Great photo James, it's a really rewarding thing to do when the audience is interested. I say interested because - as I'm sure has happened to you - it can be awful when it's a reluctant or pressganged audience!
On that subject, back in 1997, our Society was engaged by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board for a series of displays at the
Ulster-American Folk Park in Omagh over the July 4th US Independence week. It was an all-expenses paid tour - travel, food, accommodation, black powder & caps, the works. Boy, did they make us work for it though
The 'Troubles' were nothing like they were in the 1970's and 1980's by then, but there were still troops in Guard Towers and Army Patrols in 'hot spots'.
We did twice daily skirmishes at the Folk Park for four days, a road trip to the Republic to do a battle and parade at Dun Laoghaire, a march through
Omagh town (right past the shops where the
dreadful outrage took place the following year) and a small parade/drill display in Derry (Londonderry) city square. The shows at the Park and in Eire were well attended, but the display at Derry attracted the proverbial one man and his dog.
[Note: Derry is very much a Catholic city, though the small towns and villages that surround it are (or were then) very, very Protestant - red, white and blue painted kerbstones and all that. We had several members who were ex-British Army who sensibly declined to do that Derry visit.]
We were introduced to the Mayor and some other bigwigs and then did some drill.
It's amazing how big a small mediaeval square can look when you've only 20 or so folk for a display, especially when half of them are portraying officers or sergeants!
After the display, some local kids were hanging around, so I went and had a chat with them. I just about managed to understand their impenetrable local accent and of course they were intrigued with the rifle and bayonet, so I showed them how to load and fire it (no powder or caps, natch!)
Once they'd relaxed a bit, they fired questions at me non-stop. I thought I'd done a pretty good job explaining the difference between a Federal and a Confederate and what the war was all about. Unfortunately, I happened to say at one point that the Confederates were the Rebels - which really threw a spanner into the works.
[An explanation - since time immemorial, militant Irish Republicans have been known as 'Rebels'.]
Well, at least as portraying a Rebel I was on their side so to speak, but just that one word imparted dreadful confusion amongst the kids and the last question I fielded as we were forming up to go was … and I kid you not ...
'So mister, you're a Rebel, so you are, but are you a Catholic or a Protestant Rebel?'