John Waller | |
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.jpg) With the Medieval Society, 1981 Photograph by Dominic Cooper | |
| Born | (1940-08-12)12 August 1940 Welling, Bexley, London |
| Died | 20 April 2018(2018-04-20) (aged 77) |
| Known for | HEMA revival Fight director |
John Waller (12 August 1940 – 20 April 2018) was an English pioneer of thehistorical European martial arts (HEMA) revival, afight director for stage, screen and spectacle, and a teacher of martial arts.
He was born inWelling, at that time in theLondon Borough of Bexley. His father, John William Waller, was a veterinary surgeon in the 1st Battalion, theMiddlesex Regiment, and was captured by the Japanese at theFall of Hong Kong in December 1941. Father and son did not meet until after the father's liberation by the SovietRed Army at the end of World War II. Waller's childhood was disrupted by his parents' divorce and many house moves; he attended nine schools. He left full-time education at 16, and had various jobs.
He had always been interested in history, and was inspired as a teenager by three Hollywood historical films:Ivanhoe (1952),Knights of the Round Table (1953) andQuentin Durward (1955), all directed byRichard Thorpe and starringRobert Taylor, which form an unofficial trilogy. He became interested in theMiddle Ages; not as book history, but as to how people lived and thought, especially the concept ofknightly honour. He began to make replicas of historical weapons and armour, and set out on a lifelong quest to understand how they were used and how effective they were. At the age of 16, he took up archery (preferringfield archery over target shooting). In 1960, he met Rosemary Atkinson atBromley Archery Club, in London. They shared the same interests, and married two years later. Their only son, Jonathan, was born in 1970.
In 1963, he was recruited to run the archery department of the specialist sporting goods storeLillywhites inRegent Street, London. The same year, he was a founding member of the Medieval Society, the first of the now-many period-specifichistorical reenactment societies; specifically, formedieval reenactment. They had several obstacles to overcome: from the disdain of professional historians for the idea of amateur reenactment, through the difficulty of acquiring authentic clothing, armour and weapons when the only suppliers were theatricalcostumiers,[a] to working out how to perform dangerous long-forgotten combat skills with low risk of serious injury.[2] So, they made and learned everything themselves, using the historical records; especially, the items on display in theWallace Collection in London.[1][3]
In 1965, actorRobert Hardy (who had a deep interest in archery) visited Lillywhites, and Waller sold him a longbow and arrows. Through that and other contacts made while working there, Waller discovered an opportunity suited to his interests and skills - fight arranger, action coordinator and historical adviser for stage and screen. His first engagement was in 1965 for a production of thepantomimeBabes in the Wood at theLondon Palladium. During his career, he worked on over 60 plays and 15 operas in London and the English regions, about 50 television dramas, soap operas and documentaries, and many television commercials (including a 28-year association withStrongbow cider and its "thudding arrows" motif). He worked on more than 10 feature films; includingAnne of a Thousand Days (1969),Mary, Queen of Scots (1971),Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975),[b] andLegend (1985).[2] He taught actors at, among other institutions, theLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and theGuildhall School of Music and Drama.[3] His guiding principle was, "reality first, theatricality second".[2] He strove for historical accuracy; before him, staged sword fighting had been largely based around modernsport fencing techniques.[3] In fantasy settings his question was, "If it could have happened, how would it have happened?"[2]
In 1967, he left Lillywhites to set up his own shop, Bows and Blades, onTower Hill, facing the main entrance to theTower of London; it prospered. In 1969, he was a founding member of theSociety of British Fight Directors (which later changed its name to the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, and which was later still absorbed into theBritish Academy of Stage and Screen Combat). He pioneered safer practices in medieval and renaissance combat reenactment. He collaborated with BrigadierPeter Young, founder ofThe Sealed Knot, a society which specialises inEnglish Civil War reenactment. The modern acceptance of reenactment and living history, based on careful research and experiment, as valid and useful owes much to Waller's and Young's hard work, enthusiasm and skill. The Medieval Society flourished, and in its day gave many displays of martial skills, including archery, foot combat andjousting, at historic venues in the United Kingdom and France.[2] In 1973, Waller invented thebalsawood lance, which has the advantages for show combat that it breaks easily (often spectacularly) on impact, and poses less risk to even an armoured human target than one of stouter wood. It was used in a 1974 commercial directed by a youngRidley Scott for the (short-lived)Amazin' Raisin chocolate bar, and has remained popular with reenactors ever since.[1]
Waller assisted Hardy during the writing of his authoritative 1976 bookLongbow: A Social and Military History (which was used as basis for aBBC TV documentary). This included taking part in the first scientificballistic trials (at theRoyal Armaments Research and Development Establishment) of theEnglish longbow.[3] In 1977, theRoyal Armouries (then based only in the Tower of London) had the idea of making a short film,How a Man Schall be Armyd, which would show a knight being equipped withplate armour, mounting a horse and riding off. The armour would be from their own collection, made in theRoyal Workshops atGreenwich during the reign ofQueen Elizabeth I (r. 1558–1603). They needed someone who could wear armour and ride in it, look natural while doing so, and be trusted with a historical relic. They knew exactly the man to ask, and Waller accepted their invitation; so beginning a long association. The film was shot atBodiam Castle in Kent, and as of 2018[update] the Armouries were still showing it.
The Tower could only display a small fraction of the Armouries' collection. They had an idea of moving the bulk of the arms and armour collection to a purpose-built facility. That came to fruition in 1996, when, under the direction ofGuy Wilson (Master of the Armouries 1988–2002), theRoyal Armouries Museum was opened in Leeds. Wilson and Waller had been good friends since before the planning stage, and the new museum incorporated many of Waller's ideas for demonstration areas, where visitors could see craftsmen at work or watch displays of martial prowess. In 1994, after the project has been given the go-ahead, Waller was appointed Head of Interpretation at the Royal Armouries. He recruited and trained the actor demonstrators, and worked with thecurators to research and develop scripts and fight sequences. He worked with the Armouries on several short films and also TV documentaries under the general titleArms in Action.[2] In 2000, he founded the European Historical Combat Guild, which studies and practices HEMA.[3][4] Also in 2000, he organised the first of what became an annual event - a competitive (not demonstration) jousting team tournament held over the Easter weekend in the MuseumTiltyard, for a trophy called theSword of Honour.[5] He retired in 2007, but maintained a connection as a part-time consultant.[2] He acted as adviser to major archaeological investigations, including theTowton battlefield (1461) in Yorkshire and theMary Rose,King Henry VIII's flagship, which had sunk inthe Solent off the south coast of England in 1545.[6]
He was a skilled archer, fighter both unarmed and with one- and two-handed weapons, and horseman. He was an excellent teacher, and also had the patience to trainfalcons. He was a craftsman in wood, leather and metal. He never learnt to drive; he was not interested. He had a store of unusual knowledge, which he shared freely. He had a fertile and inquiring mind and strong opinions, and expected the highest of standards from both actors and academics. He had a deep love of music, his tastes ranging from Englishmusic hall singerAl Bowlly to classical composers of theEnglish Pastoral School, particularlyVaughan Williams.[2][7][8]
He died in 2018 after a brief illness.[2] He was survived by his wife and his son; who since 1993 has taught stage combat (including, like his father, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), has been a combat advisor for stage and screen, and has worked with the Royal Armouries and theMary Rose Trust.[9][10]
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