Ermine Street Guard celebrate 50th anniversary

Back in 1972, the eight founder members of the Ermine Street Guard first paraded in homemade costumes at a historical pageant in the Gloucestershire villages of Witcombe and Bentham.

The Ermine Street Guard in 1972 (Image: Ermine Street Guard)

Fired with enthusiasm, they contacted H Russell Robinson, keeper of armouries at the Tower of London, who remarked: “What a pity that such great effort had been put into getting things wrong.” 

He offered more constructive comments as well and, in consultation with leading academics and archaeologists, the group embarked on a programme of producing more authentic and accurate armour and equipment. 

This ideal continues to this day as more archaeological finds and research become available. It has resulted in the Guard being recognised as the oldest, most widely known and respected Roman re-enactment group in the world.

Chairman, centurion and founder member, Chris Haines, said: “As a registered charity, one of the prime aims of the group is to educate and inform the general public about military life in the second half of the 1st century AD. 

“To this end, the group has displayed at all major Roman sites in Britain and many in Europe. 

“Countless visits have been made to schools, colleges and museums and frequent media participation, in the form of TV programmes, books, websites, DVDs and magazines, is requested from both sides of the Atlantic.”

The vast majority of armour, equipment and exhibits are manufactured and maintained by the Guard themselves.

The Ermine Street Guard make their own armour (Image: Ermine Street Guard)

No matter how well prepared they are, however, not everything always goes to plan.

On one occasion in Switzerland, the group was ambushed by students wearing Asterix-inspired costumes.

And the group made local and national headlines in 2000 when their catapult damaged the roof of a house in Woodchester.

Mr Haines, who received an MBE for services to Roman history in 2005, added: “After fifty years of historical interpretation the Ermine Street Guard has firmly established an international reputation for authenticity, reliability and professionalism. 

“We are proud to celebrate these achievements in 2022.”

Ermine Street Guard (Image: Ermine Street Guard)

The Ermine Street Guard were scheduled to hold an event at Cirencester Amphitheatre on Sunday as part of its birthday celebrations.

This has been postponed as a result the death of Queen Elizabeth II and will now take place at a later date.