Saturday 21 July 2012

A new miniature, commissioned by me…

Okay, so this is the big news I’ve been writing about…

The ultimate vanity project is to commission a miniature of yourself, but that’s exactly what I’ve done!

Except that this one is female, and far prettier than me!


And here she is - Sophie Emma Price, born at 4.11 am on Friday 20th July - 7lbs 8oz.

A little sister for our other daughter Ellen!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Hereford calling…

Just a quick update, and possibly the last before my ‘big news’, so apologies for the lack of Hereford 1938 posts in the near future…

Anyway, here is a communications team for the Herefordshire TA – figures by Great War miniatures.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

The Commissar Close Combat Police (CCCP)

Time to take a look at the far left of the spectrum...


Comrade Commissar Fred Kite re-inspected the curt order in his hands as the tug boat that had delivered the message made its way out of the dock; contemptuous of the long range artillery shells that burst around it, sending plumes of brown Mersey spray into the air.

‘Our brothers toiling in the fields and must be liberated from the despotic yoke of the bourgeois landowners and educated in the truth of Socialism,’ he read under his breath, his Cockney accent, betraying his past as a Shop Steward in the capital, as clipped as his moustache. ‘The following is a list of comrades who have come to the attention of the Comintern and have proven themselves worthy with their revolutionary zeal and loyalty to the Communist Party.’

He looked at the names – all young lads he noticed: Archie Buttress, who at 14 year of age had to be dragged kicking and screaming back to his suburban home after running away to join the International Brigade; Terry McQueen, apprentice toolmaker turned trade unionist and arsonist; Peter Dobson-Browne, expelled from Eton after repeated scuffles with Fascists in the East End – the list went on, all known for their passion for Communism and ferocity in the trenches around Liverpool.

‘You are to gather these comrades and form them into a cohesive unit. Your mission is to take them into the countryside where the revolution has yet to take hold or Trotskyist traitors make mockery of the party line. Through their rhetoric you are to educate the masses, through their vigilance you are to educate backsliding socialists, through their actions on the battlefield you are to educate the enemy.’

Comrade kite turned to the cargo manifest clipped to the order: revolvers, pump-action shotguns, tommy guns, grenades – close-up and bloody stuff. ‘Actions indeed…’ he mused.



The figures are mainly old Grenadier prohibition-era cops, with a slightly converted Black Tree Designs Adolf Hitler doubling for Comrade Fred Kite!


Friday 13 July 2012

‘Impetuosity and Courage’ – the return of the Herefords!

After writing about the Herefordshire Light Infantry in a previous post, I was determined to represent them in miniature form in the world of VBCW. Luckily, after dipping into my lead pile and also receiving a large bag of free minis (courtesy of the extreme generosity of GWP member ‘Knockman’); I have been able to make a start!


The Herefordshire Regiment TA in my take on the VBCW universe are ostensibly a royalist unit, despite the fact that in a previous incarnation they fought alongside the Anglican League. My reasoning is that only a small proportion of the regiment felt strongly enough to join the AL, while the rest, mindful of their duty to the King but unwilling to fight their own countrymen, simply dispersed.


However, with the hills and fields of Herefordshire once again echoing to the sound of gunfire, the Herefords have been given leave to reform, with many of their old comrades re-joining the ranks. They have sworn to protect their homes and families and take on any wrongdoers – whatever side of the political spectrum they sit on…


Figures are mainly WW1 British infantry from Renegade Miniatures, with a handful of Great War Miniatures thrown in.

Tuesday 10 July 2012

Herefordshire from Above


More than 15,000 images from one of the earliest and most significant collections of aerial photography of the UK, including Herefordshire, are now available to view online.


Britain from Above, a new website launched by English Heritage and the Royal Commissions on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Wales, features images from the Aerofilms Collection, an archive of over 1 million aerial photographs, dating from 1919 to 1953 and covering the countryside, industrial and urban landscapes, iconic landmarks and villages and coastal scenes.

Hereford Cathedral
The city of Hereford boasts a few photographs, taken mainly above the Cathedral, but also featuring High Town and the Victoria Bridge / Castle Green area, all taken in 1921.

Commercial Road, leading into High Town
One enlightened member has also created a Hereford group, and has uploaded some more gems, such as a couple of shots of the railway station at Barr’s Court Road (c. 1933) and the aerodrome (c. 1945).

The River Wye by Fiddler's Green
As for the rest of Herefordshire, the towns of Ledbury, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye are also covered extensively, and the photographer also meandered above the River Wye and took a few snaps along the way. Other landmarks include Eastnor Castle, the Malverns and Colwall, all taken in 1920/1.

Gloucester
Further afield, aerial photos of Worcester, Gloucester, Monmouth, Abergavenny, Hay-on-Wye, Ludlow and Great Malvern can be found.

All in all, this website provides a fascinating glimpse into the interwar period from a unique perspective and is definitely worth a look!