Impressions Is there an age related cutoff point for re-enactment?

@Beltplate53 At sixty you look pretty believable in my opinion. Besides, from what I have read, people in those days aged quicker than we do. You look forty or so, at least to me, and I believe there were more than a few enlisted men of that age serving in the army then.

By the way, I think the pipe adds a touch of realism not commonly seen now. I showed my wife your photo and you remind her of Victor McLaglen in the John Wayne cavalry trilogyies.

Keep up the good work!

John
 
I have been reenacting for 30 years now . My first reenactment was 125th Sayler's Creek . Where the hell did that time go ? Anyway , now I am 57 and my 14 year old son started reenacting with us last year as a drummer boy . No way I am going to leave the hobby now ! We have about 45 members of all ages portraying the 12NJVI Co. K . 3 drummer boys , 1 reverend , and the rest infantry. We also have a youngster who is about 12 that drove out to remembrance day this year with his parents to check out the ceremonies because he wants to join us . These are all great people who have a common interest and a lot of them have become very good friends of mine. Our last newsletter which I just received a few days ago ended by saying lets all look forward to next year so we can create more memories . I already have a ton of them . In 12 years I plan on portraying Jersey boy , John Burns at the 167th Gettysburg reenactment , if there is one. Do it, you only live once and don't want to regret not doing it when you are 100.
P.S. I have dibs on John Burns NOBODY else better steal my idea :throwball: !
 
Hi folks,
I’ve never been involved in an reenactment and even though it’s something that I’d considered in the past I never got around to doing anything about it. The years have flown by and I’ve suddenly got the urge to get involved in some kind of historical reenactment but I’m thinking that my age could be against me, I’m only a couple of years shy of my 60th birthday so I probably wouldn’t make a very convincing infantryman, I expect that there are a few people far older than myself that get stuck in and enjoy the reenactment scene and I say more power to them but how do people really feel about older members joining in. Is it more the case that re-enactment groups would prefer older folks to play a more age related part. The reason that I’m asking is because I’ve noticed (on other sites) that some re-enactors have made remarks regarding a persons health and fitness or their inability to keep up with the rest of the group, others make distasteful comments about the weight or size of a person, all unnecessary in my opinion. I imagine or at least hope that most groups would embrace anyone that wants to give up their spare time to get involved in re-enactments regardless of their age, shape or fitness.

I’d appreciate an honest answer, to my question, if you don’t think that a 60 or 70 year old has anyplace in the infantry or artillery or that they would be better suited to other roles I’d really like to read your opinions. I’m hedging my bets here but I reckon most of you will say age etc doesn’t matter, either way I’ll respect your opinion.

many thanks for taking the time to read this post.

Regards Waterloo.
The first thing I would recommend is that you join the Civil War Round Table (UK). Their Crossfire newsletter that comes out three times a year is worth the dues even if you do not attend any of their functions. The articles are excellent & it is a way to get in touch with folks interested in the U.S. Civil War in Great Britain.

The largest CW re-enacting group in the U.K. is <first-tennesee.co.uk> First Tennessee re-enactment (Maney's), Co.E is the CW re-enacting. I am familiar with it because they portray a unit raised up where I live in Tennessee. The "First Tennessee Re-Enactment Guidelines" page details the uniform guide, etc. required in detail. I have found their research to be excellent. I am sure that contacting them will provide you with answers to your questions.

I have been a living history volunteer since 1994. I have the creaking joins that come from having lived a somewhat adventurous life. Not only do living history impressions require a lot less marching around, they also provide a much wider scope for participation. I have four military uniforms & a variety of civilian attire appropriate for a wide range of impressions. The possibilities for living history impressions are almost endless. They also have the advantage of not spending your weekends being ordered around & drilling, which us geezers don't appreciate as much as we might have at one time. Come form us with us, it is the best way in the world to understand history at a hands on level.
 
Another reason I'm planning a civilian lady impression. For now I think I hit "late teens young man" convincingly enough. But when people start asking who the old lady carrying the musket is, it might be time to make the switch.
 
I have been reenacting for 30 years now . My first reenactment was 125th Sayler's Creek . Where the hell did that time go ? Anyway , now I am 57 and my 14 year old son started reenacting with us last year as a drummer boy . No way I am going to leave the hobby now ! We have about 45 members of all ages portraying the 12NJVI Co. K . 3 drummer boys , 1 reverend , and the rest infantry. We also have a youngster who is about 12 that drove out to remembrance day this year with his parents to check out the ceremonies because he wants to join us . These are all great people who have a common interest and a lot of them have become very good friends of mine. Our last newsletter which I just received a few days ago ended by saying lets all look forward to next year so we can create more memories . I already have a ton of them . In 12 years I plan on portraying Jersey boy , John Burns at the 167th Gettysburg reenactment , if there is one. Do it, you only live once and don't want to regret not doing it when you are 100.
P.S. I have dibs on John Burns NOBODY else better steal my idea :throwball: !
I'm holding out to be John Burns at Gettysburg 175th. I will only be a few years older than he was. Funny, in all of the Gettysburgs I've done you never see a John Burns.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone portray a Russian soldier before, most of the groups over here go for the American or German side of things, for some strange reason the Germans always seem to attract a larger number of people, must be something to do with the cool German uniforms or just playing the part of the bad guy.
I do recall meeting a gentleman (must have been in his 70s) dressed in complete WW1 uniform, he gave a talk on life in the trenches, he wasn’t at all bothered about his age and neither were those of us listening to him.

I’m going to wait until the plague is over and then I’m going to look up a few reenactment groups. Thanks for the encouragement.

Excellent photos and a great post, thanks for taking the time to respond.

In UK there is a small society called 2nd Guards Rifle Division who recreate Russian infantry of the Great Patriotic War (WW2 to the rest of us).

If your interest is focussed on ACW, then you have the choice of the American Civil War Society or SOSKAN (Southern Skirmish Association.)

Re-enactment/Living History of military activities kicked off in 1968 with a group called Sealed Knot which recreates the English Civil Wars. There are now groups which represent soldiery through the ages, from Roman Legions (Regia Anglorum) to Vietnam era US Army (Rolling Thunder).

There's an umbrella organisation called NAReS (National Association of Re-enactment Societies) which you might like to seek out.

Apologies for not providing links, but the various bodies that I have mentioned are easy to find with a simple Google search.
 
to me age dont mean nothing at all. its how you act and if you are safe enough to do the job in hand. I seen a 17 year old kid handle better w/ his musket but then a 65 year old and vise versus. I know in the unit that i am and help run we drill the person to see if they are good enough to handle a weapon in all phases.
 
In UK there is a small society called 2nd Guards Rifle Division who recreate Russian infantry of the Great Patriotic War (WW2 to the rest of us).

If your interest is focussed on ACW, then you have the choice of the American Civil War Society or SOSKAN (Southern Skirmish Association.)

Re-enactment/Living History of military activities kicked off in 1968 with a group called Sealed Knot which recreates the English Civil Wars. There are now groups which represent soldiery through the ages, from Roman Legions (Regia Anglorum) to Vietnam era US Army (Rolling Thunder).

There's an umbrella organisation called NAReS (National Association of Re-enactment Societies) which you might like to seek out.

Apologies for not providing links, but the various bodies that I have mentioned are easy to find with a simple Google search.
Thanks for the info I appreciate it.
I didn’t realise that their was such a thing as a national association, I’ll definitely be looking into what they have to offer.
 
to me age dont mean nothing at all. its how you act and if you are safe enough to do the job in hand. I seen a 17 year old kid handle better w/ his musket but then a 65 year old and vise versus. I know in the unit that i am and help run we drill the person to see if they are good enough to handle a weapon in all phases.
I think it’s a good idea to drill someone when handling any type of weapon, I remember being a very young and green recruit when I joined the army, they spent a great deal of time teaching us how to safely and efficiently use the SLR, I think you guys call it the FAL, anyhow, even with modern live weapon experience I’d still need to be shown how to correctly and safely use a musket, in fact I’d insist on it. The good news is that the army programmed me to follow instructions so I’d probably be okay as a new recruit in a reenactment group.
 
to me age dont mean nothing at all. its how you act and if you are safe enough to do the job in hand. I seen a 17 year old kid handle better w/ his musket but then a 65 year old and vise versus. I know in the unit that i am and help run we drill the person to see if they are good enough to handle a weapon in all phases.

I can vouch for this. They drilled me nicely before letting me in.
 
Hi folks,
I’ve never been involved in an reenactment and even though it’s something that I’d considered in the past I never got around to doing anything about it. The years have flown by and I’ve suddenly got the urge to get involved in some kind of historical reenactment but I’m thinking that my age could be against me, I’m only a couple of years shy of my 60th birthday so I probably wouldn’t make a very convincing infantryman, I expect that there are a few people far older than myself that get stuck in and enjoy the reenactment scene and I say more power to them but how do people really feel about older members joining in. Is it more the case that re-enactment groups would prefer older folks to play a more age related part. The reason that I’m asking is because I’ve noticed (on other sites) that some re-enactors have made remarks regarding a persons health and fitness or their inability to keep up with the rest of the group, others make distasteful comments about the weight or size of a person, all unnecessary in my opinion. I imagine or at least hope that most groups would embrace anyone that wants to give up their spare time to get involved in re-enactments regardless of their age, shape or fitness.

I’d appreciate an honest answer, to my question, if you don’t think that a 60 or 70 year old has anyplace in the infantry or artillery or that they would be better suited to other roles I’d really like to read your opinions. I’m hedging my bets here but I reckon most of you will say age etc doesn’t matter, either way I’ll respect your opinion.

many thanks for taking the time to read this post.

Regards Waterloo.

Below is a picture of me from 3 years ago when I turned 65 (it was used in a newspaper story on a living history event). I'm talking to some spectators about the fife.

I switched to music when I got tired of carrying a musket and wanted to stay in the hobby. I also started doing Rev War as a musician. If you're musically inclined, music is a good option and you can stay in the ranks instead of going civilian (or you could be a civilian musician of some sort).

I can't do anything about getting older, but for me that didn't mean it was OK to be overweight and gray. From a distance, I think it would be difficult for someone to tell my age, and that's what I was going for. I looked in a mirror and said to myself, "You're portraying a soldier. Do your best to look like one!"

The point being--age doesn't matter if you're making an effort to do it right. After the 150th events, I cut back on big reenactments and focused on living history events.

From the way things are going, I think that big reenactments are pretty much a thing of the past. There may be a few each year, but they're going to be fewer and smaller as time goes on. So, if you're just getting into it, expect to be doing more events where you're closer to the public, and if that's the case, your appearance is more important.



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There’s no upper age limit, though as others have said health and safety comes first, you know best your own strengths and weaknesses.

I will say as an artillery man that people far underestimate the work that goes into the impression... there’s a lot of exercise involved! There’s a lot of work that goes into wheeling a gun into position, loading and unloading ect. It’s lots of fun, but also hard work.
 
I'm holding out to be John Burns at Gettysburg 175th. I will only be a few years older than he was. Funny, in all of the Gettysburgs I've done you never see a John Burns.
I was there for the 155th, and there was no John Burns, although the gentleman who owned the property we re-enacted on could have passed for Mr. Burns.
There’s no upper age limit, though as others have said health and safety comes first, you know best your own strengths and weaknesses.

I will say as an artillery man that people far underestimate the work that goes into the impression... there’s a lot of exercise involved! There’s a lot of work that goes into wheeling a gun into position, loading and unloading ect. It’s lots of fun, but also hard work.
Funny you should mention that. I have seen a lot of old artillerymen handle a gun far better than many of their younger comrades. Experience pays. But you are correct, it is not all hearts and flowers. It's work and drill and drill and work, but is it ever fun!
 
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