WWIIReenacting.co.uk Forums

After 16 years, 2 months and 23 days it is time for me to call it a day.

As many of you know I have been unable to maintain this forum for some time, despite my best efforts. It has fallen into a state of disrepair which has driven many away from it. This is something I never wanted or expected to happen.

When I set the website and forum up in 2003 I was a first year university student looking to meet like minded people to discuss my fledgling hobby with. It quickly spiraled out of control. The demand for an online discussion forum for WWII re-enactors was immediately obvious and something I had to grow into understanding and being able to support, as a new re-enactor and as a young man.

There have been highs and there have been lows. I am incredibly proud of having created the online home for so many of us with the same interest yet equally disappointed at not being able to maintain it in the long term. In hindsight I wish I had handed it over some years ago to someone more capable and with more free time than I. The friendships, events and groups which have been formed as a result of this forum have moved this hobby on greatly and for that I will always be humbled.

There is still a place for the WWII Re-enacting forum in the world, at the very least as an archive to help new re-enactors learn and find groups they want to join and at best as the centre of all WWII re-enacting discussion in the UK and beyond. Despite the rise of Facebook and other social media formats, nowhere can offer the breadth of knowledge and detail this forum has within its archive. With almost 60,000 topics and 823k posts, aggregated into one place, across dozens of discussion areas, nothing can compare.

I am now looking for a new owner of the forum to reinvigorate interest, generate usage and to maintain it as an archive to our hobby and the second world war.

If you have experience of running message boards, PHPBB (or other) and are capable of web development and coding, and want to lead this hobby into the future, please contact me @ chris@wwiireenacting.co.uk. You will be given free web hosting, bandwidth and support by my company to help transition the forum over to you. My only stipulation is that you are as passionate about this hobby as I am and want to help others learn and grow into WWII re-enacting.

Chris

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Chris
Founder and Admin, WWIIReenacting.co.uk

Sad news but sadly a sign of the times. A lot have gone to facebook and deserted places like this.

Many thanks for all the work setting it up, maintaining it and helping out countless others like me getting into the hobby back in 2009! Your efforts were appreciated if not always said and gave a valuable link to the WW2 reenacting world!


Chris

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The Idiot with the Voice of Reason
Retired member of Thunder From Heaven

Well, what I mean by that, sir, is... if you was to put me and this here sniper rifle anywhere up to and including one mile of Adolf Hitler with a clear line of sight, sir... pack your bags, fellas, war's over. Amen.

Kirk Lazarus: I know who I am! I'm a dude playing a dude disgused as another dude!

Faceborg is a law unto itself, so going over to facebook, is short sighted. Most of what's on the Facebook page, apppears to be sales and wants, no much in the way of group discussions or banter, hardly a patch on what this forum has achieved.

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"Don't quote me on that !" Sumerian military expert, Sumeria 3,000 B.C

This site has been a valuable site for important reenacting discussion and getting it right, god help the future of reenacting.

The thing is, someone, somewhere had to start a WWII re enacting group on FB groups in the first place ... why ... ??
I have seen group website after group website close because they transferred to FB groups ... why ... ??
FB has caused so much controversy over its lack of control of what appears on there, and I cant understand this fascination people have about telling the world every time they fart or whatever ... and now it has caused the decline and eventual closure of a(nother) fine, informative and it has to be said, educational site ... if any blame lies anywhere, it is with the person that started the FB group page, and the WWII Re-enactment members that left, deserted even, this to go to the FB group.

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War Correspondent
United Press
'The Writing 69th'
8th USAAF
Somewhere in England

... " I got vision and the rest of the world is wearing bifocals " ...

... " I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them " ...

Nearly 400 views and only four replies .... says it all really about the interest support and loyalty to the site .. and the hobby perhaps ?? ...!!

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War Correspondent
United Press
'The Writing 69th'
8th USAAF
Somewhere in England

... " I got vision and the rest of the world is wearing bifocals " ...

... " I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them " ...

I don't have the technical know-how to run a forum by any means but I would be willing to help in a team to keep it running, if that helps?

Chris, many thanks for your efforts with the forum its been of immense help over the years.
Great to be kept as a ref point for the hobby, I stopped attending events due to the missus' health issues but I still collect and have kept all my impressions but they are now on manikins.
All the best....
Steve

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9/10ths cloud cover over the target area ?, time to change the toilet freshener me thinks!

S.L."A" Flight, 105 Sqn, 8 Group PPF

2nd S.A.S. Forward Recce

Glider Pilot Regiment Sgt Pilot

With 400 views it surely shows that there is interest in the site and the hobby still seems very popular, well at least at the events I attend.

I hadn't replied earlier because as I couldn't run the site, my reply won't help Chris.

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Re-enactors.....We live in the past.

The title of this thread made me go 'Oh No' out loud.
I love this forum and still visit. I blame it for my desire to spend hours reading about the Home Front and half killing myself to get things as right as I can. It introduced me to some amazing people, either just online or face to face.
I have free time but know squiddly put about programming etc.
Thank you Chris. It has been a pleasure!
Jude

Despite my, to some, 'negative' comments, I am extremely grateful to this site and the many on it that helped me when I first got into WWII in 2007 ... it has been a great resource for many I think, I thank Chris also, but like others have said, I cant help as I know very little about running something like this ... perhaps some one will take it on.

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War Correspondent
United Press
'The Writing 69th'
8th USAAF
Somewhere in England

... " I got vision and the rest of the world is wearing bifocals " ...

... " I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them " ...

This was posted on the WW2TALK.com forum by the administrator 'Von Poop' under the title 'WWii REENACTING FORUM?'

Anyone a member there?

It seems they're closing, & Otto's desire to preserve websites is kicking in.
He'd like to offer hosting to preserve the place in whatever form the users/admin might prefer.
Tried to get in touch, but new memberships don't appear to be getting activated & email hasn't yet responded.

If anyone can pass the message on via this thread:
WWIIReenacting.co.uk Forums • View topic - The End of an Era - Closure of WWIIReenacting.co.uk
It would be very much appreciated.

Otto can be found here or at 2F,
or:
Capture.JPG

It's a truly open-handed offer.
Otto 'rescued' us once, and has left us completely alone regarding day-to-day running for a decade or so.

Cheers,
~A

Going to facebook is a bad move as their censorship and banning of groups is out of control.
Forums like this are a great place to share info freely, it's a shame it's got so quiet.

Has there been any contact do you know, any update on this offer ...

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War Correspondent
United Press
'The Writing 69th'
8th USAAF
Somewhere in England

... " I got vision and the rest of the world is wearing bifocals " ...

... " I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them " ...

This post by OTTO on the WW2TALK forum today;

I emailed Chris with an offer of help almost a month or so back now.

Could someone reply to Correspondent in the thread that I've reached out to Chris and that an offer is on the table? I'm willing and able to keep the site going, but I've not received any response as yet.

Feel free to contact me at: [​IMG]

Don't use it, lose it. SAD!

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My most powerful weapon, my TV remote-control