The March to the Boyne

We set out from a secret location - deep in inner-city Dublin at approximately 0530

It was most definitely not the pub. 

For those of you who haven't been paying attention, General Du Gourmand and I put aside our deadly rivalry for once and pledged to walk to the site of the Battle of the Boyne for the Kathryn Casey Memorial Fund. 

We also promised to adapt our favourite game of Command & Colours: Napoleonics to the Lace Wars and write a Battle of the Boyne scenario. We definitely did not do this while drunk and we certainly knew exactly how far it was. 

Thanks to the Irish Games Association and those generous folks at Gaelcon, we raised €3,000 in sponsorship and then set to training. 

Unfortunately, a tumble from my bike two days before D-Day in July knocked us off schedule.  My doctor told me that trying to cover thirty miles or so on a bruised femur would end poorly for all concerned and in retrospect, she was absolutely right. 

So we only actually got around to the walk on the 21.10.2012. 

You can learn a little bit more about the Kathryn Casey Memorial Fund, you can read about it (or donate) here. 

On our trip we passed through many strange places. 

Notice this picture that Capability Savage has cunningly photo shopped

Neither General Du Gourmand or I would be so grossly irresponsible as to walk along the verge of a Motorway for several miles due to a screw-up in route planning. Take note chaps of how Capability Savage has carefully edited out all our high visibility safety gear. I hope this has been a lesson to you all. 

Both Du Gormand and I are metropolitan creatures through and through, the street lighting in the country leaves a lot to be desired. We also became aware that they have yet discovered the footpath in Meath, which meant that we spent a significant portion of our walk dodging into ditches to avoid passing cars. 

A spot of celtic mist at dawn

We arrive in Ashbourne and meet up with Dad who was our driver for the day, 

checking the route ahead and carrying extra water. We tossed our kit in the car and set out in search of a fried breakfast. We were about eleven miles in at this stage, a third of the way. 

We arrive in Meath - Du Gormand adopts a cunning disguise and blends in seamlessly with the locals

Locals who communicated via strange inscriptions

Meath is inhabited by strange and terrifying beasts.

Many of whom took an instant dislike to Du Gormand. I later realised that 

this is probably because he has eaten so many of them. 

I got  Du Gormand a great discount on a wooden overcoat - fortunately he was able to return it. We were about 23 miles in at that stage. 

All down hill from here - we liked this stretch of road as it was 

comparatively easy to jump out of the way of cars

Only a few miles to go...

Victory!  

Battered, footsore and utterly cream crackered, we arrive at the Boyne Visitor Centre at about half five in the evening. We promptly leave again as we have to play a game and we weren't sure if they'd lock us in our not. 

Just before the battle - Du Gormand took the Jacobites 

while I mounted a white horse to play William III

Note, due to a logistical issue, only two types of cheese were available for the cheese board. Damn poor show really. For those of you who might be interested, we played this game using miniatures on a C&C Napoleonics board. These figures were painted by Old John of 20Mil Nostalgic Revival and Krisztian Takacs. Old John also supplied some of the figures and I recommend getting in touch with him if you'd be interested in getting some. 

French infantry 

These figures, there are about a hundred of them, are fully painted and will be offered for sale at the award winning Gaelcon Charity Auction, which will be at the D2 Hotel in Dublin next weekend. Gaelcon is organised by the Irish Gaming Association without whose generous assistance this would not have been possible. 

You can see more pictures of the figures here. 

I ponder the board, while Du Gourmand launches a dastardly attack. The battle was to six points and though I took an early lead, he managed to get his Jacobite cavalry across the Boyne. 

Those damn Jacobite cavalry!

Sadly, those damned horsemen managed to roll up my left flank and though I punished him severely, routing several crack French regiments and wiping out all the Irish infantry on the right, the horsemen took the sixth point and we finished the game 6-5. A close battle and hard fought. Well done to General Du Gourmand!

Once the battle was done, we packed up and Dad transported us back home. We arrived back to discover that Mrs Kinch has laid on a surprise party for us and all our friends were lying in wait to clap us on the back. Fortunately we brought some souvenirs to show them...

This I believe is what is known to the medical profession as an "owie."

Further "owies."

Soaking our feet, with good company and a glass of the medicinal close at hand - splendid!

Ed, Aoife & Kathryn

As you may have gathered neither Gorman or I are particularly good at taking life seriously nor are we men to whom exercise is a pleasure. The walk was long, hard and at times, both nerve wracking and painful.

But, the pain of a parent who has lost a child passes all understanding. It is difficult to bear for those of us on the periphery of that tragedy and who know that though she is gone from us, she is somewhere better. Though Ed & Aoife have that same consolation, I do not know how their hearts bear it.

Kathryn may not have lived to take her first steps, but I think for a little while at least, when we were blistered and bleeding, sore and sick at heart, she walked with us.

We couldn't have done it without her.

Boom, boom, boom

 Jacobite & Williamite Artillery for the Boyne

Baldricks war poetry aside, these guns will be doing duty at the Boyne in the near future. Sadly, they will not be doing so this week.  A trip to the hospital has confirmed that while the majority of what has been ailing Kinch is cuts, bruises and injured pride, I also have a bruised femur* and some soft tissue damage on my leg which will not permit of the sort of country ramble that we've been planning. 

Irregular miniatures painted by Krisztian Takacs, guns by Old John 

To be honest, I'm a bit downhearted about the whole thing as the medical wallah was of the opinion that I won't be fit to march for ten days or so. I'll be taking leave from work, but to be honest I'm very unhappy that this is having to be postponed. General Gorman has been very good about it and his "we'll do it together or not do it all" attitude lifted my spirits considerably. 

That said, far worse things happen at sea and have been happening on land. 

This fine fellows will be for sale in the near futur

That said, far worse things happen at sea and have been happening on land. Though this week was not entirely without good news. I hope to return to blogging at the usual pace very shortly.  

*I know. It was new to me too. I knew you could bruise skin, egos and feel




ings, but never considered the possibility that you could bruise bones.

Normal service will resume shortly

Jacobite cavalry, don't they look smart?

Chaps, just a brief note to assure you that I haven't shuffled off this mortal coil.

A more than usually heavy work and domestic schedule, exacerbated by an off duty injury  complicated by an on-duty injury,  is occupying most of my time at present.

In the mean time talk amongst yourselves, read my column in Battlegames and I'll be back in a jiffy.

Janissaries of the Sun King

 A Frenchmen in any other coat would be as dastardly

To recap - my regular opponent General Gorman and I are marching from Dublin to the site of the Boyne battlefield. This is a distance of fifty kilometres as they measure such things on the continent.

We are men of portly habit and this is not something we would have undertaken lightly.

However, last year a wargaming chum of ours lost a child, Kathryn. She lived for eleven days and brought great joy into her parents life.   She was cared for in Temple Street Children's Hospital, which for reasons that baffle me doesn't have all the equipment it needs. During Kathryn's stay in Temple Street, she was hooked up to a monitor, a piece of equipment that costs €20,000 and that lasts for five years.

Young Gorman and I have managed to raise €3,500 in sponsorship for our Boyne walk. We're hoping to raise a little more than that in the final furlong.

Should you wish to check our bona fides or donate securely you may do so here.

 What has this to do with the Boyne, you ask? Nothing much really - it was a place that we picked because we could probably walk there in a day. It's also one of the more signicant battles that has taken place in Ireland and to be honest, there may have been alcohol consumed while we were discussing this course of action.

Shocked? I know, we're an abstimeous pair. I can only suppose that Gorman had a touch to much of the sherry trifle at the church fete.

Not content with walking there, we raised additional sponsorship by promising to carry a wargame of the battle with us and play it on our arrival. The troops above, painted by Krisztian Takacs, are for this game and they will be representing the French infantry of James II army.

The figures themselves are from Irregular miniatures and will be for sale along with the rest of the collection once the walk is over and I will be boring you with further pictures for quite some time.

We are doing everything in our power to raise additional funds, so if you have any ideas do let us know.

For those of you who'd like to see how our training has been going you can see some pictures here.

Flocking Dutch & Marching on the Boyne

 Some Dutchmen getting flocked

As you can probably tell the Dutch have been much in my thoughts of late, mainly because I'm gearing up for Quatre Bras. Thanks to John and Uwe for their advice regarding Dutch officers, I've ordered some from Art Miniaturen. The King Billy figures from Kamar was very, very nice, but at €3.20 for a figure with an additional €9 for postage, I just couldn't justify it.

However, the Art Miniaturen figures are very nice and include a very dapper Duke of Brunswick.

In the meantime, its been plodding work, adding a river section here, flocking some figures there, but no great leaps forward made in the hobby. Gorman and I took a 30km stroll yesterday in preparation for our trip to the Boyne in July.  I won't say it was easy, but it was certainly less murderous then we were expecting. Expect a report with photos shortly.

We're doing this walk on behalf of the Kathryn Casey Memorial fund, a fund that is attempting to raise some money for a life saving machine for prematurely born infants in Temple Street Hospital, Dublin. You can have a look at their website here. 

And now with aching feet, I'm off to work.


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There’s a regiment a-comin’ down the Grand Trunk Road

The Battle of the Boyne by Jan Wyck

Pictures of Salamanca will have to wait until official war artist Donogh McCarthy RA finishes with his ten shilling paint box, but in the mean time I must mention a project young Gorman and I have taken on.

Traditionally there is a charity auction at Gaelcon and they've become rather well regarded internationally. I did my bit at the auction for a charity close to my heart.

In addition, young Gorman and I volunteered to walk to the Boyne battle site, a distance of some thirty one miles, and play on the anniversary of the battle a wargame of the battle.

Probably before one or both of us collapses of a coronary.

I've done a little bit of route marching, though Gorman has had little call to, I think the training for this one will be of interest. Johnny Cunningham has said that he'll help us with the figures required.

This will be a interesting July.

Should you wish to make a donation, you may do so here and please mark it "Battle of the Boyne Walk".