an hour. We will of course be required to have an expert commentator form our Historical Interpreters unit, to provide a running commentary on our battle each day. The sponsors will provide a roving mic for the purpose. Otherwise, apart from other activities required, living history throughout the day on the authentic camps will be required. Do you best to engage the public as much as you can, and see if you can get any recruits! The event will follow a time-line generally i.e. Romans first, working forward through the ages (11am - ish). There will be an ‘artillery through the ages’ demonstration in the arena, and also a Crimean War impression, to include two artillery pieces. Arrangements have been made for those who are schizophrenic re-enactors i.e. doing 11th Hussars and 4th Mitchigan, and 19th of Foot and 1st Tennessee, to have plenty of time to change out of one outfit into another, and ‘take a break’ between performances (will any Moscow Militia be available? Possibility of painting a picture around the charge of the Light Brigade?).

All the usual facilities needed will be provided e.g. wood, toilets, water, waste disposal skips, gunpowder etc. Whilst cut wood will be provided, there are also some dead branches lying on the ground which can be cut up and used if needed (NOT living trees!). The water point is, regrettably by the entrance into the site and this is a fair way away. You are advised to bring plenty of water containers, so that you do not have to trek there too often. This is where the Castle supplies the fresh water. To run an alkathene pipe to bring the water further into the site would have cost between £3k and £5k, so its not going to happen! No doubt armies will arrange a vehicle with trailer to go up to the water point out of public access hours to fill up fire buckets and other water containers.

On authentic camps, raised fires are preferred, but you CAN cut turf back and have a ground fire, provided you keep turf watered over the week-end, clear the fire pit out and replace the turf well before you go.

Guard duty is required on the main gate and Powder Store overnight Sat Sun Mon. This will be split between all the Societies there present. Suggest Union Army guards the powder and the Confederate Army the main gate ( as their respective camps are nearer to those points ) when it is our turn. Army Commanders are to confer, and negotiate with Jo Baker of the Organisers what ACWS fair share of this duty is and when its to be done.

The economics of this event are such that, last year, it made a loss, which was made up by a Trader ‘putting back something into the hobby’. Accordingly, apart from all the site facilities and the gunpowder, ACWS is not being hired or paid, so our other expenses have to covered by the Registration fee. Still, better to have a good event than none at all!

Northamptonshire Police require only one gunpowder store on site, which will be at the bottom end of the field operated out of a trailer with a big exclusion zone, a bit like how Mike Corbishley arranges things. Therefore regimental/unit designated ordinance officers (‘powdermonkeys’) will have to go and collect the gunpowder on a daily basis, and return any unused ammunition in the evening, because the Police (a) will not permit gunpowder all over the place out of battle hours and (b) H&S require it to be organised this way at this event. John Allen is the event Powder Officer. He is a pleasant, reasonable person. You draw gunpowder between 9am and 10am, and return at night between 5pm and 6pm. FOA will be issued in 500g pots or cartons. Please ensure empty containers are returned, so that they can be filled for the next day.

REMEMBER - bring your empty tubes ready for filling on the day with you.

DO NOT bring gunpowder onto site - we do not want to break the site license, so you will have to make arrangements to fill rounds on site (that includes the artillery). NB those of you who use pre-loaded brass cases e.g. Sharpshooters or 9mm blanks in pistols are OK to bring your specialist ammunition on site, because it is prepared ammunition, not loose gunpowder. You still need to draw your replacement powder, of course. Thus regimental powder officers are to be mustered at the powder store at 9am on the Saturday and present your licenses for checking, and your estimate of how much gunpowder you are drawing each day, depending on the strength of your unit. After the first days experience, adjustments can be made. Collection and return in locked wooden boxes, labelled clearly with your name and unit, will be appropriate and necessary. We can make this system work. Your co-operation and organisational skills are appreciated. Any questions? If so ask your Army Commander, who in turn will put it to the relevant Board member if necessary.

In the usual way, the event organisers will not be responsible for personal property. You have to guard your own camps / secure your tents, vehicles and caravans at all times.

Please leave the site "as clean as a whistle", replacing turf properly and dumping all litter and rubbish in the skips provided. Thank you.

This is an excellent, prestigious location in the heart of England. Rockingham Castle is easily accessible off the A14, from the A1, M1 and M6. Maximum attendance is expected in order to start the season well. Ring round your mates and contacts - get them to come. Lets have FUN and also do a very good series of re-enactments.

Philip Clark, Company Secretary, ACWS Ltd    (V2/PC/03/08)

Page Last Updated: March, 2008

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