Ontario Re-Visited ~ Re-enactor Gear

Ontario Re-Visited ~ Re-enactor Gear

GRANDAD’S HISTORY OF CANADIAN RE-ENACTING

NOTE: This is an excerpt from a wonderful article written by Gavin K. Watt. The whole article can be found at http://royalyorkers.ca/history_of_reenacting.php. If you are interested in re-enacting, this is a great article to read.

By Gavin K. Watt

The earliest reenactment unit in Ontario that I’ve seen photographic evidence of was the Queen’s Rangers as they marched into Historic Fort York – if I remember correctly, in the 1930’s, which was probably for the regiment’s sesquicentennial celebrations of its substantial contribution to the great British victory at Brandywine, PA on 11 Sep 1777 during the American Revolution.

The uniforms looked good, but the carriage of arms seemed a bit suspect. I believe those re-enactors were members of the Reserve Army’s Queen’s York Rangers, 1st Americans of Central Ontario. Possibly, they received assistance in their interpretation from Fort York staff members.

The Revolutionary War Queen’s Rangers was likely the only regiment with a full set of contemporary paintings of every uniform worn by their unit in the late years of the Revolutionary War – Huzzars, Grenadiers, Highlanders, Light Infantry, Riflemen and line infantry. Virtually as good as having photographs, and all reenactors know how wonderful that would be.

Original historic “Art Sketch” by Susan ‘Shadow’ Caron