Time Tourism: Another Miniature Adventure

Are you a Time Tourist? Not to be confused with temporal tourism (from Doctor Who) time tourism is the pursuit of history away from the library, or wargame table. Shake off the book dust and static grass to explore your own Miniature Adventure. 

Richards Battle reports on his blog: The First Lake Tresimene Battle and the Return Match 

Jonathan's write-up of both games on his blog: Battle of Lake Trasimene and the Second Battle Grudge Match 

South West Model Show - At The Tank Museum, Bovington

The South West Model Show takes place twice a year at the Tank Museum, Bovington. An amazing array of miniature planes, trains, tanks, and ships are displayed alongside traders and the over 300 armoured fighting vehicles of the Museum itself.

 

RE-PLAY - A new and exciting wargame event at the Royal Engineers Museum

Posties Rejects will be at the new RE-Play event at the Royal Engineers Museum tomorrow. Our game has been chosen because there is a link with the Royal Engineers so please come along and see if you can find Captain Wynne and his men from No2 Company. 

Confirmed Clubs running games at this event:
The following list is accurate at time of writing but I guess as this is a 'new' event it could be subject to some last minute changes. 

• Shepway Wargames Club, Hauhausen '89, Cold War gone hot.
• Skirmish Wargames, The First LRDG 1916-1917, British Empire vs. Turks at a desert oasis.
• Medway Wargames Society, Gladiator arena, 2 tables (P), Star Wars Shatterpoint skirmish
• Tunbridge Wells Wargame Society, What a Tanker! WW2 tank skirmish
• Maidstone Wargames Society, Dogfight '69, El Salvador vs Honduras, "The Football War"
• Friday Night Fire Fight, Last Argument of Kings, large scale fantasy skirmish
• Fire When Ready UK, Star Wars Legion Grand Army game
• Posties Rejects, 6mm  Zulu Wars, The Battle of Inyezane 1879
• Rainham Wargames Club, 1/600 American Civil War Ironclads
• Real Time Wargames, The Glittering River, Naval actions from the Russian Civil War, 1/600
• Milton Hundred Wargames Club, The Battle For Villers Bocage, Rapid Fire WW2

Confirmed Traders at this event:
Again correct at the time of writing. For such a small venue and new event this is a pretty good selection of traders. I have my shopping list prepared! 

• The Pit Gaming Shop
• KR Multicase
• Sheppey Models
• Debris of War
• Brigade Models
• Cuirassier Books

As always please come along and say hello. The Rejects are a friendly bunch and love to chat so if you have any questions about the game, the figures, or about us, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Downtime on Holiday

I've been away for a couple of weeks so today's video is more of an apology for not having a scripted subject to talk about...but I'm feeling very rested and ready to get stuck into my hobby again so taking time out from my usual schedule hasn't been all bad. 

I'll probably talk more about the holiday in a later video but in the meantime here is a small taste of the excellent museums I had a chance to visit. 

Staffordshire Regiment Museum

Recreated trenches at the Staffordshire Regiment Museum

Model of the AZW battle of Ulundi using hundreds of flats

Whitby Abby

We watched a performance of Dracula with the abbey as its backdrop

Bolton Castle

The castle had a Wars of the Roses themed living history display taking place

This guy brought some equipment from the Armouries at Leeds 

The Castle Museum at York

Victorian shopfronts included this toyshop

...and this Apothecary

The York Army Museum

A WWI Cavalryman charges between the exhibits

Leeds Armouries

A reenactor describes the Battle of Bosworth

The Agincourt Diorama

The Agincourt diorama

A Wars of the Roses bowman

Ripon Cathedral

Inside Ripon Cathedral

The Jorvik Viking Centre in York

Jorvik Viking Centre

As usual, I took hundreds of pictures and many still need to be correctly labelled which will keep me busy for a few days.

Three Museums and a Cathedral

My recent trip to the south of England for a holiday in mid-winter wasn't as dull as it may sound. No matter where I am, and regardless of the weather, this old Grognard can still have a few Miniature Adventures.

Nero: The man behind the Myth Exhibition

Yesterday I had an opportunity to visit the British Museum's latest special exhibition with my daughter. She is studying history at A level and had a chance to pick a subject of her own choosing as a special side project. She has chosen to look at the first emperors, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, collectively known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This exhibition focuses on the last of these, Nero, but understandably there was a lot of information about the emperors that came before them, so my daughter was very happy and came away with a tome of photos and ideas for her project. I enjoyed it too but I also got the chance to spend an afternoon nerding out with my youngest daughter, so win-win. 

I took a lot of pictures as usual but thought a few were more military than others and therefore worth sharing here. 

Sword and Scabbard AD 14-16 - The scenes on this scabbard celebrate julio-Claudian military successes in Germany and stress harmony and order. Germanicus hands the enthroned Tiberius a figure of victory. In reality, the troops had mutinied at Tiberius' accession, preferring Germanicus as princeps.

Soldiers of the Pretorian Guard AD51-2 - Augustus established the Pretorians as his personal guard. They were an elite unit and the most powerful military force in Italy, where no regular troops were stationed. They enjoyed considerable privileges and their support was crucial for the emperor. The relief depicts six Praetorians in parade armour and was taken from a triumphal arch in Rome that commemorated Claudis' conquest of Britain in AD43.

Copper Alloy Helmet found in England, c AD50-100 - Following the conquest of Britain, Roman and local tastes influenced one another. This led to the emergence of a new distinctive artistic identity that is evident in decorated military objects. This helmet combines a Roman Shape with Celtic style decoration. Its owner was perhaps a local warrior fighting for Rome, or a Roman soldier who commissioned armour decorated in a local style. 

Copper Alloy Cavalry Helmet AD 1-100 - The Roman governor Gaius Suetonius Paulinus was campaigning in Wales when local discontent erupted into rebellion. Boudica attacked Camulodunum (Colchester), defeating the Ninth Legion when it attempted to rescue the town. This decorated cavalry helmet was possibly war booty ritually deposited in a marsh by a Briton. Alternatively, it may represent a votive offering made by a Roman soldier adopting practices similar to those of the native population. 

Roman Horse Trapping c AD50 - Rome's frontiers along the Danube and Rhine were under constant pressure from neighboring tribes. The author Pliny the Elder served as an officer in Germania during the reigns of Claudius and Nero. While stationed here he write on military topics, followed later by his famous Natural History. These horse trappings are marked 'Pliny prefect of cavalry'. They may have belonged to Pliny, or a soldier under his command. 

Limestone carving of a Parthian Horseman - The Parthians established a vast empire across modern-day Iran, Iraq and Armenia. It endured for almost 500 years and was recognised by Rome as its equal in wealth, culture, and military strength. Its military might came primarily from its superior cavalry. Mounted on light horses and carrying bows, these legendary fighters feigned panicked retreat at full gallop, only to turn in the saddle and shoot back at the pursuing enemy. The archer depicted here wears the characteristic Parthian dress and carries a composite bow. 

Nero was a great supporter of public sports and entertainment. He, like many of his predecessors, was a populist and drew political power from the support of the masses. Military spectacle, including chariot racing, in the arena, was common. Chariot racing was managed by teams called factiones. Each faction had numerous charioteers and hundreds of supporting staff. Nero was a supporter of the popular Greens and when he raced chariots himself he would mix expensive ground chrysocolla with the sand turning it green in their honor. 

Marble of Nero AD 66-68 - This marble statue was displayed to stress Nero's martial qualities and in particular to Celebrate his success over the Parthians. The breastplate of this statue depicts the emperor as the Sun riding in his chariot. Below two mythical figures symbolise the Parthian submission to Rome. 

It was a great day out and a very interesting exhibition to share with the Young Padawan. 

I would certainly recommend seeing this exhibition if you are interested in the period. There is far more to see than the handful of items I have highlighted here. As with all of these special exhibitions, the British Museum is very good at selecting artifacts that tell the story they want to tell. Most are from their own collections but they can also bring in rare and special artifacts from other museums so often this will be the only chance to see some items together. 

My only gripe is with the museum's presentation of the information panels. The information they contain is excellent...but would it kill them to use a bigger font! All the info panels are at waist height and if you want to read them you have to stand in front of the display, blocking the view of anyone else. And some of the artifacts are very small (coins and small items of jewelry) inside huge cases so it's really hard to get up-close-and-personal with some of the artifacts...and if you do you block the view of the information panels for other visitors! Don't get me wrong, I love the British Museum, but they really need to break with stuffy tradition and work on their presentation skills! 

Imperial War Museum North: A Unique Collection & Iconic Building

I recently visited the Imperial War Museum North and wanted to share a few of my pictures while extolling the virtue of a visit. This is an interesting and thought-provoking family museum and well worth a visit.

A very interesting museum and well worth a visit if you are in the area. Entry to the museum is free although there is a charge for parking. I rate this quite highly if you have a family group because there are artefacts and interactive exhibits that will appeal to all ages and levels of knowlege. 

The potential demise of small museums

Many small local museums have had a very rough time over the last year and a half. Smaller collections often have razor-thin financial margins and rely on volunteers for day-to-day survival. Some have not survived the lockdown, others have had to scale back their opening times. Either way, we are at risk of losing an important part of our cultural heritage, and small museums need our support now more than ever. 

So do you have a local museum that needs support? Or an example of one that has gone by the wayside? Have you seen examples of lockdown innovation, such as new exhibitions or new ways to share their collections? I’d love to hear your stories and examples, and your opinion on this whole subject. 

Biggin Hill Memorial Museum: The Strongest link

On Sunday I had a belated, but much anticipated, 'fathers day' trip out to the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum. The Museum tells the story of RAF Biggin Hill, one of the most famous airfields of the Battle of Britain, through the personal experiences of those who served there. Despite being just a 45-minute drive from my home, I haven't been here before so this was a real treat for me. We did try to visit last year but of course, it was shut due to Covid restrictions, but now that museums are open again it was back on my list of places to visit in 2021. 

Newark Air Museum

I recently had a chance to get away for a weekend (something we haven't done in a long while) and visited a few museums. Newark Air Museum has been on my hit list for some time and has a very interesting history and an even more interesting collection of Post War jet aircraft on display. I shot a little bit of video while I was there and it is available to view on my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures. 

I also took a few pictures (you know what I'm like!) and thought I'd share these here as well.  

Avro Vulcan B.2 in excellent condition - The Vulcan was a jet-powered tailless delta wing high-altitude strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. 

Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 outside Hanger 1 - It was a British carrier-capable attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy.

Avro Shackleton MR.3/3 - Constructed in 1957 this aircraft was for a while stationed in Malta. It had a crew of 10, a top speed of 302mph and a range of about 3600 miles. 

A Model of a Halifax Mk 3 with 466 Sqdn. Halifaxes were one of a number of British Bombers based at this site during the war, primarily for training.

Another model of a Halifax, this time signed by aircrew veterans.

Memorial to Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC DSO DFC

Probably the prettiest Anderson Shelter I have ever seen!

Memorial to the personnel of Bomber Command who made the supreme sacrifice in WWII

It was nice to get out and back to visiting museums, something we haven't been able to do for such a long time. It was especially nice because the weather was fantastic for a change, so all in all a refreshing day out and another step back towards normality. 

Banning Photography in Museums is Stupid

Back in November of last year, I did a video about why I thought Museums were worth their weight in reference books. At the time I also mentioned photography bans in some museums but there wasn't time to discuss that at the time. Well, today's video revisits the subject and I vent my spleen a little on why I think banning photography is a stupid idea and fundamentally undermines one of the core goals of a museum, to educate. 

The video I a little bit longer than I would have liked...and this is the edited down version! If you enjoyed the video please hit the Like button, subscribe to my channel and share on social media. Until next week, keep safe, and keep rolling high!

Museums are worth their weight in reference books

It won't come as much surprise to regular readers to hear that I enjoy visiting a museum or two. In normal (pre-covid) times I'll be found visiting museums at weekends and of course on holidays. The reason I enjoy them so much is that I think they are an often-overlooked resource to the wargamer and miniatures painter. In this internet-enabled age of Google and Wikipedia, we tend to think that everything is available at the click of a button. But Museums offer so much more to the history buff and being centres of expertise in their field they often have items on display that just don't feature elsewhere. 

It does seem a little counter-intuitive extolling the virtues of museums at a time when many of us can't visit them, but they need our support if we want them to continue into the post-covid future. They have a lot to offer the Miniature Painter and Wargamer as well as the amateur historian and academics alike. Its probably not difficult to see from this video that I have my favourite museums, but what are yours? Which collections do you find yourself visiting over and over again, and what items have helped and inspired you in your wargaming?  

I hope you found this interesting and, as usual, I'd ask that if you enjoyed the video please hit the 'Like' button and consider subscribing to the channel. 

On the Road Again

My family and I like to get out and about, and most weekend we can normally be found heading towards a Museum, Living History Event or Historic Building. However, in the UK a certain pesky virus stopped all that back in March. Since then, like everyone else, we've been confined to the house at the weekend. All that enforced 'free time' had to go somewhere and I channelled it into The Quarantined Wargamer videos I have been putting on my YouTube Channel. I never thought it would be five months before we finally got to visit another museum, but with Pubs prioritised over Museums (and schools) many of our favourite locations have only recently reopened their doors to the public. This week we finally got out of the house and have visited three museums (!) and while we were at one of them I made a little video to mark the occasion. 

Rest assured this isn't the end of The Quarantined Wargamer. Sadly the risk from COVID-19 is a long way from being eradicated, and no-one knows if local lockdowns and other restrictions could be reimposed. So we are trying to make the most of it while we can, deliberately picking locations where we can enjoy some history, socially distanced from the hoards visiting beaches (and pubs). 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the video. Next week I will be back in the Operations Room, and I'll be talking about how we learn new rules. Until then, stay safe and keep rolling high!

RAF Relics in Hornchurch Country Park

Anyone that follows my blog knows that I visit a lot of museums and living history events. Like everything else, these have either been closed or cancelled and with Posties Rejects unable to have any games this has meant that my weekends have been a bit empty! Part of my reason for doing the Quarantined Wargamer videos has been to keep me occupied when I would otherwise be out and about. As social distancing rules have been eased in England, combined with some decent weather, we have been trying to get out for some much-needed exercise. Unlike tens of thousands of people, we knew the coast would be packed (social distancing be damned apparently) so instead, we stayed away from the crowds by visiting Hornchurch Country Park. 

We have visited quite a few local country parks over the last couple of months and aside from a handful of dog walkers and a few family groups, these have been largely empty. We'd be forgiven for thinking the nation had hollowed itself out as everyone and their granny headed for the coastal edges of our little island! I live in a London Suburb and as any fellow urbanite will tell you, it's never quiet. We are fortunate to have a garden to relax in when the weather is good, but its not a place for peace and quiet. Although all the country parks we have been too are within the M25 (for non-UK readers, that's the orbital motorway that effectively encircles Greater London) they are blissfully tranquil compared to my back yard. And Hornchurch Country Park has a little extra to entice me because it was once the site of RAF Hornchurch. 

The Airfield at Hornchurch first saw service in WWI until it was decommissioned in 1919. It had a new lease of life in 1928 when it reopened as RAF Hornchurch. Unfortunately pretty much all of the WWI structures were levelled when the site reopened so the remaining archaeology is mostly from WW2. The squadrons based here got their first real taste of war during the Dunkirk evacuations as they flew sorties to protect the ships. 28 Aircrew lost their lives in this mission. The next test was the Battle of Britain, as the RAF across the South East of England sought to defend Britain from the might of the Luftwaffe. Control of the skies was vital if the Germans were to launch their invasion (Operations Sealion) but after heavy air losses, they abandoned the plan. RAF Hornchurch was literally in the Front line for this crucial battle and its not hyperbole to say that if they had failed, and the invasion had taken place, the war would have taken a longer and much darker turn. 

A Type 28 PillBox - one of several guarding the Eastern Perimeter of the site overlooking the Ingreborne river valley.

The site has plenty of visible archaeology including several Type 22 Pill Boxes, some very rare Tett Turrets and the remains of at least two fighter E pens, one of which surrounds the car park! There is also a small museum in the visitor centre but we avoided that because it was a little crowded. I' sure we will be back here again pretty soon and if it's not too busy I'll try and get a look at the museum. 

Despite modern Grafitti its a well-preserved relic of the period. 

One of a number of Tett Turrets. These were one-man Machine Gun posts. Some of these were linked by communication trenches. 

Another type 22 pillbox. 

This version had an underground entrance. 

The purpose of our afternoon out was to get some exercise but the added bonus of exploring a little bit of history at the same time made this a great - and much needed - trip out. My wife and daughter were quite amused at how excited I got when we parked up and I realised we were in an E Pen, and later when I would go running off into the scrub to explore an abandoned Pill Box. Incidentally if your interested check out this website which includes some interesting information and links about the site. And it's also worth watching the Two Men in a Trench episode from 2004 (available on the BBC Archive) when Dr Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver visited the site and dug some of the archaeology.