A Comparison of Two World War 2 Shows

WW2 history buffs cups truly runneth over in early September, with two large shows dedicated to the subject taking place on subsequent weekends. The Victory Show ran from 4th – 6th and We Have Ways Fest on 11th-13th. As there has been much discussion and comparison of the two, as well as the fact that I have more free time than sense, I decided to attend both and see what all the fuss is about.

Let’s start with The Victory Show, located near the village of Corby, Leicestershire, and previously described as the “country’s largest WW2 battle re-enactment”.

Price: £25 per person for a basic ticket, with optional upgrade for access to a “VIP enclosure” with closer access to the aircraft, better toilets, souvenir brochure and free soft drinks.

The site: 4 huge fields split into different zones, one set aside for the large scale battle reenactment, one for a militaria/vintage market and food and drink area, with the two remaining dedicated to camps for living history displays, one featuring “dug in” positions and vehicles and the other a more usual reenactment encampment. Between them lies a wooded trail also featuring additional reenactors in a more up close setting, recreating “9 Days at Arnhem.” To the side, a runway for the vintage aircraft landing and taking off from the event.

Timetabled displays: A cursory glance at the website didn’t have any kind of actual timetable for any of the shows or displays on offer, with only a note buried in the FAQs section advising there isn’t one! There would however, be a battle that would begin at about 2:45 (approx!) and the rest would be subject to change due to weather conditions for the aircraft. Understandable, but not necessarily helpful.

A small sign at the entrance to the wooded area advised there would be 2 smaller battles,as a recreation of part of the battle of Arnhem. This was loud, with lots of gunfire and shouting, but given restricted access due to its location and safety requirements, it was quite difficult for anyone who wasn’t immediately at the front to see what was happened, coupled with commentary being provided by someone with a megaphone trying to shout over the chaos, it was difficult to hear what was being described as well. 10 out of 10 for effort and I’m sure it was cracking fun to take part in, but a bit more thought for the spectators would be useful.

Later in the afternoon was the main event, the full scale battle. This was truly a visual spectacular, being kicked off with massive pyrotechnics simulating an artillery strike, followed by tanks moving into position and firing at each other, planes taking off and circling the arena, troops advancing through the smoke of the now partially on-fire battlefield, the full works. Thrilling stuff, but suffering from a similar fault to the smaller battle, in that the commentary was barely audible over the racket going on nearby and suffered serious capital M capital H Military History, with lots of details about the precise model of and number of sprockets on a passing half track rather than describing or providing context for what is happening. Something about bocage and Operation Cobra…

Living history camp: One of the key draws to the Victory Show is its large number, variety and spectacle of its living history/reenactment displays. As a mediaeval and occasional WW2 reenactor this was somewhat of a busman’s holiday. There was a good variety of different displays of both Allied and Axis units, some with typical “stuff on a table” fare, others more involved and interactive with the public.

Aircraft: I’m not an aviation buff so a lot of the finer details went over my head, but there was a good selection of wartime aircraft taking off, circling and landing at the site, with commentary explaining a little about each plane, their technical specifics and their history. In one instance due to having matching numbers of the same kind of aircraft, a reenactment of one of the last dogfights of the war was staged. Once the aircraft were safely on the ground there was the opportunity to get up close to them, though only a few had information boards or similar to describe them.

Talks: Due to time limitations I was unable to attend any of the small number of timetabled talks that were on offer. They did however cover a broad range of topics, delivered by well regarded subject matter experts. All had a supplementary charge of £4 each. From post event photos and social media posts, these seem to have been well attended and well received.

We Have Ways Fest

We Have Ways Fest meanwhile is the tie-in festival for the popular Second World War history podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, hosted by historian James Holland and comedian Al Murray, held at Blackpit Brewery, Silverstone.

I could only attend for one day of the three on offer (not including the new for this year Festival Fringe event put together by enthusiastic attendees on the Thursday set up day) and it was raining heavily, reducing some of the “outdoor” activities.

Price: Between £80-£100 for a one day ticket, with a full 3 day pass available for £215. Plus booking fee and additional costs for camping, glamping and spa sessions (?).

The site: Also 4 huge fields. 2 of them just for the car parking and camping space to accommodate the sheer number of visitors. In the other two, a vast array of tanks, military vehicles, living history encampments and tents as far as the eye can see. And some of the tents are big. Exhibition hall big. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Also off to the side is another wooded area to accommodate more living history groups and their vehicles, this time portraying the SAS in northern Europe, as part of an interactive display. As well as all this is a large arena, well churned up by the tracks and tires of the previous few days sits off to the side and dotted around are a number of concession stands, seating areas, a bar and an indoor area for talks and displays unsuitable for the outdoors.

Timetable: In comparison to Victory Show this is where WHWFest shines. Almost every detail of every event taking place on site is meticulously displayed on the festival website, including different tents, talks, individual speakers times, the aircraft displays and the shows in the arena. All perfectly clear, well laid out and published with plenty of notice for visitors to plan out their day.

Talks: WHWFest is all about the talks. All the talks, all the time. This is the main focus of the festival, in keeping with its origin as a podcast to discuss various aspects of the Second World War, sometimes just between the two hosts, often with specialist guests to delve into particular topics in greater detail.

With appropriately wartime names, “the HQ” “Briefing” “Arsenal” and “ENSA”, the tents that host these form the heart of WHWFest. HQ and Briefing being the home of the big, show stopper talks with big name historians and celebrities discussing topics as wide ranging as James Holland and Jonathen Fennell on when and how the Second World War actually started to Al Murray and James May discussing their love of Airfix models. The Arsenal meanwhile hosts a smaller, up close and personal space for new, up and coming historians and speakers to present on their niche topics, like Molly Wilson’s excellent and engaging talk on Secret Submarines. ENSA, appropriately, provided live music throughout the festival and also occasionally an extra venue for speakers talks.

Living History: As well as talks, WHWFest also hosts top class Second World War living history by some of the best groups and performers in the country. Though only focussed on Western Allies and Soviet displays (no Axis allowed!). With the increasingly heavy rain dampening play I didn’t spend much time here compared to the Victory Show but there was a good range of displays and vehicles on offer with interaction with the few visitors willing to risk the weather. No battle as such this time, but there was the opportunity to see the tanks and vehicles moving and firing in the area, with a (LOUD) artillery firing demonstration to close off the event. Also in attendance were historical performers History Maker and Wizzo’ Rip Roaring History both with their popular and entertaining Second World War themed shows.

Aircraft: Rather than flying in, landing and then forming part of the site vehicle displays, WHWFest had fly-bys from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, that is aircraft that would appear, circle the site and then depart. These were smaller in number than at Victory Show but their arrival more clearly timetabled and advertised. The Saturday show also included a parachute drop.

The Community: Where WHWFest truly shines is the sense of community. Despite the size of the event and number of visitors, it feels as if everyone knows each other, and even if you don’t, you soon will. Friends from opposite sides of the country, and increasingly the world, who have not met since the last festival greet each other like it was just last week. There’s catchphrases and in-jokes galore! A whole system for showing new, unfamiliar visitors around has been set up. People can’t get enough, to the point where a festival fringe event has been set up to keep the spirit of the festival going for a whole extra day! I’m sure the Victory Show has its regular attendees and followers, but it was nothing like the one on display at WHWFest.

Given their similar themes and proximity, both in terms of time and location, much has been made of the ticket price for WHWFest. It is more than quadruple that of its counterpart a week earlier, even without the extras. However, you do very much get what you pay for. The two shows are really a mirror image of each other and the clue is very much in the names. The Victory Show is just that, a show. A large-scale reenactment event, with lots of things on display and mock battles taking place, both on land and in the sky. We Have Ways Fest meanwhile is a festival, a Glastonbury for fans of We Have Ways of Making You Talk and its hosts, its guests and its spirit. What’s not to like?