RADICAL HEROES - INTERNATIONAL BRIGADERS

As noted HERE, just as the Spanish Civil War was "winding down", the Very British Civil War was "heating up". In late 1938, the "International Brigades", then fighting for the Spanish Republic, were disbanded and withdrawn (in a futile attempt by the then President of the Republic, Juan Negrin, to make an end to all foreign intervention in the conflict, and win the support of the British and French Governments). This meant that a lot of British Radicals (in significant part, Communists), experienced in the ways of civil war, then returned to the UK - with consequences well known to all VBCW historians.

In any event, the British Contingent of the International Brigades has been well (indeed, exhaustively) documented - down to the personal histories of each individual fighting with the "British Battalion". THIS PAGE HERE gives wonderful detail of the kind of personalities who were willing to fight, and if necessary, die, for the "Anti-Fascist cause" in the late 1930s:

A posthumous Communist salute from Charles Goodfellow, a Scottish miner
and member of the CPGB from 1921. Killed by shrapnel to the head on Mosquito Ridge,
 Battle of Brunete. He arrived in Spain on 22nd December 1936. MORE HERE

Although consistently describing themselves simply as "Anti Fascists", the International Brigades were in large part organised and financed by the Comintern and, at the Comintern's orders, European Communist Parties. Harry Pollitt, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, did his bit from 16, King Street, the CPGB HQ, and visited the British Battalion in Spain:

, 

British Battalion LtoR - Walter Tapsell with pipe, William Paynter, Fred Copeman, 

Harry Pollitt, George Aitken, George Brown, Bert Williams.

28mm International Brigade from North Star Figures (Crusader). It's not clear whether
these are still available, or have now gone OOP - enquiries to North Star.
Nobody (as yet) seems to make a 28mm "Harry Pollitt" figure.

All you need to complete an "International Brigade" force for the VBCW
 - a generic International Brigade Flag.

RADICAL HERO (1) - MICHAEL FOOT COLOURISED

Those readers of a certain age may remember Michael Foot as Leader of the Opposition (1980 - 1983) and fierce critic of Margaret Thatcher. At the 1983 General Election, sponsoring a party manifesto memorably described as "the longest suicide note in history" (courtesy Gerald Kaufman, a Labour Front Bencher), Foot lost in a landslide, experiencing the worst result for the Labour Party since 1935:

Michael Foot and Margaret Thatcher at the Cenotaph, November 1981

Having had an extremely lengthy political career, Michael Foot would have well remembered the 1935 result, for it was then that he fought his very first Parliamentary election, in the constituency of Monmouth, right next door to Herefordshire.

A (very) young Michael Foot, Labour Party Candidate, 1935

Michael Foot, 1935, colourised.

For more on Michael Foot's 1935 election, and his subsequent involvement in Herefordshire's VBCW, see the Bishop's Broadcasting blog HERE. On any basis, a "radical hero" for the "Broad Left" !

CHEAP VBCW TANKS (6) - SP ARTILLERY

The sixth in our occasional series of how to create large VBCW armoured forces for only a few pounds. Here is a cheapy Chinese pre-moulded plastic tank that pops up on Ebay from time to time: 

Far too modern looking, of course, for the VBCW - on the other hand, there's no bothering with painfully cutting out from sprues, assembling and gluing lots of tiny plastic parts before one gets to something vaguely resembling an armoured vehicle. Here there are only two parts - the turret and the chassis. And there's the intriguing element of pre-moulded "bullets" at the rear end of the vehicle, which obviously suggested a conversion to some form of SP Artillery.

So - remove the turret (with fingers!). Then find some kind of (preferably cheepy plastic, preferably non scale) artillery that "looks right" sitting on top of the now denuded hull, cutting away any gun parts (such as wheels and trail) to fit. Paint, add crew, et voila:

BUF "Bison" SP Artillery. Non scale plastic 25pdrs converted to fit. Crew by Empress, GW etc.
(anything in a sidecap, really). The "bullets" at the rear of the chassis are now
"readily available artillery shells" for quick firing operations.

For more on the role of BUF "Bisons" in the Hereford VBCW, together with the full tale of the theft of the design  its subsequent adoption by the Wehrmacht, see HERE.

TYPES OF THE VBCW (20) - SPANISH SOVIET ADVISER

The relationship between the Spanish Civil War and the Very British Civil War, as previously noted, is somewhat hazy; one thing that is certain, however, is that just as the Spanish Civil War was winding down (it officially ended in the Spring of 1939), the Very British Civil War was heating up. Hence, it's no surprise that a variety of battle-hardened "advisers" made their way from Spain to Herefordshire, including this stern-looking "Spanish Soviet" officer:

Very nicely painted Bolt Action Soviet Adviser.
Ideal for the Presteigne or Kington Communist Fronts.

Strangely, notwithstanding the chaotic and deadly nature of the fighting in Herefordshire, Soviet "advisers" may have thought a transfer "in County" from Spain to be some form of life-saver. The record of Communist military advisers recalled from the Spanish Civil War direct to Moscow was not a happy one, as illustrated by the well-known Vladimir Copic (see full Wiki bio HERE):

Vladimir Copic. A prominent Yugoslav Communist and famous (or notorious)
Republican Commander and Commissar of the XVth International Brigade
during the Spanish Civil War. After the Battles of Jarama and Belchite, recalled
to Moscow, denounced and imprisoned as a Trotskyite deviationist, then shot by
the NKVD in April 1939. For earlier purges of prominente, see HERE.

RIVER GUNBOATS (FROM LEGO)

Back in 1973 (now more than fifty years ago!), Lego produced a series of plastic ships:

The original Lego advert, reflecting contemporary issues - Icelandic
Cod Wars, French passenger ferry, and cargo boat "with fruit from the
West Indies, machinery to Australia and oil from the Middle East"

The Lego Trawler

These Lego boats had a detachable keel, enabling the boat to be used "in the bath" or "on the carpet". Over the succeeding years, a variety of variants were produced, such as the Lego "Police boat":

The later police boat. Simply a different superstructure on the same
type of hull, and "rebranding by transfers" (or decals if you're American)

Apart from the detachable keel, the useful thing about these boats is that the pre-formed plastic hulls are split up in to Lego type sections, easily clickable together in shorter or longer lengths:

3 sections

or 4 sections

These vintage Lego boats (or more accurately, bits of them, usually hulls without any superstructure) turn up fairly regularly on Evilbay, and very often at useful prices. One thing to watch out for, however, is (whether by reason of age or children's fingers) the hulls sometimes have broken sides (see the example above) - so be careful when studying the photographs to avoid disappointment.

All that said, these hulls are pretty much the right size for 20 or 28mm figures, and take all the work out of "building gunboats". A plasticard covering for the "Lego nobbly deck", a suitable superstructure and a gun or two, and you're ready to rule the River Wye take your place at the bar of the Hereford Boathouse!

As always, some modelling inspiration:

The Sarissa Gunboat. Too large for the River Wye, although it might form part of the
"Bristol Fleet". Anyway, a good superstructure to emulate..PS If you're patient or lucky,
you can get about three - four Lego hulls for the price of one of these Sarissa kits!

Impossible to resist the more "Colonial Style" gunboat - part of Hereford's own "Great White Fleet" ?

HEREFORD BOATHOUSE - FLOTILLA COMMAND

As a Victorian visitor to Hereford once wrote on his postcard home:

"This is one of the finest rivers in England for Boating...."
River Wye - looking towards the Old Bridge in the distance.

Hereford Regatta, on the River Wye, was a famous rowing event from its inception in 1859, the Regatta Course running from the Old Bridge to Hunderton Railway Bridge:

Reverse view - the Regatta Course viewed from the Old Bridge
toward the Hunderton Railway Bridge.

Approximately the same view - but colourised.

Given the success of the Regatta, it wasn't too long (probably around the turn of the century) before Hereford Rowing Club built their own, rather splendid, boathouse on the Wye:

Hereford Boathouse, with steps leading down to the Wye. Old Bridge in the distance.

Another view of the boathouse, far left. The steps (wide enough for an eight) are well shown here.
 Old Bridge again in the background.

As all VBCW researchers will know, the Hereford Boathouse is only a short distance away from Sully's Garage, the home of Lord de Braose's Wye Dredging Public Works Programme:

Old Bridge, with Sullys Garage (white building) on the left.

It was therefore only natural that, as Lord de Braose's dredging programme slowly made the Wye navigable for small gunboats, collectively known as the "Wye Flotilla", the Admiralty chose the Hereford Boathouse as their HQ building. Of course, when we say "small gunboats", sometimes the Wye could accept larger craft:

The Wye in flood, August 1912. Boathouse in the centre. The river's banks and the
rowing steps have completely disappeared beneath the immense flood waters
 - briefly capable of floating a battleship.

And as all VBCW researchers will also know (and be very anxious to tell you, often in excruciating detail), the Edwardian boathouse is one of Hereford's (mercifully few) "great architectural losses". In 1958, a new boathouse was built on the same site:

The Boathouse today (with the Wye flooding). A 1958 "box" structure with little embellishment.

The "glory days" of the Wye Flotilla during the VBCW have, of course, long gone - along with the Edwardian elegance of Flotilla HQ. Argument still rages as to whether this architectural loss was caused by civil war explosion, or post war municipal vandalism : stay tuned for future blogposts and, of course, the shocking but unvarnished truth.

SPANISH REPUBLICAN PARADE - 1932

"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there" (LP Hartley, "The Go-Between") is one of the mottos of the Hereford 1938 campaign. (Didn't know we had campaign mottos? Well, we do now.) And after the excitement of Hereford's VE Day Parade, a parade slightly earlier in time, and definitely from a foreign country - the first anniversary parade (1932) of the founding of the Spanish Republic:

Smart Spanish marines, rifles at the slope...

Sixth Infantry Regiment...note LMGs as well as rifles..

Horse Artillery...

Motorised Artillery (interesting travelling position for the guns)....

Anti Aircraft unit with searchlights...

Air Force (note no camouflage)....

Motorised Infantry (fantastic trucks and variety of command cars)...

and finally (for now)...the Ambulance Unit (both mules and motorised!)

Great additions to previous blogposts on contemporaneous paper soldiers - and if there is any doubt as to these troops loyalty to the Republic, well, a propaganda unit has already been recruited.....

BARRICADES - SUGGESTIONS (1)

Some random thoughts on (commercially produced) "barricades", part of the Modelling Challenge 2024:

One of a series of barricades offered by Alternative Armies - see HERE - tables,
beds, library shelves etc. etc.

Oshiro Models carry a few barricades, clearly designed for Boxer Rebellion era games,
but generally useful. See HERE

Chopped Wood Piles. The least elaborate of barricades, but quite effective.
These are from "Dreamholme Scenices" on Ebay, but are perfect for scratchbuilding

Anyscale Models desk, sandbag barricade and extras. An HQ set for the below..

Anyscale Models again, with a wide variety of barricades.
See the full range HERE

These are produced more as inspiration for scratchbuilding, rather than a positive encouragement to buy - for nobody yet has been known to be able to buy their way to the Modelling Challenge Cup - that would be most Un-British! No doubt more "barricade" posts to come in due course.....

MODELLING CHALLENGE 2024 (FIRST ENTRY ! )

Delivered at the Spring Big Game 2024 (back in March), the very first entries for the Modelling Challenge 2024 ("Ladies! To the Barricades!), all of them (with full biographical commentary!) from Alan (aka Major-General Everard):

Lady Rita Talbot-Ponsonby

"Lady Rita Talbot-Ponsonby. Renowned heroine of the battle of Aconbury, who assumed command after the mental collapse of her brother, the Reverend Cyril Talbot-Ponsonby, in charge of the Anglican League force, and successfully rallied the wavering troops. Since retired to her country estate to care for her dogs, horses and brother."

Lydia Warming-Knightley

"Lydia Warming-Knightley. Captain of the Cheltenham Ladies College hockey team and veteran of battles at Bredwardine and Whitney Bridge. Since attended Somerville College, Oxford where she obtained a First in Biology."

Mrs Cecily Farthingale

"Mrs.Cecily Farthingale. Habituee of the City and County Dining and Refreshment Rooms in Hereford, and well-informed on county and court rumour. Her outward appearance of a flippant feather-brained gossip belies an inner steel, as she is well capable of maintaining and using the various weapons in her husband's gun cabinet."

Old Mother Clackett

"Old Mother Clackett. Renowned locally throughout North Herefordshire as a ‘Wise Woman’, Mother Clackett dispenses advice and medical assistance of various kinds to local folk, especially unmarried young girls in need of certain services. Although non-aligned (‘no time for all these pompous idiots who think they can run the country’) she did act as a First Aider for the Anglican League at the battle at Winforton."

Rose

"Rose. A stunning beauty always in popular demand at the Bordel de Campagne where she offers ‘comfort with extras’ to government troops."

Many thanks to Alan for his entries, which we can confirm were accompanied by a "Big Box of Barricades" as per the rules for the Modelling Challenge 2024. It is impossible to predict how all may be received by the renowned Judging Panel, but if nothing else (given the fantastically early timing of Alan's entry) they look a shoo-in for at least a "Greased Lightning Award - with Extra Flashes".....

Note: Ladies are required for the Autumn Big Game 2024, and the barricades (which should nevertheless accompany the Ladies) for the Autumn Big Game 2025. Just in case anyone should have been confused........

HEREFORD VE DAY PARADE

On Tuesday, 8th May 1945, Hereford (along with the rest of the country) celebrated VE Day. Fully illustrated posts of Hereford's Tuesday celebrations are HERE (PART ONE) and HERE (PART TWO). That weekend, Hereford staged a VE Parade:

Putting the band back together - although difficult to tell in black and white, this is probably
a collection of RAF musicians awaiting the start of the parade. Behind them, a good look at
some of the shops in High Town - amongst them, the Maypole Dairy, George Mason the grocer,
 and Fredricks.

Awaiting the dignitaries - a shot of the reviewing stand. The seated figures seem to
be wounded servicemen. We can now make out the shop between the Maypole Dairy
and George Mason, Grocer - "Frank Stewart", who is shut for the day.

Still waiting for the dignitaries. They'll be here soon.......

And here they are, exiting from Church Street in to High Town. This is the start
of the Mayor's Party, with the Town Hall "Chosen Men" carrying ceremonial staffs,
led by (probably) the Chief Constable of Police.

The Sword Bearer in robes, passing Wakefield Knight (drapers) and Boots.

The Mayor (with chain), accompanied by the Remembrancer (in wig) and Aldermen
 in procession, exiting from Church Street, between
Boots the Chemist and Scotts Radio.

The start of the parade - a party of smartly marching Wrens (Women's Royal Naval Service)
The long frontage of Greenlands Department Store ("the Harrods of Herefordshire")
 in the background.

The Army. They could be Home Guard, but are more likely a select party of the
Herefordshire Regiment, who at this time (rather oddly) seem to have
had "Scottish Touries" as headgear.

Another Army Party, this time in berets rather than "Scottish Touries".

A party of "walking wounded" followed by representatives of the Home Guard (in sidecaps)

A very nice shot of the same parties passing the Reviewing Stand,
- "eyes right" to the Mayor and seated Councillors.

WRACS (Womens Royal Army Corps) or possibly WAAFS (Womens Auxiliary Air Force)

Two chaps find a spot for a better view. An Austin K2 ambulance on the right.

 

The Yanks are here! The Stars and Stripes in front of an American party.

Passing our informal reviewers (still clinging to the lampost)

And a last shot - a party from the Womens Land Army, a section of nurses, and then
a marching military Band.

Note - for more on the Mayor, City Council, Swordsman, Remembrancer and "Chosen Men" - see HERE