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Article
written March 2001...
It
seems a lifetime ago when Beltring, as it was always know, was just
a rally that was a bit bigger than most of the others in the historic
military vehicle calendar. Organised by the predominantly Southeast
England based IMPS (Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society) ,
it wasn't until 1995 that it rapidly began to grow into the now world-renowned
War and Peace Show...
Various
factors influenced this metamorphosis - it seems that however big the
event got, the venue could find more and more space for the olive drab
fraternity to use. With easy access from the major motorways, airports
and from the continent, War and Peace now attracts over 12,000 participants
every year, a cornucopia of vehicle owners, re-enactors and traders.
Perhaps
the most significant success factor is the dynamism and energy of the
event organiser Rex Cadman, who long ago realised his goal of putting
on the world's largest military vehicle event. With over 3,500 vehicles
anticipated this year, War and Peace is now operated on a seemingly full
time basis. And it takes a lot of organising. With a public attendance
last year only surpassed by the County Show, War and Peace relies heavily
on the established infrastructure of the Hop Farm Country Park to ensure
that the demands of participants and visitors alike can be met.
War and Peace has now become the Glastonbury for the military enthusiast...
Traditionally,
military vehicle shows had all followed the same format, as did all classic
car and historic vehicle shows - static displays and arena parades with
different classes of vehicle introduced to the crowd. Then, in 1995, a
radical new approach was launched to the already heavily-supported show.
Instead of having arena displays such as "Vehicles under One Ton"
and "Tracked Vehicles", suddenly the programme of events were
all on different themes, such as "Britain Stands Alone," "Bloody
Omaha" and "Get Some In! - Memories of National Service."
Presented
by an arena commentator who knew how to entertain the watching public,
and to keep people at the arena, the events proved highly successful and
very popular with the vehicle owners who liked the new approach.
With the vast amount of military enthusiasts on site, there were already
many excellent dioramas and static displays - but little involvement from
these guys in the arena. Another radical step was taken that was to further
change the show: "Good Morning Viet Nam" was heavily hyped as
the warm up for the final event each day; the tanks in action and the
inevitable car crushing.
 In
front of an unsuspecting crowd on a gloriously hot day, Jimi Hendrix and
Jefferson Airplane rocked from the PA speakers as the turbos screamed
on the M35 Reos as the boys from Company 'C' convoyed through the show
ground into the arena to take us back to the Mekong Delta in the early
1970s. Using a couple of dropside M35s, an impromptu stage appeared, and
the GIs and the US Navy started to enjoy some R&R, entertained by
none other than Bob Hope and some Vietnamese dancing girls. Inevitably,
the rivalry for these babes between the marines and the USMC caused a
mass brawl, much to the amusement of the now transfixed audience. In the
midst of all this mayhem, the North Vietnamese Army made a bicycle-mounted
attack on the off-guard yanks and a serious firefight ensued, complete
with lots more humour.
The
crowds loved it...
Then
the famous 'Nam photographer took the mike to talk about what life was
like as a combat cameraman in Viet Nam was really like..
The big lesson was that we could really entertain the public with events
like these. The rest is history - we have now developed the arena events
to involve vehicles and re-enactors in two major, heavily-publicised skirmishes
a day, with a good budget to ensure plenty of bangs and explosions. We
grew to a three day show, now it's a five day extravaganza...
Whilst
many MV enthusiasts fly in from around the world - in 2000, 2 intrepid
Russians drove a 1942 GAZ 4x4 all the way from Moscow - a six week round
trip...
To
help our overseas vehicle entrants and visitors, we have negotiated a
special cut-price deal with Norfolk Line Ferries who sail the Dunkirk-Dover
route (just quote "Beltring" when you book, and see
this page for details).
War
and Peace has been unaffected by the Foot and Mouth epidemic, so it's
very much business as usual, sadly many other UK events have been canceled
due to the crisis.
As
we approach the 2001 event, the entries are flooding in towards the 3,550
target, well over 800 trade pitches have been sold already, and it should
be bigger and better than ever.
 Well
over a million pounds will change hands on the stalls ...
...many
traders say that their War and Peace takings constitute a major percentage
of their annual business. With an incredibly diverse range of vehicles
from the folding BSA bicycle to the mighty Famo Half-track or Multibank
Sherman, War and Peace gives both enthusiasts and public alike the unique
opportunity to see these vehicles on display and moving - the educational
value of this event is vast, and that's why it's so popular with school
parties, and children of all ages!
This
year we are specifically catering for women as well, with 1940s fashion
shows. Having seen the models though, one suspects that it may draw the
men too!
If
you field of interest is WWII Canadian, early Dodges, or modern Eastern
block vehicles, or you are just a militaria collector, War and Peace is
the one place on the planet where you will find it all.
See
what visitors from previous years have said about it...
Find
out lots of interesting facts about the War and Peace show
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