Rogue's Gallery: Current Members of Hickman's Company

Most of us.... detailed pictures and bios follow.....

​The 'old guys file' - front rank: Private Barry Holdam

The 'over 30' file is made up of Barry Holdam (right -1st photo) and Chris Robins (left).  Barry is a contact person for our group and one of our safety inspectors. He is fondly known as 'Uncle Barry' by the younger members of the group. Barry is our resident expert on black powder target shooting. You'll notice how much he is grinning when he is actually shooting, and really thinking about which British officer to pick off with his next shot while he is reloading. You'll also notice that Barry is not grinning in the far right picture - because it's raining and the 'boom' is not happening often enough....  

​The 'old guys file' - rear rank: Chris Robins (rank -variable)

​The 2nd member of the 'over 30' file is Chris Robins who acts as our events coordinator and a contact for our group.  Being outranked by both his sons means that Chris can concentrate on the more fun aspects of re-enacting: such as (right) dying from the 'foamahawk' of Many Strings (who kindly ensures the rain will not get in his eyes) to yelling insults at the British and admiring the wit in their responses.  However, if no one above the rank of corporal shows up, he sometimes takes on either a sergeant's or officer's rank.

​The Moms' Unit - Tracy Robins - "The General"

Tracy's pride possession is her blunderbuss given to her as a retirement gift from the group.  Besides sewing and shooting, she keeps our group organized and the Robins males in line - a full time job! She is our main photographer and all the pictures on this website are thanks to her excellent eye!  Tracy is also known for being a great sport about these events - in the 3rd picture she is bundled up in multiple layers to avoid freezing in the early morning at Queenston Heights, while in the 4th picture she is dressed to go out on the field at Fort Erie where she had an epic death scene on the field to 'celebrate' her and Chris' 28th wedding anniversary (don't worry, she did get dinners at her favourite restaurants out of the deal....).  ​

The Moms' Unit - ​Cathy Holdam - "The Spartan Mom"

Cathy Holdam looks after us! She makes sure we are fed, rested and watered and then, imitating a good Spartan mother, she tells us to die well on the battlefield so Tracy can get a good shot of it! While she carries off the Regency dress appearance well, she says she has a certain fondness for trousers and vest so she can wear a big, black hat....

The Moms' Unit - Sherri Rosskopf - "The Gunner"

Sherri Rosskopf is the 3rd member of the Moms' unit.  Whether it is ensuring no one gets hurt putting together a cooking fire or to send her daughter off to the battlefield, Sherri is always there to lend a hand or make things run smoothly.   We didn't realize why Des was nervous having her mother at events until we found out about Sherri's growing fondness for things that go "BOOM" and her goal to be a member of the cannon crew.  Des is unsure whether to blame Bryce's or Tracy's influence..... 

Captain Shawn Scott

Shawn Scott is our Captain and almost fearless leader ... sharing sleeping quarters with Bryce and his knife or British pikes are about the only things that faze him!  The Captain quietly gets the best out of us at all times and ensures we are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing sometimes despite efforts by others to the contrary.  However, his two most glorious memories were clearly sniping off a British officer at Fort Erie (he is after all a rifle officer!) and hand-to-hand combat at The Battle of the Thames.  Shawn knew he had achieved true leadership on the battlefield when Ria called him "Captain" almost all the time instead of "Dude!"

Gun Captain Bryce Williams

​Bryce Williams is the Gun Captain of our newly acquired 3 pounder.  He is our resident gunsmith having built his own Jaegar rifle. His impressive competence combined with an on-going enjoyment in causing needless nervousness in his officers, has caused some unease now that he has up-gunned to a cannon.  However, we are reassured by two factors: behind the cannon is Tracy's camera - Bryce's 'kryptonite'- and we always have Sarah to defend us!

Private Sarah Coates

Sarah is our specialist on all things related to sewing - especially since she has her degree in Fashion History! The rest of us really value her ability to impose organization on the high school students at the History Fair ("It belongs in this bin after you have folded it neatly!") and in her efforts to keep Bryce in line....  Sarah and Bryce are our most enthusiastic and practised time period campers and look quite sharp when they dress in civilian clothes for the balls and other dances at events! Sarah has worked in museums ranging from Oshawa to Cambridge. 

​Lieutenant Bradley Robins

Lieutenant Bradley Robins -  militia rifle officers end up with a wide variety of tasks where they get their 'hands dirty' and we can see Lieutenant Robins is no exception.  Whether it is taking rather vague orders from staff officers and turning them into workable commands, such as the battle plan -  "Follow the shade!" or having to command both his father and brother, Brad's sense of humour lets him carry it off with style!   

Morgan Robins

Morgan married into the Robins' family despite Tracy and Chris' warning (Remember, dear, once you say - "I do" - there's no give-backs!).  Morgan has taken on the role as Tracy's apprentice, or Mrs. Robins 2.0, with also taking pictures for the group and attempting to supervise the Robins males.  Morgan adds to the historical mood of the group by being our resident midwife....

First Sergeant Will Simon

If it shoots a ball or a bullet ....  Will likes it and chances are he has used it or, as can be seen above, fixed it!  As seen above, Will also checks on the stands of muskets and any of our casualties.  Probably, Will's most interesting moment was acting in the surgery scene during the Fort Erie candle-lit tour! The surgeon was delighted to have a 'realistic' leg amputation.  All of us certainly enjoyed Rochelle and Alex joining us at Fort Erie! 

Sergeant Garrett Shannon

Garrett Shannon is our 2nd sergeant.  As you can see from above, he believes in the Boyscout motto of being prepared at all times - including if someone wants to interrupt his nap! Garrett has won best death scenes for the group - from "Melvin's last words" on the left to the doctor at Stoney Creek futilely trying to save him - on the right. Garrett can usually sum up an event in one short comment!  He is always willing to check something off his re-enacting bucket list.  For a bonus Garrett picture - please see the "Knife Twins" section.....

Corporal Matthew Robins

​Matt Robins is one of our corporals and our right marker. He is overly fond of the size of his Brown Bess's boom, bayonet, and flints (unlike the "little sissy flints" the rest of the group's rifles possess).  Longwoods (2nd picture from the right) only reinforced his beliefs as his Bess fired reliably in the rain and he amassed a small pyramid of empty cartridges!  All of us greatly enjoy his ability to make any story/conversation entertaining.  However, in the final picture we are not sure if he was being 'cheeky', stretching before the battle, or asking the group if these trousers make his butt look big .... with Matt we are not quite sure.....  We do know he is our most adept 'marker' and reliably anchors our formation. 

Corporal Ria Simon

Ria is still working on having 'Dude' enshrined as an official way of addressing Kentucky officers and NCO's! Plus, she has firm convictions that 'rifleman' = soldier who fights on land .... never, ever on water! We are not sure what she is thinking in the picture on the far right - which makes us slightly nervous.  After all, Ria has the best line of the group.  When teased by a native re-enactor about her imminent 'death' on the battlefield, she jumped up on a picnic table, pulled her knife, and shouted back, "My knife has your name on it!" (to the great enjoyment of the other native re-enactors).  Small but mighty!

​Corporal Desaree Rosskopf

Desaree is actually the Knife Twins' "long-lost sister".  There is no other explanation as she shares the same fascination with knives as Alex and Grayson.  She is the only other member of our group who is the same age as they are.  Something in the water that year???  Des has also found great glee in shooting as many times as possible in a battle and takes every opportunity to learn more about the black powder weapons.  She is headed towards a PhD in History, while presently working for the Juno Beach Center.  In a small fit of insanity/foolishness, she volunteered to be a corporal starting this year.   In a greater fit of insanity, in the picture on the far right, we can see her and Sarah have persuaded others to take a captured cannon to Sherri and Bryce.... 

Private Lauren Clancy

Lauren Clancy is our resident lawyer.  Between finishing her degree in Saskatchewan and looking for a place to practice law, she has had to miss almost all the events over the last few years.  Barry, and the rest of us, are hoping she will be able to wander her way back to us - both for the pleasure of her company and for a steady cookie supply..... 

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The Knife Twins: Volume One - Private Alex Hertle

Alex and Grayson form the group's 'quiet file'.  Besides being sparing of words, they also like to use cover, any cover effectively to quietly surprise any enemies (look through the wind shield of the SUV in the far left picture and you'll see the Voltigeur Alex is targeting during the street fighting at Bath).  The two pictures on the right fully explain their nickname - keep in mind this is the usual amount of edged hardware that they carry, not a posed picture!

The Knife Twins: Volume Two - Private Grayson Winter

Then we realized that the "Knife Twins" were not so quiet after all!  They were still sparing of words - yet more than happy to ham it up for the camera or to create the truly impressive death scene shown here.  Alex 'died' in his friend's arms so Grayson then yelled at the British and then made an epic and spectacularly fatal charge of the British lines.... 

Private Shaun McLeod

Private Shaun McCleod a.k.a. "Shaun the Red" is waiting to cash in on the promise that he could lead the group into battle one day.  No one is sure when, probably not Shaun either; but, it certainly keeps the other Shawn guessing!  We think in the picture to the left, that Shaun - the only one looking behind the group as he reloads - has noticed that the 'friendly' cannons behind us have reloaded and are ready to fire.  It is one of the few times we saw him without his trademark grin - which appears marching off to battle, beside a goofy right marker, or just loving life.  Shaun's debut was the Fort Meigs bicentennial - a new event for the group, a border crossing with muskets and ammunition, numerous musket problems, and a fluctuating battle plan - but he kept smiling...  Shaun has joined the period camping part of the unit with Alex and Grayson; but, unlike his tent-mates,  refuses to carry his own body weight in edged weapons.... 

Private Taylor Chester

Taylor of the "Chestershire" grin.  Taylor come in a set with Grace.  She throws herself into any task - whether it is gun cleaning or keeping the Right Marker's ego in check.  In the second picture from the right, she is critiquing Chris's medical care of a 'wounded' Grace.  We guess that's more than fair as she is presently in the nursing program.  Tracy has made up a small medical bag that she will be entrusting to Taylor when we're out on the field.

Private Grace Jeninga

Grace is studying anthropology or, as she put it, "old dead things".  So, if Taylor's nursing skills cannot save one of us, we could end up with Grace studying our remains!  As you can see, Grace is a 'sport' and willing to face the entire British army or to do her part in encouraging the other side by being 'wounded' or 'dead'.  Her scariest moment - experiencing a flashback to High School History class (far right)!   

Private Jenn Sainovski

Jenn Sainovski has been enjoying all different facets of re-enacting - from discussing her shot at Stoney Creek ("Yep, I got him!") to cook fire making to sniping from the walls of Fort Erie with Ria.  We especially enjoy the 2nd picture from the right when Tracy said, "Give me your 'war-face'. No, not quite.  Now imagine you enter your classroom and your class is misbehaving!"  Result - Jenn's 'war-face'!  

Private Andrew LaPage

​Andrew continues an unit trend of seeking an engineer related education/job.  We quickly found out that Andrew was up for anything - no matter the task (put up tents, gather firewood, attack the entire British line, .... the answer is always,  "O.K.!")  We also found he learned very quickly as you can see the neckerchief wrapped around the hot barrel of the Brown Bess.  Of course, Shaun enjoys having another redhead in the group (though you're still 'Shaun the Red', Shaun!).