Review: The Barbary Pirates by C.S. Forrester

The Barbary Pirates by C.S. Forester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Short and lively, this a popular history for younger readers of the conflict between the infant US Navy and the Barbary Pirates of North Africa. The prose is simple and crisp as is usual with Forrester and the narrative gallops along at a satisfying pace. Adult readers will no doubt want something more in depth on the subject as this treatment is necessarily superficial, but even adult readers can benefit from a simple story well told.

Good for younger readers or as an introduction to the subject.


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Review: Chaos Child by Ian Watson

Chaos Child by Ian Watson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ian Watson offers my favourite interpretation of the 40k universe, though Dan Abnett is a close second. Chaos Child, the conclusion to the Inquisition War trilogy, is a curates egg - good in parts. Watson's command of description and character is as good as ever, but sadly he doesn't stick the landing.

Plot is not Watson's strong point and he is far better at describing the dream like absurdity of the setting than he is at paying off the story points he's laid down for himself. The book as a whole undergoes a significant tonal shift half way through as the over arching plot he has been playing with for the previous two books is sidelined in the pursuit of what seems like a far more personal quest.

The characters are all still interesting and writing is as good as ever, but ultimately, nothing really changes as a result of the events of the book and that is a shame. If you are a fan of the setting and would like to take a tourist trip through some of its weirder locales, this is a book well worth reading, but if you just want to enjoy a story - there are better uses of your time.


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That's not my Tiger

That's Not My Tiger... by Fiona Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After confronting the essential poverty and meaninglessness of existence in a post modern age, a young mouse embarks on a quest to find "her tiger". Disregarding hedonism and the tawdry distractions of other lesser tigers, she demands that which neither a deracinated capitalism nor a cold and ruthless socialism can provide. This focus on the local and the particular clearly underlines the pre-modern essence of the text.

A Scrutonian voyage of discovery for the under twos.

Also chewable.


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Relief at last

Portrait of the author as an aspirant barrister 

After two years of slog, hard work and other things that bring a gentleman of leisure such as myself out in a rash - I have finally finished all my exams.


Not only have a finished all the exams, I've also, contrary to expectations, passed them all. This was interesting as this was the first occasion I've ever really thought I'd failed an exam.  Very little of the material that I had prepared for appeared on the paper and I was obliged to cobble some sort of answer together out of memories of tutorials, my own scattered reading and prayer.  It seems to have worked. I also did rather well in Evidence, which was hands down my favourite subject - so some good feelings there.


This means that while I'm not legally qualified to do anything as such, I am legally educated and will, once I've graduated, possess a Diploma in Legal Studies. This is not the start of a career change, I'm very happy where I am, but it will hopefully help me improve what I am already doing.

As a treat, I got myself a copy of Gordon of Khartoum's memoirs in their first English edition.  I've long been an admirer of the man and I am looking forward to reading this very handsome volume from 1885.

The book was the princely sum of two pounds thirty and after postage and all the rest was about a tenner. Cheap at twice the price and though I've only scratched the surface yet, it's shaping up to be a fascinating read. 

It would have a fella painting camels if he wasn't careful. 

Marshes & Hedgerows

The sticky bit

The cat litter has been added to the marsh hexes and the latest step is to daub a goodly quantity of PVA over the litter in order to fix it in place.  This picture was taken about two hours after I added the PVA, so really lash it on.  This fixes the little rocks and so forth in place. 

I'm not absolutely certain about the next step, probably a quick spray of Armour Painter brown and a highlight. We shall see. I may try one test spray first. 

How's my topiary? 

With the marshes well on the way, it was time to get started on the hedgerows. These are my trusty MDF hexes again. I then roughly cut a  small piece of upholstery foam, added a notch in the middle and hot glued it to the hex. I will probably use a soldering iron to shape the foam, add some filler for texture to the hex and then hot glue some clump foliage to the foam.   If I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I may add a tree armature. We shall see.

Though as quick and dirty terrain goes, we're not doing too badly.  These, both the marshes and hedgerows, were done in two forty minute stints while getting myself together after work. 

The offending article

The library on the top floor is now mostly finished. It still needs a radiator and carpet and other things, but the book shelves are up and that's the main thing.  It occured to me while shelving that there are poor souls out there who cannot organise their shelves by conflict. 

How do they live? If it can be called living? 

At the ripe old age of thirty five, I have come to the inescapable conclusion that all change, no matter how small, is for the worse. Also those smallest changes are the worst. 

While I was shelving, I noticed some gaps, books that I've either lost, loaned or given away.  I have decided to slowly, but surely fill out these gaps. So I whipped out my phone and ordered three of the Flashman's I was missing. They arrived yesterday. 

And they've changed the bloody spine by God.  Hanging is too good for them!  It remains to be seen whether these wrecks of books remain readable after this appalling mutilation. 

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

Mrs. Kinch and I were away for a few days in the country.  It was a blissful holiday, which mainly involved sleeping for forteen hours a day and sitting in the garden, reading and drinking gin and tonic.  

While we were away I finished "Imperial Sunset", RF Delderfelds account of the final years of Bonaparte's Empire.  It was very readable and delightfully gossipy in much the same way as his March of the Twenty Six. It's always intriguing to read a book written by someone who disagrees with you on a fundamental level. Delderfeld is very much an advocate of Bonaparte and distributes praise or blame based on loyalty to him. He is also good at giving a sense of the social side of the Napoleonic Empire, though I'm skeptical of his analysis. Something I've noticed that when trying to get a series of events in history straight in my head is that it is often the lighter books that help me remember.  I am much better at remembering a constructed narrative even if I think part of it is wrong.  It is easier to account for a slanted narrative than to try and remember a series of events dispassionately recorded. The authors skill as a novelist is used to good effect. 

Good light reading.   Recommended. 

Not quite as impressive as Stryker's collection of cavalry - but getting there

Hobby wise, there hasn't been much going on.  I've set up the great basing project in one corner of The War Room.  A couple of this years Ebay purchases and other bargains have been sitting in boxes for a while and need to be converted to the Kinch house style. 

So there will be lots of little painted me being glued to bits of MDF, their bases covered in filler and painted and then hit with a spot of static grass.  It's not a bad complaint to have to be honest, but it's not the most lively hobby activity either.  I shall have to find something suitably riveting in the audiobook line. 

Christmas Holidays & a touch of Dutch.

Mrs. Kinch really did an excellent job didn't she?

On the 20th, I handed in my last two essays and began two weeks of glorious time off from school. I will be working over Christmas, but to be honest, only working one job is going to be a wonderful relief. All the better, on the 21st we had the annual gathering of friends of the Kinchs. Mrs. Kinch did a wonderful job making sure everything was ready and it was great to see everyone.  It was just a wonderful convivial time and the company were in such good spirits. It was the best. 

A picture stolen from the Internet. Much like my bicycle.

I indulged in some unmanly winging in my last blog post - something of which I am too often guilty, but I was well and truly browned off having had my debit card and my bicycle stolen.  I managed to cancel the card, though whoever ended up with it attempted to use it some hours later. Just goes to show that there is no harm in taking that sort of action quickly. 

I was particularly miffed about my bike, mainly as I'd had some work done on it the week before and had some parts replaced. But lo and behold, I was in the library the following day polishing off my Constitutional Law essay when I saw a young fellow pushing a bike down the street. I looked a second time and then realised that it was very familiar. 

I think he realised he was for it when I let out a roar of anger and he took to his heels, dropping the bike, I'm lucky he didn't mount it or he'd have smoked me completely. So one escaped miscreant, but I got my bicycle back which was a huge relief. Cost me the price of a new lock, but on the whole, I count myself very lucky. 

You may remember this fellow from 2012, when I warned Alan that he would progress with glacial slowness. I was not wrong it would appear. This is a 17th century Dutch musketeer and a very fine fellow he is.  I despaired of ever finishing him and when Krisztian offered the services of a friend of his with an interest in large scale figures, I jumped at the chance. 

I must say Krisztian's pal has done a bang up job, really fantastic and certainly miles better than I would have done. Harry Pearson in "Achtung Schwinehundt" makes an argument that toy soldier collectors are a different breed to wargamers and he is no doubt right.  I am definitely a wargamer, but every so often I have a hankering for a beautiful thing for it's own sake and this Dutchman is the fruits of the hankering. 

The builder, I'm ashamed to say I don't know his name, has altered the model somewhat, but I think it makes it all the better. The animation of the face and the naturalness of the pose are just breath taking. 

 It is a bit silly that a material thing can bring me so much pleasure, but that it does so is inarguable. I'm still debating where I shall put him when I finally take delivery, but he really is fine. His brother, a trooper of the Lifeguards, sits on my desk and is very pleasant to look at. 

I think he may live on my desk as well or possibly the mantle piece in the War Room, but we shall see. Though going back to my previous blog entry on him - I realise that I never did finish "With Pike and Dyke" by GA Henty.  I must go back to that. 

Just look at that face and the delicate blending on the fabric.  There's a character to give King Phillip a sleepness night or two and no mistake. 

One of having a little time with nothing more strenuous then some desultory Christmas shopping was I had the chance to do a spot of reading. This presented itself by chance more than anything and I really enjoyed it. Christie is really more Mrs. Kinch's thing than mine - but this is probably the least Christie-ish of her books that I've read. 

The novel is a short one, more of a collection of short stories really.  The protagonist is an Englishman called Satterthwaite who meets a mysterious character, named Quin, who inveigles him into solving mysteries and righting wrongs. The stories have a strange almost dreamlike quality to them. There is a good deal of contrivance, but the thrust of the storytelling carries the stories along without you wondering too much about it. 

In many ways, the stories are reminiscent of the best of GK Chesterton. They have a curious fairytale logic about them that I found quite enchanting.  I had not suspected that Christie would be able to carry off that sort of thing, but she did and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I shan't write more, so as not to spoil them, but they are well worth reading and quite short. 

Birthday loot

I

S Models Vickers Light Tank - BEF colours

You won't be hearing much from me for a little while as I managed to drop my laptop and I'm now in a situation where I have to decide whether its worth fixing or not. I will mostly be operating off my phone and occasionally Mrs Kinchs machine.  This rather puts a damper on my blogging. 

The camouflage scheme is proving dissappointingly effective

In the meantime, I've been painting Vickers light tanks. I might add aerials to these - but I think the camouflage scheme is a bit dull. Now as it happens, it looks quite mottled and that is probably good, but it seems a bit underwhelming. I might dial up the contrast on the highlight  on the base coat, so the other colour (Vallejo Marron Violet) looks better. We shall see. 

Still needs weathering and decals 

I have another four of these to paint. So I will need to come to some sort of decision. But the more I look at them - the more I think they need aerials with pennants. I'm relatively sure that there were pennants. 

Wonderful books 

I turned 34 the other day and Mrs Kinch presented me with the above - they are excellent. I've been reading Volume 9 and rather enjoying it. She is truly a pearl beyond price. 

HAT have produced their Seven Years War plastics and I definitely won't be going anywhere near that particular conflict. Honest guv. 

Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome by Ralph Weaver

This arrived this morning. 

I first learned about Garibaldi when I was about eight or nine and my mother, who disapproved of my interest in military history, got me a picture book about Garibaldi and his red shirts. Garibaldi may have been a soldier, but he was at least ideologically pure.  I didn't think much of it at the time, but I rediscovered Garibaldi in my mid twenties when I read Trevelyn's book on his defence of the Roman Republic. 

"Garibaldi and the Siege of Rome"  by Ralph Weaver is in the style of his previous work on the Hungarian Army of the 1948 revolution.  Ralph Weaver has never disappointed and I am really looking forward to getting a proper read of this.   What you get is an A5 sized perfect bound softback, stuffed with uniform plates covering the army of the Roman Republic* and its opponents. There are chaps here that I've never seen before and that I've never even heard of.  

I had heard rumbling that this book would be available at Salute in April as the Continental Wars Society are doing a 28mm participation game set during the Siege of Rome, which sounds really something.  

No details as to what rules will be used, but Ralph Weaver has written. 

"The part of the siege that we are going to portray at Salute will be the attempt by Garibaldi to recapture the villa Corsini on the 3rd June 1849.  Trevelyan gives a very spirited account in 'Garibaldi's Defence of the Roman Republic 1848-9'.  We shall have a model of the villa on the table held by French infantry and artillery and another model of the St Pancras Gate.  Participants will command various small Roman units and lead them in assaults on the villa.  They will have to negotiate the open road, the villa entrance gates, the Corsini garden and the double staircase before arriving at the door of the villa itself, no mean feat!  We shall have various Roman units on the table including the mounted lancers (which are sitting on my desk in the process of being painted) and I am sure Garibaldi himself will make an appearance." 

Something hexagonal this way comes 

In other news, I received a parcel with some more MDF bases from Jim at Products for Wargamers.  Jim has always comes up trumps, but this time, in addition to the excellent supply of bases Jim ran these up for Capability Savage. These are hex rosettes for a pirates board game that Capability Savage has been working on for a while now. The hexes were cut to a fine degree of accuracy and were also laser etched to show the smaller hexes within the larger rosettes. This will hopefully save Savage a considerable amount of time as he had made his own from card and it had taken an age. 

Artists impression of the kind of pirate that plays Savage's game. 

That said, I think Capability Savage is beginning to lose his edge. This pirates game has been in existence for nearly two years now and there is no sign of a drinking game to accompany it. I for one am appalled. 

But be that as it may, the laser etched rosettes are very nifty and I can't help thinking that there must be other ways of using this facility.  A solution in search of a problem perhaps, but still interesting. 

*No doubt I should say Second Roman Republic lest I be beaten by an enraged Classicist. 

To them I say, "Ite, et venire, si tibi satis durus es."

The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy

One of the simple pleasures of the War Room has been a place to retreat to and read. I can happily ignore whatever jobs need to be done around the house and just lose myself in a book. I've been reading on my phone lately, using the Kindle app, and while that certainly has it's place - it's no substitute for a lump of dead tree between two covers. 

I have gotten into a terrible habit of starting books and not finishing them, but I'm determined to finish this one which has been holding my attention.  It's an over view of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome and I think it helps that it doesn't go into too much detail. This is a general book for a reader that has little is any prior knowledge of the period and it's certainly filled in quite a few gaps for me. My knowledge of Republican Rome was pretty much limited to some lectures and Tom Holland's "Rubicon". 

Anyway, getting to the meat of the matter. 

The Fall of Carthage is a single volume history of the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. It's paper back and I don't think it cost me much more than a tenner. It begins with a quick introduction to Rome in the time of the Republic and what little we know about Carthage along with some information on the conduct of warfare, both land and sea, during the period. The author then deals with each war (there were three) in turn, sometimes splitting each section up by theatre and sometimes treating the naval and the land campaigns seperately. 

Things that have struck me so far (I haven't started the section on the third Punic War yet). 

- Our sources are so limited, basically one Roman writer (Livy) and one Greek (Polybius) and that's most of our knowledge of the period.  Goldsworthy is to be commended to the regularity with which he admits his frustration with the limited information at his disposal. 

- The Romans were dogged. My father always taught me that character trumpts intelligence nine times out of ten, but the Romans were defeated time and time again and simply would not quit.  There's a lot to dislike about Republican Rome, but there's something admirable about their strength of purpose, their patriotism and their refusal to admit defeat. 

- Perhaps it was a childhood being brought up on pictures books, but I had always imagined that the Romans were rather good at siege warfare.   The vast majority of sieges in the Punic Wars appear to be resolved by treachery, blockade or escalade. None of the jolly siege machines that I remember so vividly seem to make an appearance. 

- The lack of sources means that in many ways there are few characters. Hannibal is a mytery and most of the Romans are smothered under layers of stereotypical hagiography that there is no real sense of the actors as men rather than ciphers. This is something a change for me, as I'm so used to being able to read about Napoleonic generals who were funny or mean or chivalrous or liked hard boiled eggs. 

On the whole, recommended and a book that has definitely given me a better grounding in the field. I might even manage to get back to that copy of Lazenby's "Hannibals War" that Donogh gave me all those moons ago. 

A to Z Blogger Book Survey.

This is a chain letter sort of thing that's doing the rounds. I think it's the cut above the usual and worth doing, not least because it's sent me scuttling off to do a bit of re-reading. 

I stole it from Steve over here, who has some interesting answers, though I will have to get that Neville Shute... 

Author you've read the most books from: I was actually quite torn about this and checked my catalogue to try and work it out. I own more books by Patrick O'Brian than any other author and I re-read them fairly regularly. Conan Doyle seemed a likely candidate, but he hasn't written as many though I've read practically everything he has written. The answer came from Mrs Kinch who pointed out that Sir Terry Pratchet is the most likely candidate as he has written over sixty books and I've read almost all of them.  Don't own any of 'em though. Best sequel ever: I'm wracking my brain over that one. Mrs. Kinch makes a powerful argument for "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."   Currently reading: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien (very funny) The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov  (heavier than O'Brien, suffers from the target of its satire no longer being with us) The Wargamers Annual His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (for the umpteenth time) Scratching through the American Civil War collection to knock a scenario together. The Screwtape Letters (very funny) Angel Exterminatus by Graham McNeill (shooty-death-boom in spaaace by one of my favourite Scotsmen) Drink of choice whilst reading: Coffee. NATO standard. Milk.  Two sugar. E-reader or physical book: I used to think that I would never use an e-reader, but sheer practicality means that I can't carry a physical book  with me all the time. The Kindle app on my phone gets a bit of a workout these days - but given the chance, physical book ten times out of ten. Fictional character you would probably have dated in high school: That seems awfully unlikely. I suppose that a rather sordid liaison with Ida from Brighton Rock isn't a possibility? That would be fun.  I always had a soft spot for that girl.   Glad you gave this book a chance: Probably James Ellroy, who I read when I was a teenager and didn't like. He is a superb prose stylist and his dialogue is fantastic. Also the Harry Potter series, which I read in 2004 when my marriage was breaking up. I love the Harry Potter books, they are well written, entertaining and good books all in one. I was tired of life and tired of reading at the time and they brought me back to the fold.   Hidden book gem: Hmm. I'd forgotten this one. H. Rider Haggard is not read often enough, if you ask me. Important moment in your book life: There are so many.  I suppose the best would be reading Biggle Pioneer Air Fighter at the age of seven.  I have been able to read for a couple of years, but had no inclination to read for pleasure. During a holiday to Bulgaria in 1987, Mum managed to jolly me into reading Biggles and I got the bug. Reading Allan Mallinson for the first time was a real adventure and Mathew Hervey's habit of reading the Psalms encouraged me to do so myself. It led me on an entirely different, but very rewarding adventure. Just finished: I love Dan Abnett. He is a story teller in the old style and I really enjoy is deftness and lightness of touch.  Unfortunately, his excursions outside of 40K have not been as good, but I'm sure he'll find his way.  A real craftsman who I have never read without pleasure. Kind of book you won't read: Um. There are certainly books that I would rather not read, but I can't really think of anything I won't read. Any book is better than no book at all.   Longest book you've read: I read some ridiculous Fantasy Door Stops when I was a teenager, but none of them are sticking particularly in my head. I also read some very bad L. Ron. Hubbard, which I recall being very big. I read War & Peace recently, which was big, but not particularly difficult. Ulysses was big. Probably the Aubrey-Maturiad, which was one novel that happened to be published in 20 volumes. Major book hangover because of  disappointing endings: Nothing is springing to mind here. Number of bookcases you own: Six or seven, depending on how you count 'em. Plus a couple of hundred books in boxes. One book you've read multiple times: Some people say life is the thing, but I prefer reading. An American said that and I'm not sure he was wrong.  As Steve said, books are like old friends, why wouldn't you visit them again? Books I've re-read recently. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - A fantastic adventure book. The Dune series by Frank Herbert - This was a masterful achievement and was the first book that ever managed to communicate the idea of the vast stretch of time to me. Preferred place to read: In bed. On the couch. In my armchair. Christmas is a time in my family where we exchange books, so lying on the couch while full of Christmas pudding poring through the latest loot is a definite favourite. Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you've read: "Women are never to be entirely trusted -- not the best of them." - Sherlock Holmes Words to live by and a phrase that transports me to Baker Street immediately. Reading regret: I can't think of any book that I've regretted reading. There are certainly books I haven't finished or books that I didn't think were any good, but there was always something there. Series you started and need to finish: I should really finish reading those Erast Fandorin books that I haven't caught up on. Three of your all-time favorite books: The Sherlock Holmes Canon - I read them and re-read them and re-read them.  I can always find something in them. Lord Jim - It was a toss up between Kim and Lord Jim. Kim is probably the best book ever written (though Beavis by Richard Jeffries is a close second) about being a boy. Lord Jim is one of the finest books ever written about the often tricky business of being a man. I also realised that I hadn't mentioned Conrad yet. The Book of Common Prayer - There is always something there for me. Unapologetic fanboy for: Far, far too many. Sherlock Holmes - Aubrey & Maturin G.K. Chesterton (particularly the Father Brown stories) Mathew Hervey Very excited for this release: Allan Mallinson - get weaving squire.  The history books are very nice, but I would like some more stories please? Worst bookish habit: Starting and not finishing books, which results in me reading five or six at a time and never finishing them. X marks the spot - Start at the top left of your bookshelf and pick the 27th book: Hussars of the Napoleonic Wars by  Kenneth Ulyat - a book for children that I bought because I liked the pictures.

Ice Station Zebra

I was tempted to use a picture of the movie, but reason prevailed

I've always had a fondness for Alistair MacLean.  My father would return home from work in Dublin City centre and leave his wool coat steaming in the hall.  There was a second hand bookshop near the train station and he would stop off on Fridays and special occasions and buy a handful of paperbacks. The rules of the game were as follows, if I'd been good, I would be directed after dinner that "You might find something interesting, if you look in my coat."

If reports were bad, these might mysteriously disappear. A little personal reconnaissance before the appointed hour was acceptable, but woe betide the Kinch minor that tried to snaffle one before his time.  MacLean, Captain W.E. Johns, Richard Jeffries, Rosemary Sutcliff and a variety of boy detectives features a great deal. Henty was bigger and only came solo, as there was a limit to what Dad's pockets would hold.  Curiously enough, I don't recall ever getting Ice Station Zebra.

The tale on the face of it is simple enough, there has been an accident at a British Antarctic Base and a US Navy Nuclear Submarine is dispatched to help.  On board is Dr Carpenter, a mysterious Englishman, who is tasked with discovering what exactly occurred at the station.

As is traditional in an Alistair MacLean nothing is quite as it seems. Dr Carpenter, who is also a narrator, is revealed as steely eyed secret agent demonstrates the typical MacLean virtues of immense physical endurance, dogged determination and deeply cynical humour.  There is no sex or romance in the story and comparatively little violence as the most brutal struggles of the book are pit man against the landscape. The nuclear submarine USS Dolphin is a prominent character in the action, this is not a techno-thriller in the Clancy mould.  MacLean is far more interested in men than machine. This is a relatively short book, I read it over a day. It is also an old fashioned story in that it is one where things happen. There is precious little time for reflection or character development, not when there are Reds to outwit and icy tundras to cross.

In a strange way Ice Station Zebra has more in common with classic Christie mysteries like "Murder on the Orient Express" and "Ten Little Indians" then the bullet laced thrillers of our own day.  The hero must solve a puzzle against the clock while trapped with his array of suspects. Ultimately despite his brute strength, weapons and the exotic locale, Dr Carpenter must resolve things the old fashioned way, by thinking.

And for those of you who like that sort of thing, this is exactly the sort of thing that you like.

Lieutenant Etienne Gerard of the Tenth Hussars

 I have no idea why the Exploits of Brigadier Gerard has a swastika on it. 

I presume it is for the same reason as many of Kiplings books do.

One of the simple pleasures of working nights is that hour of solitude when you return home. The dawn is breaking; the house is quiet except for the cats, who are awake and demanding food. My mind is too active from the shift just past to sleep, so I usually settle down and do a little reading. I often leave tasks in the war room so that I can potter for an hour or so before going to get to bed. Mrs Kinch once compared it to rest periods divers take when returning from deep dives.

This morning I applied myself to my Brigadier Gerards, so that I could solve the problem of the regimental number.  The Brigadier led the Hussars of Conflans and were they the 3rd Hussars?







Well it turns out that Kristian was right in a way. My hussar is not wearing the uniform of the Hussars of Conflans, however, the gallant Brigadier was not always a Brigadier, nor was he always in the Hussars of Conflans. At one point he was Lieutenant Etienne Gerard of the Tenth Hussars.









Now as it happens blue as the gallant Brigadier explains is the colour of the tenth. And referring further to the text, it turns out that Kristian...

 ...got the uniform details exactly right. So gentlemen, I give you Lieutenant Etienne Gerard of the Tenth Hussars. A bold and saucy fellow just at the beginning of his career.

Hopefully, I will get another quiet time tomorrow morning and I shall be able to confirm whether the Hussars of Conflans are the 3rd Hussars.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

She knows her audience

The latest Wargaming in History books by Charles Grant

I've never been under and illusions that Mrs Kinch wasn't a keeper, but she pulled off a coup last week when she gave me these two for my birthday. I've haven't had time to do anything other than pick at them over the last few days, but they seem to be up to the high standard that has been set by the previous volumes.

The most interesting thing about these books is not the articles or the scenarios but the sections on how the scenarios were designed. This is fascinating, but also a fine way for a first time scenario writer to see how an old sweat like the brigadier does it. I must must say learning about his approach has informed how I've gone about writing my own scenarios and has made the whole process less intimidating.

A full review to follow - but well played darling ! Well played!

Military Dress of the Peninsular War by Martin Windrow & Gerry Embleton

A very well chosen gift from an old friend

This is a very handsome book and representative of a type that seems to have been relatively common in the 1970s, a glossy, well researched military hardback. Lawford's "The Cavalry" or "Last Campaigns of Napoleon" would be good examples of the breed. The above was published in 1974 by Martin Windrow & Gerry Embleton, men with distinguished pedigrees in the field.

I've been meaning to blog again for a while, but simply haven't had a chance in the Christmas rush.

There is something of a story behind this book as I had intended to buy it some months ago when an old friend and I traveled to Hay on Wye for a book buying trip. I had admired it, but thought better of it, thinking that I had much the same information spread across Ospreys and a dozen other books. I had seconds thoughts after leaving and when that same old friend found himself in Hay again, I commissioned him to pick it up for me. He claimed that he couldn't find it and I believe him, but whatever happened - I was handed this book on Monday and I've been dipping into it ever since.

The book itself is broken up into eight chapters, which comprise a potted history of the Peninsular War, but the real meat of the work is taken up with the one hundred illustrated figures and the selection of period illustrations. The figures are wonderful and are drawn with verve. I have a large collection of Osprey's, but these are a cut above.

The period illustrations are a mixture of old reliables and some that I have never seen before, particularly the work of the Dighton brothers. They were cartoonists who I hadn't heard of before, but their portraits and sketches are full of character.

Gary Embleton's work is the main draw of course and I shall look at some of those figures in a little more detail.

No. 35 - Trooper, Spanish Line Cavalry, "Del Rey" 1809

I love this picture, there's something wonderfully composed about it. The Spanish cavalry did not often cover themselves in glory, but this chap has a nonchalance that I find charming. He's probably incompetant, but I'd imagine he's good company.

For an explanation as to the unusual head gear, I think I shall turn to the text.

"The bicorne with the usual red bow shaped cockade was normal dress, but the mitre shaped forage cap illustrated here is taken from a contemporary print.. So, indeed is the unusual manner of wearing it! The head is pushed into the soft crown of the cap, so that the rear of the front flap becomes a long peak shading the eyes; the normal opening is at the back."

I think modelling that particular 19th century baseball cap in 1/72 is beyond my skills.

No 34. - Capitaine, French 5ieme Dragons 1809

What a shocking set of bags. This French dragoon is a far cry from the modestly accoutred fellows available in plastic. Dragoons made up the majority of the French cavalry in Spain.

Apparently saroual trousers (a sort of a wide baggy trouser of North African extraction) were popular. I think mucking about with a spot of green stuff may be in order.

No 77. - Dragoon, French 17ieme Dragons, 1812

I actually have only one unit of dragoons in my French army and I couldn't tell you what regiment they represent, mainly because I painted them following the instructions on the back of the Italeri box and not considering that more research might be required.

One of the baffling things about Italeri's French dragoons is that there are a number of troopers who wear fringed epaulettes. I have come across reference to certain elite companies wearing epaulettes, but they were usually worn with a bearskin or colpak. This left me with several dozen troopers that I didn't know what to do with, but Windrow swept in to the rescue.

"The only controversial point about this uniform is the illustration of white fringed epaulettes. Most dragoons wore plain green bastion shaped shoulder straps piped in the regimental distinctive, but in 1807/08 some regiments adopted the epaulettes shown here and various sources maintain that the 17ieme was one of these."

So there!

A very interesting book that has rekindled my interest, ground down by work, household chores and all the other mundanities of life.