The reality of battle from the ancient Greeks to the Second World War is brought to life at the Military Odyssey, the world's largest living history show. Yet re-enactors stress it's not about glorifying the deaths of soldiers, writes Chris Price.

With artillery firing overhead, the brave British and French soldiers in the trenches prepared to take on the impossible on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

What awaited them on July 1, 1916, would be the bloodiest day ever for the British Army in conflict. Blighty's forces suffered nearly 60,000 casualties, the worst in one day of combat in its history.

This morbid day is remembered along with many other phases of military history at the Kent Showground this weekend. Billed as the world's largest multi-period living history show, the Military Odyssey pulls together 2,000 years of conflict from the Roman period to the Napoleonic era and the Second World War.

The 10th Essex are the First World War living history group who mark the Battle of the Somme with their 40 minute experience at the show. It took the group a week to build their set at Detling, putting together an above ground trench system to mimic those on the Western Front in France and Belgium. The experience shows the prelude to the first day of the battle.

"It was a very black day for the British Army but we are not glorifying it,' said Craig Appleton, 50, from Biggin Hill, a re-enactor with the group.

"You have to come to the Military Odyssey to realise that glorification is not what we are about. This is about remembrance and keeping our allies' sacrifices in people's memories.

"I think it's important for today's generation to remember and know what happened in the First World War. It is no longer in living memory now the last veteran has died. This is also on the national curriculum and more often than not the people in our groups are more knowledgeable on this than most teachers."

Detail is everything at the Military Odyssey and the groups go to great lengths to make their camps as 'real' as possible. The 10th Essex's experience begins with visitors walking inside a plane that is on a reconnaissance flight over the Western Front spotting artillery.

Then people move through the aircraft to the trenches and see a briefing from senior officers preparing for the attack. After that, visitors walk round to see soldiers as they prepare to go over the top and face on-coming artillery fire.
Yet the show is not all about battle and gunfire.

There will be a medical area explaining how the casualties were treated and the 10th Essex's experience also has a family tree element. Here visitors can begin to find out if they had a relative who fell in the Battle of the Somme, as staff attempt to match names with soldiers who fought in the battle.

"While it is a crude search it might well help people find out about their family tree," said Craig. "It is the simplest of searches but it might offer that kick start or clue that people have been looking for."

One of the biggest attractions of the Military Odyssey - now in its 11th year - are the battle re-enactments which show the reality of fighting from the legions of Rome to the cavalry of the English Civil War. They begin from the moment the show opens and carry on throughout each day.

With each group having their own encampments and more than 100 stalls selling collectables and memorabilia, it is a nigh on impossible task to see everything.

Craig added: "If you are only there for a day then you should target your interest at a few groups. Otherwise you will be overwhelmed by the scale of it. It is literally a blast."

The Military Odyssey takes place at the Kent Showground, Detling, from Saturday, August 27, to Bank Holiday Monday. Visithttp://www.military-odyssey.com