The Diehard Company
Who are we?
The unit has a fifty strong membership and we are members of the Victorian Military Society, an internationally respected organisation that covers the period 1837 to 1914. Founded in 1993 we represent a number of images of the late Victorian Soldier, both on campaign and no home service.
We normally portray a section of the 1st Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment on home service in the 1880's, but also can portray infantrymen from the Zulu War of 1879 and the Boer War of 1899-1902. The section is authentically equipped and uniformed (our tailors and leatherworkers supply national museums with items of our equipment for their handling collections) and portrays as accurately as possible the look, drill and other activities of the British Army of the time.
What do we do?
We populate barracks and sites, bringing them to life. Whilst the public is on site we carry out a number of activities that can either be watched, such as signalling displays, guard mountings, church parades etc, or are interactive, such as recruiting parties and lectures on kit and equipment. We also carry out set piece arena shows (for about 25 to 30 minutes) featuring show and tell displays of kit and equipment, drill and tactical manoeuvres, and firing displays using Martini Henry rifles of the period.
We believe in bringing history alive, and are very high profile and user friendly, with plenty of hands-on experiences for the general public.
Who have we worked for?
Our past clients include regular events for English Heritage, the Royal Armouries, National Army Museum and Aldershop Military Museum Service. We have worked for numerous councils and event organisers and are well disciplined and a reliable unit. Overseas clients included the Maltese Heritage Commission (in 1997) and kwaZulu Natal Heritage (in 1999). In both cases we were fully sponsored to take around 35 unit members out, in the first instance for ten days to mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Jubilee Lines Fortifications in Malta in 1897, and in the second to re-enact the battles of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift on the sites 120 years to the day later.
You can find out more about the Diehard Company at their web site
