The WFA has been at WDYTYA? over the weekend of 26 - 28 February 2010.
Having shared duty at Kelmarsh Hall last July I thought I knew what to expect when I was invited to help at Olympia just recently. Of course I knew it would be busier and that the ‘customer' would be more of a family history enthusiast rather than the Military/living History person but I have to say Olympia blew me away.
Steve Beeby popped along on Friday morning just to say hello and left at 5.30pm on Saturday night! At one point he turned to me and said "OK which one do you want to be Chard or Bromhead?" and that was really what it felt like at times - manning the mealy bags but without the singing. That is not to say that the two days I spent were not enjoyable. There were the questions you just knew would never result in a satisfactory ending: "My grandfather served in world war one, though I do not know where!" and then those who required a badge identification, which Michelle Young seemed always to be on hand to have a good go at, armed with her magnify glass.
I even managed to dodge the Australian woman who asked me "What can you tell me about Gallipoli?" Obviously I smelled a rat straight away and batted that one straight back at her. There was no way I was going to engage an Australian in the events of Gallipoli, if for no other reason than- and those that know me will vouch: what I know about that sideshow can be written on a postage stamp!
Even the constant game of ‘Twister' as we weaved around each other could not detract from the way all managed to answer the questions of those in need of answers. In fact in a strange way that slightly jumbled atmosphere seemed to make the WFA stand popular, with people coming from all areas to ask various questions and not all of them related to WW1. Mark McGrath lost count of how many times he was asked if he knew anything about the Home Guard!
Amongst all this was the steady clink clink of the ‘till' as we added new members to the Association and cleared stock of commodities. Fiona McGrath had adequately allowed for this eventuality and I am sure when the dust settles we will find that this has proved invaluable.
I also learnt something that has perhaps got lost in all my use of internet and media sources. In this age when we can often rely on all modern sources and expect others to be as we are, it is easy to forget that there are still plenty of people who are unwilling to use, or perhaps believe all they read on the internet, or see on the television. They would prefer to ask an individual face to face, to see the whites of his/her eyes and understand the passion felt by someone who cares.
An ounce of passion can replace a page of written text and this was brought home to me absolutely when I was alerted to an inquiry about 21st Division (yes, we all know this is a premier formation) so politely extracting myself from my last enquiry I made my way over to find Bruce Simpson adequately coping with the ladies' questions but found myself becoming all ‘gooey' when they produced from a small leather booklet two 21st Division triple seven insignia flashes. Of course I have seen these before, I even have a replica, but these were originals, worn by this relative, who they explained was a member of the Machine Gun Corps. When asked where she had got these from, imagine my and Bruce's surprise, not when she said they had sat in a drawer untouched by anyone since this old soldier had passed away in 1967 (next to his teeth and a few old sweets!), but when she opened up a small box to produce his Victory and War medals, MGC shoulder titles and his cap badge along with another soldier's Queen's and King's South Africa medals with various clasps and his Grenadier Guards collar badge. Bruce summed it up with the words "Oh my God, madam!" Such was the passion of Bruce over this collection and my rather wimpish moist eyes at the triple seven insignia that one of the ladies was also moved near to tears, amazed that this set of artefacts could be of interest to anyone else..
You cannot write that and make it mean anything, you have to see and feel that sort of emotion. You have to be face to face with the individual for them to sense the seriousness of what we all feel about the men and women who served during 1914-18.
So not only was Olympia an enjoyable event for me, talking with those who wanted to understand what happened and to put some faces to names that had for too long been just names on a forum page. It was also a time to learn a valuable lesson. It is important, especially in this era of the multimedia-driven society, that the WFA continues to get out face to face to share that passion.
Andy Lonergan
Here are the first photos of the WFA's team and stand (supplied by Martin Hornby):
Above: Chairman Bruce and some of the WDYTYA? WFA Team
Below: the stand all ready for the visitors
