A Splendid Prize!

First, thank you to all of you who wished me a happy blogday.  As an astute observer notes, I started the blog on my 45th birthday - mid-life crisis anyone?

But to the main point of the post.  Big Lee has just reached the stunning milestone of 2,000,000 hits on his blog.  He's celebrate in very generous style by giving away vouchers to the value of £100.  Details here.

Blogiversay

Yesterday was the 4th Anniversary of this blog

• 651 posts
• 217,697 hits
• 103 followers
• 2.840 comments

Thank you for all all for visiting, and especially for those who have contributed to the last two statistics.

Dr Who Wednesday #14

Mirabile dictu, I can report some progress on the Daleks!

After months of them sitting there in a part-painted state, mocking me, Dave Docherty's Paint and Chat hangout had it's desired effect, and I got two good sessions in on them.

Yellow will have to be re-done...

I've also got another batch of these free-with-the-magazine Daleks on the go (hopefully to be finished this week)* in another colour scheme again.

*In which case, next week we will have a Grand Dalek Parade in which Davros will review the troops (led by David Beckham Dalek).

Although I prefer Classic to these New Paradigm Daleks, these were much better to paint than the dreadful BTD ones.

Gratuitous Sarah Jane shot

Chat and Bargain of the Week

It's been three weeks since my last blog post.  What hobby progress have I made then?  None at all.

My plan of setting hostages to fortune by laying out what I hoped to achieve during July didn't work at all.  August has been a washout due to The Wife having an unexpected week's stay in hospital.  I'd like to thank all those of you who learnt of this through FaceBook and expressed concerns there: for the rest of you, she is now back at home and improving as she rests.  We are both exhausted though.

But no level of exhaustion will keep me from scouring the charity shops for bargains.  Here are my latest.

Been looking out for some of these for a while...

There may yet be a solution to my painting drought.  Dave Docherty has set up a video chat room so that we can paint and chat.  He's done it under the umbrella of the Analogue Painting Challenge Google+ forum, but I'm sure anyone is welcome to attend.

The link is https://hangouts.google.com/hangouts/_/event/ctg9o2s0dra8n46pvl137uh38n4?hl=en-GB&authuser=0 it's a permanent link, so you can drop in at any time and see if anyone else is there.

When I told The Wife about it, she replied that it was wrong "on so many different levels", but really it isn't much different that the 'Stitch and Bitch' sessions she's been known to attend.  You can insert your own joke about watching paint dry here, but if you want some civilised conversation* while you paint, log on.

*Last night's apparently included a discussion on the relative merits of German and British sausages (it could've been Wurst!  BOOM, BOOM!)

Dr Who Wednesday #13 - BREAKING NEWS!

Warlord Games have just announced that pre-orders are open for their first Doctor Who figures

Last year we announced that Warlord Games have secured the licence to produce a miniatures game based on the BBC's enormously popular TV series, Doctor Who. Since then we've been tirelessly researching episodes both new and old, sculpting miniatures and working back and forth with the BBC to ensure the results are completely authentic. 

The licence covers not just the latest series of Doctor Who but encompasses all of the Doctors, their companions and their foes, spanning more than fifty years - so look out for long scarves and jelly babies as well as sonic sunglasses! 

We are pleased to present the first releases available for pre-order. The models are high quality pewter castings, officially approved by the BBC. Our forthcoming range will also include plastic Daleks, Cybermen and Unit troopers, as well as many more pewter figures.

The first two sets are 10th Doctor and Companions and 12th Doctor and Companions each have five metal figures and are priced a £19.99.

Midlam Apprentice Kickstarter

Some of you may remember that I have some of Midlam Miniatures' spellcasters for Frostgrave purposes.  Well, they've just launched their first Kickstarter - a class of wizards' apprentices sculpted by Martin Baker.

Full details here.

Dr Who Weds #12

Programming Note 

I wrote this post last week but didn't post it as I hadn't taken the photos.Since then I've been feeling quite rotten and, sad to say I can now post this without the need for any up-dates...  I never did the photos properly, so you'll have to put up with these snaps,  

On the painting table....

One of my major targets for July is to get clear of the Dr Who figures who have been cluttering up the painting table.

First up were a pair each of Ood and Silence.  I've had these for ages* and, quite frankly, they've been in this state for ages.  They're (literally) soft on detail.  I've never been satisfied with them or known how to base them, but under the New Dispensation I've decided to draw a line under them, give them a simple grass basing and Call Them Done.

*They feature in Dr Who Wednesday #1!

Also coming in the category of 'Dr Who figures that come free with magazines and can be picked up by the bag-load in charity shops' are these Weeping Angels.  These aren't quite the same vintage as the Ood - those one's are here.  They don't come in the category of 'already started', but I knocked them off while having 'fun with dry-brushing'.

I'll based three with grass to match my existing Angels and three without so they fit in better with Frostgrave.  Nicely, they're a different pose to the others (attacking rather than weeping).  

Elsewhere on the web...

Readers of the last Dr Who Weds (back on 1 June!) will remember that - after I complained about the BLOODY DERLICKS! - I mentioned that the Dr Who FaceBook hadn't yet announced the Monster of the Month for June.  It wasn't Daleks but - of course - was Davros.

July is on a better footing, as they've revealed that they're doing The Master (in all his incarnations).   I feel a nice, evil glow coming over me...

via GIPHY

Terrain Tuesday #17

OK, as you'll remember my first goal for the month is it get rid of some of the half-done terrain that's lying around.

The Viking(ish) buildings were 90% finished, but there was some snagging that needed doing.  It's now done.  As I wrote in the last Terrain Tuesday (back on 31 May!).  This was a project that I enjoyed  a lot.  The test pieces having worked out, I'll be making some more buildings along the same line.  Having watched a tv programme on Viking settlements in Iceland and Newfoundland, I also want to have a go at some turf houses.  Watch this space...

Next up were adventures in dry-brushing.  

You may remember the Big Stone Head...

Well, he has kin...

Looking at them now, they don't seem to go together, but I assure you they came out of the same box!

Then there was this evil bugger, who I picked up in a charity shop...

And going back to stone heads, I've picked up a pack of Ristul's Extraordinary Market stone faces basing kit to add features to my terrain.  I do like Ristul's bits and bobs - though most are a little too High Fantasy for me.  You may, however, remember I have their cursed treasure.

Is it me, or do some of them look a lot like Benedict Cumberbatch?

Hostages to Fortune

This isn't going to be an interesting post, but I need to put a marker down.

I'm not one for doing 'end of the quarter round-ups' or having hobby targets, but June was a disastrous month for me hobby-wise.  A combination of health problems (the slightest being tennis elbow and up-coming root canal work) and work commitments (putting Diplomatist Books' back-catalogue onto a new platform) meant that I did absolutely nothing in that direction.

The only way out of such a slough is to set some targets.  There are two main ones - clear the deck and make a start on the hirdmen.

Therefore, but the end of the month I want to

• get half-done terrain done
• finish painting a unit of Sikhs
• -do- some misc Dr Who creatures
• -do- all the bloody Daleks
• get the hirdmen off the sprues, stuck together and on bases
• -do- various Big Men

By making hostages to fortune in a public declaration like this, I hope to give myself the kick needed to clear the decks,

23270 Pte William Ollerenshaw, 10th Bn Lancashire Fusiliers

I'm a little late in marking this centenary, but on 27/28 June 1916 William Ollerenshaw of the 10th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers was killed, aged 18,  in the build-up to the Battle of the Somme.  He was my Great Uncle.

The 10th Battalion was raised in Bury, Lancs, in September 1914 as part of Kichtchener's New Army.  It disembarked at Boulonge on 15 July 1915 as part of the 52nd (Infantry) Brigade of the 17th (Northern) Division.

I know practically nothing of the circumstances of Wiilie's death.  The Battalion War Diary (WO 95/2012/1 at The National Archives) only gives a few pages to June 1916.   Her are the events around Willie's death, which took part during the build-up to the great offensive on 1 July 1916.

23rd
Take over 20th Brigade Front from 2nd Gordons of 8th Division
23rd-28th
Gas and smoke attacks and a practically continuous bombardment of the enemy by our artillery.  At times for an hour intensive.  Enemy replying by M.G. fire at night and a vigorous shelling of our trenches.  Casualties during this period - Killed - Wounded - Missing.*  That they were not greater due to the excellent trenches and 'dug-outs' and also the large extents of front held.
28th
The Battn relieved by 2nd Gordons, 2nd Boarders of 9th Division

*Frustratingly, these details were never filled in.

Citadel New Military Cemetery, Fricourt

William Ollerenshaw is buried at the Citadel New Military Cemetery at Fricourt.  The Commonwealth War Graves Commission describes the cemetery

The cemetery is in the Northern part of a valley, running from Fricourt to the Somme, which was known in 1916 as "Happy Valley." It was begun by French troops and from August 1915, when the first Commonwealth burials were made, it was known as the Citadel Military Cemetery (Point 71). It was used until November 1916 and once in August 1918. The great majority of the burials were carried out from field ambulances before the Battles of the Somme. In the Autumn of 1916 the Citadel became a large camp for units withdrawn from the line.

He is also commemorated, along with 627 others, on the Stalybridge War Memorial which was unveiled in November 1921.  The memorial takes the form of a low curving wall, flanking Trinity Street - making an approach to the bridge over the Tame.  It's relatively difficult to take a photo of it, but the one below from this site catches it quite well.

The following members of 10th Bn. Lancashire Fusiliers died on 27 June 1916

5535 Cpl Edmund BIBBY 

17116 Pte James BLINSTON 

15653 Pte Michael CARROLL 

14663 Pte Walter GIBSON 

27055 Pte Ernest HIPKIN 

5305 Pte Jonathan HOLT 

21142 Pte James MAGUIRE

23270 Pte William OLLERENSHAW

13049 Pte Michael OWENS

4092 Pte Norman PETER

19188 L/Cpl Lawrence SMITH

6192 Pte John STANTON 

21494 Pte James STIRZAKER

5448 Pte Patrick WALSH 

5386 Cpl A WALTON 

4043 Cpl W WATERHOUSE

13160 L/Cpl Edwin WILLDIG

Prize Winners

Prizes, but still no cake

As you'll remember I was having a prize draw to mark 200K blog hits.

Prize 1 - £10.00 Voucher Diplomatist Books - Conrad Kinch
Prize 2 - £10,00 Voucher Bad Squiddo Games - RayR
Prize 3 - £10.00 Voucher Black Pyramid Gaming - Wargames News & Terrain Blog

Congratulations to you all,

Toy Soldiers on Pathe

A couple of British Pathe movies, the first from 1949 and the second from 1965, showing the manufacturing process at William Britain's factory at Hornsley.  It's interesting to see the transfer from lead to plastic between the two dates.

Enjoy!

Just A Reminder...

...that there's still time to enter the 200K Giveaway and get a chance to win some splendid prizes (not least from Diplomatist Books)!

I'll make the draw on 1 July.

There won't be cake

An Interesting Project - ACW

In the past I have taken part in a couple of Zooniverse projects (one was transcribing naval logs from the First World War, the other was identifying features in photos of the surface of Mars).  Because of that I'm on the mailing list and am advised of various projects.  

This message came through this afternoon, and it immediately struck me that it would be of interest to the readership of this blog

Volunteers wanted!  

Come be a witness to the United States Civil War by transcribing and deciphering messages and codes from the United States Military Telegraph on Decoding the Civil War. 

We seek to engage experts and amateurs alike - our DCW Volunteer Corps - in a unique collaboration to transcribe and decipher a collection of almost 16,000 telegrams and 32 code books from The Thomas T. Eckert Papers, an archive thought lost at the end of the war. You will be transcribing the daily telegram communications among Union officers, Cabinet members, telegraph operators, and others. The transcriptions, and ultimately the decoding, will contribute to national research, creating materials that will give insight into telegraphy, cryptography, civilian-military relations, and many other aspects of the war and American history more generally.  

Perhaps the most meaningful outcome is the public access to previously unavailable historical records and the building of inquiry-based educational modules to bring history alive to classroom students. Help build a deeper understanding of the United States Civil War—Join our DCW Volunteer Corps now at www.decodingthecivilwar.org 

Zooniverse started out as 'citizen science' but it now has a variety of projects - from space exploration (do you fancy discovering a comet?), natural history to the humanities.  There's plenty to see on their blog.

Edit

Just done my first two pages.

1. telegrams from Maj Gen John Adams Dix during the Siege of Suffolk
2. a page from a code book

HMS Broke Broken

Do you remember me writing about Stoker John Jones, who was seriously injured at the Battle of Jutland while serving on HMS Broke?

200K Giveaway

Eagerly awaiting the next blog entry...

Some time on Monday the Blogger clock that counts completely spurious hits went past the 200,000 mark.  Given that a proportion of those hits represent real people, I'm choosing to mark it with a giveaway.

To enter you have to be a follower of this blog and post a comment on this post.  If you are also a follower of the Diplomatist Books blog you will get an extra entry.  You may put you down for any number of the prizes, but any one person will only get one prize - for that reason, please state you preference if you want to be entered into more than one draw.

• Prize A.  A £10.00 voucher from Diplomatist Books.
• Prize B.  A £10.00 voucher from Bad Squiddo Games
• Prize C. A £10.00 voucher from Black Pyramid Gaming

Edit

I forgot to put a closing date on this!  I'm make the draw on 1 Jul 2016.

More on That Sticky Situation at the Imjin River

Since writing my post on the British officer reporting a 'sticky' situation to his American superior it has become quite clear that this is not apocryphal, but does in fact refer to the report by Brigadier Thomas Brodie to Major-General Robert H "Shorty" Soule on the position The Glosters were in during the Battle of the Imjin River.

This goes to reinforce my point that this is not just a 'clash of cultures' anecdote but should be classed in the 'military blunder' category along the lines of "advance rapidly to the front... and try to prevent the enemy carrying away the guns".  

It's interesting that the sources for this story seem to British - Farrar-Hockley, who was the adjutant of the battalion, and an interview of Brodie much later by Max Hastings.  General Soule died in 1952 and left no account of what he thought the actual situation was.  But if Brodie's report contributed to his decision first to delay and then to withdraw the relief column, then some serious blame should attach to it.

After all, the Glosters had over 500 men killed or taken prisoner during their stand at Hill 235.

The Glosters Memorial at Hill 235

Let's end with another book review.  I don't have Farrar-Hockley's Official History of the British operations in Korea, however my copy of his Edge of the Sword has few cuttings in it.  One is a review by Max Hastings of the first volume.  He praises Farrar-Hockley's comprehensive account but criticises the lack of judgments on the performance of units and individuals.

In years to come, when the eye-witnesses are all dead, lay readers of General Farrar-Hockley's books could sometimes be very uncertain - to put it crudely - whether a given action was a heroic and necessary sacrificial stand, or a culpable blunder by those responsible

For his services during the Korean War Major-General Thomas Brodie received the a CB, a DSO, the US Silver Star (twice) and the US Legion of Merit.  He died in 1993.  "Farrar the Para" was awarded the DSO for his actions on Hill 235 and a mention-in-despatches for his conduct while a prisoner of war.  He died in 2006 - General Sir Anthony Heritage Farrar-Hockley GBE, KCB, DSO*, MC.

The Portable Naval Wargame

Last night my butterfly approach to wargaming took another turn.

Inspired by a series of posts Bob Cordery has made - particularly this one - on his "simple pre-Dreadnought wargaming rules" I popped over to his free downloads page and helped myself.

Naval wargaming is notorious for the paperwork involved - what with ship's records cards, chits and Stuff.  But when Mr Cordery says these rules are simple, he means SIMPLE.  The entirety printed out on a sheet of A4 (double-sided if you want the diagrams explaining arc-of-fire) and only took a read-through to understand them.  For those who want to fight the ACW or the Battle of Lissa there's also a variant for the 1860s,

Within a five minutes, I'd broken out a hex board and some tokens and was playing one of the scenarios he'd tested for COW.

After running through it twice, I decided that using round counters was unhelpful when playing with ships (apparently it matters which way you put the pointy end).

There was a reason the Novgorod wasn't a success

So I was forced to undertake the audacious chore of making little ships...

Cordery version

Diplomtist version

I defeated the object of  having A4 rules by printing out the arc-of-fire templates and drafting ship's record sheets - but then my board wasn't large enough to add damage markers.

So what do I think?  These are lovely rules and gave me a good night's entertainment (which is what it's all about).  I am sure that the simplicity is deceptive, and some quite sophisticated actions could be played out with them,  Nevertheless, they would serve as a great intro to naval wargaming for someone who is averse to record keeping.  As that aversion wore off, you could complicate matters by adding house-rules, simultaneous movement, damage tables - the whole kaboodle!

I'm certainly going to carry on playing them.  I'm never going to go as far as painting teeny-tiny ships, but I'll upgrade my snapped-up coffee stirrers (I've already downloaded some ACW and WWI counters from the Wargames Vault).

This has also served to reminded me that I intended to try some sole games of Blood, Bilges and Iron Balls.  See what I mean about butterflying!

Naval Signal Humour

That old salt GaryA responded to my Korean War story with a dit of his own.  It was an excellent example of the dry humour the RN uses in communicating between ships.  This was once such a feature of naval life that the late Capt Jack Broome compiled a few anthologies of examples - Make a Signal and Make Another Signal.

OK, pour yourself a pink gin and enjoy these.  And I promise, no lighthouses!

-----------------------

Submarine to Convoy Escort Commander... "In the event of enemy surface action, intend remaining on the surface"  Response from escort commander "So do I".

-----------------------

HMS Cyclamen to Vice Admiral, Malta. (after sinking Allied Italian Submarine mistaken for a U-boat during World War I):
HAVE RAMMED AND SUNK ENEMY SUBMARINE. SURVIVORS APPEAR TO SPEAK ITALIAN

-------------------

From Flag Officer Gibraltar: "Small round object sighted 180 degrees 5 miles from Europa Point. Probably mine".
From Flag Officer Force H: "Certainly not mine".

 ------------------

Between two Atlantic convoy escorts 1941:
-1st ship: "COMMENCE HOSTILITIES WITH JAPAN"
-2nd ship; "PERMISSION TO FINISH BREAKFAST FIRST"

-------------------

From submarine (returning from patrol) to base:
"EXPECT TO ARRIVE 1800 IF FRIENDLY AIRCRAFT WILL STOP BOMBING ME"

-------------------------

A convoy was being shadowed day and night by German flying boats. The aircraft flew round and round the convoy, keeping low on the horizon and well out of range of the escort's guns.

"YOU ARE MAKING ME DIZZY...FOR GOD'S SAKE GO ROUND THE OTHER WAY."

The signal was acknowledged. The flying boat changed direction immediately.

--------------------------

Destroyer Diamond has just collided with cruiser Swiftsure.
Swiftsure - WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO NOW?
Diamond - BUY A FARM

-------------------------

Corvette to passing MTB: "Good luck".
Reply: "Thanks. Actually we rely on skill".

------------------------

A Soviet 'trawler' had been shadowing a NATO exercise for several days taking notes and gathering SIGINT.  As the ships queued up to refuel a British frigate signalled her: "Do you require refuelling?"
  Reply: "Not if your exercise finishes on time".

-----------------------

Historically biblical quotations were popular:-

Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ: the same yesterday, today and forever..

2 Kings 4:19 - And he said to his Father "My head, my head".

Exodus 2:14 - Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?

Signal about HMS Phoebe as she left to change commands: "Romans 16:1-2".  (I commend unto you Phebe our sister... that ye receive her in the Lord, as becometh Saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you; for she hath been a succourer of many, and of myself also.)

Whenever  a ship collided with the jetty while docking: Proverbs 22:28 "Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set"

A couple for when ships aren't keeping station:-
Psalm 77:19 "Thy way is in the sea and thy path in the great waters and thy footsteps are not known"
Proverbs 4:26 "Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established"

------------------------

HMS Sheffield approx 1990, on meeting the USS John F Kennedy while conducting flying operations (with both Lynx helicopters airborne at the same time). "I have launched my air group, request you launch yours."  Signal was acknowledged but no reply was received.

------------------------

Some USN examples -

The destroyer USS William D. Porter accidentally fired a torpedo at the USS Iowa... who had the President Roosevelt on board. Henceforth whenever the Porter was sighted her humorous colleagues would signal  "DON'T SHOOT! WE'RE REPUBLICANS!"

----------------------
Of course, not all great signals were humorous

"Have rejoined the fleet south of Woosung ...
No damage... No casualties....God save the King!"

Terminological Inactitude

Like most blog writers I enjoy getting feedback from my readers.  In yesterday's book review I said that the lack of notes and proper sources was a 'major quibble'.   A correspondent writes "I find the lack of referenced sources more than a major quibble in my book. On something like that it gets elevated up to near deal breaker."  Fair enough.

Things get a bit sticky for Major Quibble and the Lads

This reminds me of the story from the Korean War*.  A British unit has been surrounded by the enemy and cut off.  After some difficulty, radio contact is made and the American general in command asks the British officer in charge of the unit for a situation report.  "Well, Sir"  he replies "Things are beginning to get a bit sticky here".   British users of the English language would immediately translate the report as "The shit has hit the fan and there's blood running down the walls.  There are 10,000 Chinese coming up the hill towards us and we've run out of beer cans to throw at them.  Please evacuate us as soon as possible."  However, the American general feels reassured by the calm response and tells his subordinate to hold on.

*Please someone tell me the source of this - it's bugging me!  It's normally told in connection of the destruction of the Glosters at the crossings of the Imjin River 

The sand of the desert is sodden red, -- 

Red with the wreck of a square that broke; -- 

The Gatling's jammed* and the colonel dead, 

And the regiment blind with dust and smoke. 

The river of death has brimmed his banks, 

And England's far, and Honour a name, 

But the voice of schoolboy rallies the ranks, 

"Play up! play up! and play the game!" 

*As readers of this blog will know, it was a Gardner.

The Korea story is normally told as a clash of cultures:  "two nations divided by a single language" or the stiff-upper lip, public school and Sandhurst educated Brit verses the no-nonsense cigar-chomping Yank.  Yet to my mind, by using heroic understatement, the British officer has clearly failed in his duty.  His superior has asked a simple question - all he requires is that the realities of the situation are explained to him.  The British officer lets him down and, by doing so, lets down his men.

"Please send either Brigade of Guards or platoon of Gurkhas"

The same can be said for book reviews.  The question is simple - 'What do you think of the book?'  the answer should be unambiguous.  So I apologize for any terminological inactitude.  But I will probably continue to use heroic understatement (mainly as an affectation alongside the strategic deployment of whiskers ).