Soldiers march back in time at Black Country Living Museum
It's January 1915 and troops from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment are in training as they prepare to head to the frontline in France.
This was the scene that greeted visitors to the Black Country Living Museum as they were taken back to the First World War.
Military re-enactment group The Warwicks marched around the canalside village carrying out machine gun drills and hand grenade training displays.
The First World War-themed weekend was part of the museum's programme of events to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the conflict.
Demonstrations took place to portray the 1915 training days of soldiers preparing to reinforce their comrades in France.
There was also a talk on the Christmas truce – which saw British and German troops lay down weapons on Christmas Day and it is thought football matches were played between the two sides in No Man's Land.
Chairman of The Warwicks and platoon sergeant Sean Featherstone said it was a successful weekend. "It went really well," said Mr Featherstone. "We had quite a crowd of people watching the demonstrations.
"Our aim is to portray the Royal Warwickshire Regiment soldier from 1914 to 1918. We set the weekend in January 1915 and showed the infantry training that would have taken place as they prepared to go to France." The Warwicks attend events at the Black Country Living Museum twice a year to give demonstrations.
The weekend was one of a series of events which will be taking place at the museum, in Tipton Road, Dudley, to commemorate the First World War.
Munitions
Staff and volunteers are also researching the memories of Black Country folk during the conflict, from the issue of coal shortages to food rationing.
They have also introduced new characters at the museum to share the stories of real life people including munitions worker Lilian Hodgkiss and Gertrude Bytheway, who was a voluntary aid detachment nurse with the Red Cross.
