A trip to Shropshire

For our first holiday since  COVID  struck we decided to stay within the UK and opted for the Church Stretton area of Shropshire.  With the restrictions being relaxed it was possible for the whole family to get together, so we hired a large 'cottage'.  We had a very busy week and I think everyone could say that their interests were catered for.  For the readers of this blog the items of interest were :

Stokesay Castle

Not actually a castle, but a medieval fortified manor house.  A fascinating place to visit.  The majority of the structure you see today dates from the late 13thC when it was constructed for a wealthy local wool merchant, Laurence of Ludlow.

The North Tower from the churchyard

The building was never intended to withstand a serious siege, but to deter any marauding bands of robbers.

The North Tower from the moat

The Great Hall, Solar and South Tower

In the mid 17thC the original gatehouse was replaced by a timber and plaster construction, similar to many 17thC houses in Ludlow.

The Gatehouse

Acton Burnell Castle

Contemporary to Stokesay, Acton Burnell was built by Robert Burnell, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Edward I.  The design is similar to that of the keeps of major castles, but the function of Acton Burnell was more to do with prestige and entertaining guests, than operating as a centre for projecting  military power.  On the ground floor were store rooms and in the north east corner, a porch and grand staircase led important guests up to the great hall.

Exterior view

In the early 15thC the castle passed to the Lovell family of Oxfordshire and into the hands of Henry VII after Bosworth.   It was acquired by the Duke of Norfolk in the early 16thC and by the mid 18thC had become merely a barn.

Interior view

So, two 13th C castles, neither fitting the usual mould of what a castle should look like, but both interesting in their own way.

Shropshire Regimental Museum

Housed in Shrewsbury Castle, the museum collection covers all the military units associated with the county, starting with the 53rd (Shropshire) Regiment and the 85th King's Light Infantry, both raised for the Seven Years War.  These were amalgamated in the 1881 Cardwell reforms into the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.  In addition there are uniforms and artifacts for the county's militia nd volunteer units.   Although fairly small, the museum is worth visiting.

Replicas of the uniform worn by the 53rd in the AWI, presented to the museum by a US re-enactment society.

The Elphinstone Colours, survivors from the AWI

As you can imagine, being part of the Welsh Marches, there are plenty of castles and other historical sites to visit in this part of the world.  If you get the chance, it is well worth a visit.

 

Another desert encounter; a scenario using our version of the Black Powder and Battles for Empire rules

After two or three games set in the AWI we decided to have a change this week and headed for the Sudan.  OK, it could be argued it was another game set in the colonies, but it presented a totally different set of challenges.  Bob joined us again, so that released Steve to umpire and I took the chance to command the Dervish forces for a change.  Usually, it is necessary that I command the Imperial force as the Dervish begin the battle concealed. 

The battlefield, the Imperial force enters from the left

Bob's task as commander of the Imperial forces was to seize the arms and ammunition held in the village.  He opted to attack on the flanks with his cavalry and use the mounted infantry and artillery in the centre, to pin down the defenders.  I placed my Beja units around the compound on my right flank and held the village with the smaller of my two Ansar 'rubs'.  The larger Ansar 'rub' was placed on the left and the cavalry held back behind the village in reserve.

Lady Luck smiled on the cavalry on the Imperial left.  They made a rapid advance, but ended up close to the compound and my Beja troops, still in column.  Fortunately for the cavalry, my troops refrained from charging, (failing their command roll twice) and the cavalry had time to fall back and then deploy into line.

On the left, the Imperial cavalry make a rapid advance

But the Beja are waiting for them

The Ansar prepare to defend the village

On the opposite flank, the Imperial cavalry found themselves with enemy units on both flanks.  Suffering casualties from rifle fire they fell back , but the swift moving Ansar forced one into melee and the other to keep evading back towards their starting position.

The cavalry on the Imperial right find themselves in an ambush

And a unit of lancers are routed

The Lancers who were in melee with the Ansar eventually routed, which may have saved them, because two more units of Ansar were closing in to surround them.

By now the Imperial artillery and machine gun had taken up position on the ridge overlooking the village.  They were joined by one of the mounted infantry units and their fire caused increasing casualties on the leading Beja unit.  Provoked into attacking the ridge, the Beja charged, but the volume of fire increased as they attempted to close and in the end they fell back, their morale shaken by their losses.  Seeing the pressure increasing on my right, I ordered the cavalry over to the right to assist the Beja in driving off the Imperial cavalry. 

The Dervish cavalry arrive and move to support the Beja

With the Imperial cavalry on the Dervish left driven back, the Ansar now began to move to threaten the right flank of the Imperial centre.   

The Ansar on the Dervish left move to encircle the Imperial centre

Bob had been very unlucky with his command rolls for the mounted infantry units, indeed one of them were still sat on their camels as the game drew to a close!  However he did manage to get one deployed just in time to to face the first Ansar charge.  Once again rapid fire caused heavy casualties on the charging Ansar, but they charged home and a prolonged melee took place, eventually going in favour of the Imperial troops, but leaving them weakened and vulnerable to attack by fresh units. 

The Ansar try to break through the Imperial right flank

As the attack was going in against the Imperial right, the mounted infantry on the ridge were also attacked.  They had been 'softened up' by rifle fire from the village and the attentions of a field gun and they were unable to stop the charging Beja.  Even so, they stood their ground and eventually beat off the tribesmen.

The Beja attack the Imperial infantry on the hill

Hand to hand fighting had also been taking place around the compound.  The Beja had charged one of the Imperial cavalry units and although they had eventually been routed, they had given time for the Dervish cavalry to move up ready to charge the now disordered cavalry.

At this point we ran out time.  Although battered the Dervish forces had held the Imperial attack and under cover of darkness would be able to spirit the arms and ammunition away to a new hiding place.  The Imperial troops had also suffered heavy losses and perhaps would be not quite so 'gung-ho' in their next attack.

This was Bob's first encounter with these rules and he caused me problems all game.  He was particularly unfortunate with his command rolls for his mounted infantry and their tardiness did prove very helpful in me retaining command of the village.  He was also unfortunate with his right wing cavalry.  Their first move took them very close to the building holding the cache of ammunition (though they did not know this), a little luck at this point would have secured him one of his objectives.