Derby Wargames Show 2015

Better late than never, here are a few photos of the show held at Castle Donnington after moving from the University of Derby. Derby is one of two wargaming shows that I try to attend as it is relatively local plus there's plenty to do when you've had even walking round a large hanger. Limited resources ensure that I now buy items I actually need rather than ones I would like. This is all relative of course as I don't really 'need' any of these are things but hopefully you know what I mean. 

An incomplete/random list of the items we bought include: 

Bulgarian machine gun crew - Tiger Miniatures 

Judge Death & 17th century civilians - Wargames Foundry 

Special bases & Chicken Coop - Warbases/Too Fat Lardies 

War of 1812 artillery and crew - Knuckleduster Miniatures 

Various animals - Irregular Miniatures 

I'm bound to have missed off something but them will eventually turn up on the blog.

In no particular order here are some of the games my brother took photos of. The first was a Dark Age game that made great use of terrain (you will probably notice good terrain was a focus of the games I asked my brother to take images of).

Romano British defend against

Saxons (Old DWA)

Romano British defend 
against Saxons (Old DWA)

Romano British defend
against Saxons (Old DWA)

Romano British defend against

Saxons (Old DWA)

Romano British defend against

Saxons (Old DWA)

The Battle of Yarmuk 636 AD (Society of Ancients)

These figures were once owned by the famous old school wargamer Tony Bath. We knew this because the chap running the display told us and proved it because each figure has a tiny serial number on it. This way Tony Bath could track each individual unit when it was on campaign.

Fousands of 'Em…… sounds like a train!

(The Boondock Sayntes aka Gentlemen Gamers)

Fousands of 'Em…… sounds like a train!

(The Boondock Sayntes aka Gentlemen Gamers)

Fousands of 'Em…… sounds like a train!
(The Boondock Sayntes aka Gentlemen Gamers)

Labelled 'Fousands of 'Em' this was literally the case for this game as there were approximately two and half thousand figures on display. The Gentlemen Gamers running the demo seemed slightly pickled as they were all enjoying large glasses of red wine throughout the day

The War in Ireland: 1689-1691

(Derby Wargames Society)

The War in Ireland: 1689-1691

(Derby Wargames Society)

More excellent terrain featuring commercial and scratch build buildings.

Battle of the Scheldt - winter 1944

(Barely Legal Wargames Club)

Battle of the Scheldt - winter 1944 (Barely Legal Wargames Club)

Windmill detail, Battle of the Scheldt - winter 1944

(Barely Legal Wargames Club)

Battle of the Scheldt - winter 1944

(Barely Legal Wargames Club)

The clever use of standard terrain made this display stand out for me. Although only relatively small compared to other at the show this demo featured some lovely detailing. It was obvious at a glance that this was a WWII game based on flooded areas of northern Europe. The lighthouse was the same one that my mate Ade bought a few years ago that came with solar panels that was intended to be used in your garden. However the maker of the demo had made some significant improvements.

Marignano 1515 (The Ilkley Lads)

Marignano 1515 (The Ilkley Lads)

Marignano 1515 (The Ilkley Lads)

Another great looking medieval/renaissance game complete with fantastic painted knights.

Battle of Quatre Bras - 16th June 1815

(Like a Stone Wall Wg Group)

Battle of Quatre Bras - 16th June 1815

(Like a Stone Wall Wg Group)

Another impressive game with good quality painted figures and terrain.

Quick shot showing about half of the interior of the hanger which shows just how big the venue is. The lighting was terrible but this was really the only issue with the venue that I don't like. Next door is the Wheatcroft Collection which is worth a visit.

Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani - Late Romans, Lunt Roman Fort - Part 3 of 3

 

 

Part 1 - Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani

Part 2 Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani

Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani - Late Romans, Lunt Roman Fort - Part 2 of 3

 

Field army equipment

Draco - Late Roman military standard

Late Roman Spangenhelm

Late Roman Ridge Helmet

 

Part 1 Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani

Part 3 - Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani



Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani - Late Romans, Lunt Roman Fort - Part 1 of 3

To quote directly from their website Batavi

"The BATAVI are a small, friendly group who re-enact military and civilian life in the 4th to 6th centuries A.D. Our military activities are based around a late Roman army unit, the Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani, which arrived in Britain in 360 A.D. and returned in 367 A.D. They then formed part of the mobile field army and remained here at least until the end of Roman rule in Britain. There is a strong probability that parts of the unit may have stayed to defend Britain against the Saxon invaders, as part of the Romano-British forces into the 5th century."

It seems only a short time since my brother and myself last visited the Lunt-Roman Fort but in fact its been over two years ago. As the site changes very little over the years, with the earthwork ramparts slowly being allowed to collapse, the only reason to revisit the site is to attend the numerous re-enactment events held there. The official website indicated that a late Roman group would be attending. 

I personally think that after you've seen one Imperial 1st century re-enactment group such as the famous Ermine Street Guard you've generally not going to see anything new at another event. Therefore an opportunity to see and chat to a group that displays the uniform and equipment of a 4th century late Roman field army was an chance I didn't want to miss. 

I find this particular time period fascinating, the style and innovations developed by the Roman(o-British) army during this time holds far more relevance for me than any 1st century soldiers. And don't forget it was soldiers of this type that won around 50% of their battles against enemies that were their equal (or even superior such as the Sassanids) unlike their early Imperial Roman army counterparts who were routinely thrashed whenever facing similar opposition. 

Soldiers dressed such as these would have been a far more common (and welcome) sight throughout the later Roman period of occupation of Britain than the far more familiar steel clad 1st century legionaries. In particular the helmet and shield styles would remain influential for several hundred years even well into the medieval period.

 

 

 

 

It's taken a while to post these pictures as I've attempted (very crudely) to remove any kids picking their nose/eating ice-creams, guards in hi-vest jackets etc. from the images. I'll be posting two more sets of pictures over the next few days.

More images and details about the group can be found their own website Late Roman Batavi

As already stated on their website the group really are friendly and also very knowledgeable. If you get the chance to see them I'd highly recommend that you do.

Part 2 - Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani
Part 3 Batavi Iuniores Britanniciani