ANGLO-ZULU WAR EVENT: 16-17 June 2012 Brecon

ANGLO-ZULU WAR THEMED WEEKEND - REGIMENTAL MUSEUM BRECON

Another date for your diary – 16-17 June 2012, Brecon

The weekend theme will be done on two levels. The first level will be for the public generally, on both the Saturday and Sunday (9am to 5pm)with the 1879 Group demonstrating their admirable skills – with displays of drill; the surgeon’s work; and with many in full uniform discussing aspects of the AZW with the public. We are working on ideas to involve the children – a mini-drill event ? The standard £4 entry fee will cover everything (children get in free). We will have a stand selling teas & coffees for which there will be a small additional charge.

The second level will be for those with a deeper interest in the AZW. This will take much the same format as last year’s successful event – a couple of talks in the Barracks Study Centre on the Saturday afternoon and also on the Sunday Morning. I have yet to draw up an agenda – any volunteers to give talks ? It is likely we will make a small charge for this – say £5 to cover both days.

The weekend is being used to launch a fund raising appeal for the Museum, and in conjunction with this, Ian Knight will give a keynote talk on the battle of Rorke’s Drift in Brecon Cathedral in the early evening. Probably a charge of £20 (which will include some light rfefreshment.

At the moment we are in the very early stages of planning. More detail in due course.

Watch this space

Bill

I've already thrown my hat into the ring for the lectures.

"Breechloader...a surefire guarantee of success?".

Sounds like a good weekend. Not sure if this has been asked before " Are there any camp site near by"

Hi John

Try the Brecon Tourist Information Office - 01874 622485

Bill

Or try this.
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Hi Everyone

The AZW weekend in Brecon is now taking shape. The basic aim of the weekend is to raise funds for the Museum and to use the weekend as a vehicle to launch a major Appeal.

The arrangements made so far:

SATURDAY 16th June and SUNDAY 17th June 2012

On both the Saturday and Sunday the museum will be open slightly longer - from 9.30am to 5pm - entrance fee £4 (children free). The 1879 Group will be there in force and in uniform. There will be a surgeon's tent with "Slasher" Morgan explaining to an awestruck public how field surgery was carried out. A Corporal will be demonstrating the drill of 1879. Throughout the Museum there will be 24th uniformed soldiers explaining various aspects of the AZW. For the children there will be opportunities to learn drill (in uniform and in sun helmets), competitions to see how long they can hold the Martini-Henry at arms length, how fast they can compete a jigsaw of Isandhlwautf- for both there will be certificates and small prizes. And of course, it will give everyone a chance to see what we have done so far to the AZW room, and to explain what further developments are intended. Drinks and refershments will be available in the Museum.

Running in paraleel with this will be 4 specialist talks on the AZW in the Barracks Study Centre. We are still firming up the two talks for the Saturday afternoon, though one will be on the making of the Rattray book on the WW Lloyd sketches. On the Sunday morning there will be two talks: Neil aspinshaw will give a talk on "The Brrechloader - a surefire guarantee of success ?" followed by Mike Mcabe on "Isandhlwautf- another look at the Zulu attack" . There will be a small extra charge for these talks - £5. This one charge will cover BOTH days.

On the Saturday evening at 7pm, Ian Knight will give a keynote talk on "The Battle of Rorke's Drift" in BRECON CATHEDRAL. This will be used as the vehicle to launch the Museum's Appeal. Tickets are £20 and can be obtained on the day (or in advance) from the Museum (01874 613310) - the price will include drinks and canapes (available from 6pm).

Accommodation in Brecon is getting booked up already. So if you are thinking of staying overnight, book now ! If you get stuck - try ringing the Brecon Tourist Information Office 01874 622485.

More updates will be posted as things develop.

Hope to see you there.

Bill
Bill Cainan
Curator
The Regimental Museum of the Royal Welsh

Hi Bill.

Quote :

The basic aim of the weekend is to raise funds for the Museum

Bill for what purpose.

impi wrote:

Hi Bill.

Quote :

The basic aim of the weekend is to raise funds for the Museum

Bill for what purpose.

Running costs? So they can afford to keep the memories and artifacts available to the public.

I've been to the Brecon Museum, and I must say it is a very intensive experience, so much AZW material in one place. Diorama's, hands on stuff, and authentic memorabilia. I was mesmerised stood in front of the ACTUAL Union Jack flag that flew at Rorke's Drift. I only wish I could have spent more time in Brecon itself, and paid a lot more visits to the museum.

Hi Bill .
What a fantastic two days this will be , I'd love to be there .
Cheers 90th .

Hi Impi

To answer your question

The aim of the weekend is to raise funds for the Museum - eg to replace old display cabinets to better display the Regiment's collection of artefacts. The weekend will also be used as a vehicle to launch a major Appeal for funds with a view towards undertaking a major refurbishment.

To that end, ALL of the Specialist Talk speakers are giving their time for free. The £5 entry fee will go into the Museum funds. Similarly the £20 fee for Ian Knight's talk in the Cathedral will be going into the Appeal Fund.

Bill

Bill. If you don't mind me asking what are you hoping to raise ( Cost of display cabinets)

Saul

In the AZW room we have two large cabinets that need replacing - we have had a preliminary quote to do this at £16k. We are also in the process of re-framing the flag vthat flew over Rorke's Drift - at a cost of £5k.

In the main part of the Museum we are looking at installing new display cases along part of one wall - estimated cost £25-30k.

Can I presume your cheque is in the post ? !!

Hopefully, the support we get on the AZW weekend will go a long way towards meeting these immediate gaols. Will we be seeing you there ?

The more general Appeal will be used to build up funds to ebnable us to achieve a substantial refurbishment, hopefully with HLF support.

Bill

Saul
are we going to see you there?.

Afraid not, I will be spending a few weeks in Cawnpore, now Kanpur. But i hope it goes well, Thanks foir asking.

Thats good news, I may attend them

Bill, can I just ask is there likely to be another AZW weekend at Brecon next year? Is it an annual event? I can't make it this year, but if there is another such session, I'd like to sort myself out and attend that.

Or if there are other AZW events hitting the British shores this year, is there a list of them anywhere?

Hi Everyone

The details for the specialist talks are now confirmed as follows:

SPECIALIST TALKS ON THE ANGLO-ZULU WAR
The Brigade Study Centre, The Barracks, Brecon (Access through Museum)
£5 – one fee will cover all talks on both days
TICKETS AVAILABLE ON THE DAY AT THE MUSEUM

Saturday 16th June 2012:

1400-1500
“A Tour of the Anglo-Zulu War Battlefields”
An illustrated talk
by Brian Portch

1515-1615
“The making of ‘A Soldier-Artist in Zululand: WW Lloyd’ by David Rattray”
An illustrated talk
by Martin Everett

Sunday 17th June 2012:
1000-1100
“The Breechloader – a surefire guarantee of success ?”
A review of the impact of the Martini-Henry rifle
by Neil Aspinshaw

1115-1215
“Isandhlwautf– another look at the Zulu Attack”
An illustrated talk looking at the timings and sequence of the Zulu attack
by Mike McCabe

If you require more information, please contact the Museum.

Spelk: We have no plans as yet for a 2013 event - we'll see how this event goes !

Bill

bill cainan wrote:

Spelk: We have no plans as yet for a 2013 event - we'll see how this event goes !

Fingers crossed it's goes well.

Are any of the events happening this weekend likely to be documented on the web? Photo's, Video's, transcripts etc? Anything going up on the Museum's web pages?

Hi Spelk

I'll see what we can do. Unfortunately I broke a leg last week, so everything has become just that bit more difficult !

Bill

Hi Bill.
Sorry to hear about the leg , of all times to do one , but I dont think there is any good time to get one .
Hopefully it wont derail you to much on what will be a magnificent weekend for the museum .
Cheers 90th.

Sorry Bill, you really do need some education. When someone tells you, before a show, to break a leg. It should not be taken literally.


Get well soon mate.

Cheers

Hi Bill.

Sorry to hear about the leg mate.

Hope that it does not inconvenience you too much for the event.

Here's wishing you a speedy recovery my friend.

Best wishes.

Martin.

bill cainan wrote:

Hi Spelk
I'll see what we can do. Unfortunately I broke a leg last week, so everything has become just that bit more difficult !
Bill

Thanks Bill. Anything would be appreciated, for those of us who can't make it.

Sorry to hear about your accident. You weren't chasing a chicken by any chance?

Hope you mend soon!

Good luck with the event tomorrow!

Ouch!!!! Sorry to hear the news "Bill" get well soon mate, Brecon needs you

Itching to hear how the AZW weekend went in Brecon....

*twiddles thumbs impatiently*

Me to. Ended up with a stomach bug courtesy of my youngest.

I had that a couple of weeks ago.. Ouch....

A few photos from the weekend.

Good event. Good talks. Bad weather...

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Hi 1879-2009. You might want to sent the photos to Peter ( Admin) your link isn't showing the images.. Would like to see them.

Here's a link I found regarding the appeal.

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Hi 1879 - 2009.
Thanks for posting the photos , I had no trouble opening them .

Impi.
I had a security alert on the link you posted so couldnt see it .

cheers 90th.

Thanks for the pics, your's truly demo-ing how to fix a bayonet no less.

From the moment the doors opened on the Saturday it was extremely busy, with lots of eager interested parties. Some excellent lectures, I had a few I.T. issues with the lecture rooms computer which resulted in it just closing down half way through. Mike's impromptu post lecture gathering regarding the missing 5 hours was very well received and went on for nearly two hours!.

Lots of kids, all unbelievably interested, some in dressed as 24th soldiers, warms me to think that a new generation of eager budding historians will not let this fade away. The chance for them to handle some of Martini's, load and eject is something I wish I could have done at ten!.

I don't know the footfall, perhaps Bill will let us know, but great work by the 1879 group, the helpers, the tea ladies, the museum staff, lecturers but last but no means Bill, who, despite a broken ankle was in more places than Schiess at RD, in fact at one point, we thought of wrapping his ankle in bandage, letting him drag a loose trail of around, batting the tea ladies aside with his Crutches, before bayonetting Slasher Morgan and nodding in approval was too much to miss.

Ians lecture in the Cathederal was superb, but we were left confused in the end... an Indian Curry, served in Wales, by a Polish waitress...hmmmm.

Sunday, again a busy morning, with impromptu lectures in the museum itself, Danny and myself doing a talk on the weapns, I did ask Danny to strip to his underpants and do his old Zulu impression, sadly he forgot his leather loin patch..so much to the releif of the ladies, he did it clothed!.

Stupid me I didn't think of clicking on the link Great Photos thanks for posting.