ADLOCVTIO
NEWSLETTER OF THE TWENTIETH LEGION
Vol. IX, no. vii, July 1999

NOTICE
       I will be out of the state from July 19 through the 26th.  Don't bother to call me or email me!  My email backlog will be bad enough as it is...

FIRST TRUMPET: FALL ENCAMPMENT
       On September 25-26 the Legion will once again be encamped alongside La Belle Compagnie, our buddies from the 14th century.  The place will be Marietta Mansion, of course, and it will be open to the public from 11 AM to 4 PM.  Good event for newcomers, even if you have little or no gear--borrow a tunic and come on out!  There is no set schedule, but we can practice drilling and pilum-chucking.  It's our "laid-back" weekend, so don't expect another Roman Days.  Contact Quintus with your plans and needs, as usual.

ALBION UPDATE
       Well, I think all of you got the word about the new helmets from Albion armorers, so I'll just give a summary.  These helmets are produced in India and were developed under the direction of Dan Peterson, commander of Legio XIIII in Germany.  (It is not the stuff that I've been working with Albion to produce, nor the same manufacturer.)  Most of these helmets look quite good overall, but some of the little details are probably incorrect.  Albion doesn't have any samples in their Maryland HQ for me to look at, so I only have the little pictures to judge by.  Now, these helmets are not "pre-approved" for Legio XX use, but I believe that several of them will be fine with only minor corrections, such as crest fittings.  Three of them also seem to be lacking their brow reinforces, which is odd, but we can even add those if necessary.  Helmets that are ordered before the end of July are supposed to be done in September (at which point I can give you more details on their details).
       The best of them are the "Special Command" helmet, Imperial Gallic H and G, Italic D (I can live with the decoration being riveted instead of soldered), and Coolus E.  The Gallic type I and "Acquinson" helmet (also a Gallic I) are pretty good, just the cheekpieces are the wrong style.  I noticed at second look that the Coolus C seems to have earguards, which is wrong and not really fixable, as well as its unnecessary crest attachment and over-wide neckguard.  The Italic G also has the wrong style cheekpieces and the brass decoration is not quite right, but this helmet is later than our period anyway.  The Italic C should not have riveted-on earguards and the neckguard is too steep, and the cheekpieces don't seem right.
       Now, be aware that there might be slight differences between these pictures and what actually arrives from India.  Some of the little flaws might have been corrected, other details could be different--I don't know if Albion will have any control over that.  And there might be things wrong that can't be seen in the pictures.  So once I get my hands on these I might say, "They got that little piece wrong but we can slap a new one on," or  "Oh, that's better than it looked, no problem."  It is clear that the overall outlines and the crucial parts like the eyebrows and neckguard ridges are all very good, except those with the wrong cheekpieces (and maybe those will change?).  It's not likely that we'll find that the things are made of aluminum or don't fit an adult head or something that bad.
       Therefore, it is time to say Goodbye and Good Riddance to the Museum Replicas "Troopers" helmet and "Officer's" helmet, and all their mutant clones that have been pouring out of Asia.  Albion's new helmets, even with any flaws, are now by far the best available "off the shelf".  A few armorers that we know of can do better, but will take a lot longer and charge a lot more.  They won't go out of business, by any means, as there will always be plenty of custom work for them.  Albion's email is --, and their website has changed slightly:  http://www.albionarmorers.com/home.htm .

FABRICA
       There will be a Legion Workshop session at Matthew and Jane's house on August 14, from 10 AM to roughly 5 PM.  The usual yakking and puttering around, cheap lunch, etc.  Contact Quintus for details or directions.

HACA MEDIEVAL LONGSWORD WORKSHOP & EAST COAST GATHERING
By Howard Waddell, Albion Armorers
       Albion Armorers is proud to announce that in addition to a Gathering of the East Coast Forumites, we will also be hosting a workshop presented by John Clements, respected director of the Historical Armed Combat Association (HACA), and well-known author of "Renaissance Swordsmanship" and "Medieval Swordsmanship."
       We would like to invite anyone who wishes, to attend the HACA Medieval
Longsword Workshop and/or the East Coast Gathering. The Gathering will take place in a park across the street from the workshop, and has no schedule - arrive after 10am, and stay until you want to leave. The workshop schedule is as follows.
       Schedule of Events:
9:00 - 9:30am- Background lecture, Demonstration
9:30 -11:30am- Hands-on exercises and drills
11:30am -12:45pm - Lunch
        Lunch will be provided by Albion, and will include a show and tell
        for those who have brought their own swords, and several
        Japanese-style cutting stands with wara will be available for
        those who wish to test their blades.
1:00 - 4:00pm- Personal instruction by Mr. Clements, and Free Sparring
4:00pm - Everyone gets to go home (or across the street to the Gathering)
sore and tired, but hopefully with some great information, good pictures and
even better memories.

** Unfortunately because of the amount of personal instruction needed, we
have to limit the class to 20 active participants. *Those who only wish to
sit in for the lectures and observe, are not counted toward the
participation limit.

       The workshop will take place in the auditorium of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, MD - 40 minutes from downtown Washington DC.  Directions are available from Albion staff.
       Though not "open for business," Albion Armorers will have, at the workshop, examples of swords and armor from our many fine makers... such as Iain
Macallen, Jim Hrisoulas, Al Massey, Del Tin Armi Antiche and others...
       Fees for the Gathering and HACA workshop will be as follows:
$65 for full hands-on participation in the workshop
$30 for lecture and observation
$10 for Gathering picnic and show and tell
       All fees include food, beverages, and use of the available cutting stands
and targets.  Albion Armorers is not making any profit off of these fees - they merely
cover costs. Albion holds education in high regard, and we wish to share any educational opportunities that we can, with sword enthusiasts everywhere.
       If you have any questions regarding this event, feel free to e-mail

       To Register, simply go to http://albionarmorers.com/register.htm, and fill out the registration form. In the comments box, please indicate what level of participation you wish, and any previous experience you have.  You can pay via check, money order, MC, Visa, or American Express. Charge card payments can be arranged by noting this method of payment & your phone number in the comment box. An Albion staff member will contact you to take the information.
       Make checks payable to:
Albion Armorers
11113 Sceptre Ridge Terrace
Germantown, MD 20876
 Registration and payment must be received by Aug. 5, 1999.

CALENDAR
       July 31-Aug. 1 --Military Time Line event, Ft. Malden, Ontario (just over the border from Detroit).  Bit of drive for most of us, but definitely a good time of year to head north, eh?  George Metz is planning to go as Legio XXIV, is anyone else interested?   The event coordinator is John MacLeod, 100 Laird Ave., Amherstburg, Ontario N9V 2Z2 Canada, phone 519---
       Aug. 14 --Legio XX workshop at Matthew Amt's house, 10 AM to 5 PM.
       Sept. 18-19 --Legio III Gallica encampment, New Orleans, Louisiana.  Contact Darren Nunez for more information: 504---
       Sept. 25-26 --Legio XX encampment at Marietta with La Belle Compagnie (14th century), open to public 11 to 4.
       Sept. 24-26 --Roman Military Equipment Conference, South Shields, Eng.  See the ROMEC website for details, http://pobox.com/~jrmes/romec.htm
       Fall, 1999? --Possible display at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, as part of a classics fair.  Still in the planning stages.
       Oct. 2-3 --"Preserving our Military Heritage" at Fort Washington, MD, another timeline event.  Perhaps we can spread ourselves across several eras.
       Oct. 30-31 --Dionysia of Massilia.  Games and rites in honor of the god Dionysos, Australia.  Contact Mark Kelly
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ADLOCVTIO is the official monthly newsletter of the Twentieth Legion.  No time for a joke, so you'll have to make one up for yourself.  Contact for the Legion and Adlocvtio is Matthew Amt, aka Quintus.  Valete!