The Old Contemptibles at Mons

The build up for my upcomming Great War Spearhead II (GWSH II) scenario has reached it's first milestone with the completion of the British Expeditionary Forces (BEF) OOB for the Battle of Mons (23 August 1914), their first major engagement of the Great War.

The BEF under Sir John French fielded 70,000 troops and 300 guns at the Battle of Mons but faced General Alexander von Kluck's First Army – 160,000 troops with 600 guns. The BEF were charged with holding their line so the French Fifth Army under General Charles Lanrezac, on the right of the British line, could fall back.

Courtesy of: In the footsteps 

The GWSH II scenario focusses on the actions on the right of the BEF's line with elements of the 7th Brigade and the 8th Brigade attempting to hold the salient around the city of Mons against the German IX Corps – represented by two brigades of the 17th Division and the four brigades of the 18th Division. The BEF were dug in along the line of the Mons–Condé Canal with the Germans advancing across open ground to the north.

The German Attack at Nimy Bridge on 23rd August 1914. Courtesy of: In the footsteps 

Below are the completed BEF units based on 30mm x 30mm squares. They are 6mm Irregular Miniatures. While the miniatures lack a bit of clarity in their castings, once painted up I think they look good. As has been said elsewhere, gaming this period in 6mm is more about the terrain than the figures. They have been surprisingly easy and quick to paint. I've tried to put a little extra effort into basing the figures.

Two battalions of the 7th Brigade, BEF

8th Brigade of the BEF

BEF Engineers (not required for the scenario, but I couldn't resist getting a few for later use)

The heavy guns of the BEF – 2 Batteries of Howitzers
(should be 4.5" howitzers – but I only have these 60 pounder's at present)

One of the two 18 pounder Field Gun Regiments supporting the BEF.

Brigade HQ

Detail of the Old Contemptibles – each base is a company of infantry or a machine gun platoon

Also, I've started work on a generic terrain mat for the WWI gaming. I'm using a canvas painter's drop sheet coated in brown latex caulking compound coated in various colours of flocking.

The next step is to start work on the German IX Corps!

Remembrance

As the centenary of the opening engagement of the Great War on 28 July 1914 approaches, its a useful time to ponder the meaning of such remembrances. As a war gamer and history buff it's terribly easy to look forward to the various big dates ahead. One must temper this enthusiasm with the more somber reality of the events we recall.

This cataclysmic conflict saw over 9 million combatants killed in a style of warfare driven by technological and industrial sophistication. Yet, it wallowed in tactical stalemate at immense cost to society and the environment. The impact of the war was wide reaching, and had many legacies - it's well worth having a look at the summary of these by the Wall Street Journal: 100 Legacies of the Great War.

Much of the horror of war can be glimpsed in the work of artists and poets of the time - it is by making occasional reference to these works that I hope to curb my boyish enthusiasm for this event.

After a Push, C.R.W. NEVINSON
The battle-scarred landscape remains deserted with great water-filled craters. In the distance, a series of broken trees line the horizon and exploding shells remind us of the proximity of war. This work is a critical response to the meaningless destruction of landscape in war.
Source: Imperial War Museum, reproduced at http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20212

After a Push, C.R.W Nevinson, with thanks to the Imperial War Museum

The Harvest of Battle, C.R.W. NEVINSON.
This work was commissioned by the Ministry of Information for the Hall of Remembrance alongside Sargent's, 'Gassed'. Nevinson describes how he produced the sketches for this work during a trip to Passchendaele with a fellow officer: 'We arrived at Ypres, and while he went to the Officers' Club I wandered on up towards the Salient and obtained notes and rough sketches for my painting, 'Harvest of Battle'.' (CRW Nevinson, Paint and Prejudice, 1937) Nevinson provides his own description of this work in a letter to Alfred Yockney from the Ministry of Information on 11 June 1919: 'A typical scene after an offensive at dawn. Walking wounded, prisoners and stretcher cases are making their way to the rear through the water- logged country of Flanders. By now the Infantry have advanced behind the creeping barrage on the right, only leaving the dead, mud, & wire; but their former positions are now occupied by the Artillery. The enemy is sending up SOS signals and once more these shattered men will be subjected to counter-battery fire. British aeroplanes are spotting hostile positions.'
Source: Imperial War Museum, reproduced at http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/20223

The Harvest of Battle, C.R.W. NEVINSON. 1919, with thanks to the Imperial War Museum

Preparations for the Battle of Mons, 23 August 1914

I have two areas of interest in wargaming the WWI centenary: early naval actions in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and South Atlantic, and the campaigns on the Western Front. My current project is painting up the forces for the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) at Mons, Belgium, on 23 August 1914.

A resource I hope to be calling on for some of the early-war engagements on the Western Front is a little gem I've had on the shelf for years, but never dipped into:

A selection of the 10 fold-out maps in the collection being modelled by my every reliable second in command (my gaming-loving 10 year old girl).

• The First Forty Days 1914. Robertson, Lieutenant - General Sir Horace. Published by Australian Army Headquarters., Melbourne, 1950. A comprehensive study of the first forty days of the war in 1914 on the Western Front. Produced from lectures originally given at the military college at Duntroon.

While the maps are far from detailed, the text accompanying them has some good summaries of troop dispositions and actions.

This is a totally new era for me in war-gaming and I have adopted the Great War Spearhead II ruleset in which a base of troops equals one company. I am gaming in 6mm scale using Irregular Miniatures figures. I had originally planned on using the excellent looking Baccus 6mm Great War range, but due to the proximity of Eureka Miniatures to me (allowing weekly top-up of the unpainted lead pile!), convenience won out over art.

So, the paint brush is working furiously and I have a few pictures to offer of elements of the BEF's 7th Brigade and some divisional artillery (two batteries of 18-pounder field guns).

Two infantry battalions of the 7th Brigade (detail)

Elements of the 7th Brigade, BEF

Two batteries of the Divisional artillery supporting the 7th and 8th Brigades at Mons. Note the spent shell cases next to the gun - quite like how that has turned out (clippings of brass wire).

A huddle of Red Caps: At 7th Brigade HQ - Major General Hamilton drops in to inspect preparations for the defence of Mons (his staff car must have ducked behind some bushes!).

I still have some detailing to do on the field guns and Brigade HQ tent, but they are close to done. They are only iPhone pictures - must improve my photographic abilities for this scale!

Jumping the Bags

'Jumping the Bags' is slang used during world war one for going 'over the top' - or commencing an attack over the sandbags of the trench parapet.

I doubt there is any experience of WWI more iconic than the sound of whistles being blown as the 'big push' begins. Men scrambling over the parapet to enter the mayhem of no man's land. Those of us that look back from the safety of our armchairs can only wonder at the incredible courage displayed by the ordinary fighting man in WWI.

The history of this world-changing conflict that defined a century has gripped me since I was a lad. As the centenary of the Great War approaches, I wanted to start a new blog dedicated to this war and my various interests surrounding it – history of the conflict, militaria and wargaming.

Much of my historical interest will follow the family ties we have to this conflict - none closer than the experiences of my maternal grandfather, 991, Harry Sennett and great Uncle Charlie Stranks. But, more of them to follow.

I hope you, as the reader, find something of interest here as we launch into the great adventure together. Thanks for dropping by.