Medway Model Show - Royal Engineers Museum 5/6th Sept 2009

An annual favourite'Medway Modellers Showcase' For more information:Phone 01634 822839.The Medway Modellers Club hosts their annual show at the Royal Engineers Museum with trade stands, wargames and family activities plus as a bonus it is at The Royal Engineers Museum which is Kent's only designated museum of national and international importance. It provides a fascinating insight into the debt owed by Britain to its soldier engineers from the earliest times to the present day.



'Discover the bravery and heroism of our soldier engineers With 26 galleries and 6,000 exhibits, the museum tells a fascinating story. The First and Second World War galleries give visitors a feel for life during the more gruelling parts of the 20th century. They depict the grim reality of life in the First World War trenches, the glaring beams of Second World War searchlights and offer a glimpse of a Medway family home under the threat of invasion in 1940.Displays include 55-ton tanks, a Harrier ground attack aircraft, torpedoes, bridges, models, railway locomotives, weapons, uniforms, a variety of medals (including 25 Victoria Crosses) and the very map used by the Duke of Wellington during the battle of Waterloo.The museum also has an extensive library of military history'.

The advert is a bit poor taken from the local newspaper 'whats on' and frankly the museum web site is a bit 'pants' but it is a great collection and a museum which has lots of events throughout the year with re enactors in attendance , the Zulu War being a favourite. Highly recommended to visit I intend to soon!!

Battle of Dorking - 1871

I first came across this book in Dorking library in the early 1990's when I was researching local history/natural history on Ranmore Common in Surrey for a university project. The common is above Dorking and great for reptiles especially Adders....naturally I got sidetracked immediatly I came across this book and an old copy it was too, in the 'not to be lent section.'



Looking at my Blog list I see that Historical Wargaming blog 'hub'mentions a game 1871: The Battle of Dorking, which can be downloaded, all the details are on the blog site. Basically it follows the book which was about the fictional invasion of Britain by Germany in 1871.

The book was Written by Sir George Tomkyns Chesney (1830-1895) 'who was a British Army general and brother of Colonel Charles Cornwallis Chesney. Educated at Blundell's School, Tiverton, and at Addiscombe, he entered the Bengal Engineers as second lieutenant in 1848. He was employed for some years in the public works department and, on the outbreak of the Indian rebellion of 1857, joined the Ambala column, was field engineer at the battle of Badli-ke-serai, brigade-major of engineers throughout the siege of Delhi, and was severely wounded in the assault (he received a medal and clasp and a brevet majority). In 1860, he was appointed head of a new department in connection with the public works accounts. His book Indian Polity (1868), dealing with the administration of the several departments of the Indian government, attracted wide attention and remains a permanent textbook. In 1871, he contributed to Blackwoods Magazine a highly influential short story called The Battle of Dorking: Reminiscences of a Volunteer, a vivid account of a supposed invasion of England by the Germans after their victory over France' (Amazon Biog description)



Another tangent using all those early Perry Franco Prussian war figs in a box in the loft? Helion figures?? What British figures to use in home garb not the usual colonial figs? Any suggestions ????....don't think with all my current projects I could take on another one but interesting all the same and something to think about at work! Also look at Matt's Blog Waterloo to Mons which this subject fits well and truly into and his links give a good list of potential figure suppliers!

Figures in the above pictures include some of my fathers original toy soldiers, an 'Astra' fort gun and some Unfinished (what a surprise!)Wargames Foundry Perry Prussians which had escaped the loft.

I have just ordered a copy of the battle of Dorking on Amazon plus the superb book on the Artwork by Roy Cross the artist behind the best of the original Airfix box tops for the nostalgia trip!!

If you ever visit Dorking it has a gem of a traditional model shop called logically 'Dorking Models'

Invasion of Poland 1939 - 70 years ago today

Sorry for another aircraft post but today being the 70th anniversary of the start of WW2 with the invasion of Poland, see BBC coverage including interview with Ignacy Skowron who literally saw WW2 start. I thought I would contribute with a clasic kit of the past and WW2 Polish tanks etc are a specialist area I have not ventured into...amazingly!!

The PZL P-11c was obsolete by 1939 but heroically flown by their well trained pilots, many of whom were to prove themselves with the RAF flying Spitfire and Hurricanes very succesfully in the Battle of Britain and throughout the war.

Amazingly one survives in the aviation museum in Krackow The link will also give you the history of this iconic aircraft...well its the one I think of to do with the Invasion of Poland.

Back in the early 70's we used to stay as a family on our summer holidays with friends in Somerset and Dad and I used to spend some of his hard earnt 'Green Shield Stamps' (awarded from petrol stations etc put them in a book and exchange for goods at the green shield stamp shop)on kits. Revell did a set of four planes etc and one of these was the PZL P-11c, dad made this on one wet summers day as I was in my formative years as a modeller/wargamer & it still exists somewhere!This is an unmade kit from my 'nostalgia collection' comprising of 23 pieces!!



Note also Ospreys new battles of World War II series of books obtainable in Smiths etc the cheap welcome to the series offer is Poland 1939 Germany's 'lightning strike' a hardback book on the invasion of Poland for £1.99. I usually get the first few offers with this kind of deal and never join! bargain!!

Wind in the Wires

No wargames figures at all during the past 3 months after a good start this year production and enthusiasm waned with back and neck problems due probably to sitting at a computer to much, after all we seem to be chained to them at work. however a few WW1 biplanes were produced and these are the results. Above is a Spad XIII in RFC colours an old ESCI kit.



The Spad with the Airfix Bristol Fighter and Revell SE5a (bought cheaply in Modelworld sale earier this year)



The SE5a was built on holiday in a rented cottage in the Forest of Dean so I didn't have my usual modelling box with me the decals on the top wing 'silvered' even with Humbrol decalfix and this is slightly more noticable as they have no white circle being of 143 sqd Home Defence based at Detling in May 1918. Also the 'fun' job of rigging still has to be done as the pet spider was left at home!

Now usually Hazel plans a holiday destination devoid of aircraft museums/military museums I'm sure not deliberatly, only to find our host was based at RAF Brize Norton so I got myself invited to the officers mess while the family went llama trecking!

Military Odyssey 2009 or Wings & Wheels Dunsfold ???

Military Odyssey Kent Showground Detling Kent

August Bank Holiday Weekend
Saturday 29th, Sunday 30th & Monday 31st August 2009
Gates open at 9.30am with Arena Events commencing at 10.00am

Not only the Country's Largest Multi-Period Living History Event, but now the Worlds largest event of its type with a huge collectors market with hundreds of traders (To quote directly the web site!)

We seem to have a proliferation of military themed events in Kent this year with the new Military Mayhem show at Faversham and the first Headcorn Vintage Aircraft Fly In & Military Vehicle show which included lots of WWII re enactors. Two of the stalwart shows have been the annual War & Peace show at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood and Military Odyssey at the kent Showground on Detling Hill above Maidstone, the site of an old aerodrome where 500 County of Kent Squadron were based with their Avro Ansons in 1939 (could woffle on about the aerodrome for ages so must stop immediatly!)

I attended Military Odyssey last year and it was excellent in parts. Hazel even ventured along with me and enjoyed the showmanship of the medieval jousting 'knights'.



We missed most of the morning and the Napoleonic re enactment but witnessed the afternoons entertainment!

Unfortunatly they clutter the display ring with less than convincing 'cardboard' houses etc mostly I think for the benefit of the WW2 re enactors and so diminishes the 'authentic' uniforms of the other groups and looked downright out of place with the American Civil War re enactment. The uniforms and drill of the ACW groups was excellent as was the cloud of gunssmoke emitted when their muskets were discharged in a volley...really does emphasise what the 'fog of war' looks like and on a battlefield of 50,000 + must have added to the confusion big time!



The WW1 societies were very impressive especialy in their camp setting, I didn't watch their arena display as if they had gone about it with an element of reality the Maxim the germans had would have mown down the British contingent in 15 seconds!! perhaps if they had re enacted that then more people may be more aware of the realities and horrors of conflict than what these cosy sanitised re enactments depict....you know the thing...volley of muskets 2 chaps collapse....2 mins later they re join the affray or raise their heads to watch whats going on!I must own up to being interested in the uniforms, equipment and the soldiers life element of these displays and not the bang bang your dead element of displays.....controversial or what!



That nasty 'Hun Gun'my grandfather had a small collection of german machine Gun Bullets in his chest 'till the day he died at 92



The WW2 2 display we did watch,the element which interests me is seeing equipment manned withTanks crewed up and guns served,this brings life to 'hardware' and helps when modelling vehicles for the wargames table.



So what will be my chosed day of entertainment this bank Holiday Weekend.......... Dunsfold Wings & Wheels in Leafy Surrey. Many moons ago when I was a teenager I was invited to the BAC families open day there and it was an excellent show the highlight being the Mosquito and Sunderland Flying Boat (Sandringham version I think). Dunsfold was the test aerodrome for Harriers once they had been assembled in the days when we had an aircraft industry at Brooklands and Kingston. The main reason for attendance the VULCAN I still havn't seen it fly since its return to the sky's last year and I always enjoyed it's displays when I was a regular airshow attende in the 80's...please weather be fine....please XH558 be servicable theres a good beastie!



Above is a picture taken from the Vulcan to the Sky website of a recent appearance in Devon in formation with the Red Arrows and below a picture I took at a Fairford Air display at a Fairford IAT day in classic bomb doors open attitude in 1989.

Sheerness Centre Bastion Battery

The above photo was taken last weekend when we visited Sheppey for the annual 'World Walking the Plank' contest!! at Queenborough.



The centre Bastion Battery was developed as part of the fortifications at Sheerness to protect the naval Port and entrance to the Medway from 1825 and was updated until WW2 finally being abandoned in 1956.



Have a look at the superb and fascinating website 'Underground Kent' for better photo's and other areas of Sheerness Fort which is sadly not open to the public. Also Wars of Louis Quatorze for more details on Sheerness and Queenborough and the fortifications at the time of the Dutch raid in 1667.

Painting Update

A little off my main interest but I do occassionally still play D&D (I started with friends back in Walton On Thames in about 1982)My current Dungeon Companions have now advanced to the latest set of rules and a new forgotten Realms campaign. My character is the new Warlord Class and I am playing a Dark Elf! As usual the best bit for me is painting the miniatures and the Dwarf posted here is I think an old Denizen figure which one of the players Adam wanted me to paint and base.





The figure was sprayed with Halfords black undercoat and then carefully immediatly wiped off using a soft cloth leaving the residue black to 'antique' the metal of the casting.





Above & Below is one of the ranger figures from Games Workshop for Lord of The Rings painted as a half elf ranger for our previous D&D campaign. Note 'stretched sprue' bow string ! see aircaft modelling skills are useful for figures to!





Now at long last the other week my small Minifigs order arrived, delayed as the owner was running the whole operation singlehanded! Also some lovely Empress Miniatures Zulu Wars figures...fantastic!! Some aircraft modelling will have to take place since Hannants released a model in their xtrakit range of the Scimitar!! not modelled before in injection plastic format & I love Fleet Air Arm jets so another project!!





Why when you have a reasonably sized painting workstation/room do you end up working right on the edge of the painting area...and filling up the rest of the desk with paint pots, brushes, half finished projects, beer glasses, radio's etc etc!! nearly finished in shot are the two Grenadiers representing the grenadier comany of the Buffs and a plastic Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.J 'fast assembly kit' from Italeri which will be spayed and finished in no time at all...this I have found gives relief from painting small 15mm detail and improves morale in getting something finished quickly!!

I have also updated my other two blogs including photo's of a trip to Manston Airport and the Zero carbon home at Staplehurst Crossways as featured on the programme Grand Designs