1066 and all that
How many men have chain mail pullovers hanging in their wardrobes? John Hillman cast some light on those amongst us who still lust after blood and glory.
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Sticking with the medieval battle theme, tribute must be paid to the hundreds of P&O customers who cross the English Channel each year to take part in the mind-bogglingly popular sport of battle re-enactments.
Unbelievable though this may sound, there are almost as many people in the UK who spend their weekends dressed in chain mail vests and leather tunics as there are who play golf.
Tens of thousands of people across the world belong to the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)an organisation that has divided most of the world into 15 separate kingdoms and then spends long hours in random fields across America and Europe smashing each other to pieces for the rights to conquer new territories.
One can only imagine the numbers of brave soldiers and cunning mercenaries that have followed in the footsteps of genuine armies, crossing the channel each spring to fight on the continent.
Indeed, when you were last on board a P&O ferry, quietly sipping a cappuccino in the sky lounge, perhaps you were in-fact sat next to a band of ruthless cutthroats – hired by some imaginary nobleman in northern France to wage a war of aggression against his unsuspecting neighbour.
The popularity of this sport/hobby/lifestyle is truly awesome, with a universal appeal beyond comprehension. It deeply puzzles me, almost as much as this endlessly perturbing question: considering our long-standing maritime history, and our ancient Christian heritage, how come you never meet an Englishman called Noah?
[...] John Hillman placed an interesting blog post on 1066 and all thatHere’s a brief overviewUnbelievable though this may sound, there are almost as many people in the UK who spend their weekends dressed in chain mail vests and leather tunics as there are who play golf. Tens of thousands of people across the world belong to the … [...]