Show Reviews 2014

We get lots of emails after the show, most are complimentary and a few not so which Rex replies to personally.  Here are some of our favourites:

 

Thank you all for putting on such a wonderful show!  I really enjoyed the Home Front best of all with the classes and re-enactors.

It was so interesting and fun to speak with the re-enactors.  I got to one dance lesson and was amazed at how many young guys showed up to dance! The food venues were very good, my favorite being the Spitfire Tea Room!

We all found things to bring home, too, while shopping. 

I thought the Safari Bus was a great idea.  It was so nice to just ride around for an hour and see the rest of the show.  I would recommend better posting of where the pickup spots were.....but the ride was a great deal.

The other suggestion I have is to somehow be able to identify a booth so you can come back to it.  I know they had numbers on some map, but did not see any numbers on the booths or tents.  Perhaps naming the lanes after autos or planes would enable people to remember.  (I saw it at the corner of Pinzgauer and Spitfire.....).   Again, thanks for all your help getting us there, taking tickets to our hotel and for the logo design for our shirts.  Hopefully we will be back in a few years.  We will certainly recommend it to the rest of our group.

Take care. Yours,Claire Werner, MVCC (California)

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We all enjoyed the show, particularly good battles, showers were good - plenty of hot water, and I enjoyed the rochester band and the new exhibit, really good.

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Please let me take this opportunity to personally thank you all again for an absolutely fantastic week of your War and Peace Revival. 

Just to stand back and take a short time to actually take in the immense effort you all did is quite something and for my partner and myself to arrive on the Saturday morning "Pre-show" after our drive in a REO from Manchester over night and see the whole place buzzing with the excitment of the setting up process is quite spectacular in itself.

It was very clear to see that the issues that arose from last year had been tackled effectively and huge efforts had been made to iron out the, in many cases, very minor things that people like to gripe about. Im sure any issues from this year will be tackled just as effectively again next year.

For us on our living history display, having hired a couple of loos definately helped our group and it was you Barbara that helped me contact A1 when i came to your HQ on the Sunday morning.

Rex, I wonder if you realise just in how high regard I, and many others, hold you in appreciation of just what you do and how it all seams to fit together? I'm very grateful and it is a privilege to be a part of it....if only a small part on our side.

A great credit upon you and your team and especially to Greg again for his seamingless hard work in taking care of us living history and ensuring all went as well as it did.

My sincere best wishes and regards to you again and already looking forward to next year. How can anyone not want to be a part of the greatest military show on earth?

Jon Stafford, "Eaglestorm" Living History Group

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We just wanted to say an enormous thank you to everyone who was involved in War and Peace this year.  It was our first visit and we were over-whelmed by the scale of the event.  We had an amazing time, it was everything we hoped for. 
Fortunately we arrived on Friday evening and saw the site in all its balmy summer evening glory before the storm set in.  John Miller and his orchestra were superb, we loved reminiscing about 'Allo 'Allo too!  The military wives were amazing and so well supported.

The Home Front village was great, and Jude has asked us if we would like to take a more active part with her next year, which we are really excited about.  The RAF boys on the Spitfire and the Hurricaine were so evocative and so well done.  It was truely great to see so many veterans there too.

The only thing we would say, was the trade stands were so numerous (which was great), we struggled to remember where we had seen items, and to know where we were!  People were asking about items we had bought, but we couldn't direct them very accurately to the stalls.  Perhaps some end-of-row letters and numbers might help?  We do label all the ends of the rows but unfortunately they end up getting pulled out and disappearing and we also had 6 large stall board maps put up to help.

But the over-whelming impression though was one of friendliness and laid back relaxed enjoyment from stall-holders, exhibitors and staff alike.  My goodness, your catering staff have got it sorted!  Everywhere we ate or drank was efficient, speedy and very friendly.

So a very big 'thank you' to you all, we can't wait for next year!

With all good wishes, Graham and Sarah Haynes

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May I just say how much we enjoyed your War & Peace Revival, although we had to leave earlier than planned due to personal problems.  I was particularly impressed with the First World War display especially the sculptures which I feel should be in a museum relating to that war.  I found them very moving.
Regards, Joan Coe

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Just a note to say a big 'THANK YOU' for having us at the show. We were bowled over by the response to the quilt and the The Great War experience tent was a perfect pitch for us.

Rog and the family have been going to War and Peace for ages but I have never gone. I was so impressed at the care, thought, organisation and sheer hard work that went into putting the show on. For me it was a real privilege to be part of it and I have met so many people who have given us such encouragement to carry on with the research of our War Memorial.

Thank you also for the board which explains the quilt. We will now be using that whenever the quilt is displayed.

So from all of us in Harbledown a really heart felt Thanks!

Jacqui Cotterill

ps the quilt gained 24 buttons, an embroidered card,2 badges and some forceps during its stay at the show due to people giving us things and having the largest collection of militaria I have ever seen in one place!

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To the members of Twickenham Off Roaders,

I had the pleasure of working as a marshall on Saturday and Sunday at
W&P this year, I was placed at the entrance to Kitcheners field.
I was astounded by the way you all conducted yourselves, I saw Fred
towing out a vehicle at a pre-coffee time of 07:45 and still going after
20:00 that evening.
You all were very calm and smooth, I have no idea how many vehicles, or
tonnes of equipment you moved through the mud, the vehicles just seemed
to go on and on!

I noticed quite few members of the public who just wanted to watch how
the professionals do it, and stayed for quite a while too.

It was interesting to see how you were able to tow vehicles without
punishing the vehicle or tearing up the mud any more than was needed,
the odd showboat came through covering everything and probably needing a clutch by the smell.

I would like to thank you personally for all the efforts you put in, no
matter how big or small the vehicle, you moved everything.
Even when you started to get "A little bored now.", you never slowed down.

I hope to see you next year and will be dropping a crate of beer to you.

Best Regards, Andrew Beevers