AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons away..... and at the close of the year, Old Father Time must pass, only to be reborn. Back in the summer, we featured a number of seasonal covers from "The Passing Show" magazine of the 1930s - and here is their front cover from the Saturday 31st December 1938 issue:

Old Father Time - the aged 1938 gives way to the newly born 1939.
Both years could have gone rather better, as it turned out...

A HEREFORD1938 HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL READERS AND BLOG SUPPORTERS !

DIRECTORIES OF HEREFORD - KELLYS and JAKEMANS

Before the invention of the Internet, there was the "Yellow Pages". Before the "Yellow Pages", there were a variety of local "directories" of information, of which the best known was "Kelly's", compiled and printed in London and distributed according to City or region. The excellent "Herefordshire History Project", run by Herefordshire Libraries, has digitised the Kelly's Directories of Hereford (and surrounds) for the years 1922, 1928 - 29, 1930-31, 1932-33, 1934-1935, 1937 and 1939, and this represents a veritable treasure trove of local information for the Hereford VBCW gamer (or roleplayer!). The Kelly's Directory for 1937 is HERE

The Kelly's Directories faced local competition. In Hereford, one such was "Jakeman's Golden Guide" to "the City, County and Wye Valley":

1937 Edition of Jakeman's Golden Guide.
The frontispiece features the newly created "Queen Elizabeth's Avenue"
by the Victoria Bridge. See HERE for more information.

"Jakeman's Golden Guide" was the creation of an entrepreneurial local printer and designer of 31 Church Street, as the back of the guide demonstrates:

The distinctive "Jakemans" sloped logo on the back of the 1937 Guide.
Only a 4 digit telephone number was necessary in those days !

A view of Church Street in the early 1950s, looking towards the Cathedral.
Jakemans distinctive sign can just be made out on the right at No.31
 (second sign at first floor level)

VBCW tourists and researchers visiting Hereford may be disappointed that Jakemans has now ceased to trade. No.31 Church Street is still there, however, with an architecturally unchanged frontage:

Change of use - Jakemans Printers Shop is now a cheese shop known as "The Mousetrap".
On the plus side for the VBCW tourist, its a very good cheese shop!

WARGAMING CIVIL CONFLICT (1) - BLACK AND TANS RULES

The 1938 A Very British Civil War Facebook Page (see HERE) has recently published (in the "Files" Section of the page) a very interesting - and previously difficult to get hold of - set of rules for the Irish Rebellion (Black and Tan War). Recreating the period on the tabletop was clearly a lifetime fascination for the author, the late Leo Cronin, for the rules have copyright dates of "1968, 2001, 2004" and his Preface begins:

"The Irish Rebellion Wargame was first conceived in 1968 in the minds of Bob Beattie and Steve Manganello, fellow members of the now defunct New England Wargamers Association. Since I was the only "Irishman" in the club, they decided that l should write the rules. From their very basic notes, I put together the rules to be used in the first game and we demonstrated it at the 1968 MFCA ("Miniature Figure Collectors of America") convention and won "Best of Show". It was far ahead of its time with the use of individual figures instead of units. Role playing, personality characteristics, and skirmish gaming were unheard of in those days.

I have run this game over the past thirty years at least fifty times and have found that, for the most part, people really enjoy the ideas and the situations I have developed over the years. My wife has asked me many times to write the rules in a formal manner. Friends have urged me to publish them. Players have asked for copies. Each time I have started to organize the many notes and write the rules, I have failed. After two very good scenarios I ran at HISTORICON 2001, I decided to try again.

It has finally occurred to me that one cannot write the rules; there are far too many variables. The number of varied and sometimes strange situations that have come up over the years led me to that conclusion. Everything from attacks by bulls and dogs, lifting horses over fences. starting vehicles without keys to jumping from moving vehicles, swimming rivers, and using people as human shields have occurred in my games at one time or another. The last game I ran introduced a fox and a skunk to the play. I have decided to set down the very basic rules used; the sequence, movement distances, firing ranges and casualty tables, and a couple of minor points. The rest of the "rules" will consist of "Umpire Guidelines"' to help people to set up and run these games...."

The rules themselves (which have been called "semi-legendary") amount to only 9 pages of text - the rest of the 34 page booklet is devoted to historical information about the period. One sample scenario is included ("The Governor General Rides Again"), where a local IRA Company of 12 figures (armed with 2 pistols, 1 rifle, 1 shotgun and 1 bomb) attempt to assassinate the Viceroy, travelling in a convoy of 2 cars and 3 trucks, carrying the Viceroy and party, 6 Black and Tan figures with carbines, 10 Auxiliaries (1 pistol, 8 rifles, 1 Lewis Gun) and 6 RIC Constables with carbines. The rules note that "...the most typical scenarios would be attacks on a police barracks, ambush of Government forces (road patrols, supply vehicles), police raids on towns or farms to seize weapons or known rebels, or rebels attempts to move weapons from one point to another."

Given the period, weaponry and low figure count, all of this is very translatable to small actions in the Very British Civil War in Herefordshire; particularly now that there are a number of "Intelligence Sections" available for appropriate use (see HERE) and lots of available civilians. Leo Cronin dedicated his rules to "Jack Scruby, Charlie Sweet and Don Featherstone - who early on taught that historical miniatures wargaming should be fun", so the "spirit of the rules" seems entirely consistent with the Hereford1938 flavour. All in all, these rules are well worth a look !

Leo Cronin and his Irish Rebellion Wargame, Havoc 2002
Photo from Old Colony Wargamers Website

A few years on from 1968....Bob Beattie and Leo Cronin, Havoc 2002
Photo from Old Colony Wargamers website.

Add Edit: a review of Leo Cronin's "Irish Rebellion Wargame" by "John the OFM" from this TMP thread:

""Black and Tan War" is the very first skirmish/rpg game ever written. Leo did it for a con in 1969. Up to then, wargames were done by regiments, battalions, etc. It's probably been re-written heavily since its origin, but is a lot of fun, if The Troubles can be called "fun".

It is a VERY unbalanced game. You have the table crawling with heavily armed Crown troops, and almost unarmed Irish "civilians", who have 3 pistols and a shotgun between them, who usually win. The game is almost a metaphor for Mao's "fish swimming in a pond".

You need a large number of civilian, unarmed figures. Number their bases, and give them names. Leo even came up with the concept of NPCs before they became famous. Some of the "civilians" are "not what they seem". Some are IRA, some are informers, some can be both. During the first phase of the turn, the Crown forces can ask the informants for IRA identities. This is done by a card draw, one card for each civilian. Draw one card per informant per turn, and see if they are IRA. Then you have to find them.

Irish forces move all civilians. Crown forces may give civilians orders and search them. Weapons are usually hidden.

Finally, the Crown forces are highly varied. The Royal Irish Constabulary are local boys, and get along fine. The evil Black and Tans and Auxies are scum.

If you get the rules, DO NOT LET YOUR PLAYERS READ THE SCENARIO BOOK!!! That is extremely important, as Leo has an extremely devious mind.

The first game I played, I wanted to be IRA. I asked Leo what the Victory Conditions were. He said "The Governor General is driving through town." "OK. What are my Victory Conditions?" He looked at me like I was daft, and repeated in a louder voice, "The Governor General is riding through town!". "Oh."

Although the rules are written specifically for the Irish War of Independence, the concepts are almost universal, and could be used for many Civil Unrest games. It is very scenario driven, and players who demand even matches with each player getting a brigade with 5 regiments would be better served sticking with that kind of game. Players who cannot grasp the concept that in 1920 the RIC would NOT molest local women during a search should also play something else. Like Black and Tans.

Figure scale is 1:1. The largest group of figures that a Crown player should control is a carload.

You don't want this game for pitched battles. You want it for odd, personal rpg type scenarios."

BRITISH INFANTRY AND EQUIPMENT GUIDE

For those painting British Infantry of 1938/1939, a couple of useful references: 

Contemporary description of British Infantry Equipment

Battlefront Painting Guide - all paint references are Vallejo.
Very useful for tank camouflage colours - download and enlarge.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MINOR) BRIGADE (5) - ARMOURED SUPPORT

The Public Schools (Minor) Brigade not only enjoys substantial artillery support, but is also extremely well-equipped with armour:

Light Recce Section. 2 No. ""Corgi Juniors" Daimler Armoured Cars. Slightly smaller
 than the Dinky version, and therefore more suitable for "schoolboys". The Corgi version
also comes with a FREE plastic bren gunner as a crewman.

Rear view of the Light Recce Section. The standing "Commanders" are Dinky.

Light Tank Troop. These Mk.6Bs are old diecast Dinkys; the Troop Commander, the top 
half of plastic Airfix 8th Army figure. These tanks are much cheaper on Ebay if found
without (the unrealistic, but original) chain metal tracks. Here cardboard has been
used to simulate track (although a bit more attention could have been paid to
the painting of the insides !)

A side on view of the Light Tank Troop. Definitely back to the paintshop for
 more track and lower hull work !

A Dinky Morris Recce Car converted by removal of the roof. This vehicle has not
yet been acquired for the Armoured Commander, but will be when the right Ebay lot comes along!

The price of the armoured section - a Heavy Tank. This is a cheap bodge made up
of the hull of a broken Dinky Centurion and the turret of an out of scale and equally broken
Lone Star Armoured Car. Somehow, it all works. Note to self - again, paint the tracks !

Concluding Campaign Note : with such reinforcement by the Public Schools (Minor) Brigade, Major-General Everard is now well on his way to achieving sufficient troops to undertake his much talked about massive counter-attack. Whether he chooses to use the Brigade as an attack spearhead, alternatively in a holding role along the Dinmore Hill Line, is just one of his forthcoming (and critical) "command decisions".....

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MINOR) BRIGADE (4) - HEAVY ARTILLERY

The Public Schools (Minor) Brigade is lavishly equipped. Not content with a Light Howitzer Battery for fire support, a Heavy Artillery Battery is also available:

Lledo Dennis tow truck with Dinky seated figures; scratchbuilt gun and limber
from the Airfix WW1 RHA set with replacement wheels from the "bitzbox"

Two sets make up up a Battery. The second tow truck and limber (behind) have minimal crew.

The Heavy Artillery Battery ready to fire. The tow with minimal crew is
deployed as a marker. 

Close up of the guns, based on Airfix WW1 RHA as above, and Skybirds artillery crews.

The donor artillery tow - Lledo "Days Gone" Fire Engine stripped of its
ladder, windscreen cut and amended, vehicle repainted in military green.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MINOR) BRIGADE (3) - LIGHT HOWITZERS

A nice discovery, in the course of putting together the Public Schools (Minor) Brigade, was that the Skybirds figures were entirely compatible with Dinky figures, particularly the Dinky Royal Artillery crew and seated figures, and just compatible with Airfix or HO/OO plastic kits:

An early attempt to put all these elements together into an artillery unit (as fully described in THIS POST) - the Anti-Tank Battery (Combined Public Schools) - was comprehensively destroyed by forces of the Independent Republic of Bromyard at the Second Battle of Leominster. However, this simply allowed further development of "the concept":

Airfix plastic Bren Carriers now fully crewed by Dinky and Skybirds metal figures,
towing HaT 1/72 WW1 German artillery converted by scale necessity to "light howitzers"

The "Light Howitzer" Battery "ready for action". Skybirds artillerymen "stand to their guns":
alternative Airfix Bren Carriers (without crew) indicate full deployment.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MINOR) BRIGADE (2) - HEAVY WEAPONS

It was - this is typical- only after the Great Ebay Joblot purchase that thoughts turned to the provision of heavy weaponry for the (minor) Public Schoolboys. The "Went the Day Well" rules allow for the provision of either a Mortar or a Heavy Machine Gun, together with some kind of Anti-Tank weaponry, whether an "AT Team" with sticky bombs or the like, or an Anti-Tank rifle - see the WTDW Platoon Generator HERE.

As it turned out, Skybirds had produced a Vickers Machine Gun (with 2 crew), but this was no longer readily available, and the figures were in any event modelled wearing gas masks - not very VBCW. If Skybirds ever did produce a mortar with crew, or an Anti Tank Rifle, both were clearly as rare as hens teeth....so a solution had to be found.

Mortar and HMG with Skybirds artillery crewmen.

The solution for the mortar and HMG originated in a quite different manufacturer from a different era - plastic 1/72 scale equipment from the 1970s Italian manufacturer, "Atlantic". The ever useful "Plastic Soldier Review" provided fully detailed (and helpfully illustrated) reviews of Atlantic's varied products, and had noted (from the point of view of the dedicated 1/72 scale enthusiast):

(1). of the HMG in the WW2 "Red Army" set - "...the heavy machine gun is a complete mystery. It is the size of a small artillery piece, and looks like an enormous version of the 1910 Maxim gun. If it is indeed meant to be this weapon then apart from the size it is incorrect in many respects. The gunner has been well done and actually holds the weapon's trigger, but because of its size he cannot possibly see what he is firing at.....This set is designed as a toy and that is all it is...."

The Atlantic Red Army HMG. [Photo from Plastic Soldier Review].

(2). of the modern-era "Machine Gunners and Mortar Men" set - "The mortar is enormous - much larger than most infantry mortars, but it is actually quite well detailed. Again, we could not match it up to any real mortar in existence, though in size and baseplate it has a little resemblance to the contemporary US M2 4.2 inch. It comes in three parts (base, barrel and tripod support) and remarkably it is a much better representation of a mortar than many others to be found in sets of far higher quality (Matchbox and Esci, for example).......

Atlantic "Machine Gunners and Mortar Men" box set. Another set, titled "Heavy Mortars"
has a number of the same type of mortar.

Reverse of the box showing the mortar.

"Larger" or "much larger" in 1/72 terms generally means that "it will probably fit in quite well with 28mm figures". It would, of course, have been easy enough to "bodge-up" a mortar from a short piece of tube, some plasticard and a suitably bent paperclip, but - by serendipity - another cheap Ebay lot of "Atlantic machine guns and mortars" provided all that was necessary : not only for the (minor) public schoolboys, but also for other factions then in the making, such as the Nuns of St. Mary Magdalene .

Which leaves the Anti Tank weaponry. A Boys AT Rifle could be liberated from the Perry 8th Army box, or one scratchbuilt (in the style of John Sandars) by inserting a suitable pin in the butt and stock of a Perry Bren Gun. Alternatively, the usual "spherical AT shell" could be placed next to a suitable figure, as per the Herefordshire Police AT units:

Herefordshire Police in the VBCW. The figure to the left, with spherical shell, is
 a part of an AT Team. The fence graffiti illustrates the problems
encountered in keeping law and order. 

Yet sometimes it is worth pausing for inspiration to strike. The Public Schoolboys (Minor) Brigade therefore lacks AT capability at present, waiting upon the time when a decision just has to be made (normally about a week before a Big Game). Something is sure to turn up for an interesting "bodge":

An "interesting bodge". Hinchcliffe 20mm figures with scratchbuilt AT capability -
1/35 or 1/48 Panzerfausts mounted on a home made wheeled chassis.
Should the Public Schoolboys (Minor) be similarly equipped ?

SKYBIRDS FIGURES and SGT ALFRED J. HOLLADAY CIV

As mentioned HERE, the idea for the Public Schoolboys (Minor) Brigade originated in an Ebay "joblot" purchase. The "joblot figures" were wholly unidentified, and thrown together in a large pile for the seller's (rather dimly lit and uninviting) photograph. No scales, heights or measurements of any kind were given, and nobody was bidding on these chipped and rather sad lead men. But they were clearly wearing British helmets and greatcoats....and they were very, very cheep.....

Now (borne out by hard experience) the risk with these Ebay lots is that one finishes up with useful fishing weights, rather than useable figures, but sometimes, just sometimes.....

Reorganised, rebased, repainted Ebay joblot

......things actually do work out. The figures turned out to be slightly larger than 20mm in height, but by no means giving the impression of 1/72 or 1/76 scale - possibly because they were modelled with a substantial "girth" - rather like, back in the 1970s, Minifigs 25mm were "smaller but stouter" than the leaner Hinchliffe 25mm. The few figures with broken rifles had the remnants of their Lee-Enfields replaced with 28mm Lewis Guns from "Colonel Bills" without any apparent visual ill effect. Some simple spraying and painting later, and four sections of "schoolboy infantry" emerged -

Mitigating height difference - the schoolboys have acquired "thicker than usual" MDF bases.
Their comparators are 28mm First Corps refugee figures - to the left on the usual plastic base
and to the right unbased. A reasonable fit - and First Corps are not the smallest 28mm.

Never having seen figures of this type before, however, the nagging questions remained - who had made them, and when? A bit of research later, and the answers emerged. Who? A.J.Holladay & Co. Ltd (trading as "Skybirds" and "Givjoy") of 3, Aldermanbury Avenue, London EC2. When? From 1936 - mid 1940s, which made these figures (or at least their moulds) quite as old as the VBCW itself !

Confirmation - Skybirds British Infantry on a reproduction header card.

A chance find in the Airfix Magazine back catalogue (see HERE) confirmed that the range of Skybirds figures included British Infantry, and yielded some useful line illustrations. The same article disclosed that modellers and wargamers were already waxing nostalgic about the Skybirds range more than fifty years ago!

Airfix Magazine 1969.

The figure range seems to have been ancillary to Skybirds' main business, i.e. the production of aircraft kits and accessories:

Proper "old skool" modelling - the Skybirds Fairey Battle kit

Suitable for 1938 - the Skybirds Gloster Gladiator

It appears that Skybirds were the first to introduce 1/72 scale for aircraft models - long before companies such as Airfix or Revell entered the scale modelling market. Compatibility between man and machine then explained the (nominally) 1/72 scale of Skybirds figures:

AA guns naturally follow aircraft - Skybirds produced a complete AA set, including 
sound detectors and height/track predictors with crew.

Investigation of the "Skybirds" range produced something even more interesting, however - some information about the proprietor of the company, Alfred J. Holladay. Some twenty or so years before he started producing his ground breaking 1/72 models, A.J. Holladay had produced one of the very first sets of wargame rules:

and a boxed set of  Victorian - era soldiers to go with them:

"Wargames for Boy Scouts" identifies the author as "Sergt. A.J. Holladay, late C.I.V." - it's very likely, therefore, that Holladay fought in the Boer War as a City of London Imperial Volunteer. The Victorian era flavour of the rules is inescapable from Holladay's own introduction, beginning "...I say, comrades...." !

For those that care to examine such early rules (apparently first published in 1910, and therefore three years before H.G. Wells "Little Wars") a complete PDF of "Wargames for Boy Scouts" has kindly been made available for free download by Jonathan Linneman on HIS BLOG.

Holladay therefore appears to have started out as a mixture of the Donald Featherstone and Peter Gilder of his day, before going on to a remarkably entrepreneurial career in military modelling and production. Sadly completely forgotten now......and all of this information from an Ebay joblot of unidentified lead men.....

Notes:

(1). Jonathan Linneman's TMP thread (from 2016) on the "Wargames for Boy Scouts" rules is HERE

(2). The "History of Wargaming Project" by John Curry publishes a book ("The Wargaming Pioneers") including these rules, together (amongst others) with "The Liddell Hart Wargame" from 1935 - see HERE

(3). The Brighton Toy and Model Museum Index has more information on the Skybirds range HERE

(4). There is a lengthy and interesting thread on Skybirds 1/72 aircraft on the "Solid Model Memories" message board HERE. Lots of photos of 1930s aircraft models !

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MAJOR) - UNIFORM REFERENCES

The major English Public Schools are the so-called "Clarendon" schools (so called because of the Clarendon Commission of 1861 - 1864), namely, Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Westminster and Winchester. As noted in the previous blogpost, they retained their social distinction during the VBCW by entering combat in their distinctive school uniforms, rather than adopting, as per the Minor Public Schools, a more conventional military uniform (of the smaller sizes):

Eton Rifles at present - in morning dress

Eton Rifles off to war - I say, out of our way, oiks !

Harrow School Infantry Section off to the armoury to collect their (inevitable)
Lee Enfield .303 Rifles. This is clearly an early war photograph, as the white flannels
 and straw boaters proved socially correct but slightly impractical "on campaign".

PUBLIC SCHOOLS (MINOR) BRIGADE (1) - INFANTRY and COMMAND

Major-General Everard, C-in-C of Crown Forces in the County of Herefordshire, has long been calling for reinforcements - sometimes rather desperately. Edward VIII has now despatched to the County "the flower of Royalist youth", none other than the newly uniformed and heavily equipped Public Schools (Minor) Brigade: 

Minors from the minor Public Schools - 4 sections of Schoolboy Infantry

HQ Command Section - CinC, No.2, Medic, Standard Bearer (no standard yet) and 2 "runners"

Command Section Transport - comfortable C-in-C saloon and Recruiting/Supply Vehicle

March-past in parade order : the C-in-C reviews some infantry sections.

Notes: 

(1). these are identifiable as boys from the Minor Public Schools because they are conventionally uniformed (in the smaller sizes). Combat units from the major public schools, such as Eton, Harrow, Winchester, etc., obviously went into battle in the VBCW in top hat and tails, or boaters and short jackets.

(2). the officers and nurse are slim 30mms from Marks Little Soldiers - an irresistible purchase from HERE. The "boys" themselves were obtained via a "very cheep unlabelled" joblot purchase from Ebay - more on their origins in blogposts to come. For the moment we can only say that, notwithstanding their purported youth, these infantry figures are in fact as old as the VBCW itself !

CAMPAIGN NEWS !

It is no great secret that Major - General Everard, C-in-C of Crown Forces in the County of Herefordshire, is planning a massive counter-offensive. The only question is where - and that calls not just for military judgment, but some delicate diplomacy.....

A highly stylized view of Herefordshire, but sufficient to orientate a campaign newcomer.

The main factions' campaign centres as follows:

(1). at HEREFORD, Major General Everard and his "Forces of the Crown";

(2). at ROSS ON WYE, Captain Teddy Jermingham and his Hereford Anglicans;

(3). at HAY ON WYE, Eustace Spode and his Fascist Blackshorts;

(4). at KINGTON, (and Presteigne, not shown) Comrade Colonel Professor Winters' Communists;

(5). at LEOMINSTER, the Bishop of Ludlow's Anglican Ludlow Expeditionary Force;

(6). at BROMYARD, Councillor Arthur Dribblesnot's Democratic Socialists (or Social Democrats);

(7). at LEDBURY, the "Mailed Fist Battlegroup" of Mosley's British Union of Fascists.

Apart from the main factions, there are any number of Independents, Landowners Local Defence Associations, Farmers Co-Operatives, heavily armed Women's Institutes and other kinds of local (and visiting) militants. 

In the south of the County, in alliance with the Herefordshire Anglicans, Sir Gilbert Hill and his Golden Valley Invincibles hold extensive territories from Pontrilas up to Clifford, the last stop on the Golden Valley Railway before Hay on Wye. At Wigmore in the north-west, Sir Barrington and Lady Deirdre Patchpole KC maintain the independence of "Mortimer Country". Scattered across the County are sundry "County personalities" determined to defend their estates, such as Lady Helena Gleichen (with her "Much Marcle Watchers") and Baron Somers of Eastnor Castle (and his scout troops). The Herefordshire police, led by Chief Constable Recurrin-Lockdowne, attempt to "maintain law and order" (invariably suffering heavy casualties in the process), while the capitalist  "Corporate Guards", together with Commander Camshaft of the Automobile Association, attempt to "keep commerce flowing" despite the Civil War chaos, and defend their varied corporate interests in the County.

Having triumphed against the Communists at the Battle of Hope under Dinmore and assisted Sir Charles Tite-Wadde's Corporate Guards successful defence at the Battle of Marlbrook (see HERE), Major General Everard, in order to provide a "masse de manoeuvre" sufficient to take the offensive, must now negotiate with any number of factions and individuals....

Note - click the "Gossip" blog label to the right of this post for all of the campaign background over time...

MERRY CHRISTMAS !

A characteristically elegant 1930s Christmas Card for all of Hereford1938s blog readers and supporters:

Christmas - and perhaps a hint for the Modelling Challenge 2024 !

together with a suggestion of some music for you across this festive season:

Hereford Cathedral Choir - streaming here on Amazon

The Choristers at the Christmas Eve service, Hereford Cathedral.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all !