British Military Combatives in the Queen's Service

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Icelander

What ought one name them? How are re-enactment groups usually named, if they aren't given a regimental designation?

Well, being British, the names are often humorously self-deprecating. Others seem to be devised to sound authentic without actually duplicating historic units, and some do that anyway. There's a list here and another here.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Well, being British, the names are often humorously self-deprecating. Others seem to be devised to sound authentic without actually duplicating historic units, and some do that anyway. There's a list here and another here.

Friends of the Chindits?

Her Majesty's Colonial Rifles?

Baker Street Irregulars? Perhaps a bit too common these days? Gentlemen of the Gaslight Streets?

The Quartermaster and Crew of Queen Anne's Revenge?

[Icelander]

Having done some more thinking, it strikes me that while re-enacting higher TL eras could conveivably allow the Rangers to have an excuse for moving around firearms (digused to look non-functional) for their missions, medieval and Renaissance reenaction is useful in a different way to the Shadow Court as a whole.

Field researchers associated with an Elizabethan-era group have a ready-made cover story for a wide range of their activities. It's also a perfect excuse for collecting some of the strange objects any ritual magician might want, not to mention that some conspiracy members might be learning the skills to make clothing and tools with low-tech methods.

Belonging to the right reenaction society would also offer a legitimate cover for training to fight unarmed and learning how to use swords and axes, for any member of the conspiracy.

I thought, therefore, that in addition to four re-enaction groups for four teams of Rangers, I'd have several larger reenaction groups to which both Rangers and other members might belong. Also, in addition to reenaction groups, several other clubs or societies would provide a useful cover. In cases where it is particularly likely that some disaster would make the police interested in a given group, the membership has been split between more than one organisation, to minimise risk. It is for this reason that there is more than one shooting club and more than one paintball group.

First, there's the Lochaline Sporting Society Ltd, a small gun club near the secret headquarters at (supposedly ruined) Ardtornish Castle. A legal gun club with invitation only membership, whose members are all associated with the Rangers. Own a rifle and shotgun range and organise hikes, birdspotting and shooting and stalking expeditions in the surrounding area. Registered as a company, with rich members of the Shadow Court often using a pheasant shoot organised by them as cover for a visit to Ardtornish and paying a fee that goes toward the upkeep of the training facilities there and serves to pay salaries for a few full-time Rangers.

A number of conspiracy members, especially Rangers, also belong to the Marylebone Rifle and Pistol Club in London. The Cambridge University clubs, Small Bore, Rifle and Revolver Pistol, are also popular among conspiracy members who live and work there.

They group has gone through several other cover shooting clubs based in London, some designed to allow the conspiracy to obtain ammunition, others to provide a cover for practise among them. The current two are named Essex Ex-Service and Kensington Shooters Association.

They've also established a not-for-profit club called the British Historic Arms Society, based in London, which aims to acquire and shoot classic British guns. The Society has links with numerous re-enaction groups, both cover organisations and legitimate ones, and employs several members of the society. It also has a fruitful partnership with the Historic Arms Resource Centre.

Several paintball clubs exist among the Rangers, most of them non-profit private clubs. With a (mostly ficticious) UK-wide membership and local chapters in London, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds, the Paras Paintball Club is certainly the largest of the cover clubs. There are the London-based Paint & Pints and Leadership and Teambuilding Exercises Ltd, the Birmingham-based SAS Tactical Marker and the Fort William-based Highland Markers. They are often used as cover for exercises among the Rangers, but some of them also serve as hobbies for conspiracy members.

Finally, the London gym Combat Bando has a conspiracy member among the founders and many members belong to it. There are also thriving private gyms/dojos, one in London, one in Cambridge and one in Oxford, associated with the universities (University of London inc. Imperial College London; Cambridge University and Oxford University). A senior Ranger instructor teaches private self-defence classes at each of the three gyms one day a week; as well as teaching occasional courses at the Combat Bando gym in East London.

These private gyms are named, respectively; Malet Street Gymnastic Club, Cambridge Health & Lifestyle and the Oxford Pratfall Society. In addition, one of the four Ranger teams is always stationed in London, on a rotating basis, and members frequently hang out at the Malet Street Gymnastic Club and are available to teach self-defence to graduate students and other university people associated with the conspiracy.

Does anyone have thoughts on the names above, coloured teal? They are just off the top of my head and if someone has better ideas, I'll be glad to change them.

Conspiracy-wide reenaction groups would best cover the Late Medieval to Early Modern Era. I wonder if it would be best to have seperate groups for War of the Roses and the Tudors, Elizabeth/Gloriana, the Stuarts and the Civil War, but I'm hoping there are logical and sensible ways to combine some of those.

How would forumites structure it?

The Ranger teams would then have their four reenaction groups outside of that. I'm thinking that it could go something like this:

Friends of the Chindits. WWII China-Burma-India Theatre reenaction. The other Ranger teams usually refer to them as the 'Chindits', but they prefer to call themselves the 'Burma Rifles'.

Queen Victoria's Shilling. Victorian reenactment, with an emphasis on colonial warfare, but also incorporating fancy dress balls and the occasional Sherlockian murder mystery roleplay channeling vanished London's gaslit and foggy streets. It has members who are not Rangers, albeit connected with the conspiracy, and who are also members of The Victorian Military Society. They have an excellent relationship with the Diehard Company. While their quasi-official nickname is the 'Colonial Rifles', tend to get called 'Redcoats' by the other teams, despite dressing in khaki at least as often. Like to refer to themselves as 'Vicky's Bad Bargains'.

Dulce Et Decorum Association. British Great War reenactment, poetry readings, living history and occasional screenings of Blackadder Goes Forth. Refered to, by themselves and others, as 'the Tommies' or 'Tommy Atkins'. The sort of people who like neat categories sometimes call them the 'Flanders Rifles'*

Society of Sea Dogs. Seaborne adventuring, piracy and privateering reenactment, study and living history. Mainly inspired by the original Sea Dogs in the Elizabethan era, operating between 1560-1605, but also concern themselves with later periods, in so far as it concerns British private adventurism on the oceans, as opposed to the history of the Royal Navy. The latest period they've organised anything in connection with is the early 19th century, where they maintain that Lord Cochrane, among others, operated in the finest traditions of the original Sea Dogs. While the members take pride in being the 'Sea Dogs', they usually tend to collect less flattering nicknames from other Rangers, among them 'those poncy pirates', 'ruff bandits' and 'bodice-rippers'.

Any thoughts?

*That sort of people has had no luck trying to designate the last team anything fitting into the scheme. Not only were rifles not in use for most of the periods they are concerned with, but the very point of the Sea Dogs is that they are about private adventurers and not official military ventures.

[johndallman]

While it's probably possible to improve on those names, I'm not inspired today and none of them feel wrong.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

While it's probably possible to improve on those names, I'm not inspired today and none of them feel wrong.

What about the conspiracy-wide re-enaction societies, which mostly exist to provide cover for investigation of the occult? How ought one structure them?

I was thinking that I'd seperate them into seven different organisations; albeit with significant overlap in membership in some cases.

Clash of Heroes Association. Taking the inspiration for its name from a historical novelist's vermillion rhetoric; 'in a clash of heroes, a kingdom is born', this re-enactment, historical combat recreation and living history group is concerned with the birth of Anglo-Saxon and British identity. There are sub-groups within dedicated to pre-historic Britain, the Celtic/Briton heritage, the Danelaw and the Norse, the Saxon and Norman invasions, but many members have interests that transcend any one ethnic heritage.

Kingdom and Crusades CIC. This organisation combines a medieval re-enactment group with British interests with an academic trust providing grants to deserving scholars of the Plantagenet dynasty, the Crusades or the medieval era in Britain.

Collegium Rosarum. An organisation devoted to study and re-enaction of the periods of the War of the Roses and the subsequent Tudor dynasty of the 'united roses'.

Sodalicium Gloriana Rex. A historical reenaction, research and awareness society for the reign of Elizabeth I and in particular, the literary influences on it and by it as well as the cultural impact of that on the British national spirit. Registered as an academic trust.

Historic Stuart Association. Named to distinguish it from Legitimist or Jacobite organisations such as the Royal Stuart Society, this academic body promotes and supports historical research of the Stuart dynasty of England and Scotland, as well as sponsoring living history events commemorating important periods in the history of these two kingdoms. Primarily concerned with Scottish history from the 14th century to the modern day and English history between 1603-1707.

The Georgian Cultural Society. An organisation of enthusiasts and historians concerned with the reign of the House of Hanover and British culture during that period.

The Fellowship for the Advancement of Interest in the Historic Commonwealth c.i.c.. This grandly named organisation is dedicated to furtherance of public awareness and the academic study of the rise and fall of a British Empire, the reign of Victoria Regina Imperatrix and the process by which Empire became Commonwealth.

Does all this look okay? Any other suggestions? Changes?

[johndallman]

I'd make use of The Principality of the Far Isles, which is a British branch of the SCA, and contains a wide variety of interesting and potentially useful people. It would be easy for members of an academic group to join it.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Icelander

First, there's the Lochaline Sporting Society Ltd, a small gun club near the secret headquarters at (supposedly ruined) Ardtornish Castle. A legal gun club with invitation only membership, whose members are all associated with the Rangers. Own a rifle and shotgun range and organise hunts in the surrounding area.

A quibble: they organise shoots (with shotguns) and stalks (with rifles), not hunts (with hounds). Hunts would be illegal, and out of place in the Highlands, and attract protestors. Probably fishing too, and intensely Victorian-Scottish house parties for eye-wateringly high-paying guests.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Any thoughts?

Don't make any of these things sound so cool that a lot of outsiders would want to join them.

They group has gone through several other cover shooting clubs based in London, some designed to allow the conspiracy to obtain ammunition, others to provide a cover for practise among them. The current two are named Essex Ex-Service and Kensington Shooters Association.

I'm not absolutely certain, but I thing that in English sporting parlance "shooting" refers specifically to the use of shotguns to hit targets in the air. Perhaps "Kensington Gun Club" would be better.

Paras Paintball Club

SAS Tactical Marker

I would think the Conspiracy would be disinclined to pretend connections with the SAS and the Paras. In the first place it's naff. In the second, it will tend to attract hopeless adolescents.

Oxford Athletic Society.

"Athletics" is Australian for "track & field", and I suspect British too. It does not include as in American Athletic clubs, weight work and boxing.

Conspiracy-wide reenaction groups would best cover the Late Medieval to Early Modern Era. I wonder if it would be best to have seperate groups for War of the Roses and the Tudors, Elizabeth/Gloriana, the Stuarts and the Civil War, but I'm hoping there are logical and sensible ways to combine some of those.

Queen Victoria's Shilling. Victorian reenactment, with an emphasis on colonial warfare, but also incorporating fancy dress balls and the occasional Sherlockian murder mystery roleplay channeling vanished London's gaslit and foggy streets. It has members who are not Rangers, albeit connected with the conspiracy, and who are also members of The Victorian Military Society. They have an excellent relationship with the Diehard Company. While their quasi-official nickname is the 'Colonial Rifles', tend to get called 'Redcoats' by the other teams, despite dressing in khaki at least as often. Like to refer to themselves as 'Vicky's Bad Bargains'.

"Vicky's Bad Bargains" is very good, but I don't like "Queen Victoria's Shilling" so much. Perhaps some reference to the phrase to the phrase "Widow of Windsor" would seem appropriate, such as "Sons of the Widow" or "Windsor Pensioners".

Dulce Et Decorum Est Association.

I like the quote: Horace and Owen. Very complex set of allusions. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori is inscribed on the wall of the chapel at RMA Sandhurst, but known following Owen as "the Old Lie".

But I don't like tacking "Association" on after "est". "Dulce Et Decorum Association"?

British Great War reenactment, poetry readings, living history and occasional screenings of Blackadder Goes Forth. Refered to, by themselves and others, as 'the Tommies' or 'Tommy Atkins'. The sort of people who like neat categories sometimes call them the 'Flanders Rifles'*

"Tommy Atkins" is a term associated at least as much with the Boer Wars and late Victorian armies as with the British Army of WWI. The BEF of 1914 was known as "The Old Contemptibles".

This mob are going to get called the "Dulcies", you know that.

Society of Sea Dogs.

Who was the chap who did plausibly-deniable things to the Spanish for Elizabeth I, and ended up being executed to maintain his cover? Wa'ter Raleigh?

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Brett

Don't make any of these things sound so cool that a lot of outsiders would want to join them.

For some of them, that's actually not harmful. As long as you can maintain a seperation between the 'normal' cover business and the not-so-normal other business, with only a select inner circle aware of the latter activities. When using paintballers or reenactors or the like as cover, it's perfectly fine for the oblivious outsiders to actually be playing paintball or horsing around in poncy dress somewhere. If the operatives, a few blocks away, happen get stopped for suspicion of loitering with intent, they can legitimately claim to be heading there.

Originally Posted by Brett

I'm not absolutely certain, but I thing that in English sporting parlance "shooting" refers specifically to the use of shotguns to hit targets in the air. Perhaps "Kensington Gun Club" would be better.

Right. This is why I need to run this by people who speak native Pom, complete with Cultural Familiarity (Old Blighty). That's just the sort of arcane distinction I'd never in a million years realise existed and yet it would jar a native speaker if I misused it in a fictional setting.

I'll retain the name, though. They'll just pretent to be a bunch of skeet shooters. Sounds like good cover for buying their shotguns and for travelling around with some of them, even. There are other covers for other weapons.

Originally Posted by Brett

I would think the Conspiracy would be disinclined to pretend connections with the SAS and the Paras. In the first place it's naff. In the second, it will tend to attract hopeless adolescents.

I intended this to be explicitly for situations where the Rangers need an explanation for being dressed up in tactical gear and carrying real-looking guns. If they're lucky, a friendly spirit or magician can nudge probability so that cops will swallow an unlikely story, but they have to have something that would sound reasonble.

Being thought a bunch of naff and hopeless adolescents is vaguely better than being arrested for a weapons violation and potentially blowing the whole conspiracy. Though it is, of course, a judgment call.

Do you have any suggestions for group names that would connote being the sort of over-the-top wannabe chaps who dress up in full tactical gear to play paintball at night, yet work better for you?

Originally Posted by Brett

"Athletics" is Australian for "track & field", and I suspect British too. It does not include as in American Athletic clubs, weight work and boxing.

See 'shooting' above.

Originally Posted by Brett

"Vicky's Bad Bargains" is very good, but I don't like "Queen Victoria's Shilling" so much. Perhaps some reference to the phrase to the phrase "Widow of Windsor" would seem appropriate, such as "Sons of the Widow" or "Windsor Pensioners".

Can you eluciate the source of your dislike? As a non-native speaker, I lack an innate sense for the pithiness of a phrase or lack thereof, being forced to rely on rather on discernment painstakingly learnt and inevitably spotty.

I did consider a reference to the Widow of Windsor cognomen, but shied away from it due to the uncomfortable connotations it might have to an old lady of the House of Windsor with a beloved, but now visibly, aging husband.

In-setting, these cover organisations would be set up without running the details by her, of course, but the people who named them were mostly people with a strong personal loyalty to her and HRH the Prince, and usually no little affection either.

Originally Posted by Brett

I like the quote: Horace and Owen. Very complex set of allusions. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori is inscribed on the wall of the chapel at RMA Sandhurst, but known following Owen as "the Old Lie".

But I don't like tacking "Association" on after "est". "Dulce Et Decorum Association"?

I agree. I didn't like the flow of the name either.

Originally Posted by Brett

"Tommy Atkins" is a term associated at least as much with the Boer Wars and late Victorian armies as with the British Army of WWI. The BEF of 1914 was known as "The Old Contemptibles".

'Tommy Atkins' is very much a British soldier, not really appropriate for the officers. Most of the Victorians in fancy dress are going to be cosplaying as officers, because most people who like the Victorian era like to talk posh, carry swords and occasionally yell at a sergeant or native servant to get something done. The WWI trenches chaps will feature more of the enlisted men.

Since the Rangers aren't formally a military organisation, nor indeed any kind of legitimate organisation, people are mostly co-opted into the teams based on personal liking and how well they mesh with the others. So there will be a different character to each team, shaped heavily by the leader (in all but one case, also the founder of that team) and his confidantes.

And Vicky's Bad Bargains would be, stereotypically, somewhat Tory in sympathy, big on nostalgia and romanticising the past, whereas the Tommies are Labours or Liberals, at best, and have a lot more cynical attitute toward government and service.

Originally Posted by Brett

This mob are going to get called the "Dulcies", you know that.

A risk they will have to take. At least it's better than having some would-be literary wit dub them the 'Dulcineas'.

Originally Posted by Brett

Who was the chap who did plausibly-deniable things to the Spanish for Elizabeth I, and ended up being executed to maintain his cover? Wa'ter Raleigh?

Sir Walter Ralegh was a privatter, pirate and spy in her service. And a member of the original Sea Dogs. Executed by King James Stuart, though. And had been retired from Elizabeth's service long before that, due largely to her disapproval of his method of courting his wife.* Continued as an adventurer under King James, but didn't have his favour, as evidenced by the King eventually consenting to hang him to appease them.

You may be thinking of someone else, of course. There was not exactly a dearth of men with murky duties and a ruthless streak at the court of HM Queen Elizabeth I.

*Some say, of course, the she objected to his taking a wife at all, never mind the method. And if he did have to do it, he'd have done better not to fall for one of her ladies-of-the-bedchamber. They speak of the wrath of Princes, but that's nothing compared to the jealousy of Queens.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I'd make use of The Principality of the Far Isles, which is a British branch of the SCA, and contains a wide variety of interesting and potentially useful people. It would be easy for members of an academic group to join it.

Thank you.

I didn't find any sort of website for them*. Can you point me in the direction of any useful online sources about their activities, interest, principal time periods and membership? Or do you know any of these things yourself?

*Though I was able to find out that they were a barony of the SCA which declared independence some 15-20 years ago.