What a Great Shame

Just saw this today on Facebook and it’s very sad for everyone that usually goes, that SELWG 2024 has been cancelled. It seems that the show has struggled to attract traders for the last few years now, and to increase attendee numbers. But they are saying that they might be running a smaller event in the future (next year earliest), so hopefully this isn’t the end of the SELWG Shows. I must admit that I have only been to the Lee Valley Centre once and that was last year. Not as good or big as when they had it at Crystal Palace. Lets hope that they will move it back to south of the river next year.

SALUTE 51

Saturday (13 April) . I went to my first wargaming show of the year, to help Warlords celebrate 51 years of wargaming shows. Left my house at about 9.50 am on a lovely Spring day. Started the journey first by bus and then onto the Queen Elizabeth line. I arrived at Excel London in just under 30 minutes, door to door, which was great and no long queue to get into the hall.

It was nice to see how busy the show was although there were a few empty tables laying around. It did not have a shopping list this time, started off visiting the trade stands first which I always do and there seemed to be a lot more than last years show.

It once again became clear that the main supply of figures were again in 28mm and no 20mm figures at all, this might be because of the continuing war in the Ukraine, where most of the 20mm figures are made. But in reality it might be that they are not needed in wargaming any more?  The traders had a very good selection of everything you need to wargame from wargaming mats, rules dice (which there were plenty of)  terrain pieces, figures, paint and brushes.

Going around the wargaming tables, there was a lot of very good layouts and I must say that there were loads of demonstration and participation games going on which were always seem to be busy. Another thing that stood out was that there were many paint and take away activities which is always great for the hobby. The main games were Sci-fi or fantasy and not many historical games at all. Most of the games were at a high standard. At 2 o’clock I met up with the Bloggers meet and it was nice to see the faces again and to catch up with their new projects. I left the show at about 3pm and must say that I did enjoy the show and hope that next year will be even better. Here are a few pictures of the show.

South East Scotland wargame Club - 1815 100 Days Campaign

As above

 

Two Fat Lardies - Stalingrad 1944

 

Who would not want this on their table
15th Century-Italian Gradara Castle

 

Retired Warganes Reloaded - WWII Pegasus Bridge

Rubican Models - Vietnam

Marshals and Generals

 

     BRITISH GENERAL 

     Sir John Lambert 

     Born: 28 April 1772 - Hampshire, England 

     Died: 14 September 1847 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, England. 

     Rank: General

Lambert was the son of naval officer, Captain Robert Lambert and mother Catherine Byndloss. Before his 19^th birthday, Lambert entered the British Army on 27 January 1791, as an ensign in the 1st Foot Guards. He was promoted to lieutenant and captain on 9 October 1793. He served at the sieges of  Valenciennes and Dunkirk, and was in the Battle of Lincelles in 1793. He was adjutant of the third battalion in the campaign of 1794, served with it during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and in the expedition to Holland in 1799.

Lambert was promoted captain and lieutenant-colonel on 14 May 1801. He served in Portugal and Spain in 1808, and was present at Corunna, where he commanded the light companies of the guards in the Walcheren expedition of 1809. He became colonel in the army on 25 July 1810, and embarked for Cadiz in command of the third battalion on 30 May 1811. In January 1812, he was sent to Carthagena with two battalions. He remained there for three months, and in October he joined Wellington's army at Salamanca.

On 4 June 1813 he was promoted major-general, and was appointed to a brigade of the sixth division. He commanded at the battles of Nivelle, Nive, Orthez and Toulouse and was mentioned in despatches. He was awarded the Army Gold Cross and was made KCB on 2 January 1815.

Having been sent to America, he joined the army under Sir Edward Pakenham, at the Battle of New Orleans on 6 January 1815, with the 7th and 43rd regiments. In the unsuccessful attack on the American entrenchments, made two days afterwards, he commanded the reserve. Pakenham being killed, and General Gibbs mortally wounded, the chief command devolved on Lambert. He decided not to renew the attack, withdrew the troops which had been sent across the Mississippi, and retreating on the 18th, re-embarked his force on the 27th. He proceeded to Mobile Bay, where Fort Bowyer was taken on 12 February, and next day news arrived that a peace treaty had been signed. 

Lambert returned to Europe in time to command the 10^th brigade of British infantry at the Battle of Waterloo. The brigade joined the army from Ghent only on the morning of 18 June, and was at first posted in reserve at Mont St Jean. After 3 o’clock. it was moved up to the front line to support the 5^th (Picton's) John Lambert's 10th Brigade in the 6th Division. At about 6:30 PM, the French captured the key strongpoint of La Haye Sainte farm. After this success, they brought up several cannon and took the Anglo-Allied lines under fire at extremely close range. At this period, the 698-strong battalion was deployed in square at the point where the Ohain road crossed the Charleroi to Brussels highway. At a range of 300 yards, the French artillery caused the unit enormous casualties within a short time. At day's end, the 1st Battalion had lost 105 killed and 373 wounded, a total of 478 casualties, without breaking. The unit was described as "lying dead in a square" the 1/27^th (Inniskillings), suffered almost 500 out of a total of 747 killed and wounded, amongst the highest casualties of British regiments during the battle. In this number were sixteen out of the nineteen officers and twenty-three of the thrity-four Colour Sergeants and Sergeants, all killed or wounded. When, during the battle, only one officer remained standing. 

Lambert was mentioned in Wellington's dispatch, and received the thanks of parliament, the order of Order of St Valdimir, 3rd class and also the Military Order of Max Joseph (commander). He commanded the 8^th infantry brigade in the army of occupation in France. 

In October 1816, he married Jane Morant, a daughter of John Morant of Brockenhurst Park, New Forest, England in which they had four children, John, Harriet Frances, Robert and Mary Jane.

He was promoted lieutenant-general on 27 May 1825, and general on 23 November 1841. He was given the colonelcy of the 10th regiment on 18 January 1824, and the Grand Cross of the Bath (G. C. B) on 19 July 1838. 

Lambert was also an English amateur cricketer who made 12 known appearances in first-class cricket matches from 1794 to 1810. He was mainly associated with MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) 

Lambert died at Weston House, Thames Ditten, Surrey on 14 September 1847, aged 75. He is buried in the Holy Trinity Churchyard in Claygate Surrey.

Happy New Year from the General

 

I would like to wish my followers and all wargamers around the world a very Happy New Year.

Well yet another year has been and gone in a flash so I hope that I can finally sit down and start to paint once again, as I have said before, that some of my figures just need finishing off. I hope once again to go to some wargaming shows over the year and really hope that we will start to see some production of new figures coming out. 

Christmas Prezzies

 

As you can see that I received two wargaming related Christmas prezzies this year from my girls. They are from Waterloo 1815 box number AP009 the Dutch/Belgian Artillery for Waterloo. I have been trying to find these at the wargaming shows that I have been to this year but been unable to find them. The paper back book is Waterloo The French Perspective by Andrew W. Field. More reading material that will be added to my long list now of books to read.