Please note my change of address. Having helped to establish wargaming at the ,.at school I taught in, I have moved to a College of Education, where I have managed to get a small Club going. Meanwhile, a former colleague has moved on to another school where he has started another Club and I shortly move on to another school, where perhaps, though a girls school, I may get wargames started, at least when the local education system goes co-educational and comprehensive.
We began, of course, with your book "Wargames" and since then have developed a much simplified system of rules, constantly undergoing change, under many influences, not least the Newsletter. I therefore, enclose a statement of our position on wargaming which I hope may be of interest to readers." (Reproduced in "Counsels of War").
- --J.A.Hilton (Wigan, Lancashire)
"Like yourself I have not found so much to interest me in the hobby latel and have put this down to "old age" etc. During the last weekend however my son, who was over for the holiday period, persuaded me to enter into a "game" with him and he, having gone to the trouble of creating the scene and terrain, it was the least I could do to join in.
As the "battle" progressed so did enthusiasm and I must say for two days, with periods off for daily tasks etc., we "battled" on and I thoroughly enjoyed the "return". I suppose it was due to the lapse of time since last we set French against Prussian and Austrian, with a fair sprinkling of French Allies to support.
We never reached any conclusion, this being due to the somewhat large armies committed and the lack of sustained periods of time, but it was very enjoyable, y our "saving throw" rules being, for once, over generous in their "compassion" and thus prolonging the engagement beyond the time we had expected the game to last.
Your "return" was perhaps more nostalgic, due to browsing through past copies of your magazine -- this does of course create happy memories but as is always the case, comparisons arise and there is really no satisfactory answer to that!
Sometimes I will browse, like you, heaven knows, since taking an interest in our hobby, I have stacks of readable matter - it often amazes me to see how quickly it has grown. I understand that a new Group has started up in this town and I have been asked if John and I would be prepared to show our collections.
Finally, enclosed please find my cheque for 1971-2. We look forward to your Newsletter and "nostalgically" have a soft spot for your magazine and your first book for it was due to these that both John and I found an interest in wargames."
- --S.Swinburne (Repton, Derbyshire)
"My son has re-awakened an old interest for me with his modelling of Airfix kits of all types -- and like many children he has taken an interest in wargames of the simplest sort, using Airfix 1/72nd scale kits of army equipment and their excellent boxes of small soldiers. He was tickled pink when he found out that twenty years ago Dad used to do the same thing, building his AFV's out of balsa and using converted Dinky Toys, Britains artillery, and so on, and using one of the beds in the garden as a huge games area, with dwarf plants, concrete roads, and so on. When he was shown all the equipment that had been carefully stowed in his grandparents attic for his use and his cousins use, it fired up new enthusiasm, and as a result he started fighting wargames and stopped playing soldiers.
Marcus' period is World War II and he has enough allied equipment for campaigns in the European theatre, opposed by detachments of the Grossdeutschland and the Liebstandart Adolf Hitler AFV's, infantry and artillery, together with Lysanders, FW190's and Fiesler Storch's for army co-operation roles (I think I've got that all correct - he's a devil for accuracy).
I might even take it up again myself - it looks as though it would beat all hell out of Chess, especially using Tarr's Rules."
- --Julian L. Wilson on behalf of Master Marcus A. Wilson (Jersey, C.I.)
"With reference to "World War I" by Donald Wolff. Has the gentleman never heard of the Palestine-Syria Campaign from 1915 to 1918? This was a mobile event and fought mostly by Yeomanry Cavalry, and R.H.A.(T) plus Australian and New Zealand Light Horse and Territorial Infantry.
It could be a source of exciting battles; the Australian charge at Beersheba, the charge at HUJ of Warwickshire, Dorcestershire and Royal Gloucester Hussars, the charge at El Majdal by the Royal Bucks Hussars, Dorset and Berkshire Yeomanry are only two, and there were others plus of course Arabs under Lawrence. What a pity so few people know the military history of the Yeomanry and T.A.
Finally, why do Napoleonic wargamers have only 4 horses to a gun-team, when there were, in fact, 6 horses and sometimes 8. Don't they do any research?"
- --G.P.Nurse (Leicester)
"Upon my return from military duty, I obtained a position in the National Archives working with Civil War Records. Several Confederate Units have crossed my path in which I am curious as to their performance. There was a Louisiana European Brigade composed of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th French Regiments, the 1st French Chaseeurs a pled Louisiana Eilitia, the 3rd Regt. Garde Francaise Louisiana Militia, the 5th Spanish Regt. Louisiana Militia and the 6th Italian Guard Regt. Louisiana Militia. Also a British Fusilier Battalion, Louisiana Militia, a British Guard Battalion, Louisiana Militia and a Cacadores Espanoles Regt. Louisiana Militia were added. Before the scarcity of cloth, their uniforms must have been splendid.
Several Indian regiments were mustered into Confederate service: 1st, 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles, Choactan and Chichasaw Mounted Rifles, Creek and Seminole Volunteers. Their individual rosters reveal many vivid and humorous names (e.g. Meat, Black Dog, Crabtree, Crow, Doghead, Spike, etc).
Although large numbers of Confederates joined the Union side after being captured, few people are aware of those Federal prisoners who enlisted under the Confederacy. Brook's Battalion Confederate Infantry was formed from six companies of Federal prisoners in November 1864. After a month the Unit was disbanded when a plot to desert was discovered. Those Yankees probably desired a warm bath and some victuals."
- --Michael D.Driessen (Maryland, U.S.A.)
"Please find enclosed cheque for a further years supply of Wargamer's Newsletter. I don't know what the hobby would be like without it.
We have a pretty good club going here in East Anglia - I believe you know several members very well - Roger Moores, Pete Amey, Ron Marshall. Most periods have a following but Napoleonics seem to be the most popular.
Someday I hope to contribute to the magazine but time is very short and after playing and painting, one does not have much to spare."
- --Peter Brown (Woodbridge, Suffolk)
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© Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone.
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