From The Public Relations Officer

In my capacity as Public Relations Officer for N.A.R_c.S. I have to have a clear picture in my head just what each member group of the society covers in the way of Historical portrayal. With this in mind, it has been my intention to visit each society to see exactly what they do. In I995 I got a good idea what the Napoleonic period was about as I was privileged to be part of the Waterloo event in Belgium. I was at the 300th anniversary of Edge Hill, guest of the Sealed Knot and in December 96 I was honoured with an invite to the Dark Age Society's winter feast. I say honoured because their group does not do many public events and as a private event they may not want outsiders intruding

I was the guest of Ian Thornhill (Beorn : (Bear)), and before I put my foot in it completely, I shall apologise now for the lack of correct names or period facts but what will come out of this report is the extremely friendly and enthusiastic group the Dark Age Society really is.

Arriving in the early morning at a village hall in Kent, I entered tile building to the sight of bedding, clothing, equipment, and bodies in various stages of period dress covering 90% of the floor space. After a couple of hours, I was introduced to various members and issued an outfit that would put Papa Smurf to shame. Although I was to be a non-combatant during the morning's activities in the near by wooded ground, I was still issued with a spear and shield which begins to weigh a ton after toting them around for hours.

A short journey to some park land saw the beginning of the day's activity with some warm up exercises and sparing amongst the warriors. I had a brief go and in reflection, I will stick to my period of impersonal combat from a distance with musket and leave the close quarter cut and thrust with sword and spear to the experts.

What came next was very different and very interesting to someone like myself from a more modern period. Groups of warriors split up in the park land and wandered off to see what adventures would befall them. It was not long before an opposing group either came across us or we came to them. At this point, a conversation would begin between the lead spokesperson of each group to see what the intentions were.

During this time warriors of both teams would subtly move into advantageous positions in case the conversation turned ugly. On occasions the groups would part with nothing more than pleasantries being exchanged. In other cases violence would ensue and only the skilled fighters would survive. The idea is just to touch your opponent with the pointed end of what you were using. What I witnessed was fast, tiring and very real in the execution. Thankfully what was missing was the blood and gore of those times and any kind of injury, even minor, to the members of the society. Safety in all their actions was paramount and it showed.

Before our team, led by Beorn, finished for the day, we had noticed all another group outnumbering us two to one heading in our direction. What came next was an example of how gunpowder has changed fighting tactics so thoroughly. We viewed our opponents from the top of a hill and this would have been an ideal advantage to men armed with rifles, however Beorn surveyed the surrounding terrain and decided to go into the valley and into a small copse of trees and bushes. I viewed this as utter madness considering the numbers we faced. How wrong I was. Our warriors made sure there was a tree to his back and maybe shrubs to his side. The attackers had the disadvantage of numbers which in these conditions got in the way and by dodging around the trees our team made short work of the odds. We walked away victorious and I would have lost money if I was a betting man on the outcome of that situation. Conclusion: There is always something new to learn!

The afternoon was spent practising the crafts of the day, the main one being carving the spoons that you were going to eat off of in the evening meal.

The early evening was in the local pub as the tables were set in the hall for the banquet. Each table was set by the various groups with personal touches like tableware etc.

Once seated the festivities began by passing around the biggest serving jugs I've ever seen, filled to the brim with mead. Platters of freshly cooked fare was in constant flow with the best cuts of the venison going to the guest of honour which was the Chairman as it was his birthday. Speeches were made, stories were told, gifts were exchanged. A truly outstanding evening, full of warmth and friendship. I felt that although this society's members were from all over the country, like so many re-enactment groups, the close ties and bonds made it really like one large family and as this group does most of the activities for themselves and not the public, the dedication to the hobby is even more so. Thank you one and all for betting me be part of your society for this special event and I wish you all the luck and success ill the future.

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