KENT County Showground became a battleground at the weekend and won a victory with the public. The second Military Odyssey proved so popular it will now become an annual event

The odyssey is a two-day spectacular which aims to re-enact historically accurate military skirmishes from the past 2,000 years.

Highlights at the showground at the top of Detling Hill, near Maidstone, included a replay of the English Civil War battle of Maidstone - fought between Roundheads and Cavaliers in 1648.

Enthusiasts carried replica muskets and pikes and were dressed in uniforms of the period.

Other highlights were battles from the Napoleonic War, Zulu warfare, feuding Romans and Celts and fighting from both World Wars, with authentic tanks and artillery.

Visitor numbers topped 30,000 - an increase of thousands on last year's total - and fans of militaria came from as far away as Germany, Italy, France and even New Zealand.

Sixty re-enactment groups, made up of more than 4,000 people, camped out for the whole two days, living in the conditions soldiers of the time would have done. One of the event organisers, Adrian Westwood, said that the Odyssey was, most importantly, an opportunity for people to learn. He said: "For children it's brilliant. It's not dry history you get from the pages of a book, they are actually there with them."