Archive for the News Category
HARRISON COUNTY CIVIL WAR SESQUICENTENNIAL 150TH ANNIVERSARY
Here is Nick Korolev’s report on the Civil War doin’s in Clarksburg last week: MAY 13-15TH Despite a weekend of scattered showers, the Harrison County Civil War Sesquicentennial 150th Anniversary went off with hardly a hitch May 13 -15th. Funded by the state and sponsored by local historical societies and business as the kick [...]
Prickett’s Fort – School of the Soldier
The WVRA held it’s annual School of the Soldier at Prickett’s Fort, near Fairmont, WV over the weekend of April 30, 2011. The weekend was well attended and the weather was pleasant. The fort is a good location for this sort of event for a number of reasons. There are numerous historical connections to the [...]
Last Combat Veteran of WWI Dies
The last combat veteran of WWI, Claude Choules, who served on the British Battleship, HMS Revenge in WWI, died in a nursing home in Australia at the age of 110. According to the BBC news release, Mr. Choules witnessed the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet in 1918 and its subsequent scuttling at Scapa [...]
GWA Spring Event
It’s spring, 1918 and on the killing fields of France, the armies are stirring in the mud and filth of the trenches. The Kaiser’s forces prepare for an offensive that will strike a decisive blow and divide the allied lines. The western allies including the new American troops and the hardened veterans of the Russian [...]
LONG ROAD HOME – COLD HARBOR
Here is Nick Korolev’s report on the latest installment of ‘The Long Road Home’ event series: The weekend of April 8-10th Clover Hill Village, Appomatox, VA had the first installment of a special series of events titled “The Long Road Home” which will follow Civil War soldiers on the final campaign leading up [...]
Reenactor Shopping
One of the neat things about doing a 20th Century impression, is the availability of items from that time period, pretty much under our noses. Antique shopping can provide a wealth of useful material and be fun as well. The Donegans recently scored big. Here is Bill’s account: Here is a shopping tale about [...]
Military Through the Ages 2011
This year, I attended my third ‘Military Through the Ages’ at Jamestown Settlement. For those of you who have not attended this event, it is a high-quality, prestigious time-line event. Since it takes place in the environs of the reconstructed Jamestown Settlement and museum, it is doubly interesting. As usual, there were a wide variety [...]
Hurricane Civil War Event 2011
William Donegan The following was submitted by our correspondent, Bill Donegan: This was the 14th annual reenactment of two early Civil War battles here in West Virginia: the battle of Hurricane Bridge and Scary Creek. I have attended all of them. There are always a lot to do at this event: The Hurricane [...]
Newville Eastern Front Event 2011
On March 11-12, 2011, the 193rd Rifles and the German WWI group, Fusilier Regiment Nr 90, sponsored what has become an annual event at the GWA site at Newville. This time, it was a spring 1945 scenario. For those of you have never been there, the GWA site is an amazing place. No other reenacting [...]
War Poems
We received the following poems from Diane Watson, whom the Donegans met at the U.S. Christian Commission Chapel service in Gettysburg a few weeks ago. Anywhere Close I’m wearing Blue, my Brother’s in Gray He left when the conflict arose I love the Union, he disagrees We’ll talk when he’s anywhere close. Saw [...]
Frank Buckles
Last month, on February 27, Frank Buckles of Charlestown, WV , the last Doughboy, passed away. He recently celebrated his 110th birthday. According to the Memphis Commerical Appeal, “Sixteen years old, he lied about his age to get into the Army and badgered his superiors until they sent him to the French front with an [...]
The Long Road Home – A Preview
The following is a report from Nick Korolev on a unique series of Civil War events taking place over the next 5 years: Clover Hill Village, Appomatox, VA over the next five years will be having a special series of events titled The Long Road Home which will follow Civil War soldiers on the final [...]
Uncle Luck — One of Our Correspondents is Published
If you are passing by the local newstand this week, you might check out the latest issue of “America in WWII” magazine. Our intrepid traveling correspondent, Bill Donegan has an article published in the latest Issue. Titled “Luck Was On Our Side,” the article recounts the adventures of his uncle, Lester L. Call, who served [...]
Report II from FIG/GAP 2011
The following is Bill Donegan’s report on this year’s FIG event from the perspective of the German chaplin: Report from FIG/GAP 2011 I was glad to have been at the GAP again this year. I am glad also that it was not too cold. I wish to thank Pete and Kate Gentry, and Brad and [...]
Upcoming Events – February and March
Things have been slow on the blog for the last month or so, due to real-life job responsibilities and a lack of events to cover. Hopefully that will be changing now. With FIG over, the reenacting season is starting to crank up. Here are some events coming up in the next couple of months: February [...]
GAP 2010
January 25th through the 28th saw me once again trekking up to Fort Indiantown Gap for the annual Battle of the Bulge reenactment/ living history extravaganza/militaria vendor mall. As usual, it was a large affair with a lot of activities for the WWII living historian. This year, for the first time, I got there on [...]
Frank Buckles
Tuesday, February 1, is the birthday of Frank Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of WWI. According to Wikipedia, today Mr. Buckles “lives at Gap View Farm, in Charles Town, West Virginia, and is the Honorary Chairman of the World War I Memorial Foundation. During World War II, Buckles was taken prisoner by the Japanese [...]
Winter Doldrums
It’s that time of year when the holidays are over and the reenacting season hasn’t really started. Winter doldrums are upon us. Living Historians are typically making repairs or additions to their kits and getting ready for the upcoming season. WWII reenactors have the Battle of the Bulge Reenactment at Fort Indiantown Gap, coming up [...]
A Reenactor on Film
It is always cool when knowledgeable living historians get to work with a film project and are able to help the producers ‘get it right.’ The following is a conversation that Bill Donegan had with Reenactor par excellence, Jenna Onuska on the Wehrmacht forum regarding a film project in Maryland: Jenna: My 15 minute claim [...]
Old Bedford Village – East Front Tactical 2010
The annual Fall Eastern Front event was held at Old Bedford Village on the weekend of November 12-14. This year offered an interesting change from the usual format. Rather than just a series of firefights between the combatants, this year involved a day-long scenario in which German units (in this case, Grossdeutschland and 11th Panzer) [...]
BEDFORD VILLAGE CIVIL WAR CHRISTMAS DECEMBER 4th
Merry Christmas to all of you out there. On that note, the following is a report from our correspondent, Nick Korolev: The first weekend in December Rick “Byrdie” Byrd and I with the Federal Generals Corps made our annual pilgrimage to one of our favorite living history events that has become a part of our [...]
Charleston Veteran’s Day Parade
Here is a report on the Charleston, WV Veteran’s Day parade by Bill Donegan: On November 11th, 2010 Linda and I attended the 68th annual Veteran’s day parade in Charleston, West Virginia. This year’s parade was a special feature for World War Two “ Rosie the Riveters”. The parade organizers had specifically requested that all “Rosies” [...]
Great War Association Fall Event – 2010 pt.2
On the weekend of November 6, I was able for the first time, to take part in a WWI event at the GWA site at Newville, PA., thanks to the support and loan of equipment from John Pepper and Keith Allen. The group I was with, is La Legion Russe, which portrays “a machine gun [...]
Great War Association Fall Event – 2010 pt.1
The following is a report on the Great War Association WWI event from correspondent, Matt Gillespie: My New Favorite Hobby Newville, PA- My son and I attended our first WW1 event at the Great War Association, at the Caesar Kraus property near Newville, PA. We found the 88 acres of PA rolling hills adorned with bunkers, shell holes, trenches, a [...]
Pearl Harbor
Today is December 7. Please take time to remember the service personnel and civilians killed in Hawaii on this date in 1941 – the ‘Day of Infamy’, as President Roosevelt so eloquently termed it.