As a former resident of Birmingham, and a reader of the Express and Star I have been somewhat concerned by the above comments.

I have not seem the article by Mr Rhodes, but the response by Mr Higham I find a little disingenuous. He appears to confuse WW2 “re enactors” with WW1 “Living Historians”. There is a most distinct difference. It is the allusions made in the article re Mr Rhodes’ comments concern me the most. I am intrigued to say the least and would be most interested to see them “verbatim”

I am a member of “The Old Contemptibles” Living History Group and I can assure the readers that the displays we do and the events we attend are most certainly not offensive. I wonder if Mr Rhodes has seen any of the events he is apparently / allegedly deriding? Does he also feel that the naming of a pub in central Birmingham is also offensive? It is and has been for many years been known as “The Old Contemptibles”! The name comes from the German Kaisers description of the British Army as “that contemptible little army” an army that stemmed the German advance but had to fall back on the town of Mons in1914.

Our name comes from that and a commemoration thereof. May I ask why he finds that objectionable?

As for Mr Highams contention that he does not wear badges or medals that he is entitled to…We never wear medals to which we are not entitled, but how can one accurately portray a “Tommy” without wearing Regimental Distinctions? The vast majority of the County Infantry Regiments are long past, and an accurate portrayal is also a testament to their memory.

We as a group attend more than a slack handful of commemorative events in a year more often than not wreath laying with the Royal British Legion, but also re-dedications of memorials. A number of us have attended the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, The Cenotaph in Whitehall, and various events on the continent. In fact most of the members and also those of the Great War Society will be attending 90th Anniversary on the actual battlefields and in the cemeteries remembering family members amongst the fallen, and indeed all whom who made the supreme sacrifice on both sides.

Neither the Old Contemptibles nor The Great War Society are “battle groups” in that we do not take part in “mock battles” as some groups do. In fact this is rarely to be seen in WW1 Living History. It has not the fervour of WW2 re enactors, it is a more reverent affair. I am aware that there are certain groups around the country whom one may question. I am presuming these “Nazi SS” units are the ones Mr Rhodes is confusing us with?

I am sure he would find it rather more dis quietening that the original SS unit who were responsible for the murder of members of the Royal Warwickshires who had surrendered in 1940, are portrayed by a large number of WW2 “re enactors” in this country.

These types of units can be seen at the Pickering event Mr Higham commends if one so wishes.

We portray British and Commonwealth infantry, cavalry, medical and supply units of WW1, and are able to speak with alacrity on the equipment and uniforms. Some of our number are in fact published authors

The Great War is about to pass out of living memory and the sacrifices made need to be remembered. The kit and uniforms are not some dusty museum pieces but worn by people with a genuine regard and interest in the time. People will learn so much more by speaking to a Living Historian and handling some of the kit than by looking into a glass cabinet with a few pictures and a moth eaten uniform!!

I frequently attend schools and history groups to give talks, and will in fact be giving one soon at a school in Birmingham.

Mr Rhodes and Mr Higham, may I suggest that if you have any further queries reference our sincerity that you come along to an event or indeed speak to one of the members. We are always willing to share our knowledge. I would indeed welcome an email from Mr Rhodes and invite him to contact me via the address sent to the newspaper.

One may question my “right” to answer these points other than that of a member of the “OC’s”.

I am a serving officer in the British Army and I am not the only one in the group. In fact the other officer is a very senior serving officer from Whitehall.

We have seen quite enough of modern warfare at the sharp end, and are aware of the need to educate on the horrors of war and for the remembrance of the fallen. Yes we wear medals, but those which we have earned in the service of this country and only then at appropriate times.

I don’t think British Army officers would be concerned with a “tin pot” organisation, nor anything disrespectful.

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# Pete Knight said: Oct 6th, 2008 at 11:40 am

Another “Old Contemptible” says

As a member of the “Old Contemptibles” Great War Living History Group I would just like to echo the sentiments of my colleague above.

One of the main reasons for choosing the name apart from the fact that some of us are descendants of Old Contemptibles. Is that 90% of the people we speak to ask us what we are known as or the name of our Group? When we tell them, the next question is what does that mean?

We then explain to them about the opening of the Great War and where the “Old Contemptibles” name originates from.

Mr Higham may not have heard of us prior to reading this article which may be why he thought he could make the comments he did in support of the original script.

Our group is a long standing one and the reason he may not have heard of us before is that we mainly attend private memorials and re dedication of memorials. We are serious about what we do and there is a strict code of conduct which we all abide by one of dignity and remembrance.

I would like to ask Mr Higham if he is offended by our name how does he feel about the “SS Nazi” Groups who my colleague mentions above that attend events he is at, like the one at Pickering he is so positively promoting.

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Two weeks post my initial comment on this, and ten days post my last.

I was expecting a reply from the above parties, after an expression of such apparent strong views. There has been none. If people have an opinion – which was defended by the people whom we commemorate – such as those expressed by Mr Rhodes and to a lesser extent by Mr Higham, one would expect them to defend their position. Do they now not stand by them, or have they changed their minds?

We in the “Old Contemptibles” have received no direct communications – despite an open invitation to do so – nor has any reply been posted here. I am surprised, and even a little disappointed. We in the Old Contemptibles Living History Group would relish a day with the two gentlemen concerned to but “educate and entertain” in a friendly manner as we do with countless members of the public.

I again commend the gentlemen to make contact.

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If Mr Rhodes had read the entire thread, he would see that we requested debate as the original column was not available on the Express and Star site. If I may quote my original post…

“It is the allusions made in the article re Mr Rhodes’ comments that concern me the most. I am intrigued to say the least and would be most interested to see them “verbatim” ”

Perhaps Mr Rhodes would be kind enough to email me the actual article? It is all very well saying that he has nothing else to add and that the comments come from those who have not read the article, but I have only questioned the “allusions made” and the inferred tone of the article from the comments made by Mr Higham. It is a bit difficult to read the article if it is not available on the web, and one is posted “out of area” by the Army!!

May I then make a formal request for a copy of the article please? The Express and Star have an email address for me, and perhaps he could send a copy direct to me?

If, as the above comment suggests, Mr Rhodes has no interest in opening his mind and entering in discussion, it would be a sad day in journalism indeed…

There is no growth without change…

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Dear Phil

I thank you for your input on this matter.

Your apology is gratefully received and actually not really required! We did but ask for discourse on this matter, and a chance to put forward some facts, that appear from the reporting on here, to be missing from the original comments.

I do actually look forward to meeting you at an event!

I think that having not seen the original post despite innumerate requests, we have had some crossed wires betwixt ourselves!

I cannot understand why Mr Rhodes has decreed that he is now a “hate” figure. All we have requested is learned discourse on the matters arising.

I am opined that the statements offered by Pete Knight and I were most reasonable, and not threatening, offensive or derogatory in any manner. Ergo I cannot understand from whence this “hate” thing comes from!!

It is unfortunate that the esteemed readers of the Express and Star will not see our responses to Mr Rhodes statements, and just have his side of the story.

I have just been put on stand by for “somewhere out east”, I will find out within two weeks as to where I am off to. Thus I probably will not be able to follow this through from such a distance to its conclusion…

It does appear though, that Mr Rhodes, from what you report, is happy to take easy shots at forces commemoration, and through this thread serving members, whom he is fully aware are serving if he has taken the time to read the comments fully. We commemorate those who went before, and as one still in the service of this country, I am saddened that certain sections appear to feel the need to do such a thing, at such a time of year.

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This is what I wrote in my Express & Star column which sparked off this thread:

“IMAGINE this. Your father dies and, some time later, a complete stranger calls at your door, dressed exactly like the old chap. He explains that he is ‘honouring the memory’ of your father by wearing identical clothes and
pushing his old bike. You would be bewildered and furious. I dare say those of us whose families were bereaved in the First World War feel much the same way about the ‘enthusiasts’ who dress up as British Tommies of 1914-18, soon to be on parade at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. With breathtaking arrogance they call themselves the Old Contemptibles. This was the name adopted by the British Expeditionary Force of 1914, a name once uttered in England with awe bordering on reverence Ten million fine young men died in what many folk still call the Great War. It is too soon, and the memories are still too raw, to start turning it into a fancy-dress event. Contemptible indeed.

“Old Contemptible” says the events he and his pals attend are not offensive. How can he possibly know what offends other people? I have seen them at public events and find them both silly and offensive. I come from a family bereaved by the Great War and as a journalist it was my privilege to walk the course in France and Flanders with a few of the last survivors of that war. I have sat with them as they shed tears for the mates they left behind. I have listened to accounts of their nightmares; I will always remember one old soldier who lost a leg at Passchendaele telling me how, 60-odd years on, he still ran and jumped in his dreams.

The soldiers of 1914-18 were very special men. They were men of their time, their religion and their culture. They were, in the main, young men from poor backgrounds. They stood on average about 5ft 6ins and weighed about eight stone. I find it beyond belief that plump, middle-aged men squeeze themselves into khaki to “honour” the memory of this generation. They look frankly ridiculous.

Mr Palmer asserts that I am “just another journalist” who doesn’t let the facts get in the way of the story. While I am proud to be a journalist, I am also a former TA officer who holds the Territorial Decoration. I have been a war correspondent, a student of the Western Front since 1982, and an occasional battlefield guide. I am the author of the book For A Shilling A Day and a guest speaker next year for the Western Front Association.

Far from being “happy to take cheap shots at forces commemoration,” as “Old Contemptible” alleges, my concern is to see it done properly. I care deeply about the soldiers of the Great War and about the communities that were robbed of them. I care about the battlefields. I despair at the steady cheapening of the Western Front by tacky memorials, and the antics of idiots, dressed as soldiers, tearing around in old military vehicles and treating the place like a theme park.

I suspect Mr Higham knows what I mean. As he puts it: “I am not always happy with the way some re-enactors conduct themselves.”

One of the things the lads of 1914-18 fought for was the freedom to hold opinions and speak our minds (even if “Old Contemptible” chooses to do it anonymously). It is “Old Contemptible’s” opinion that he and his colleagues are doing something worthwhile and reverential. It is my opinion that they are not.

There are many good and sensible ways to honour the dead of the Great War. Dressing up as them is not one of them.

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One final note I would like to add if I may.

I would like to thank Mr Rhodes on behalf of both Don Higham and Myself. Don and I have spoken at length on the telephone having never met before. He is a gentleman and thoroughly dedicated man to all he does and incredibly knowledgeable. He has lovingly restored a Great War Triumph and we found ourselves to share much common ground regarding
Remembrance. Had Mr Rhodes not written his article slating what we do “The Old Contemptibles” Great War Living History Group and MVT may have never crossed paths. It now seems we may work together in the future in the appropriate circumstances. So on behalf of Don, Phil, my anonymous colleague and Myself we would like to say thanks for uniting our two groups Mr Rhodes. Some good has come of this after all!! One final point, it personally upsets us to think you feel you are in a position of being a hate figure by our group that is truly an awful thing to think. So I publicly offer you my hand and say I respect your right to say what you do, and we don’t hate anyone.

Regards

Pete Knight and Don Higham

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