About Us

We re-create the life of a British regiment of line infantry during the Napoleonic Wars. We base ourselves on the early Peninsular War period (around 1809), when the regiment fought with Arthur Wellesley's army in Portugal and Spain. We aim to be as authentic as possible in our dress, our equipment and our drill (which we take from the 1807 Rules and Regulations for the Manual and Platoon Exercises, Formations, Field-exercise and Movements of His Majesty's Forces).

During the summer season (usually between Easter and October) we give displays of battle tactics, living history and battle re-enactments. These range from full scale re-enactment events organised by the Napoleonic Association, in which many other re-enactment regiments take part, to small living history displays for local museums. We also travel abroad to take part in events in other European countries, including the spectacular re-enactment of the Battle of Waterloo that takes place every five years on the actual battleground. Occasionally we have been asked to take part in filming.

Our TV and film credits include
Sharpe's Regiment
The BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice and Vanity Fair.
Blackadder Millenium Edition
Vanity Fair 2004
Pride and Prejudice 2005
Time Team
How London was built - an Adam Hart-Davis Documentary

During the winter months we continue to meet once a month for drill practice. The usual venue for our drill practices is Aldershot Military Museum. For safety reasons, new members must attend these and demonstrate that they are competent with drill and musket proficiency before they can take part in battle re-enactments. But it is not all "square bashing" - we also have social gatherings, and each year we have a Regimental Dinner (In full uniform!).

The Regiment is organised into Light, Centre and Grenadier Companies. While most men prefer to be a soldier, there are plenty of other roles you can portray in our living history displays. Boys under 16 can be drummers, while our female members take on roles ranging from camp followers to society ladies. The camp followers perform the much-appreciated task of preparing the food, while the ladies hold tea parties and discuss the latest scandal. During battle re-enactments, while the soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder in the "thin red line", there is always the danger for the womenfolk of being captured by the French if they raid our camp!

Camp follower roles can also be played by men, such as surgeons, or even dentists who were recorded touring the battlefield extracting teeth from the dead to make into sets of false teeth (although our 'dead' soldiers would object to this!). Whatever the role you decide to portray, you are encouraged to research your chosen profession.

The Napoleonic Association

The Napoleonic Association is an international society of enthusiasts dedicated to the study and recreation of uniforms, equipment and tactics of European armies from 1796 to 1815, an era commonly known as the Napoleonic Wars. Years of meticulous study and practical research by members has resulted in the raising of representative units of British, French and Austrian soldiers.

The association has much to offer people of all ages, including families. There is room for everyone whether your interest lies in wargaming, research or the exciting battle re-enactments, and the increasingly popular living history displays.