Armistice In Cambridge 2011

I spent today at the Armistice In Cambridge event. The numbers of visitors seemed very down today but the numbers of military vehicles on display and of re-enactors were seemingly up on previous years.

The flying display is now virtually non-existant. A Yak 52 did a very high display, which was ok but there was no real impact on the crowd like the days of the past when I was on the committee and we had great displays from Dave Phillips in his Tiger Moth, Phil Hooker in his Hughes 500 and Sioux, the Bf108, Thunder Mustang, etc. Nowadays they are not allowed proper displays as too many houses have been built around the grounds. But the event will likely be moving next year to Karapiro which should hopefully resolve this and see a decent aerial element back on the programme, as well as more waterborne displays on the lake there.

It was nice to see several forum members there, incliding Errol Cavit, Marcus Duvall, Evan Yates, Mike Aldridge, Dave Roberts, Gary from Kiwi Modeller forum, and probably others.

For me the highlights so far (as it continues tomorrow) have been the following:
- The Afrika Korps display which is was great - they have a genuine Kubelwagen, a genuine Opel Blitz and a genuine Steyr 8 seat transport. I spoke to a few of the chaps involved in re-enacting the Afrika Korps and their leader Michael is a reader of the forum and told me he plans to join up. They re-enact a unit of the Korps that later went onto serve at Normandy, and then later still fought in Russia, so it was an interesting unit. And they compliment the NZ 21 Battailion re-enactors well.
- The model displays and competition had some great models on display once again.
- There are some new re-enactment grous including Boer War guys, and WWII Russians, and even a few doing modern NZ/British soldiers in Afghanistan today.
- The NZ Colonial War re-enactment with Militia vs a rebel tribe was very entertianing.
- The WWII re-enactment this time was based on the attack by NZ and US Forces on the German-held town of Faenza in Italy in 1944. I think it must have been the most re-enactors I've seen on the paddock at one time, really very good. I especially liked the mortar the Americans were firing, very realistic.

More, more, more, they are so much better than mine with my X3 zoom.

This morning at the Ceremony, we had a very special guest, Cpl Willie Apiata VC

Nice shots Errol. I will post a few of mine when I find the time to sort through them.

I really like that Steyr vehicle.

Dressed for battle
Corporal Willie Apiata was a surprise guest at the weekend's Armistice Day commemorations
www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/5961614/Dressed-for-battle

Hi all

We had a small (SADF) exhibit in the first marquee tent. Hope to have something more substantial next year. It was good to have a catch-up with Dave and Errol again.

Participants and public numbers were down compared to last year but I have been assured that next year there will be a greater variety and scope of military re-anactments and participation at Karapiro. It should be something new and should draw the crowds again.

Here are a few of my pics.















I am on the right of the pic... and my mate Peter Chapman is on the left.

Some models from the model competition and display:

I notice on the SAS model above the SAS trooper seems to wear a pilot's flying badge brevet. Did they have many pilots in the SAS doing ground work in the jeeps?

Some Kiwi re-enactors had a tug-o-war competition


Against some German re-enactors


And beat them


Straight afterwards the same Kiwi team took on a bunch of American re-enactors who were all much younger than the kiwis. The kiwis still won!

That rail gun and the Wingnut Wings models there were very nice indeed.

These chaps were re-enacting modern day soldiers in the Afghan conflict, it was interesting to see their uniforms and equipment, a mix of British and NZ gear.


The Kiwi Camp




Fusilade






The sole Japanese re-enactor


Band of Brothers


This mortar was really great, they dropped mortar bomb shaped things in the top and it had the bang and smoke (I think the bombs had a shotgun style cartridge in them that landed on a striker) then they opened a door at the bottom, took the shell out and dropped in the next one. The affect was realistic without the danger.