Remembrance Day

I think it pertinent to remember just how much we owe to the astonishingly brave servicemen in our armed services... because of the interests we have, the research, the reading, I think wargamers have a clear understanding of the sacrifices, the pain, and the misery of war... as it's Remembrance Day, wear your poppy with pride, and spare a thought for all those soldiers through the years...

I have been to.. Stirling Castle

Unlike some of my more single minded fellow hobby'ists I've never quite managed to shake the underlying view that others see us as monumentally boring (😏), so when I dragged my Dad off to Bannockburn last year I was reasonably pleased that he seemed to find it interesting, but I wasn't off a view to push my luck with further suggested trips...

He seems however, to have got a mild dose of the bug and for my trip to Scotland this time - quite unprompted - he suggested we visit Stirling Castle... never one to look a gift horse in the mouth I immediately jumped at the opportunity!

So it was that on a dry but grey Tuesday we found ourselves standing outside the castle (following), which is built on a large hill in the town of the same name - three sides of the hill are almost cliff like, but the approach to the castle is via a road through the town and across a large'ish flat area (used to be a parade ground in earlier years)

The following provides a key to the pictures (click on any of them for a bigger view):

The following shows the "front" of the castle (1.) - like most military buildings the castle was subject to huge amounts of change throughout it's life, and this wall is one of the more modern parts of the castle having been built by Queen Anne in the early 1700's, and is basically just an 'add on' to the earlier, square, main section - fascinating how these buildings never stood still but were always being modified, and added to...

Either way, with near vertical walls on the other three sides, this was the "weak" point of this particular castle as the approach is via the town, this may explain the addition of these later additional breastworks... 

Throughout its life the castle was besieged at least eight times, and maybe as many as sixteen (depending on your sources) ...it changed hands several times between English and Scottish during the Wars of Scottish Independence; between 1571 and 1585 it was besieged three times by Scots factions during the reign of James VI. In 1651, Oliver Cromwell captured the castle during his Scottish campaign (and it's possible to see the marks his canon balls have left in walls facing towards the town), and the final siege took place in 1746 during the final Jacobite Rising.

Robert the Bruce which you can see in the map right at the bottom of the map picture (2.)..

A view (3.) from the castle walls down to all that remains of the ornate, formal gardens - known as the Kings Knot - to get to the castle we drove past this on the road you can see in the distance, and from ground level I was thinking it was some kind of massive earthwork or redoubt...  the truth is more mundane...

...and for this picture (following) I turned round and took a picture of the earlier castle (4.) - the gatehouse in the distance would have been the main entrance before the ravel-lined section was added by Queen Anne

The wall does however provide a fine view of a number of significant historical sites - in the following, just beyond the two small white cottages on the left is what is now a golf course, but back in the day was the site for the Battle of Sauchieburn ( June 11, 1488) a battle that I was hitherto totally unaware of, but involving almost 50,000 men, and which resulted in the death of Scottish King James III by his son who then became James IV...  in the left middle distance (and you'll have to click on the picture for a bigger view) is what looks like a white two story building on top of a hill - just beyond that is Bannockburn...   this gives you the hint of how important Stirling was in those days - it was the seat of power of the Scottish kings and guarded the sole, usable, route across the Forth, to travel between north and south Scotland you passed this castle.... no wonder so many battles were fought virtually in its shadow....

The Royal Palace of James V (5. in the map) has only just been opened following a massive renovation - it has been decorated as it would have looked in the 1540's - the roof is covered with two foot square carved, and then painted heads, giving this 3D effect that is startling to say the least..

Hugely colourful - I think we all assume that everything back then would have been shades of brown and grey when in truth, the opposite was very much the case for those who could afford it... also hugely impressive...  the following is the Queens Waiting Room

...another shot (6.) of the original gatehouse, or Forework, which was erected by King James IV, probably completed around 1506.

A view looking towards the front of the castle (7.), and including two of the batteries - the nearer one is The Grand Battery the one in the distance is known as the French Spur (8.) - all the batteries in the "new" part of the castle date from the 18th century, but the French Spur may have first been developed in the 1550s and just modified later to allow more cannons to be mounted...

...another view of the Grand Battery - guns were fired for the first and last time from this battery in January 1746 at the forces of Bonny Prince Charlie who for lack of adequate siege artillery withdrew....   this battery looks towards the Wallace Monument...

Every way you look from this castle there are battlefields, and this wall is no different - the bridge in the middle distance is the newer Stirling bridge [click here], the site of the battle (First War of Scottish Independence - 11th September 1297; the forces of Andrew Moray and William ("Braveheart") Wallace defeated the combined English forces of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey and Hugh de Cressingham), is just to the left...

The Great Hall (below - 11.) was built by James IV and completed in about 1503.  Absolutely huge! 42 by 14 metres (138 by 47 ft) across, and it was the largest such hall in Scotland. I especially like the roof which is made of a latticework of huge beams - known as a hammerbeam roof [click here]. The whole building has just been renovated, and the orangey colour on the walls is lime-wash, so is authentic for the time..

The Jacobite wars were the last time the castle ever saw real military service, & from 1800 onwards it was taken over  by the War Office, and used primarily as the barracks, and recruiting station for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 91st Princess Louise's Argyll-shire Regiment and the 93rd Sutherland Highlanders Regiment).

Their regimental museum (12.) is still in the castle, and I had a very interesting hour looking round the various exhibits, but have to say it wasn't one of the best regimental museums I've had the opportunity to visit...  it was a little"tired" and seemed to me in need of a bit of an overhaul to bring the exhibits up to scratch...  still recommended though.....

Brilliant day, and a beautiful castle - recommended!

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By way of an addendum - how about this for a pub??  This is the "Guildford Arms" in Edinburgh [click here] and my oasis of choice when shopping with the current Mrs Steve the Wargamer in Princes Street...  love the ceiling...

...but it's the ambience, and the choice of ten real ales that wins it... here's to the next pint there soon...

Cochrane

Just before we departed for the trip to Edinburgh my Dad sent me a newspaper clipping reviewing a new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland..  the exhibition features Admiral Cochrane, a British sailor of the Napoleonic Wars that many believe was the model for Jack Aubrey, Hornblower, Bolitho, Ramage and probably every other fictional Napoleonic sailor of the last 100 years! 😏

Not surprisingly, while I was in Edinburgh one day, I took the opportunity to get away for a half day to check it out and was pleased I did...

I'll admit up front I'd never heard of Cochrane before this exhibition, so if anything the Museum has done it's job with at least me - but by a coincidence I was reading  David Crooks blog and by strange serendipity he mentioned him as well when he had a lucky book find...

Either way, time to educate my readers I thought as the exhibition was very good, and the life they portrayed was just fascinating...

Thomas Cochrane, was the 10th Earl of Dundonald, and served as a sailor in various navies between 1778 and 1831, for Britain, Peru, Brazil and Greece. In addition to being a naval commander he was also a radical politician (ringing any Aubrey bells yet? 😀)

During the Napoleonic Wars he was so successful the French nicknamed him Le Loup des Mers ('The Sea Wolf'). On 28 March 1800, Cochrane, having been promoted to commander, was given command of the brig sloop HMS Speedy, and in one of his most spectacular exploits the following May he captured the Spanish frigate "El Gamo" which carried 32 guns and 319 men, compared with Speedy's 14 guns and 54 men (errrrm... 'Cacafuego' in Master and Commander, anyone??  😏)

The Action and Capture of the Spanish Xebeque
Frigate El Gamo, Clarkson Frederick Stanfield

"Cochrane flew an American flag to approach so closely to El Gamo that its guns could not depress to fire on the Speedy's hull. This left the Spanish with no option but to board. However, whenever the Spanish were about to board, Cochrane would pull away briefly, and fire on the concentrated boarding parties with his ship's guns. Eventually, Cochrane boarded the Gamo, despite still being outnumbered about five to one, and captured her".

In 13 months Cochrane captured, burned, or drove ashore, 53 ships before three French ships of the line captured him...!

He was soon exchanged, but was dismissed from the Royal Navy in 1814, following a conviction for fraud on the Stock Exchange (more bells?? ), was stripped of his knighthood, and then served in the rebel navies of Chile (see the review of "Blue at the Mizzen" when I can find time to write it for Aubrey service with the Chilean Navy!), Brazil, and Greece during their respective wars of independence.

In 1832, he was pardoned, reinstated in the Royal Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral of the Blue. After several further promotions, he died in 1860 with the rank of Admiral of the Red, and the honorary title of Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom.

The guy was by all accounts "mercurial" - he was undoubtedly brave, resourceful, clever, a master tactician, but he was no strategist, and by all accounts wound everyone up - he only fought one duel but he knew how to harbour grudges, make enemies, and was particularly bitter about the loss of his knighthood....

The exhibition was well worth an hour of my time, if you can go, I recommend it - if you can't, I would recommend a read of the Wikipedia article below, jaw dropping doesn't even begin to describe his life...  but Aubrey seems the nicer fellow - I know who I'd prefer to have a beer with!

Links:

• Museum exhibition web site
• Wikipedia link

"Blue at the Mizzen" - a review..

The penultimate (the last??) book in the Aubrey/Maturin series and I think you'll know by now that I'm a huge fan so no surprises that right out I give this one an 8 out of 10 ..
 

I have to say that I approached this book with a slight sense of sadness as this was the last full novel that O'Brien wrote before his far too untimely death...  he did start the next book (but I have decided I won't buy it*) but unfortunately died before it was completed...
So what of this book???

Well the war has ended, and more than ever there is a sense that Aubrey and Maturin are getting older - the have both served for the whole of the war at sea, and I think it fair to say that they are "tired"...

Now that the war has ended however, they refit the Surprise and set out for South America and the Horn on their way to help the Chileans secure independence from Spain, their original mission before Bonaparte's 100 Days campaign so rudely interrupted them.. before they can leave however substantial work is required to repair Surprise after a collision at sea, and to recruit replacement crew as many of the original crew have left the ship following the end of the war...

On the way, they stop at Sierra Leone so that Maturin can propose, and although turned down in this instance, he is left with hopes that the lady may change her mind ... they are however, well suited, far more so than to Diana his previous wife...

After a hard slog round the Cape (Horn) they arrive in Chile where they find that the Chileans have split into two factions (northern and southern), with the southerners retaining the services of a British naval captain Sir David Lindsay to command the Chilean navy. Aubrey and he agree to serve together in order to advance the Chilean interests... after time spent training the embryo navy, they receive news of plans for a Peruvian invasion by the Spanish envoy and Aubrey hatches a plan to land troops at Valdivia while his ships bombard the forts, after a hard fight, the action is successful and they take the Surprise back to hand over a large amount of captured bullion to the junta.

Aubrey then comes up with a plan to reinforce the Chilean navy by cutting out a large Spanish frigate, the Esmerelda currently anchored in Callao harbour...  O'Brien then describes one of those classic hard-fought broadside actions he does so well, and eventually the British-Chilean force takes the ship although Aubrey is heavily wounded ("thin gruel for you, my dear will not do - perhaps a light broth" ).

Having taken the Esmerelda back, it is clear that the factional fighting in Chile has escalated, but Aubrey insists on his sailors receiving their share of the prize-money and Esmeralda's value.

They receive the money's, and after a happy period doing further training,and as the book ends, Aubrey is overwhelmed to receive orders that the Admiralty requires him to take command of the South African squadron, hoisting his flag at the River Plate, blue at the mizzen, aboard HMS Implacable. Jack has finally made admiral!

Hugely recommended.....

* The last book - provisionally titled "The Final, Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey" - was never completed as O'Brian died whilst writing it. The book comprises three short chapters, and the rest of the book is basically just his notes for the plot/construction of the rest of the story....  the reader reviews on Amazon are particularly poignant - there are some hardcore Aubrey/Maturin fans there who have regretted buying and reading the book as it leaves everything up in the air - far better I think to remember the pair of them as they are at the end of this book, with Aubrey promoted Admiral at last and Maturin set to marry his lady naturalist.....  there's only one answer of course - time to read the series again!

Retreat to the coast.. Moves 12 to the end....

Apologies for how long it's taken to get this post completed....  there were a ton of pictures to sort through, and with the trip to Scotland time got away from me. Either way, I'm not going to continue boring you with a move by move relation of the game...  I hope that by now you have a fairly good'ish view of how the rules play..

So for Bluebear Jeff's benefit we'll start off with a close up of the action in move 12 (below)

The Dervish have contacted the British cavalry on the right of the picture and have inflicted significant casualties...

In the meanwhile the main Imperial firing line continues to blaze away - the red dices indicate casualties however, so they are not getting everything their own way...

A reminder that the green pin indicates a rifle armed Dervish unit - a black flag indicates that the stand (which comprise two bases in game terms) has already lost a base...

To all intents and purposes the Imperial force is locked in place - it cannot advance due to the constant wave of attacks..

Overview of the same move...

..and then catastrophe - the British cavalry are wiped out to a man - only the tiny screw gun remains to guard that open flank... the "good" news is that the Hadendowa and that half unit of Dervish have been wiped out and the threat to the front has eased, at least for the time being..

Catastrophe - British cavalry destroyed but the Dervish have paid dearly..

The British react by refusing one flank of the Sudanese so as to bring at least some rifles to bear on the rampaging Dervish...  showing commendable restraint the screw gun continues to bang away throughout..

Given time, the entire Sudanese battalion swing round so as to bring their fire to bear - they are helped in that the hitherto successful Dervish fail a pluck test to close on the line..

The dervish unit on the right has failed a "pluck" (ie. morale) test - yellow pin - they've also taken heavy casualties - over 50%

An overview of the same move (below).. further Dervish reinforcements have arrived - move cavalry and another unit of foot..

...and in the next move (below) another Dervish foot unit arrives while in the distance the Imperial force has almost been contacted by the first of the rifle armed Dervish units and a desperate struggle ensues...

A close up view - from behind the British lines for a change - the North Middlesex are down a base and firing for all they are worth..

...but are still contacted (below) by the Dervish - brave boys...!

So 'ere's to you, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, at your 'ome in the Soudan;
You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;
We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed
We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined.

..but the North Middlesex are triumphant and drive them off - with only time for a quick sip of water they stand to for the next onslaught - this is the third or fourth they have managed to fight off!

The Sudanese swing back in line with their colleagues and await the inevitable..

Dervish cavalry are closing - and there's Hadendowa on the prowl...

A rag tag of shot torn, and shell damaged Dervish continue to race towards the Imperial lines... the screw gun has withdrawn to the top of the dune so as to gain the height advantage.. not surprisingly the Dervish are failing pluck tests and in two instances slow almost to a halt before they reach the Imperial lines.. 

...and are destroyed in their tracks (below) leaving the cavalry and just one part Dervish unit... one of the other dervish units has been forced to flee...

...but not for long (below) they stop and rally.. happily the Imperial force sends the cavalry and the other Dervish unit reeling to join them...

...even so, is it me, or does that concentration of Dervish in the bottom right look worrying?

Must be about move 17 or so by now, and the Dervish block is approaching the dune - it's a good move as they are partially sheltered from some of the Imperial fire...

...next move and they start to climb the dune - this is the last Dervish effort - there are no more units on the table, and no more reinforcements...

...crash!! The Imperial force manages to destroy half one Dervish unit but the other unit and a half close to contact... the Sudanese in the meanwhile have lost a stand..

Hurrah! The Imperials see them off - they might yet make it (and trust me I have had my doubts on several occasions!)

The screw gun crew has take it's first casualties from the remains of the Arab rifle unit on the hill..

..and so the Imperial force mops up the remnants of the opposition, and moves wearily towards the coast, pausing only to split their force so as to divide the fire of the venerable 12 pounder that the Dervish have deployed close to the village before destroying it in short order...

...the Imperial force has triumphed, and as the sirens on board HMS Turbulent sound out triumphantly, Major the Honourable St John Wade-Smith parades his troops on the beach - they have suffered badly but have made it through... His Majesty Leopold II's observing officer Captain Lucien Verbeek (with his horse Teufel.. ) will have much to report on in his next dispatch..

We've fought with many men acrost the seas,

An' some of 'em was brave an' some was not:

The Paythan an' the Zulu an' Burmese;

But the Fuzzy was the finest o' the lot.

Post Match Analysis:

• A long game - I stopped counting, but I would suggest somewhere in the region of about 20 moves...
• The rules still work fairly well - I had to make a few decisions on the fly where rulings were not clear cut, but I have indicated what those are throughout the narrative... 
• Despite this, for the next game I'm thinking of rolling out my own home grown rules again to see how they compare...  what I will do is lift the Dervish reaction table in it's entirety from these rules to replace the more complex one that I have - though I may tweak the "Enemy not in sight" options slightly to add some other actions (at the moment they're just stand or move)
• Casualties were heavy for the Imperials - the heaviest they have suffered in all the games that I've played - this was very definitely no walk in the park, and the Imperial troops had to work hard for their victory..
• the North Middlesex lost 11 men (from a total of 24) almost 50% casualties!
• the Rutlandshire Yeomanry (the British cavalry) were destroyed in their entirety
• the Sudanese Battalion lost 9 (also from a total of 24)
• Casualties were heavier for the Dervish, of course - in all twelve "rubs" (or units) were destroyed, three Hadendowa, two cavalry, and the rest were Arab sword and spear men with the exception of the two rifle armed units (who were quire effective - if there had been just one more of them then the Imperial casualties would have been even heavier)