Intro to the Fun Side of History

So many of the subjects we were taught at school were boring and lacked imagination. Occasionally one came across an inspirational teacher who made the subject come to life and suddenly, without realising it - you flew. We had one such teacher – a history teacher, whose techniques were revolutionary for the time. Remember 50 years ago we did not have “Whiteboards” or computers, TVs were expensive and still finding its feet. Holidays abroad were a novelty – many of the popular resorts of today were no more than a fishing village, perhaps with a harbour or just a shingle beach, with a ruin from the last conflicts  or if you were lucky, a medieval ruin in the background.

Sometimes just a gun emplacement from one of the modern wars; Sometimes a ruin of a castle with a fascinating story hidden within the stones and rocks, or even an old Abby that "Henry VIII knocked about a bit."  
 

 

War games have been played for many millennia, in many in countries all over the world in different forms. In China flat stones marked on one side, in Africa depressions in the soils and the moving of shells; In Persia to Egypt pieces moved on a board; Then drafts and chess relatively new examples. Then came models of armies. Wood and paper figures were replaced in Germany by two dimensional tin representations of actual armies painted in regimental colours.

 

Famous and intellectual giants often played “war games”. H.G.Wells; Edward Woodward were amongst some of the unexpected exponents of the War Game.

In an age before computer games a table top re-enactment could be exciting stressful, emotional, and full of drama. Our history teacher encouraged and often arranged inter-school tournaments. The battle grounds varied from biblical battles; to the medieval period to the Second World War. None of us realised, and at the time and it was not important, the battles re-enacted often were from a period in history that would be covered the following year or term and even “O” levels.

 

For me the Napoleonic Period took precedence. A time when the world was in turmoil everywhere you looked. America gaining independence and were coming to terms with new frontiers, freedom, and the demand for resources.  When Waterloo is re-fought you realise how closely run the event was. No matter how good a general ones fate could end up on the role of a dice
 
Some of the playing pieces, armies, characters can be found at Hobby and Leisure.
http://www.hobbyandleisure.co.uk/hlstore/catalog/172-scale-c-319_29_38_335.html?page=2&sort=3a&osCsid=59bfd5b31d7637b478bffe64761c6f94