Living History is fast becoming a very popular pastime in Britain. There are numerous groups around portraying men and women from every period in history. The Great War is a particularly poignant time to recreate. All of us are likely to have family that fought, and often died, between 1914-1918. From nearly every country in the world men went to war, it was the first truly global conflict. Not only that but it is widely accepted to have been the first proper industrial war, where the artillery and machine guns ruled the battlefield. So why do we want to portray such a terrible war? The reason is the same as why the nation stops to remember it, and all the wars after it, every Rememberance Sunday - 'Lest We Forget.' Everyone learns about the battles and the horrors at school, but what is not often remembered is the men themselves. Who were they? What did they eat? How did they fight? How did they cope with such awful conditions? These, and many others, are the questions that all members of our Regiment want answers to. Hopefully if you become a member you can start to have a greater understanding and can even relay that understanding to the general public at some of our events.

It is important to stress at this point that unlike many societies, we are not a 'battle reenactment' group. Every member of the Regiment, past and present, feels this is not appropriate for the Great War. What we do is 'living history.' Experienced readers will know what this means, but for those who do not, in basic terms, we try to dress, behave and experience the life of the British soldier at the beginning of the 20th century as accurately as possible.

The Manchester Regiment is now ten years old and has been a leading authority in Great War living history for all of that time. Our membership is currently twenty-two strong with other interested individuals on the sidelines. There are three basic types of event that we do. The first are parades and rememberance events. Every year we take an active part in the ceremonies around the period of November the 11th. We are also sometimes asked to be part of such events at other times of the year (for example members were present at the recent re-opening of the Museum of the Manchesters in Ashton-under-Lyne by HRH The Prince of Wales.)
The second type of event we do are weekend displays for organisations such as English Heritage. Here we will set up a period tented encampment and put on displays of drill, weapon firing, tactics, gas warfare and many other things. Many members enjoy the opportunity to engage with the public who are always genuinely interested in what we do. For the potential recruit such events are probably the best opportunity to come and see us (and even take part on a no obligation basis if you contact us in advance).
The final type of event we do are private weekends in a specially built trench. Here we can really get into the routine of the soldiers life without anything modern distracting us. This is the best time to get a glimpse into what it would have been like to have been there. We can't (and wouldn't want to) recreate the rats, mud, lice and death but we do carry out the fatigues and all the other experiences that made up the soldier's life during the majority of the war when he wasn't fighting. These include posting regular sentries, carrying out repairs and and standing to at dawn and dusk.
In addition to these we hold private training events, often when we have new members. These can range from six men doing foot and rifle drill to twenty men doing drill, weapon firing, tactical exercises and much more. Every year we also have a Christmas bash and normally combine this with our AGM where NCOs are voted in and society business attended to. Finally we always have an Annual Pilgrimage to a First World War battlefield.

Any new recruit will receive the full support of the Regiment and no effort will be spared to ensure that you are soon 'part of the family.' We are able to give a lot of help in equiping new members and you will be given full training at your first events. With time and experience you will have the opportunity to take office as an NCO within the Regiment should you wish. While every member is foremost a rifleman, there is also the opportunity to follow specialist interests such as being part of a Lewis gun team or becoming a qualified 'bomber'.

We are currently actively recruiting men over the age of 16 to fill our ranks. There are also opportunities for those below this age to take part as musicians. No level of physical fitness is required (although it can be useful), but we do want enthusiasm. There is no minimum participation requirement, but you will be expected to pay the annual membership fee. This covers our costs, such as insurance and blank rounds. Finally we would hope that members kit themselves out as quickly as they can. We understand that this can be an expensive exercise (and kit will be loaned to you during this period), but most people manage to put together the basics within their first year.