This June, as France marked the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, attention once again fell on the reenactment groups who help bring the past to life.
France has over 2,000 historical reenactment associations and living history groups, spanning medieval jousters to World War Two soldiers.
But what draws people to the hobby? And what do they get out of portraying people from the past?
“Personally, I joined the group to develop and share my knowledge of local history concerning British soldiers during World War Two,” said Frenchman Thomas Delattre, a maintenance engineer at a cement plant, who is a member of the Tommies USARG based near Lille.
It is part of the wider USARG group (US Army Reenactment Group), which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
The Tommies group, as the name suggests, is focused on representing British soldiers during the conflict.
“We chose them because of our geographic location in the north of France. Many British Army regiments fought in the region in 1940 and during the liberation in 1944, such as the Rifle Brigade and the Welsh Guards,” said Mr Delattre.
Members include blacksmiths, mechanics, firefighters, soldiers and those who work in retail. While the group had female members in the past, today it is all male.
The Tommies meet up roughly once a month. Reenactments can take various forms, including displays for schools or public events, battle tours, and role-play events.
“The reconstruction begins with the hard work of research – basically, reading a lot of historical documents and studying period photographs,” Mr Delattre said.
He sources clothing and equipment from specialised sellers and websites, with the aim of being as historically accurate as possible.
“The local community contacted us to participate in a three-day display alongside other groups to reenact some men of the Hampshire Regiment who landed in the region in June 1944 and liberated the town.”
Mr Delattre cited the social element as key to his enjoyment of these events.
“Being part of a group with people who share the same interest and the same goal – sharing history and the story of extraordinary people – gives us a strong sense of cohesion in a society where individual needs come first.”
Napoleonic wars
Focusing on much earlier history is Normandy Napoleonic Reenactment, which was established by building company owner Shaun Fox, originally from Derby, UK.
He moved to Manche in 2016 and said he has always had a passion for military history, especially the First Empire.
“I joined a reenactment group in the UK, but when we moved here there weren’t any, so my wife Catherine suggested I start my own group.”
The group represents the 51st (2nd Yorkshire West Riding) Light Infantry and, Mr Fox said, aims to “faithfully represent the brave men of this period”.
Most reenactment societies take pride in their historical accuracy and attention to detail, researching their era thoroughly to ensure clothing and even facial hair is in keeping.
Normandy Napoleonic Reenactment is no exception – indeed, Mr Fox makes many of the uniforms by hand.
The group meets regularly for training sessions, and attends organised reenactments across France and Belgium.
“We are only a small group, currently six members, but we are always looking for more,” he said.
“Last June, we attended the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium with over 4,000 re-enactors involved, and in February of this year we attended the Battle of Montereau, south of Paris.”
Each member has their own role.
“I am the sergeant, others play the roles of officer, corporal and private, but there are also civilian roles available for those who don't wish to be a soldier.”
The group is the only British representation in France, and one of the few that allows female soldiers.
“This is because through extensive research I have discovered that there was a female soldier in the regiment, who was disguised as a man,” said Mr Fox.
Today, Mr Fox’s wife, who first encouraged him to start the group, joins in as ‘Lady Catherine’.
