UPDATE.

 A MOST WELCOME GIFT.

Knowing of my interest in horse drawn logistics,  Mark at Man of Tin blog recently contacted me to offer me a book about British Army horses that was now surplus to his requirements. I gratefully accepted and the book arrived today.

WOW....the book is an original official War Office publication from 1933. I had expected a reprint perhaps rather than such a valuable original. Just a brief thumb though reveals a wealth of information on the British Army's horse management policies and practices that will be so useful to me.

I cannot express my thanks enough to Mark for his generosity and this most welcome addition to my library. Naturally I will publish a full review of the book once I have fully digested it.

Thanks Mark !!!!!

BOOK REVIEW: THE TALE OF A FIELD HOSPITAL.

 

This book is a reprint of an account written in 1900 by Sir Frederick Treves, a highly regarded surgeon who volunteered for service in the Boer War as a consultant to the British Army Medical Service.

The account details the activities of No.4 Stationary Field Hospital during the three months of the Ladysmith relief expedition in late 1899 and early 1900.  As such it covers the battles of Colenso and Spion Kop from a medical point of view and how No. 4 hospital cared for the majority of the casualties of both actions.

The style of writing is typical of the period and rather wordy at times however there is a great deal of useful information on how a field hospital operated and the conditions behind the lines and there are also a  number of fascinating photos included. There is even a short chapter on the hospital's pet dog including a photo!!

As is to be expected from a book written so soon after the event  there is a lot of patriotic praise for the British soldier and his endurance under difficult circumstances. Strangely however, there is no mention of the medical work performed by the author whatsoever.

Overall an excellent first hand contemporary account, although rather limited in scope, of an interesting aspect of the Boer War.

BOOK REVIEW: CHARGE TO GLORY !

 A GARLAND OF CAVALRY EXPLOITS.

This is a book from my library acquired some years ago in a second hand book store.

The book relates the story of cavalry  from Marengo to Fondouk in 1943 detailing the significant impact that cavalry had on each of the ten engagements discussed. There is also an opening chapter covering the general history of the cavalry arm through the ages.

The intention of the author is to provide an understanding of the "cavalry spirit" and describe how that "cavalry spirit" sometimes led to bold victory and sometimes to rash defeat.

The ten engagements are discussed at length culminating in a detailed account of the decisive cavalry action for which the battles are particularly known.

The writing style is excellent and the book is addictive reading and highly recommended to anyone interested in the "cavalry spirit" and what that actually meant on the battlefield.

UPDATE.

CAMPAIGN WARGAMES SHOW. 

Following my visit to COLOURS last week I yesterday visited CAMPAIGN at Milton Keynes.

There was quite a difference between the two shows in that CAMPAIGN is in an open square in the middle of the Milton Keynes shopping Centre and was frankly poor in comparison to COlOURS. There were only about 4 or 5 traders although there were a lot of gaming tables. However when I arrived about 1pm not a single game was in progress and many of them had not even set up.

After lunch and some shopping with my wife who came along with me, we returned to the show around 4pm in time to see most of the games either packing up or gone. Overall very disappointing and not worth the 200 mile round trip or the £10 parking charge, that said we did have a very nice lunch.

While I can recommend COLOURS I cannot do the same for CAMPAIGN based on what I saw, or more rightly, did not see !!!!  I think that concludes my visits to wargame shows certainly for this year. Will I go again next year.....I really do not know yet.

On another note, my post about COLOURS last week has had not a single view by any reader, am I wasting my time writing posts, of course not as I do it for my own pleasure and if others like it great, if not, so be it.

UPDATE.

COLOURS WARGAMES SHOW. 

Yesterday I attended my first ever wargames show at Newbury. 

The round trip was 270 miles almost all of which was on motorway or dual carriageway but amazingly my car delivered 49.1 mpg, I guess having 9 gears helped along with the extraordinary technology in the vehicle but still a great result from a big heavy petrol car with a larger than average engine.

I spent a good couple of hours going around the huge number of trade stands and inspected the wargames closely. My conclusion is that I am not a wargamer.... the games were interesting but not to my taste. I did like the trade stands and spent a lot of time checking out the many books on offer. However I found nothing to buy.

Steve Johnson, in his report on the show, said that it was more like a trade show with some wargames tacked on and I agree with that assessment. Nevertheless I am pleased I went and I am currently planning to visit the CAMPAIGN show in Milton Keynes next week.

On the modelling front, once again I have virtually nothing to report. Since my last update all I have done is complete the arm of service and rank insignia of a cavalry regiment and a heavy artillery battalion, maybe two hours of work at most. The long summer and continuing reasonable weather have left little time for modelling. I am almost looking forward to the nights drawing in with rain and cold so I can get back into painting and building my armies.

BOOK REVIEW: SO THEY RODE AND FOUGHT.

 

This is a withdrawn library book picked up a few years ago at a second hand book sale.

The author was an officer of the Indian army who, on partition in 1947, transferred to the Pakistani army and retired as a Major General.

The book details the history of cavalry in Asia with particular emphasis on the cavalry of the Indian army before independence. Every cavalry regiment that ever existed is listed with details of its history. There are also fascinating chapters on life as a cavalryman, the horses and battles all in chronological order.

As a King's Commissioned Indian Officer, the author had a unique perspective on the pre independence Indian army however it is also quite apparent that his views and life as an officer were very similar to British officers.

Overall a good book and very recommended if you are interested in the cavalry of the Indian army before 1947.