The first show of the season was always likely to be wet and cold, but we were lucky in that we only had intermittent light showers on Saturday and a fairly dry day on Sunday.  As usual we were billeted in the Forge, where we set up a command post with our No 18 wireless set and a brace of field telephones.  Eight Group members attended with a Daimler Dingo, Jeep and two motorcycles.  The blacksmith was at work on both days so the forge fire kept the worst of the damp and cold at bay and provided a very rapid way of brewing up for tea !

This show was different from previous years as a German contingent was present down in the depths of the woods, which kept the more aggressive American infantry busy in constant patrol activity.  Unfortunately due to the recent wet weather the field was too soft for us to drive around in so we remained static and concentrated on vehicle maintenance and fraternising with the locals.

We were woken up at 0700 hrs on Sunday morning by the American and German infantry practising with blank ammunition for a mock battle later in the day.  Being armoured troops and not involved in the woodland fighting, we decided to catch up on the lost hour of sleep due to the clocks going forward and stayed in our sleeping bags until the need for tea and bacon sandwiches drove us to get up.

As usual the venue was excellent, with nearly all the various Groups being acommodated within the museum's buildings.  Since last year they have completed a Nissan hut, which was used by the RAF for training and they arehalfway through constructing a new cottage adjacent to the village green.  This is definitely a show we will continue to return to.