The simple creatures hope he will...

...impale his solar topee on the tree.

A "fixed" version of a
very dark photograph taken on my camera phone

I found myself in Mrs. Kinch's grandparents house this evening for dinner as Mrs. Kinch was organising the feeding of her grandfather and saw no reason why I couldn't be added to the ration strength there. This is always a pleasent experience as I get to chat with Mrs. Kinch's great uncle and grandfather while she is banging pots in the kitchen.

They are two magnificent men, both founder members of the Model Soldier Society and inveterate collectors of militaria and particularly in Mrs. Kinch's great uncles case, historical trivia - his knowledge of Wellington's funeral arrangements, 19th century Parisian courteseans or conspiracy theories about Garibaldi is second to none. He told me today that we live a handshake away from history and that I had shaken the hand that had shaken the hand of Field Marshall Lord Robert's batman and a confidant of the Empress Eugenie.

Magical stuff.

My father once had dinner with Marshall Petain's brother when he was fourteen, though he only realised who the chap was years later.

A handshake away, gentlemen, we live a handshake away.

While I was making my way out the door after Mrs. Kinch had scampered off to choir, I paused to take a picture of the above display which is on one of the landings. I believe it's Boer War though I've never seen a sun helmet quite like it - the picture was very dark (it's not a particularly well lit house) and I have had to mess around with it a little.

I would be very interested if any of the mess can shed any light on the matter - has anyone seen anything quite like this before?

Reasons to be uppish...

A desk very similiar to my own

I've been feeling under the weather of late, but have perked up immeasurably in the last day or two. Some time off to spend with Mrs. Kinch helped a great deal, though she is poorly at the moment with a bad cold. I also had a great night out at a friend's thirtieth birthday, which goes to show what all right thinking men have known since 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre; that laughter, drinking, smoking and good company are the best medicine.

In other news, our prospective house is somewhat damper than I had hoped when we went to visit it on Friday. Apparently despite my requests and the estate agents advice, the executors did not see fit to turn the water off during the recent cold snap. The damage isn't terrible and far worse things happen at sea, but it does look like it may delay proceedings for a few days, which is very irritating.

However, I have managed to organise all the relevant pieces of paper and our solicitor is merely waiting for the hard copy of the revised mortgage approval to arrive, before swinging into action- so there are reasons to be distinctly uppish.

Mrs. Kinch surpassed herself this Christmas in terms of presents, having bought and restored an Edwardian writing desk for me. I haven't managed to see it yet as it is in storage in her Grandfathers house, but it's very similar to the one above if poor camera phone pictures are to be believed. I am indescribably pleased by this magnificent gift and only hope I'll get some use out of it this year.

Memoir '44 - Winter Wars

Baby, it's cold outside.

Unfortunately my scheduled Command & Colours: Napoleonics game was cancelled, but I did manage to get a game of Memoir '44 - Winter Wars in on Friday.

Winter Wars is a new expansion for the Memoir '44 family set during the Battle of the Bulge. It comes with two new card decks, special rules for fighting in snow and a dozen scenarios. We played the Pieper at Stoumont scenario. This was interesting for a number of reasons, firstly because it was a breakthrough scenario, which doubles the depth of the board and secondly because it gave us a chance to use the new Breakthrough card deck that came with the expansion.

The deck increases the number of cards from a normal Memoir '44 deck with two of most special cards like Behind Enemy Lines and Barrage included, but also an interesting wrinkle added to the standard cards. While formerly, a card allowed you to activate a number of units either in the left, centre or right of the battlefield, the new cards also create a new type of unit activation called On the March.

On the March units may move, but not battle which means that a player no longer has to choose between activating units in the battleline and moving up his reserves. This isn't really an issue in regular games because the battlefield is quite compact, but in the deeper Breakthrough game this can lead to a situation where the game can slow quite a bit because not enough units are being activated each turn and therefore they cannot cover the ground in a reasonable time.

The second addition is the Snow Deck, an idea first used in the Stalingrad expansion. This is a deck of special cards that players can use outside the normal turn sequence. These usually modify the effects of a standard card and add a little more uncertainty to the game.

I thoroughly enjoyed the game though it took a good two hours, which is a long time for a Memoir '44 game. I felt the Breakthrough deck added to the experience by adding a bit more movement to the game and allowing the use of reserves. The Snow Deck threw in a few unexpected twists and turns, but didn't derail gameplay - like most special rules and random events decks, what Donald Featherstone used to call "Military Possibilities", they worked best as a seasoning, adding flavour to the game without overwhelming play.

I must say I'm also growing fond of the Breakthrough format and card deck, which gives a lengthier, meatier game.

Another very solid performance from Richard Borg, recommended.

This man in his own country...

Some of John's chaps ready to be sent off to the painters.

This man in his own country prayed we know not to what powers.
We pray them to reward him for his bravery in ours.

Hindu Sepoy in France - Rudyard Kipling

It would be boorish to tease an already long suffering public with regard to these capital fellows, you'll find below a complete listing of the figures available below.

The figures are available John Cunningham and you can find his details here. I'm assured that further figures, including one at porte arms and a drummer, will be forthcoming. These are nice, clean castings, roughly of a size with HAT figures which demanded only a little cleaning up with a file to be ready to go. My photo doesn't really do them justice, but I'll add some further pictures.

SEPOYS for Wellington in INDIA

SW 1 Madras officer marching

SW 2 “ sepoy advancing

SW 3 Bombay Grenadier priming musket

SW 4 “ “ in busby, loading

SW 5 Bengal sepoy, standing firing

SW 6 “ “ at ready

SW 7 Madras “ priming

SW 8 “ “ loading

SW 9 “ “ firing

SW 10 “ “ at ready

SW 11 Bombay grenadier officer marching

SW 12 “ grenadier advancing

SW 13 “ “ loading

SW 14 “ “ firing

SW 15 “ “ at ready

SW 16 “ “ in busby priming

SW 17 “ “ “ “ firing

SW 18 “ “ “ “ advancing

SW 19 “ “ “ “ at ready

SW 20 “ “ “ “ officer marching

SW 21 Bengal officer marching

SW 22 “ sepoy advancing

SW 23 “ “ priming

SW 24 “ “ loading

References

“ Wellington in India, a Wargamers Guide “ by C.S. Grant and Stuart Asquith
"Armies of the East India Company 1750-1850" by Stuart Reid
"Assaye 1803" by Simon Millar

Having your own toy soldiers.

Brigadier (then Lt.Col) Young's book on the Arab Legion.
I am sure it is gloriously unpartisan.

An addendum to my piece on having figures painted for one, Brigadier Peter Young, a man whose wargaming credentials are impeccable, did not paint his own figures. In fact, the current Brigadier (the Grant, rather than the Young) makes reference in The Wargame Companion to painting some regiments for his predecessor.

Of course, he did take having his own toy soldiers a little far in that he did have his own Legion

at one point as well as raising a corps of re-enactors, but these are forgiveable indecretions.

Brigadier Peter Young DSO, MC (bar) did it, therefore it must be alright!

Painting Figures

HATs new Chasseurs, now available in marching poses.
It is a little worrying how exciting I find this particular development.

The always interesting Prometheus in Aspic had an interesting post about painting wargames figures over Christmas. His argument is I think a valid one, there are those of us who simply do not have sufficient time to paint all the figures that we would like to play with and are willing to pay for the privilege. I used to be a far more prolific painter than I am now, but I simply don't have the time that I did then.

There are those who feel that professionally painted figures are never really your own. I've never seen the point of this. I like painting and building terrain, but I don't feel my experience or enjoyment of the hobby is lessened by using figures painted by others. No less a gifted artist than Alte Fritz, whose skills with a brush are irreproachable makes extensive use of figures painted by others, so it doesn't appear to be a case of those who can't, don't.

I, like Prometheus, do some finishing on the figures that I commission. I always do the bases myself, mainly because I find that it is usually the base rather than anything else that ties a group of figures together. Most of my commissioned work is done by Mark Bevis, who I can recommend for his speed, economy and extensive knowledge of uniforms and kit.

A review of my forces finds me facing a shocking lack of French Light Infantry. I have one battalion of the Legion Irlandaise, who were light infantry, but who are hardly representative of the breed. I haven't managed to get my hand on a box of the new HAT Chasseurs yet, but in the meantime I'm busying myself by trying to send off as many troops to Mark as possible so that he can make a dent in them while I'm elbow deep in sanding floors and the like.

With that in mind, I've prepared some of John Cunningham's sepoys for the brush.

This week is also looking good for gaming as I've managed to organise to play my new Command & Colours: Napoleonics game on Thursday and hopefully get some Memoir '44 in on Friday.

A Christmas Miracle

A work in progress.

Ressurection is traditional at Easter rather than Christmas, but I'm back on my feet again. It has emerged that I did actually have swine flu, but that it seems to have subsided except for a rather impressive cough at present.

Unfortunately this has meant that life has consisted almost entirely of work and as much bed rest as I have been able to cram into 24 hours. Our Christmas was effectively written off which is unfortunate, but hopefully I'll be able to take some time off soon and we'll be able to spend some of it together when we're both awake and upright.

Naturally enough this has meant that there has been very little wargaming and Mrs. Kinch's great uncle's gift, pictured above, has been delayed. I have never painted such a big figure before, so I'm learning as I go along. The shading typical of 28mm figures isn't necessary and I've been working with flat colour so far. Getting consistent coverage has been difficult, but a little ink to tie layers of colour together seems to have worked.

I stickered all my Command & Colours blocks over Christmas, a long job, but I wasn't fit for anything else. However, the process did answer my questions about French dragoons as the plain "heavy" (i.e. non-cuirassier) cavalry pictured are dragoons. I'm still puzzled by the pictures of Portugese light and heavy cavalry, but that is a matter for another day.

To all a very happy New Year!