Happy New Year!

Targets & Tallies for 2012

First and foremost, a Happy New Year to one and all!  Normally I would avoid, at all cost, any form of New Year Resolution.  Nothing is more humiliating that having to admit that you have the willpower of a whelk by mid January!  That said I’ve noticed, among those blogs that I follow that there is a commonality in keeping a record of what one has achieved and how this measured up against one’s goals for the year.  

Now as '28mm Victorian Warfare' is not yet a year old I shall refrain from any form of formal review this year but it strikes me that I, more than most, would benefit from some sort of plan!  Self-indulgent claptrap it may be, but what is the point in having a blog if one can’t be self-indulgent from time to time?

1 Maintain a credible level of posts throughout the course of the year.  This would seem fairly obvious, but even with my limited experience in the world of blogging I have become only too aware that other factors can and will influence one’s hobby.  I do not want to be prescriptive on this but will certainly look to maintain the interest in '28mm Victorian Warfare' by looking to post between 5 – 10 posts per month.  I have neither the time nor the ability to attempt a post a day but I believe that my goal should maintain a healthy following.

2 Having approached this most wholesome of hobbies very much as a scattergun, I’ve found myself with far too many projects started but none really developed to any depth.  There is, of course a general theme – Victorian era warfare, but so broad as this has proved to be I’m in danger of being totally overawed by the process.  Loathed, as I am, to tie myself to just one conflict then the only solution seems to be to keep them all going but with some form of target setting in place.  To that end the cumulative post totals for each conflict in 2012 will be:

Conflict	Posts in 2011	Target for 2012 (total)	Target achieved
American Civil War	8	10
Anglo-Boer War	1	5
Anglo-Burma War	6	10
Anglo-Zulu War	15	25
Boxer Rebellion	3	10
Crimean War	11	15
Indian Mutiny	4	10
New Zealand Wars	6	10
Sudan	2	10

As you can see all projects are to be continued with but some, particularly the Anglo Zulu War are to be given slightly greater focus.

3 Attend at least one convention/exhibition/expo this year.  Salute 2012 would be my favourite, but we seem to have formed a bit of a tradition in attending Euro Militaire in Folkestone.

4 Take at least one project through to some form of gaming conclusion.  I can’t really call myself a wargamer if I don’t game. No pressure then! 

5 Finally, continue to have fun!  This is by far the most important.  The main reason for me stumbling into wargaming was to find some form of antidote to a particularly difficult time at work.  If the hobby were to become a chore then the whole process would be flawed; and I’m having far too much fun to let that happen.

There are other possible projects lurking in the wings, but this seems like more than enough to be getting on with!

Empress kneeling British

More loveliness from 'Empress Miniatures' that have been sitting patiently in the painting queue for far too long.  As always, I'm impressed by the characterful sculpts of Mr. Hicks and particularly enjoy the 'campaign' style with broken epaulettes, rolled up sleeves and even patches.

Additional support drafted in, although I must get around to changing those lipped bases!

This will probably be the last post before the New Year, so best wishes to all and I hope you all have a healthy and prosperous 2012!

"Back I Say!"

Just thought that I would share this before he is packed off.  I suppose you could call him my first commission, but when I was asked by the 'Provost Marshal' if I could paint up this 'Bolt Action' miniature as a gift for a colleague of his, then how could I refuse?  There were, however, a few required specifications that had to be adhered to.  The first, a greying beard, then a Royal Military Police cap and if possible the addition of a Priest's stole!  

Well never one to shy away from a challenge here was the result and I have to say that I will be sorry to see him go!  It was really great fun to do with the stole been made from a piece of foil, trimmed and folded into place.  Apparently destined for a serving Army Chaplain's desk!

Christmas Truce

The big day has finally arrived and I would just like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a very

        Happy Christmas.  

I have to confess to being somewhat sceptical at starting a blog but have thoroughly enjoyed posting and maintaing '28mm Victorian Warfare'.  I must thank all of you that have visited and followed but in particular a huge thank you to those of you that take the the time to leave comments.  The encouragement  this engenders is immeasurable and not only maintains the enjoyment but helps to build the sense of community that has been an unexpected, but wonderful, by-product of 'blogging'.

The Christmas Truce 1914 was a free gift with my subscription to 'Wargames Illustrated' and today, of all days seemed like the perfect time to share it.  I couldn't resist jazzing up Tommy's scarf and hence my homage to the one true Doctor, Tom Baker.  Happy Christmas everyone!

The legend of the Christmas Truce continues to live on, this rather poignant retelling is by Dr H J Krijnen and can be found at the Royal Welch Fusiliers' Regimental Museum website.



The Christmas Truce at Frélinghien 
Contributed by Dr H J Krijnen

On Christmas Eve 1914 the Germans in the trenches opposite "A" Company, 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, had been shouting across, but on the morning of Christmas Day everything was quiet. One of the Fusiliers, Pioneer Sergeant J.J. "Nobby" Hall, stuck up a board with "A Merry Christmas" on it and the enemy stuck up a similar one. Then, around noon, a German was seen coming out of the fog along the tow-path, his hands in the air. Private Ike Sawyer went out to meet him. The two shook hands, and Sawyer was offered a box of cigars.

More Germans were beginning to leave their trenches. The Welsh had been strictly forbidden to do the same, but they began throwing tins of bully beef and plum and apple jam across. By then several unarmed Germans were standing on their parapet, waving their arms and shouting "Don't shoot! We don't want to fight today. We will send you some beer." Three of them hoisted a cask on to the parapet and began rolling it across No Man's Land.

The commander of "A" Company, Captain Clifton Inglis Stockwell, later wrote that he was warned by a worried duty sergeant. Stockwell climbed over the parapet and shouted in his best German for the opposing company commander to appear.  A German officer emerged and walked into No Man's Land where he was met by Stockwell. Both formally saluted. The German introduced himself, in Stockwell's words, as "Count Something-or-other." We now know that he was Hauptmann Maximilian Freiherr (Baron) von Sinner, the commanding officer of the Machine-gun Company of the Prussian 6th Jäger Battalion from Oels in Silesia which had been attached to the Saxon 40th Division and held the German positions in the Frélinghien brewery.

Von Sinner then called out his subaltern officers, and all were formally introduced to Stockwell "with much clicking of heels and saluting." Stockwell pointed out that he had orders not to allow an armistice and that it was dangerous for the German troops to be out in the open. Von Sinner agreed, having received similar orders, and sent his men back into their trenches. Both officers then agreed to a truce until the following morning.

Stockwell continues, “I did not know what to of­fer them for their courtesy but suddenly I thought of a plum pudding and hoped the officers would accept. I then went off to get it and the Saxon got his men back to the trenches. When I returned I gave him the pudding. He then produced two bot­tles of beer and a glass. I drank his health first (cheers from both sides) then they drank my health (more cheers). Then I talked a little and asked after the German of­ficers I knew in China. Then we had a ceremonial farewell, many salutes and bows, and re­turned to the trenches. "

Private Frank Richards tells a somewhat different story in his classic "Old Soldiers Never Die" which was published in 1933. According to him, so many Fusiliers had already left their trenches that Captain Stockwell had no choice but to accept the situation and with his fellow officers also walked into No Man's Land. Instead of staying in the trenches as described by Stockwell, Richards says that "We mucked in all day with one another" and goes on to report conversations between the Welsh and German troops. Only at dusk did the men return to their respective trenches. This story has the ring of truth. Richards could not care less about military propriety and described things as he saw them, while a serious loss of control as evidenced by the men "mucking in with one another" would not be something that a strict disciplinarian like Captain Stockwell would want to admit to even in his own diary. A recently discovered article in a contemporary Welsh newspaper, containing an interview with 2nd Lieutenant Michael Murphy, confirms the version given by Richards.

Richards spoke to several German soldiers. He found that they were as fed up with the war as the Welsh were, "fed up to the neck" as he puts it, and that their trenches were in a similarly bad condition. The men only returned to their respective trenches at dusk, in time for their Christmas dinner of Maconochie’s (tinned meat and vegetables) and plum pudding.

During the evening and night not a shot was fired by either side. On the morning of Boxing Day Captain Stockwell climbed up on the parapet, fired three shots in the air and put up a flag with "Merry Christmas" on it. Hauptmann von Sinner then appeared on the German parapet and both officers bowed and saluted. Von Sinner then also fired two shots in the air and went back into his trench. The war was on again.

But it remained quiet. According to Richards, all during Boxing Day there was much shouting across No Man’s Land, often about the quality of the French beer. Peace reigned all day, and songs were sung in Welsh and German. In the evening, when the 2nd Battalion was unexpectedly relieved by the 2nd Durham Light Infantry, the men heard that similar things had been happening all along the lines.

It had indeed been a memorable Christmas.

 HJK

Happy Christmas.

Farewell to Tommy

Finally completed 'Tommy' as the year draws to a close and what a journey it has been!  This was my first attempt at a larger scale (54mm)  and came about by been constantly 'bullied' into it by my good friend 'the Provost Marshal'.  I picked the model up at Euro Militaire 2011 from, the then, relatively new company 'Tommy's War'.   The process has already been described in the following posts;

Tommy's War

Fleshing out Tommy

Tommy's Tailor

so I won't repeat myself here, other than to say whilst relatively pleased with the results I am delighted to have him move off the painting table!  A great exercise from the point of view of having to 'relearn' miniature painting techniques, as many of the tricks or shortcuts simply do not work at this scale.  

The final stages incorporated the texturing of the base by simply using a generic household filler, forming small craters which I hoped to be water filled puddles.  Bits of stone, twigs and sand all played their part in the final build, not to mention roughly twisted lengths of wire to form barbed wire pickets.  The barbed wire itself came from Games Workshop.  Final touch was a little casting resin with some added colour for the puddles.

28mm Roman Marines

These rather splendid fellows are here as a direct result of my seemingly obsessive search to find miniatures that, in some way, illustrate the most recent book to leave the bedside table.

Now I know very little about Ancient Roman history other than what is portrayed on the silver screen or written in popular literature and even less of the Roman Navy.  If I'm brutally honest I don't suppose that I had given  much thought to a navy at all, until I read the opening chapters of Conn Iggulden's 'The Death of Kings'.  Here the fictional exploits, although I understand there is some factual basis, of a young Julius Caesar unfold.  The wonderfully vivid descriptions of the warfare aboard Roman galleys at this time certainly fired my imagination and so you can imagine my delight to find that 'Warlord Games' actually produce a set of Roman Marines!  Given my painfully slow rate of progress at present I've opted to do only one of each pose.  

I'm becoming more and more impressed by 'Warlord Games', great sculpts, fantastic service and some very shrewd alliances;  I was able to also pick up a set of shield transfers originally created by 'Little Big Men Studios' on the same site.  Will certainly be looking at returning there when I get round to reading the next instalment.  

'Civil War News' page added

Just the briefest of posts to launch the new 'Civil War News' page; the tab is located just below the title banner.  A gift from my father many years ago this hugely impressionable set of trading cards recently resurfaced and I was horrified to find that there were gaps in what was once a complete set.  Fortunately with the magical infoweb at my fingertips and those good people at 'Fleabay' I have been able to put the collection back together again without too much of a financial drain!

The set has already inspired the construction of a diorama with 'Through the Swamp' so it seemed only fitting to give the rest of the cards a permanent page; who knows perhaps  there will be future projects lifted from their lurid and violent depictions of the American Civil War.