Men from the 2nd Battalion in the trenches holding bombs made from tin cans.
Joining the recreated
ARGYLL & SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS
("Princess Louise's")
Are you interested in the Great War circa 1914 - 1918? Perhaps you have a relative who served? Would you like to take your interest further than just collecting Great War artifacts or looking at them in a museum? The Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (2nd Bn) is currently looking for smart new recruits who meet our challenging standards.
You will learn & experience more about the Great War and it�s soldiers in 5 minutes by wearing and using the arms and equipment than you would in months of staring through a glass case at some bit of leather or metal, reading a book, or watching the History Channel or PBS. All fine pursuits in themselves, but they do not give you that hands on experience that living (the) history does.
You will need to be a male of minimum age of 17 years old and prepared to accept a level of discipline commensurate with the period whilst in the public eye. You must also be willing to wear the uniform and equipment of the Scottish Great War Jock and learn how to demonstrate it in a professional and military way to the public at living history events that we attend.
So, why the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders?
The founder of this unit (a Scobee) is a member & commissioner for the Clan Mackay Society (USA) and decided to organize a unit that the Mackays have supported at one time or another. In conducting research it was found that two units in particular the Mackays have turned out for, these being the Black Watch & the Argylls. When looking about, the founder of this unit noticed that the Black Watch was already well represented in the WWI reenacting community but that the Argylls were not represented. As the Argylls have been a long time favourite of his & their participation was just as prolific & legendary as the Black Watch in the Great War, it was decided to recreate the Argylls of the Western Front (& also recreating the Mediterranean Front when necessary).
As veterans of other living history group(s), we have seen & felt first hand the chaos and political posturing that can result from annual elections. Thus, to avoid such scenerios, it was decided to have a "permanent" Commander/Unit coordinator who holds the rank of Sergeant (who also acts as final arbitrator in case of any internal disputs).
We find that having a "permanent" commander not only leads to unit stability, but makes it easier for other unit/organization leaders to immediately know who to deal with in case of emergencies etc.
All members have a voice within the unit... we conduct our unit meetings by the basic rules of "Parliamentary Procedure" (i.e. Robert's Rules) --- all opinions / ideas etc. are considered, and those of merit are voted upon by the membership.
New recruits start out as a Private and after completion of acquiring their kit (we like to see this completed after your first year of membership) and displaying some knowledge of drill etc. they will advance to Lance Corporal. (Corporal is reserved for the Unit Adjutant position, which is the only position voted upon annually).
There is a probation period of six months, after which the new member will be voted in. This allows for members of the unit to voice any concerns they have to the membership, & allows the new recruit to decide if the unit is right for them, and if not to quit without any hard feelings.
The new recruit will find help in obtaining the uniform and equipment needed within the Argylls.
Because the kind of activity we, as a unit, engage in & the clothing we wear can become oppressively hot, uncomfortable, & in some cases even dangerous; members should be in good physical shape, and should *not* be severely overweight (besides being a health issue this it is not historically correct to have grossly overweight Argylls running about on the battlefield). A slight paunch is okay, we'll work it off of you!
Most basic modern short hairstyles are acceptable & should be in a style consistant with the early 20th century. We do require a natural hair color; *NO* outrages hairstyles &/or dye jobs allowed (example: spiked purple mohawks)!
Since facial hair (i.e. mustaches) were in style & worn by some members of the Argylls in the Great War, we will allow for such (trimmed & styled in a period fashion). Beards & goaties are *not* allowed, though in battle reenactment scenerios we will allow a five o'clock shadow.
As the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders are a relatively new unit we currently do not have dues. A future goal is to join a Great War living history / reenactment society, at which time we'll reevaluate the need for dues.
Another future goal of the Argylls is to build it�s own fully fitted out trench system complete with dug outs etc. for use for private training events & battle reenactment events.
If this interests you & you feel you have what it takes to become an Argyll, then please contact us at:
Be sure to place "Argyll Recruit" in your subject line, mail without this risks being deleted.
~ RECRUITING AREA ~
The recreated Argylls are headquartered in the Pacific NW (US), with our recruiting area focused on the northwestern Washington state (Everett north) /southwestern British Columbia (Canada) region.
~ RECRUITING AREA ~