This year's beltring.

[rambo1969]

Just got back from beltring and had a great time(as usual).

A couple of question's for you;

What did you think of beltring this year?

Would you pay to go to a show?.

As a member of IMPS myself and my dad get in free, but there is talk that in the future we will have to pay. My dad say's that as vehicle owners we should only have to pay a SMALL admin charge, because without the vehcile's there is no show.

I myself would pay to go to beltring as it is an excellent show and rrun very well.

Your thoughts please.

[Mark]

Very disapointed in this year's show, there seemed to be more idiots than ever disregarding the rules, and there were a lot of thefts from the various sites. It seems that once a show gets as big as this one does there are never enough marshalls enforcing the rules as laid down by the organisers, eg. I had to register a bike and got a sticker with a number so if I was speeding then I would have been pulled, but you still get idiots speeding (large) and nothing done ??

Still it is a good show and with 10-15 thousand staying you do get your handfull of idiots who will spoil it for some, Oh and there was a bloke who stabbed himself with his bayonet after an argument with his wife, 2 heart attacks, police with cs gas after a geezer with a bb gun and some prat who decided to pull the water from the toilets. STILL

[sirhc]

... and the machine guns that were stolen from a few of the dealers...

 

Chris

[Mark]

Did not hear that one :?

[Marmite!!]

... and the machine guns that were stolen from a few of the dealers...

 

Chris

 

 

From Milweb...

 

Rifle stolen from Beltring

 

No 4T rifle and scope. The rifle is a BSA MkI dated 44 serial number AV 0209 and has a crack to the cheek piece but in otherwise very good condition. The scope is a No32 serial number xx691 with no sunshade fitted. The deactivation certificate is still held by the rightful owner and was not stolen.

07967 646705

[ArtistsRifles]

Just got back from beltring and had a great time(as usual).

A couple of question's for you;

What did you think of beltring this year?

Would you pay to go to a show?.

As a member of IMPS myself and my dad get in free, but there is talk that in the future we will have to pay. My dad say's that as vehicle owners we should only have to pay a SMALL admin charge, because without the vehcile's there is no show.

I myself would pay to go to beltring as it is an excellent show and run very well.

Your thoughts please.

 

 

What did I think of this years show - well, it was my first ever and I was impressed. Got there Thursday afternoon and had 3.5 of the most relaxing and happy days for a long, long while!!!

 

The organization - with certain exceptions - seemed OK and the standard of vehicles and of the re-enactors was incredibly high. Only exceptions seemed to be:

1) The usual one about number of WORKING toilets and showers - having to hike all the way from the Americas field to the brick shower block by the funfair did seem to be stretching it a bit!!!! I gave up after the first day and just washed the old way using a mess tin on top of Mauds wheels

2) Lack of communincation between securoty and marshals in Red Shirts - the wife asked when she could bring her own vehicle up to the field to pack all the kit away and the Marshals said after 15:00 hrs would be OK - but the security guards on the support vehicle car parks refused to let her take it out until 18:00 hrs. We had no problem if the Marshal had said 18:00 hrs but having walked all the way from the America's field in the prevalent heat to the support vehicle park at 15:30 on Sunday only to be told to go away and come back after 18:00 didn't leave us feeling very happy

As for entry fees - I paid the full whack to get in this year but have since joined the IMPS - I heard nothing about IMPS members/owners having to pay in future. Did hear that Rex Cadman had secured another 10 year contract so the future of the show seems safe though?

Idiots - get them everywhere I'm afraid and the bigger the show the more idiots it seems to be. Same with thieves - but what do you do? Either you cop a mega-bill from the local plod or a private agency to "police" the event or put up with it - can't see any other - legal - way of keeping the toe-rags out. Whacking them with a tyre iron or starting handle only gets you into trouble because they seemingly have more human rights than you do!

Other than this the only thing I would comment on was the high (read bloody exorbitant!!) price of the on-site catering and supplies in the NAAFI shop......... Is this normal too ? ? ?

[rambo1969]

High prices in the NAAFI shop=convenience, £6.00 for a packet of bensons, £5.20 at a normal shop, but I would have to go off site to get them.

What does p*ss me off is £1.50 for a bottle of water, water is a fudermental human right and £1.50 a bottle is a p*ss take!!.

I was camped in the americas field and drove up to the showers, I had a shower every morning and evening and the longest I waited was 15 mins(what does amaze me is the blokes who go to the showers fully clothed, it takes them 10 mins getting dressed/undressed, I go in shorts, flip flops and a t shirt, easy peasy).

Things getting stolen=I think that is the public, I may be wrong but I never heard of anything getting stolen from peoples tents.

Overall I think the show went very well.

[sirhc]

Paul at Withams told me they had a Thompson stolen on Saturday while it was raining. I heard some other dealers complaining about things going missing too. I did not have anything stolen this year, but a couple of years ago I had the light lenses stolen from my Lightweight one night. Someone camped near by had the wheel nuts stolen from his 101, and another Lightweight owner had his antenna base stolen... all in the same night.

 

Chris

[rambo1969]

I am amazed at the fact that gun dealers don't chain up thier gun's, anyone who want's to buy one would ask to see it. High value item's unchained=asking for trouble!.

[ArtistsRifles]

All the weapons I looked at - with the exception of things like Vickers K's and some WW2 Brens (Withams I think) in their cases were chained....

 

One stall had a pair of Apaches - the silenced version of the Sten as used by 21, 22 and 23 back in the seventies. Was tempted severely but in the end didn't even ask the price (a) because I know they would have been out of my league and (b) because the wife was with me and would have clobbered me for doing so!! :lol: :lol:

[Snapper]

Hope you all got home safe. I hoped to get round and see a lot more people - but my on site work with "zoomer" was a killer. We were the two press team idiots snapping everyone in Ginger's til half two on Friday (aside from all our other duties). I was bladdered - but most of the snaps are in focus even if I'm not. I worked my backside off this year and was totally absorbed - but I think there were some aspects of the event which were a bit flat. However, seeing four T34s together on Friday and taking part in the Red Ball Express and the Convoy of Steel was fantastic. My son James was thrilled with it all. May I say a massive thank you to the chaps on the Red Ball display in general and to the Club Wagon people for their incredible hospitality and superior catering. It made the event very special. There were a lot more cops on site this year, but the thefts and stuff do not surprise me. I never left my cameras or laptop unattended even though I was camped in the staff area - which is sometimes called Millionaires Row. Idiots driving round the site too quickly and the endless problems with quads, scooters etc seem to be the deal. I would imagine that some youngsters on the bikes will spoil it for the majority one of these days. The BB guns were a bit more controlled. I didn't get shot this year! - shame some may say. The show is definitely safe for several more years and next year - the 25th - will see lots of big events. Whatever you think of aspects of the marshalling etc - the volunteers work bloody hard, having learned a lot more about what they do, I don't think they get enough credit. Thanks for the tip about the showers - I knew I was overdressed as soon as i joined the queue - but being a 47 year old blob precludes me from wanting to display my body in public too often. I don't like scaring children or animals....by the way, if you're the lady who had me travelling the site for a lost Yorkshire Terrier at 02.45am on Saturday - I hear you got it/he/her back...good. Now back to sleep zzzz

[Jack]

Ok, well Beltring was a first for me and the family and we went as a member of the public. Having heard and seen all of the hype I was interested to see if it would live up to its gigantic reputation but had no plans to go as business is taking all of my time at the moment and didn’t think I could squeeze this in. However, for some reason I was on the W&P website and on the news page it said -‘The Band of Brothers' Veterans Land at War and Peace 22nd and 23rd July’ that done it for me, that was worth the effort so that is why we decided to go.

 

We drove up from Dorset and we drove straight in to the well attended car park. To me you can judge an event by the attention of detail. It was wonderful to go to a show ground that was for once not in the middle of field, it was nice to see modern facilities.

 

 

As I said earlier, attention to detail is what can make or break an event. The organisers will have to listen to feedback, good and bad, that is part of their job and hopefully they do otherwise ‘customers’ soon go else where. I thought it would be more informative to list my thoughts and ideas below rather than bore everyone with me rambling on.

 

Keys

 

+ = positive

- = Negative

- ? Idea

 

1.+++ Great location.

 

2.+ Thought the site was very clean and tidy, makes you feel that people care.

 

3.- Poor content of the show catalogue, I basically spent £4 for a load of adverts and me being me I tried to do a ‘cash’ deal but he wouldn’t have it. It would also be a very wise move to list all of the trade stands along side their numbers. For someone who is new to show I got lost very easily lost and I got very frustrated having to chance my luck on finding the stands that I wanted to see.

 

4.? – have finger boards dotted around the show showing where the loo’s were, where the arena was etc etc, would help a lot of people as again, we got lost.

 

5.– Couldn’t hear the commentary in the main arena, for once these things weren’t loud enough.

 

6.+++ Exceptional presentation of the reenactors and the MV owners, some serious time and money gone it to both and it showed, all of these ladies and gentleman should be much admired and respected, a testament to the movement.

 

7.+ Not sure if it was busy or not but was easy to move around.

 

8.------ Absolutely furious with people riding around the stalls on bikes of all sorts, so much so that after one of the fools nearly ploughed into my children that I nearly pulled him of his bike to give him a smack or two – which is very unlike me but I had had enough by that time but he was to quick for me but I dare say he went on to terrorise other families.

 

9.?? Have security personnel on patrol, wearing hi vis jackets – it sounds like the next step. Cost can be passed onto the stall holders and the beer tents, the latter for sure should take responsibility to what happens to people when they consume drink.

 

10. - Very expensive trade stands, this is business I know but none the less, some seemed to be greedy but not much you can do about that but I did struggle to spend money.

 

11. + What a collective point to meet people, though I missed many fellow HMVF guys

 

12. + Where would you go to see so much.

 

13. -/+ Ticket price was acceptable but we did come loaded with food and water

 

14. ? Supply free drinking water

 

 

This is my view as a member of the public that was only there for the day. I wouldn’t want the job of the organisers as it must be tough but they did pull together a great show and they too must be very proud of their achievements.

 

Yes it did rain, again.

 

And yes, we did get to meet the Vets from Easy Company 101st Airborne –that was all we wanted from the day and it was worth that alone.

 

[Snapper]

Sorry Jack, I assumed you'd be there with your GMC. You would have loved the Red Ball Express. 31 lorries on the road with bike and jeep escorts. One other lorry didn't get off site as far as i know.

 

Agree about the signposts and the security thing makes sense - but it all costs money. A minority of people descend on Beltring to thieve stuff and nothing is too big a target. Other crime, like the occasional fights are always going to happen when the fun is diluted with beer - even at £3 a pint.

 

i keep hearing about people getting great bargains in the market, but I always seem to miss them. I suppose it is a good job because I would spend a fortune. I managed an hour of browsing this time round and bought a t-shirt for my daughter. I didn't get any models, ignored the guns (my wife hates them), and didn't buy anything for my Iltis or add to my pile of tin hats. I am disappointed. My wife is relieved.

 

Bikes make sense as a way of getting around. I had to walk back and forth from the arena to an office in the Oast Houses about six times a day and I was knackered by the heat. But they are a pain on footpaths - maybe the place needs cycle lanes.

 

I think it is the scooters and quads that are more hazardous. We saw two girls on a Honda take a nasty tumble one evening.

 

Someone i know described Beltring as being like Glastonbury and she is entirely right. Substitute musicians for MVs and there is not much difference. There will always be something to act as the fly in the ointment, but the overall experience is brilliant.

 

I've been fortunate and have had free entry since I became a professional photojournalist (God, that sounds poncey - but it's the right job description), but I know of a lot of people who do not like the admission charges, but they always come back. I also know people who see the event as their annual holiday. I'm jealous of them - but my family need something a little more more conventional. For me the event is like a kind of benign monster with the occasional sting in the tail.

 

See you all again next year - if they'll have me back!

 

 

 

[Cara]

Hi Guys,

 

There are always going to be people compaining about the Show for what ever reasons and there will always be issues because the show is so large, the larger it gets the harder to police.

 

Anyway, I myself had a great weekend ...... extremely exhausting...... but very enjoyable.

 

Can't wait till Detling now... only a few weeks to go. Woohoo!!

 

Cara

x

[Snapper]

Get the kettle on. Me and Phil will be there!!

 

cheers,

 

Mark

[Jack]

Don't mind people if people have a good moan but it is nice if people also offer up solutions to the problems.

 

Cheers

 

jack.

[jm38a1]

I will start with , I was one of the "Officials" in the red shirts so this from my point of view.

 

BB guns , i would Ban them anyone found with one chuck them out . As fast as we were taking them of kids they were buying more . The parents did not give a fig what

the kids did .

 

Quads , I would ban them again , but not all who have them are idiots . It was not as

bad as last year , how about you give us some help ? If your camped by some idiots

who speed on the quads let a official know if nothing is done kick the official until

its sorted .

 

Showers , take your own , you can make you own or buy a kit for about £30.00.

 

Speed we do our best to stop people speeding 9 times out of 10 they slow down

when they see you after they have passed they speed up , what would you do ?

 

 

Vehicle movement its in the information pack i know its boring but read it it saves

people long walks etc ,its all to do with public safety with out them no show.

 

jack is spot on offer up some solutions

 

 

 

[Mark]

jack is spot on offer up some solutions

 

Or become an official and help out

[Jack]

jack is spot on offer up some solutions

 

Or become an official and help out

 

That may well be the solution Mark, it may be a good idea to let that be known to people at large.

[rambo1969]

I won't be doing Detling again. A few years ago I was told by the orginiser that space was limited and because I had a landy I could not go, so I went for the day on the saturday, load's of space left and I was very p*ssed off. Although there are loads of landy's around at the moment, in 40 yrs time they will be rare.

As far as i'm aware, detling is not advertised as a pre WW11 event only.

[rambo1969]

The marshalls need real power, anyone caught speeding should be removed from the site. Kid's speeding on bikes/quad bikes should have bikes taken away until the end of the show, but imagine the grief from the parents.

 

What I would like is if you could go into the arena at say 7pm and use your blank firer, we could have a couple of marshalls supervising. Alot of us own them and it would be nice to be able to use them.

[Jack]

The marshalls need real power, anyone caught speeding should be removed from the site. Kid's speeding on bikes/quad bikes should have bikes taken away until the end of the show, but imagine the grief from the parents.

 

What I would like is if you could go into the arena at say 7pm and use your blank firer, we could have a couple of marshalls supervising. Alot of us own them and it would be nice to be able to use them.

 

totally agree with all of the above and the latter idea is a cracking one, I would charge a small entrance fee to help cover costs......

 

Nice one Rambo.

[Mark]

The marshalls need real power, anyone caught speeding should be removed from the site. Kid's speeding on bikes/quad bikes should have bikes taken away until the end of the show, but imagine the grief from the parents.

 

What I would like is if you could go into the arena at say 7pm and use your blank firer, we could have a couple of marshalls supervising. Alot of us own them and it would be nice to be able to use them.

 

totally agree with all of the above and the latter idea is a cracking one, I would charge a small entrance fee to help cover costs......

 

Nice one Rambo.

 

Yes but then you would have all the locals complaining more, as it is they want the show shut down due to the noise at night etc. You want to see the local papers at this time of year

[john wheatley (R.I.P.)]

Personally I enjoy Bertring every year, I worked as bar manager in a holiday camp on the Kent coast and I know what a bunch of a---holes people can be, "I'm on holiday and if you don't like it you can go F--k Yourself". Rise above them !

I enjoyed this year even more as Bertha won an award !

[Karoshi]

So if you really want to fire a blank firer, why not join and support a LH group, where there will be local supervision? Lets also restrict all vehicle movement to registered MV entrants. Then instill some authority into the red tops, let them wear "MP" badges and carry night sticks.

 

Perhaps play Revellie at 0500, have a chow line and "Bull" parade,.............. and a 10,000 strong FFI line up.

 

My thoughts are that with the number of people attending the number of "incidents" occuring is still VERY low, whilst each one IS annoying they really are in the minority.

 

But I do look forward to you guys giving up YOUR time and helping to run nexts years event. Thank you.