The Last Thing...

Editorial

by Dave Watkins

Welcome to the new millennium and the start of Napoleonic bicentennial celebrations that will run for next 15 years. Be sure that First Empire will be around throughout this time, so keep the articles coming ... and lets have some letters! No dispatches no debate! Jayne Hoyle Sadly we lost Jane Crauford- Hoyle at Christmas who finally succumbed to her illness after a long and valiant battle, much in the style of her famed ancestor of whom she was right proud. I already miss her witty and erudite comments in the frequent phone calls she made to this office. I have a few articles of Jane's left on file and will print these later this year. I'm sure her memory will live on with First Empire readers and we extend our commiseration and sympathy to her family. The Corunna Society Following on from the article "A summer of Re-enactment" in issue 49, I recieved the following notice from The Corunna Society, which I hereby reproduce for the benefit of all. The Background The Corunna Society grew out of links made between the city and a group of historical enthusiasts. Visits were made on 16th January, the anniversary of the Battle of Corunna, from 1996 onwards to commemorate the event and to attend the unveiling of memorials by the ambassadors of the UK and France. This culminated in a visit this summer by HRH the Duke of Gloucester, and a major event with parades, wreath-laying, receptions, a living history camp and a re-enacted battle the first event of this kind in Spain. The overseas involvement, negotiations and the co-ordination of the battles and parades were undertaken by the Society. In parallel with this involvement with the public life of the city, members have assisted the Spanish with their research both academic and practical, and are corresponding with individual researchers and the Corunnan cultural organisation 'Los Royal Greenjackets' (which publishes an annual journal, was the prime mover in this year's event and is also developing costumed interpretation in the city). Our involvement is supported by the Corunna Tourist Authority and the office of the Lord Mayor, who are often able to assist with accommodation when we visit the city. The society is now on a formal footing and its mission can be stated thus: 'The Corunna Society exists to promote friendship with Spain with the help of the traditional links that the UK has in Comma. It will do this by encouraging visits, research and events in the UK and Spain.' The Society will promote links between Britain and Corunna. and help organise appropriate historical events. Obviously Napoleonic-period events based around Sir John Moore and the retreat of 1808-9 will figure largely, but we are aiming to make other links; for example we are working on a plan to take part in the city's annual "Maria Pita" celebrations, which commemorate the defeat of Sir Francis Drake's attack on Corunna in 1589. There is the potential in the future to become involved in the Celtic/Roman history of the city, or the links between Britain and Galicia created by the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. The Society will promote research and will aim to publish a journal of original research. Initially the priority will be the Corunna campaign of 1808- 1809 in order to support the build up to the bicentennial in 2009, but in line with the aims of the Society we encourage research into any other periods. The existing members of the society have mainly researched the campaign of 1808-9 and the armies involved. We are currently assisting one of the lecturers at Corunna University, and a number of new primary sources have emerged in the UK This is an area which we are seeking to develop this year. The Society will aim to create a database of surviving artefacts and documents of the 1808-9 Corunna campaign. This database would have potential for publication or to support exhibitions in the UK or Spain. We are asking anyone who knows the whereabouts of any relics of the Corunna campaign, any letters or journals, or the portrait or the grave of anyone who took part, to send us details. The Society will act as an information point for Napoleonic events elsewhere, in Spain. If re-enactment and battlefield commemoration takes off in Spain, and it looks as though it will, we should be well placed to hear what is going on and pass the news around. We consider that this will be of interest to researchers as well as costumed participants. Most recently we find that the Spanish victory over the French at Bailen is to he commemorated by a permanent panorama display on the site; we aim to send representatives to its unveiling this autumn. How is the society run? The Society's organisation grew out of a team set up to manage the major re-enactment event this year. In order to ensure that the various re-enactment groups internationally can be effectively involved and to maintain dear communications with the Spanish on events this team will continue to run the society as a 'benign dictatorship', although there is provision for co-opting others to the committee as needed. The current organisers are: Mark & Victoria Dennis - The Dennises made the initial contacts with Coninna in 1994 and have organised the various trips so far. Mark is a heritage professional and ex-museurn curator with a particular interest in the study of British uniform history; both Dennises have more than a decade's experience of live interpretation of historical sites. Ron Brigbouse - A fluent Spanish speaker, Ron acts as the society's translator and also acts as 'Sir John Moore' at costumed commemorations. The annual subscription for 1999-2000 will be £ 6 per household. This includes a quarterly newsletter and an annual research journal. If you wish to join the Corunna Society on this basis, please send a cheque made out to The Corunna Society to the following address; 12 Prospect Row, Brompton, Gillingham, Kent ME7 SAL. tel: 01634 811259. Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #51 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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