Wheaton Aston Military Manoeuvres

06/10/2021

Sunday battle manoeuvres around Wheaton Aston with attacks taking place over fields, meadows and woodland. The scouts were able to use 110 year old ordinance maps as the area has not changed in all that time. A great chance to put into practice something that very rarely happens in Great War Living History.

06/10/2021

06/10/2021

Saturday manoeuvres with drill around camp September 2021

06/10/2021

What can be classed as the first Wheaton Aston Military Manoeuvres was held in September. It involved the Warwick’s, GWS, members of 17th lancers as well as the RAChD section of the Warwick’s. These photos show the Saturday which consisted of parade drills field manoeuvres practice and skill at arms. The Sunday was a full on battle field manoeuvres around the village of Wheaton Aston where the farming community had given over four square miles of fields, meadows and woodland to be used for full scale manoeuvres with attacks and skirmishes using blank ammunition and gas firing maxim guns. It gave a chance to put into practice everything learnt from the history books. The weekend was a great success with another scheduled to take place in May 2022.

28/10/2020

Right Chaps, lots of interest so far, coming together nicely.

If Group leaders could invite their interested members into this page. A further recce is being conducted in November (covid allowing), to see just what land we have to play with and what can be conducted on the terrain.

To cover the cost of certain items such as the field kitchen, marquee, horse transport etc, a cost per head will be required, it should not be that much. The more people go the cheaper it will be.

22/10/2020

Wheaton Aston Manoeuvres 2020 (?)

Hello Gentleman. Many of us here have expressed an interest in conducting a fully immersive 48+hr “pre-Great War” c1913/14 tented camp/manoeuvre exercise in a suitable location.
Thanks to Lee Bond we have been able to secure use of a large area of land in Staffordshire, near and around Wheaton Aston. The venue is amazing with about 2000 acres of Edwardian fields, farmland, farm buildings and even canals with multiple, contemporary crossing points. This page is to get the creative juices flowing. We aim to hold the event (COVID restrictions allowing) in the late Spring early Summer of 2021.
The basic premise is as follows.
1. Invite only event, for people and select with the correct equipment, reputation and mind set.
2. A fully immersive 48hr tented camp with round the clock sentries/guard, ablutions (practicality/H&S allowing), food cooking and mess facilities. A chance for those interested in rations and cooking to come forward (field kitchen/field ovens etc etc?)
3. Large scale joint training, drill, field/firing manoeuvres, signalling, scouting etc over the 2 days. A chance to try out all that we have learnt from the period manuals and a chance to use all the equipment that we have in a practical situation. All on different terrains.
4. On the final day a “large” exercise. A culmination of the previous days training, consisting of a rolling attack on an enemy force at a various defensive positions, including bridges, buildings etc. With umpires, blank firing and pyrotechnics.
5. If plausible on the final night, a period mess night in a marquee.

This page will give us the opportunity to organise what we want and to source what is needed. Things such portaloos, a period marquee, field kitchen etc etc. There will most probably have to be a small charge per head to cover cost of food and absolutions. This could really be something spectacular so please get behind it an offer any suggestions/support you might have.
50 Individuals should be enough to make it worth while and should be easily attainable between the groups and select individuals. Please try to keep the page Spam free, please invite members of your group who you think would be up this.

Groups that have expressed an interest so far…
1st Btn Royal Warwicks 1914-18
Scots at War Living History Society
Great War Society
The Norfolks