WWII reenactment uniforms

beresford · Post by **beresford** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 8:21 am

I was at the SVR 1940's event yesterday, and there were signs posted about 'uniforms that cause offence', citing SS and Gestapo uniforms and swastika armbands and stating that offenders would be asked to change before entering the railway.

It seems though that they are specifically banning black General SS outfits and allowing the reenactors who wear Waffen SS camo smocks to continue. Sounds eminently sensible to me.

Mind you I still noticed a couple of guys in black uniforms with SS runes sneaking onto the train at Bewdley. And the Germans 'won' the mock battle! I wonder if we will hear any complaints from the 'offended tendency'.

trainmad · Post by **trainmad** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:16 am

Click the image to zoom in

Seems that Peak Rail isn't the only Nazi Occupied Railway in the UK.

On a more serious note, I think that all this complaining it daft! The SS uniforms only offend a handfull of people anyway! As from an historical point of view, does it really matter? I mean, not many people will go to a Railways War Weekend and think it to be the 100% realistic recreation of WW2 do they.

davvydo · Post by **davvydo** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:54 am

this has got to stop. all these wrist slapping brigades need to get a life instead of ruling other peoples, this all makes me ashamed to be british. if these small people dont like it they should shove it where the sun dont shine, or even better they can just get out of this country so where they cannot be offended.

ianm42 · Post by **ianm42** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 10:55 am

All that symbology, SS uniforms, nazi salutes, swastikas and even singing the words of one of the verses of the german national anthem is actually illegal over here. A certain Prince's fancy dress party costume choice did get front page treatment over here recently though.

davvydo · Post by **davvydo** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:00 am

i know this may cause offence to germans but they dont live here though, are we causing offence to non english people when we hosted the battle of trafalgar, remembarence day, even having christmas decorations up in the town, hindus dont get offended, even they get into the festive spirit too !

nigelgresley · Post by **nigelgresley** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 11:36 am

davvydo wrote:are we causing offence to non english people when we hosted the battle of trafalgar

Don't forget about the reds vs blues nonesense with Trafalgar 200. As it ws said in a number of newspapers, shouldn't the French and Spanish be adult enough to acknowledge the we won? Although I do realise that the battle was not actually supposed to be a re-enactment of Trafalgar.

davvydo · Post by **davvydo** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 4:01 pm

if or when paris win the 2012 olympic bid we will never hear the end of it, but if we bragged about it we would be accused of hooliganism.

nwallace · Post by **nwallace** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 5:22 pm

Yes and the french can't accept that an American can win their great cycle race and beat all their cyclists without something other than pasta, sugar and water in their system either adn won't shut up about that.

Thats what the French are like, nothing wrong with that.
Its just the brittish are meant to be more reserved apparently.

kreader · Post by **kreader** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 6:18 pm

I don't know what people know today about the second world war but there are still a considerable number of residents of this country whose lives were ruined by the horrendous Nazi regime.
I think that we should show respect to these people by not parading about in SS and similar German uniforms and also to all those who lost their lives in defeating this evil dictatorship.
I know that I am glad that I did not have to serve in the second world war as I fear I would not have had the guts to have landed, for instance, on a beach under a hail of bullets.
As regards the Trafalgar battle and so on I can see no problems in honouring these war successes as it was many years ago and there is no one left who was involved in these events.

daveannjon · Post by **daveannjon** » Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:44 pm

Re the Trafalgar bash, the english Admiral welcomed the french Admiral to the celebrations of the British victory, and the french Admiral (with tongue firmly in cheek) replied "Oh, I thought we were here to celebrate the death of Nelson!"

DaveW

calvert · Post by **calvert** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 3:45 pm

I think that people should be allowed to dress up in Nazi Uniforms, as long as there not carryying out Nazi ideas of killing people that arnt of the same race etc etc..

However if we ban Nazi stuff, we should ban Russian Uniforms, Japanese uniforms, they killed many more people than the Germans.

The whole point of WWII renactments is to have fun, whislt remembering the dead. My Grandparents were in the war and they have great fun at these WWII days!!

Ive seen and talked to many veterans of the war at such days and 99.9% of them are enjoying themselfs! (the other 0.1% cant get a brew!)

davvydo · Post by **davvydo** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:32 pm

war weekends have been going on for ages now, they wont change in a hurry though

LNERandBR · Post by **LNERandBR** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:22 am

The vetrens like these events because thay can be taken back in time to the 40's and remember old frends departed or not.

There are many German POW's who when the war finished stayed here insted of going home. They will prefer to see German Uniforms.

I think the larger railways should split themselvs in half one half germany and the other harf Britan (e.g the GCR) then the people who dont like the german uniforms can stay in the British half.

johndibben · Post by **johndibben** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:50 am

Unfortunately WWII has become an industry. These reinactments are held to draw in visitors. As long as you treat them as a bit of fun, it's OK.

Delve into things and you find you could upset many people for many different reasons. Kids dressing up as evacuees could be very distressing for actual evacuees. It wasn't 'fun' and many never saw there parents again. The scope for upset or offence is enormous unless you treat it like we did the old war films, simply as entertainment.

As has been said, ban one thing and you then get someone who wants to ban others until there's nothing left.

If WWII is upsetting to people, why do they go to events on that theme?

Bletchley Park has had a few complaints about German uniforms but it's not about reliving WWII, it's about learning from it. Some still carry mental scars but they will find upsetting scenes on TV and almost anywhere as this country's media is still obsessed by WWII.

Some are simply still angry. They'll not change now if they've held a grudge for 60 years.

I've said many times that my father who is 86, was a Dunkirk and in Burma and he has far more things to worry about at his age than events so long ago.

They remain important to him, and to me but he, nor I, wish to dictate to anyone as to how they commemorate, celebrate or even profit from WWII.

I find it strange that WWI is always forgotten at these events.

That appears to confirm that WWII has more media appeal and it's little more than a dressing up game and a booze up from the people I know who attend such events

spartacus · Post by **spartacus** » Wed Jul 06, 2005 1:12 pm

Victorian weekends tend to do fairly well. What could you really have for a WW1 weekend? Men in WW1 uniforms endlessly getting on trains and not coming back? Boxes marked 'tank' on low loaders? At the end of the day WWII was a total war, so although a WW1 event could be held I doubt it would have lasting appeal for most people.