Bearing a great share of the responsibility for talking Neville Dickinson into buying up the model soldier firm of Alberken which later became MINIATURE FIGURINES LIMITED, it has always a great source of pleasure to note their steady progression until they can reasonably claim to be perhaps the biggest manufacturer of wargames figures in the world. Deeply conscious of, and always ready to acknowledge the debt he owes to the pioneering aspects of wargaming in Southampton, Neville's regional pride has made him increasingly ambitious to see a really large-scale wargames convention take place in Southampton, the birthplace of British wargaming. Always ready to support by their presence the wargaming conventions held elsewhere in the country, MINIATURE FIGURINES in the form of Neville Dickinson have steadily worked towards a large-scale gathering here, one that could rank with Northern Militaire in Manchester as a typical and comprehensive get-together for both trade and the wargamers they supply. Working almost single-handedly, Neville's ambitions bore fruit on the 3rd and 4th April when SOUTHERN MILITAIRE '76 was held at the Post House Hotel in Southampton where, set in the well lit convention rooms of a modern hotel, what was undoubtedly one of the most successful of all wargames conventions ran its course.
It seemed that EVERY wargames commercial organisation of note was present together with hosts o: old friends so that the friendly air of a reunion soon got the show off the ground. Prior to the actual event, Neville's assiduous prompting persuaded local T.V. and radio stations to give him advance publicity, including a most stimulating and prolonged demonstration of Middle Earth wargaming on SOUTH AT SIX T.V. on the Friday night when Neville and my son Peter both laid claim, by their calmness and articularity, to being T.V. "naturals"! As is the fashion at such conventions, there were contingents of men marching around in authentic Britishy French and Russian Napoleonic uniforms parading with an air which denoted that a drill sergeant (Napoleonic?) had been at work on them.
A pleasing feature was the inclusion of the first National Skirmish Wargames Championship for the Steve Curtis Memorial Trophy. Although extremely pressed for room, Neville Dickinson made no bones whatsoever about finding space for this and, as you will see from a report elsewhere in these pages, it was a great success.
Canadian John Mansfield attends Conventions in all corners of the world, being present one weekend in America and the next in Britain in a manner that makes one feel that the Canadian Army is perhaps the world's greatest package tour organisation! Therefore, his experience and opinions of such conventions must be treated with respect - here is what he save about Southern Militaire in his fine bi-weekly magazine SIGNAL:
"Southampton hosted the first ever SOUTHERN MILITAIRE and it was very good!! It was busy but not crowded and the organisers, who had attended many other conventions, really showed that they knew what they were doing. Very well organised and everything was well handled.
The MANY dealers, were well disposed to provide everything from Fantasy to board to paintings t books. You name it and someone was selling it. Prices were good and selection second to none.
The Skirmish Wargame championships were held and I wish to state that in ALL my travelling, I never saw a better organised tournament. The organisation and layout were superb and the judges wer the rule designers and who argues with them?? It was very good and modesty forces us to mention tha the final winner was none other than John Adams, the same who writes the miniature reviews in Signal It was a single knockout and in two days he beat all takers, including me!! An EXCELLENT tournament
The Con itself was big enough to have everyone but not physically crushed. Really recommended for next year."
At Sunday lunchtime the Convention was graced by the presence of Major-General E.V.Strickland D.S.O.,M.M., (no it is not a mistake, the General was an other rank at the tank battle of Arras in May 1940 when he won the Military Medal) who was my Commanding Officer in 51st Royal Tanks in North Africa and Italy, graced the Convention in full uniform, manfully reviewing the Napoleonic platoons, taking salutes and awarding prizes. General Strickland, who was Military Adviser to King Hussein in Jordan besides serving with Glubb and Peter Young in the Arab Legion, had no previous experience of such gatherings and was mightily impressed by the enthusiasm and knowledge of all to whom he spok It is good for our hobby to interest high-ranking Service officers in it and , who knows, maybe it will not be too long before the Services themselves sponsor a really large-scale wargames convention
Finally, just as the hobby is advanced by the efforts of those who organise NORTHERN MILITAIRE, PRESENT ARMS and all the other conventions, so has SOUTHERN MILITAIRE '76 taken its place in a marine that leads us to hope it will become a regular event. Congratulations Neville Dickinson and Miniature Figurines!
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© Copyright 1976 by Donald Featherstone.
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