THE walls of Burgh Castle fort resounded to the sound of battle with visitors treated to a display of Anglo-Saxon warrior combat.Ormswald, Norfolk's Anglo-Saxon re-enactment society, was in action honing their fighting skills with swords, shields, axes, spears and longbowsThe group has also been busy working on making costumes and acquiring weapons, in preparation for next month's re-staging of the Battle of Hastings.

THE walls of Burgh Castle fort resounded to the sound of battle with visitors treated to a display of Anglo-Saxon warrior combat.

Ormswald, Norfolk's Anglo-Saxon re-enactment society, was in action honing their fighting skills with swords, shields, axes, spears and longbows

The group has also been busy working on making costumes and acquiring weapons, in preparation for next month's re-staging of the Battle of Hastings.

The group was formed earlier this year from students who attended courses run by combat instructor and ex-Royal Marine David Holman.

David has 16 years battle re-enactment experience, appeared as an extra in the movie Gladiator and started sharing his expertise on the courses run with Norfolk Adult Education Service.

He said: “These are not rubber swords we are wielding; they are metal reproductions, historically accurate for the 11th century.

“The warriors who use them need to be trained to a very high standard in order to produce a realistic and safe display.

“Historical re-enactment is a fun thing to do at weekends, we all thoroughly enjoy the physical aspect of combat on a battlefield with hundreds of other warriors.

“It's very easy to get the feeling of what it was really like in the Dark Ages. This hobby certainly keeps you fit, and you get to visit lots of interesting historical sights for free”

The next combat training course starts Thursday, September 17 at Acle Recreation War Memorial Centre.

The 10 week course, from 7.30 to 9.30pm, is open to both men and women 18 years and over (16 with parental permission).

To enrol call Norfolk Adult Education on 0344 800 8002 quoting CA151E9L. More information can be found on David's website www.warriorspirit2000.co.uk.