Following the popularity of our Summer Events Guide, we bring you all the best shows, lectures, and living history weekends coming up this Autumn.
Birmingham International Tattoo
2012 has been a patriotic year for Brits so far. With royal anniversaries and the Olympics, there has been a lot of focus on nationalistic pride and achievements.
With all this in mind, the organisers of the 2012 Birmingham International Tattoo at the NIA have pulled out all the stops. Among other things, they have secured the world famous Band of the Irish Guards as the lead band for this year’s event.
Over 1,000 performers will take part in this year’s spectacular event and there is still time to arrange your visit. Witness one of the most fantastic spectacles of the British calendar and give yourself a last chance to wave your flags in this special year.
Don’t miss:
• The massed bands
• The famous field gun run,
• Dog displays
WHEN: 24-25 November 2012
WHERE: The NIA, Birmingham, B1 2AA
HOW MUCH: Adults £14.50-£22.50, children £10.50- £18, senior citizens £12.50-£20.50
WEB: www.birminghamtattoo.co.uk
Northern Military Expo
Although it is referred to as northern, this event is in fact in the middle of England, only a two-hour drive from London and Newcastle. With room for up to 200 traders selling Militaria gear ranging from military vehicles, books, manuals, vehicle parts, uniforms, ladies 40’s fashion, radios, medals, models, accessories, and much more.
The Expo will take place all under one heated roof, with on-site ‘indoor’ café and toilets. There will also be an outside special parking area for people to sell their military vehicles and a low key military car boot for just £20 for the day (plus standard adult entry fee).
WHEN: 4 November 2012
WHERE: Newark Country Show Ground, Notts – just 2 minutes off the A1M (NG24 2NY)
HOW MUCH: £5.00 per person
WEB: www.northernmilitaryexpo.co.uk
Military Vehicles Day at Brooklands Museum
Scores of people will flock to the Brooklands Museum this November to witness the assorted vehicles from across the decades congregating for the museum’s 10th annual Military Vehicles Day.
In excess of 70 assorted vehicles will be on the historic site in Weybridge, from amphibious Jeeps and troop carriers, to armoured scout cars and a Green Goddess fire engine. It is an opportunity for both families and enthusiasts to get up close to the vehicles, and to ask the vehicle owners – who will be on hand all day – that burning question you’ve always wanted ask.
Other highlights of the day include:
• Seeing some of the visiting vehicles being put through their paces on the off-road circuit at ‘Mercedes-Benz World’ at 12.30pm (transport provided)
• The opportunity to see other vehicles participating in the Museum’s punishing Test Hill at 2.15pm back at the museum.
WHEN: 18 November
WHERE: Surrey
HOW MUCH: Adults £10, Seniors £9, Children (5-16 yrs) £5.50, Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £27. The ‘Concorde Experience’ is £4 for adults and £2 for children.
WEB: www.brooklandsmuseum.com
The International Living History Fair
Staged twice a year in February and October, the International Living History Fair is the primary multi-period indoor market place for re-enactors, historical interpreters, and historical enthusiasts across Europe.
The International Living History Fair exists to provide a market place, a meeting place, and a fabulous opportunity for visitors and re-enactors alike to meet and discuss all periods of our historical past. Many of Europe’s best artisans, craftsmen, and traders are on hand and happy to advise on and provide a huge array of items and replicas of our historical heritage.
The market is located at our larger venue situated about 20 minutes away from the old site at Leamington Spa.
WHEN: 26-28 October 2012
WHERE: Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Bath Lane, Bruntingthorpe. LE17 5QS.
HOW MUCH: Adults £4, Children aged 4-16 £1.50, Children under 4 FREE.
WEB: www.livinghistoryfairs.com/
British Military Tournament
The British Military Tournament is an unforgettable and breathtaking opportunity to marvel at the skill and precision of the British Armed Forces and to support The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, and The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. To mark the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of 2012, this year’s British Military Tournament will celebrate the life and times of Her Majesty The Queen.
The programme includes:
• Over 600 participants and over 150 horses
• Massed bands
• The legendary Field Gun Run
• The Musical Drive of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
• Commentary from Anthony Andrews, Robert Lindsay, Penelope Keith, and Dan Snow.
WHEN: 8–9 December 2012
WHERE: Earls Court, London
HOW MUCH: Tickets on sale from Ticketmaster 0844 248 5026 and EC&O Venues 0870 903 9033
WEB: www.britishmilitarytournament.com
Coleshill Underground
In preparation for Nazi occupation, a secret army was formed at Coleshill.
Over 3000 men from reserve occupations came to prepare as ‘stay-behinds’. All had signed the Official Secrets Act; their life expectancy was between 10 and 14 days.
The model of up to six men working independently and in isolation was the precursor to modern-day warfare. See how the Auxiliary Units trained, lived, and waited underground!
The event gives you the chance to:
• Visit the 70-year-old original operational base
• Dare to go underground in the new replica
• Re-live history with the re-enactors
• Join in with the street party, music, food, and stalls
• Talks, walks and military vehicles
WHEN: 15-16 September 2012
WHERE: Coleshill, Swindon, SN6 7PT
HOW MUCH: Adults £3, Children £1.50
WEB: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/buscot-coleshill-estates
British Academy – The making and breaking of states
Recent events in the Arab world have sharpened and widened public interest in the way states can be broken and made – often very publicly and dramatically – given the role of the modern media. Since the end of WWII, the world has seen three great waves of state-breaking and state-making: the end of European empires; the collapse of the Soviet Union; and the contemporary Arab spring. In its November Modern History Week, the British Academy will explore the making and breaking of states in three lectures given by renowned academics: Professors Mark Mazower, Arne Westad, and Judith Brown.
Topics to be covered are:
• The end of British imperial rule in India 1947
• The Greek War of Independence.
• The role of Reagan as US president
• Changing US alliance patterns
• Global ideological re-ordering.
WHEN: Modern History week runs from 27–29 November 2012
WHERE: The British Academy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH
HOW MUCH: Free
WEB: www.britac.ac.uk
To see these listing in map form, as it appeared in MHM 25, click here.