Quick Late Night Posting of my good friend Zach's Spanish Civil War 88mm Flak. Crewed by Condor Legion volunteers. He plans to use this along with some other SCW Nationalist troops as supporters/foreign volunteers in a Very British Civil War. This thing will open up my Free Welsh Rolls Royce Armoured Car like hitting a soda can with a 12-lb sledge hammer...
A little late, but in honor of St. David's feast day (Patron saint of Wales), I present to you my top ten favorite Welsh things. As befits a wargamer, many of these are military related.
10. Doctor Who
It is shot in Wales, mostly in Cardiff. Probably my favorite television program ever. Probably.
9. Cymru
Pronounced Coom-ree (sort of). The fact that many of the people of Wales still speak Welsh, some as their primary language, rather than English, after all this time under the English crown... it's cool.
8. 24th Regiment of Foot, the South Wales Borderers
One of the most famous of the British infantry regiments, thanks in no small part to the films Zulu and Zulu Dawn, which showcase two of the battles of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War, the Defense of Rorke's Drift and the Battle of Isandhlwana, respectively.
7. Doctor Who Experience
We went on this tour while in Cardiff in December 2012. It is a total blast.
6. William Windsor II (Billy), of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers
A member of the Royal Welch Fusiliers (NOT a mascot) since at least 1775, Billy has the honours of a lance corporal, and is apparently the only member of the British armed forces that still receives a cigarette ration, as it is good for his digestion.
5. The Goat Major Pub's Wye Valley Pie
This photo of The Goat Major is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Speaking of goats... if you are ever in Cardiff, go to the Goat Major pub, just across from the Castle. Have the Wye Valley Pie and some chips. The other pies are quite good as well. But the Wye Valley is something very special.
4. Men of Harlech
One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies, Zulu.
3. 'Welsh' Longbows
Archaeological evidence in Britain can trace the use of the longbow as far back as 3000 BC and its use as widespread throughout Europe. In the year 633, Offrid, the son of Edwin, King of Northumbria, was killed by an arrow in battle with the Welsh and the Mercians. It's not certain the arrow was from a Welsh longbow but this is an early account of the use of the longbow by the Welsh archers in military action. The story promotes the belief which credits the Welsh with inventing and introducing the longbow into the British Isles. The acknowledged expert on the longbow, Robert Hardy, has written:"If the Welsh did not have bows yet, it cannot have been long before they adopted the weapon from the raiding Danes, but it is more than likely that, however they first came by it, the Welsh, among all the tribes in the British Isles, either retained the use of the bow from much earlier times, or invented it for themselves long before there could have been any chance for them to have learned of its use from the Scandinavians."
2. The Welsh Red Dragon
1. Welsh Rugby
As if rugby wasn't going to make an appearance here. I just watched (last weekend) the Welsh team trounce Les Bleus in the Six Nations. Well done!
Today is Texas Independence Day. On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Seven weeks later, on April 21, 1836, a treaty was signed by President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (the self-styled "Napoleon of the West"), recognizing Texan independence.
Well, it's the two month mark, one-sixth of the year gone already. I thought that sounded like a good time to revisit my goals for the year, and check on my progress. Overall, I am pretty happy with it.
10. Win a game of Ogre.
DONE!
9. Paint 100 25/28mm miniatures.
25% complete. Doing pretty well, so far. The Lead Painter's League competition is helping me drive this forward.
8. Paint 100 15/18mm miniatures.
49% complete. Not bad at all.
7. Play at least 10 VSF games.
50% complete.
6. Paint more minis than I purchase this year.
So far, so good...
5. Spend less, play more.
So far, so good...
4. 'Finish' at least one of my 25/28mm VSF factions.
41% complete. Edging closer to this goal. Again, the LPL is helping. Besides the LPL, I have already painted up seven of the seventeen figures I figured I needed to call the Automaton faction 'finished.'
3. Finish my Flames of War 8th Army (Indian) Company
86% complete. Going for a 1500 point force, I have painted up about 1277 points. All that is left is the mortar platoon and two more 2-pdr portees (need to buy those still). That will be a base Rifle Company (Indian) with some support.
