As a way of commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cambrai, Russell Doherty and others decided to form the Guernsey Military History Company, with the aim of creating a "living history" project. This involved a group of teenage cadets from the newly formed Guernsey Detachment, Dorset Cadet Force (Light Infantry), re-enacting the daily life and training of their counterparts of 90 years ago. The re-enactment takes the form of a tented camp through which visitors can walk, and talk to the troops who will be cooking on stoves of the period and carrying out foot and rifle drills, while the female members of the group take the part of military nurses.

 

Finding clothing and equipment was a major problem, so some is original but the rest are replicas. But there is much more than dressing up involved- over a six month period the cadets have had to attend lectures and workshops on the history of the R.G.L.I. and the life of soldiers in the Great War. For many of them this will go towards a Duke of Edinburgh's Award qualification.

 

Russell says : "We have managed to raise sponsorship, and beg borrow and steal enough correct uniform and equipment to costume 30 people, 18 as R.G.L.I. this will be the biggest WW1 working display ever attempted on the island, c/w bell tents working Soya stoves etc. We will take as our theme the training camp at L'Ancresse in 1917. To oversee the training and funding etc. we have formed a new living history group now called the Guernsey Military History Company, building on our ties with the Guernsey Museums Service and are working on several projects to run in conjunction with the proposed "Guernseymen in the Great War" exhibition starting 3rd of November, including a series of living history lectures. We are also hoping to take the project into local schools over the winter months.

Look out for us at Castle Cornet on 22nd July and at the West Show 15th & 16th of August we have also agreed to travel to Belgium in October to participate in the events in the Ypres Salient. We hope you will all approve of our plans to mark the various anniversaries in particular those of the R.G.L.I."