On Friday afternoon, we arrived at around 4.00 pm and were shown to our pitch.

We set about pitching the tent straight away and, as there were a few more of us this time, it was up in no time. Not long after, we popped into the supermarket to pick up some food and drink. Later that evening, we popped in to watch the pub quiz being held at the monastery. The venue was, incidentally, quite remarkable. The story goes that around 300 civilians from the village of Essen (Belgium) took refuge in the monastery’s cellar. As the British were advancing so rapidly, they had already passed the village before the Germans could be captured or retreat. Furthermore, most of the church towers in the area had been shot down, as they were generally used as observation posts. However, the monastery’s tower was spared, and the marks left by the detonators used to blow up the tower are still visible today. The German commander defused the bomb himself.

Having gone to bed a little later than planned, we got up on time the next morning. The flag had to be raised, breakfast had to be eaten, and we were expected to attend the briefing to take part in that day’s battles. We were assigned a tank and so had the opportunity to ride along on the tank’s deck as we went into battle. Around 12 o’clock, another of our members arrived who was staying for the day, and we took the time between battles to watch the various displays. Each one was more extraordinary than the last. It’s sometimes almost impossible to fathom how much effort people put into setting up their displays. At around half past three in the afternoon, we drove to Zundert to visit the second-hand shop, and most of us bought a few bits and bobs, either to further accessorise our costumes or for our own use. When we got back at around 6.00 pm, we were able to sit down for dinner straight away. The field kitchen had gone to great lengths to serve up a very tasty stew. The ball was on the programme for the evening. Naturally, we had to look our best, so that meant we’d be going in our Class A uniforms. A singer and an orchestra provided the music. As we’d already had a short night’s sleep the night before and the tiredness from the whole day was really starting to set in, I decided not to go to bed too late.

The following morning, we decided to give the flag-raising a miss and gathered at a quarter to nine to take part in the tour. We’d found someone to give us a lift (in a Dodge WC52 6×6) and settled down on the seats at the back. The drive took us through the surrounding villages and, after a few hours, we arrived at a church where we attended the first commemorative ceremony in memory of several RAF airmen who had crashed nearby in their ‘Afro Manchester’ bomber; several crew members lost their lives and are buried next to the church. We then had the chance to warm up at the local community centre whilst enjoying a hot chocolate, coffee, tea or a soft drink. I personally went for the hot chocolate. Afterwards, we drove on to the rear of the station in Essen to take part in a second ceremony commemorating the liberation of Essen. After the tour, we returned to the campsite where the chip van was waiting, so we could enjoy a well-deserved hot, greasy snack. Shortly afterwards, we tidied up, and it was around 3.00 pm when we said our goodbyes and headed home. All in all, apart from the rain and the cold, we can once again look back on a lovely and successful event. Photo credit: IDM Photography.