Holidays - Leeds Armouries

On holiday in York for a week. Very relaxing. Visting old haunts as this was the first place my wife and I went on holiday together before we were married and it was our 30th Anniversary this week.

The weather has been wonderful and we have been out and about. York is a wonderful city and there is plenty to do, but we also made time to go a little further afield, to Leeds, as I wanted to see the Royal Armouries. 

Plenty of excellent exhibits all both well labelled and contextually described too. I sat through a talk on Flodden (hmm well not much about the battle just a bit on being in the fighting, and from a archers perspective - I think a missed opportunity there!) and a rather more lively swordplay demonstration. The Medieval and Renaissance galleries cover tournaments and battles and have lots of shiny gear to see. Upstairs the Oriental gallery covers the Ottomans to Japan with some North African material too. The Indian displays and most especially the Samurai armours are the most spectacular I have to say. Such craftsmanship!

I was, of course, particularly interested at the moment in the 16th Century gear.

It's well worth a visit. I took lots of pics. 

English Equipment 2nd half of 16thC

Foot - although the Jack could equally have been worn by mounted types.

Horse

Some Updates

 Sugar Islands and Against Spain 

Prices for these have gone up, as mentioned previously. Details are on the Buy my Books table at the top of the page and now of course you can also get them from Caliver Books and also from On Military Matters in the US.

Feud 

If you're a follower of the blog you'll know I've done some stuff for the Marian Civil War and more specifically the Gordon Forbes Feud in 16th Century Scotland. I have been working on this on and off for a while and it will form the subject of my next book. 

However prior to that some of it will hopefully be popping up in a well known wargamers seasonal book as part of an article with a gentleman from the northern isles. Watch this space for more details.

Feud will be released in January 23. 

19thC Indian Mutiny, etc

I have been building up a collection of Indian Mutiny figures as the extension of my Afghan and Sikh Wars collections. I swapped my seldom used ACW collection for some lovely foundry Mutineers and British infantry to which I will add a few more units to bring it up to TMWWBK sized forces. I've added some pictures below. To lift the foundry figures to the height of the ever so slightly taller Iron Duke figs I slipped a shim of card under the formers bases, I think it does the trick. 

I've really liked painting up more baggage units - this time a dhoolie and a bheestie. 

Finally and staying on the 19th C I have also acquired some lovely Retreat from Kabul figures. Now that the old Studio Miniatures range is available from Bicorne Miniatures, together with the Empress Range,  I can add a good variety of cold weather clad figures to my Afghan war stuff....and use them for the Patriots Rebellion in Canada. 

It's all go' round 'ere.😁