Proposal - Portrayal of a specific BEF Unit

Dear All,

In past years, the format of the trip has been that you could portray any British Army unit you liked so long as they had actually 'been there' with the BEF in 1940... This year, I'd like to co-ordinate a more cohesive unit approach...

I have always loved the 1958 John Mills film 'Dunkirk'... In that film, Mills is Corporal Tubby Binns of 2nd Battalion The Wiltshire Regiment, 13th Infantry Brigade, 5th Infantry Division and the blokes he starts out with are also all WILTS up until Lt Lumpkin is killed and they find the Royal Artillery guns in the copse with the odds and sods of infantry.

I therefore propose that we all attend as 2nd Wiltshires... I know not all the characters retreating with Mills in the film were WILTS, but it might be more realistic to have a slightly more cohesive unit (i.e .the majority of us as WILTS with a few other gaggles of another infantry unit we could realistically have bumped into 100 miles out from the beaches... and a few support services or corps troops in the mix...)

I'd be happy to arrange for the bulk purchase of reproduction WILTS slip on shoulder titles...

I don't want this to turn into a debate about which unit we represent... Because if we have 50 attendees we could end up with 50 suggestions.  What I'm proposing is that we represent a cohesive unit (in the main)... If we do so, I'd be happy to coordinate.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Pete

Sounds good to me Pete, I have no preference on unit anyway! Will gladly badge up to any unit if that is what is required!

That's you, me and Trunks as WILTS so far... lovely.

I will happily go with the majority decision

x

Jon

me too

I am in for Wiltshires!

PJ

Lovely!

In accordance to all rumours, I'll do anything.

Pip

I'm happy to go along with everyone else.

I know a few of the chaps I know who are planning to attend had wanted to do Grenadier Guards with the inherent trying to keep kit as smart as possible! Not sure if that has been mentioned at all by any of the others who've been mooting the idea.

I'm also not sure that would still be the hoped for plan given the idea to go mainly as one unit but I guess it would fit within the idea of a few (around 10 interested I think) from another infantry unit.

As long as we don't get the pilots and tarts etc., I am easy, as per the slight bit that we are like the real thing, most drop out at some point so the survivors end up together, and cross country and sleeping in it takes the shine off kit

Sorry, but if I go I would have to do RA same as last time. As Jon knows, my Granddad was RA, was killed during the retreat and is buried at the Dunkirk cemetery. I would be doing the march to honour him.

I would also like to attend as RA if this is ok with everyone,my granddad being with the 92nd field regt. but I will badge up as wilts if you would prefer

Daniel - if you want to be RA that's fine... I can't instruct you to do anything as its not my trip. The idea of the single unit is just for a bit of central cohesion and a main structure... Because if we're not careful we end up with almost every attendee doing their own thing... My idea is for the bulk of us to portray a single unit and the odd straggler having been 'collected'... A few RA guys is not unrealistic... You'll just need to consider things like cartridge carriers etc instead of universal pouches...

ill look into it and see what suits me best,my main thing is just to take part and to experience to a small part what it was like

And you can do that as RA if you want to! By choosing RA, do don't exclude yourself from anything. Vern Jenkins and his brother are going as RA...