"...A Little Better All the Time"

Welcome back Auxiliary members!

We apologize for the Holiday Hiatus but we are back and ready to go!

If you missed our last post, we briefly shared with you, Dearest Reader, some of the details that have led to this journey of ours in forming an Auxiliary to the HMS Acasta crew. We also promised more information regarding implementation, standards, and expectations that the Auxiliary will uphold and maintain. We shall endeavor to cover those items in a manner that is succinct, sincere, and forthright; a manner we feel is deserving of our members (current and future) and which conveys the intent and reasoning for our choices. To lighten things up and add some eye candy we're also going to further illustrate some of our points with cat pictures. So stick with us 'til the end, feel free to post any questions you have after reading in the comments section, and most importantly: enjoy!

On the Subject of Standards... 

We all know that standards are important. We all also acknowledge that not everyone in the world of living history and interpretation have the same standards, and that is OK. We all play at our own levels of comfort and we wouldn't want anyone to step into something they aren't ready for or wouldn't enjoy. For this reason, we aim to be exceptionally clear regarding the standards we have laid out for the Auxiliary. This just makes things easier for everyone involved. Sharing our standards with potential members only helps us in the long run and we feel that transparency in this area is of utmost importance to make sure that new members know what to strive for but also to make sure that we all hold ourselves accountable for our commitment to our mission.  

Unlike our Royal Navy counterparts, there is much more potential for variety in the Auxiliary. This makes it extra important that we adhere to specific standards of interpretation to provide the most cohesive and accurate experience as possible to both our members and the public.

We will be using a "Good/Better/Best" model for all material culture in the Auxiliary, and since clothing tends to be one of the "big topics" for many, we will start with specific details in relation to G/B/B for this topic first. However, we will also be adding G/B/B for other material culture areas such as tentage, kitchenware, pottery, food, etc. as we progress (conveniently housed on our Standards and Expectations page.) Ultimately, all of these things make up small pieces of a larger whole, that when put together have the ability to create something very special for ourselves and our guests. If you haven't heard of G/B/B, don't worry. We've got a post in the works as you read to help answer any potential questions you might have.

And remember, this probably sounds way scarier than it actually is,
 so hang in there and keep reading! (Yes, I'm talking to you-
you know who you are!)

With these Standards in mind it is the Expectation... 

 ...that all Auxiliary members will attain at minimum a "Good" rating on all clothing items by one year from their date of acceptance into the unit and on all other material culture by two. Members will attain a "Better" rating on all clothing items by year three and all other material culture by year four. Members will stay in first person during public hours and will maintain an accurate environment until the close of the last day of the event. For more detailed explanations of these expectations, see the Standards and Expectations page.

Sounds too hard to be doable? The good news is, you've got a team of people who are rooting for you to succeed and are ready to help. (We're not monsters, y'all). Don't know where to find good shoes at an affordable price? We've got your back. Need help draping a gown? No worries. Want to practice your first person without feeling like a goofball? Let's practice together! A big part of the Auxiliary is to be there with the assist when you need it. We want the best membership possible, and if you're willing to work for it then so are we. 

Together we can do it! 

 With regards to Implementation... 

...We know that change and progress takes time. That's why we're here to help you and have given what we feel are realistic and attainable time tables for improvements. It's also important to keep in mind that while we'd love to have everyone function at the "Best" level all the time, in reality "Best" is probably a place most of us won't live in, but will visit sometimes. We might have some items or objects that are "Best" while at the same time have a items that are "Better" or even "Good" mixed in. And that's OK! Just remember:

Do you think that Kitten started out good at billiards?
 NO. He had to work for it!

All that being said, we're excited to finally get started and have some really great things in the works for the coming year. If you're interested in what we're doing, stay tuned. We are seeking a small number of committed individuals to start with and have plans to grow the unit organically and intentionally by selecting individuals with a commitment to improvement and a positive attitude. Who knows? Perhaps by this time year next you might count yourself among our number.

"...Bid Adieu to These Girls and the Rogues on the Shore."

A few years ago, my husband decided he wanted to interpret an 18th century sailor (maybe early 19th century.) Thus the research began for both of us. Last year he was pressed (I use the term lightly, as he was quite willing to go) by the crew of HMS Acasta. While researching the life of a Royal Navy Sailor I've dug deep into the archives of various institutions for logbooks, journals, wills, and more. Anything which might give up some clues regarding the lives of those men enlisted in His Majesty's Navy during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

What the record turns up is actually pretty inspiring. These men who took to the seas existed in an arguably binary world: living sparsely at sea or comparatively lavishly in port, just paid a large sum of wages or without a penny to their name. While this is not to say that some sailors didn't find balance in their lifestyles (and budgets) the record seems to indicate that enough of the population of crew aboard vessels inhabited this realm of drought or flood. While my husband was intrigued by their lives at sea, I was fascinated by their lives ashore or when in retirement from the Navy.

(I blame the somewhat idealized tales of
Horatio Hornblower and the very, very handsome
Ioan Gruffudd. Le Sigh.)

What struck some as a potential drawback to interpreting the Royal Navy (how do you interpret a sailor when many of the events we attend are landlocked and without a ship?) I saw as an opportunity for enrichment. While fiction may not be the best place to finish, it certainly makes for inspiration to a beginning, and all of the questions Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin elicited begged for more academic treatment. What was the experience of these men when they were not shipboard? What kind of encounters did they really have with those who were anchored on land? Where and how did they fit into the society after their wandering careers were over? What was the grain of truth to the stereotypes and what was the more nuanced and complex version of their stories? And more importantly: how could we bring this part of their stories to life?

"Dick Dock, or the Lobster & Crab (Greenwich Pensioner Caricature)² 

It was out of this desire to broaden our understanding of the sailor's experience, his whole experience, that the Acasta Auxiliary was birthed. An interpretative avenue for those of us who don't fit the bill for the Royal Navy but want to assist in telling the story of those who served, whether they dutifully served with honor, courage, and valor or not (we're looking at you Mr. Book). A sister unit, an auxiliary ¹  in the truest sense of the word: to support and supplement the interpretation of the HMS Acasta, encouraging and upholding the highest standards we can achieve and aiming for improvement each and every day. (More on that to come!) We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but we are excited to begin.

For now, we hope you'll join us on our voyage and wish us Godspeed, because we acknowledge that "Life allows nothing to mortals without great labor." ³ 

Footnotes

¹ Dictionary.com (Dictionary.com), s.v “Auxiliary” by Dictionary, accessed November 6, 2016, http://www.dictionary.com/, additional; supplementary; reserve; giving support; serving as an aid; helpful; an organization allied with, but subsidiary to, a main body of restricted membership, especially one composed of members’ relatives.
² "Dick Dock, or the Lobster & Crab (Greenwich Pensioner Caricature) - National Maritime Museum” [Royal Museums Greenwich- Collections]. Royal Museums Greenwich, August 16, 1806, accessed November 6, 2016, http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/143274.html, Object ID: PAH3327; Artist/Maker: James Whittle & Richard Holmes Laurie; Coloured etching; Two Greenwich Pensioners sit outside a Greenwich or Deptford tavern drinking and smoking. One, with a wooden leg, is shaking hands with a one-armed Royal Marine (whose jacket is miscoloured blue rather than red, as it should be). Behind another one-legged sailor watches the shipping on the river with the Royal Hospital at Greenwich (crudely shown) in the distance. The print illustrates a song, below image and title, in which the sailor insults the “lobster” but is reconciled on discovering he once saved his life.
³Horace, The Works of Horace, ed. C Smart and Theodore Alois Buckley (New York: Haper and Brothers, 1863).