A Spiffing Read

I can't resist old illustrations of ancient ships. I recently obtained a copy of 'A Boy's Book of Battleships' by Gordon Stables C.M., M.D., R.N.. It was published by Blackie in 1915.

It is illustrated in black and white and with full-page colour plates done in chromolithography or zincography which gives a vivid result even if the range of colours is limited.
The artist is not credited and most of the illustrations not signed. However, on one I found the name W. Edward Wigfull. He illustrated many historical and military subjects in the inter-war period.

Wigfull was born in Sheffield in 1875 and spent a lot of his life in the south east. He illustrated Yachting Weekly and several books about the coastal areas of Essex. He was also a writer and illustrated his pieces. His style is accurate and economical and he has a great sense for boats and ships. Despite the limitations of his source material for ancient vessels they are imaginative reconstructions fit to stir the blood of any boy reader.

'a warship of ancient Greece from an old Greek design. The sailors, however, look a lot of lubbers to our nautical eyes, and so perhaps they were.They do not seem to hit it handily'

  Wigfull worked many times with a prolific writer of adventure stories, Percy F. Westerman and one of their joint triumphs was .......

This is one of the best in the book. A fighting cog of the 14th century. Rich colour, clean linework and a lively composition. Great stuff!

The text of the book is by the above mentioned Stables. He was Scotch and died in 1910.  He claims to remember the Crimean War and the first Royal Navy tests of torpedoes ! He was born in 1840 and became a prolific generator of boys' adventure fiction and informative maritime titles. After leaving the navy in 1875 he toured the country living in a bespoke 'gentleman's caravan'. He wrote an account of this in 1885 with a suitably maritime title The Cruise of the Land-Yacht "Wanderer" Thirteen Hundred Miles in my Caravan. ..even passing through where I used to live !

On and on through beautiful scenery, with peeps at many a noble mansion in the distance. Only the landscape is disfigured by unsightly mine machinery, and the trees are all a-blur with the smoky haze that lies around them.

The country around the village of Birtley is also very pretty. A mile beyond from the hilltop the view is grand, and well worth all this tiring day’s drag to look upon.

Everywhere on the roadside are groups of miners out of work, lying on the grass asleep or talking.

The dust is trying to the nerves to-day; such a black dust it is, too.

We stop at Birtley. I trust I shall never stop there again.

“No, there is no stabling here;” thus spoke a slattern whom I addressed.

“Water t’ hosses. Dost think I’d give thee water? Go and look for t’ well.”

Some drunken miners crowded round.

“For two pins,” one said, “I’d kick the horses. Smartly I would.”

He thought better of it, however.

We pushed on in hopes of getting stabling and perhaps a little civility.

We pushed on right through Gateshead and Newcastle, and three miles farther to the pleasant village of Gosforth, before we found either.

Gosforth is a village of villas, and here we have found all the comfort a gipsy’s heart could desire.

We are encamped on a breezy common in sight of the Cheviot Hills, and here we will lie till Tuesday morning for the sake of our horses if not ourselves.

Stables on right with walrus moustache. Dog was called Hurricane Bob.

 How did he produce a posthumous work ? I don't know. I imagine the publisher reworked a pre-war title with the last two chapters on 'Modern Battleships and Cruisers' and 'Navy Helps' being added to stimulate the patriotic fervour of the readers toward the contemporary conflict.

I will find an excuse to use some of the other illustrations here.

You can find his other works here....
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/4164

Now remember, boys ...
'No country in the wide world lies more under the glamour and spell of the glorious ocean than our Britain. We live on a raft; we depend entirely on our Mercantile Navy for every necessary, and on our Royal Navy for our defence against our enemies. We are great explorers, we make the best of colonists, and all history shows how well our ships and men can fight.' 

 

p.s. He also liked cats ......

'Shipmates'

Osprey Warship Books: Author's riposte to Italian Job

I have discovered Sr. D'Armato has pasted his replies from Amazon.US over to my comments here. Not sure how long they have been there. But I still have not so much time to go through and give them the time and space I would like to. I used much time to give my views in the first place. The latest book awaits close perusal but I have other fish to fry just now.

Actually, I was really trying to blow the bloody doors off!

If I just accept them as comments here on blogspot they seem to disappear onto the pages they are aimed at and they are incomplete . error in copy pasting for some reason. What to do ?

I have accepted them as comments as they are but you should go to AMAZON.US to the book reviews of the relevant Ospreys for Sr.D'Amato's complete posts.


"
Despite of your reluctance to show o Amazon your critics, what it is perfectly understandable, I have copied the many and posted here with my comments. I have omitted, when possible, your jokes and laughs, according to me only reflecting an instable and frustrate personality, touched with infantilism. Let’s begin with the critics to the Dromōn. Yes, the battle is Sena Gallica, 551, but the description of Procopius allows, according to me, the possibility to recreate a sensate reconstruction, based, as it is based here, on sources, and not a phantasy scene as You are calling it. You are saying: “My criticism of the galea-bireme-dromon ship stands. Elsewhere, Procopius clearly states that the ships of Belisarius reconquista were single-banked, cataphract, with possibly a lateen rig. (History of the Wars, Book III, xi). These were called dromon(es)” Although Procopius says (Procopius, DBV, 1,11) in the precise exposition of the expedition against the Vandals that the ships of on"

Here, here I say. And just have to add..Is that  reflex artillery  shooting Greek fire ?

Frustration. Yes, explicit I would think in what i blogged. At least, I hope so or I wasted all that sarcasm. Infantilism. Difficult one. Let others judge.  Instability. Language divides us again.

In this way readers can easily have access to Sr. D'Amato's  views on things and not just the view frm my jaundiced eyes while my gout agues me in the twilight of my years and until my arthritic hands can clunk over the keyboard again.

Meanwhile, Instead of a potter's wheel or some goldfish ....

Endy point. Infantilism prevails.

AD MARE BELLUM - New Rules

'War at Sea' is the title of a new set of 'quick play' rules from David Manley. They are designed for 1/1200 models and a small table but can be used with 1/600. They can be got for almost no money at Wargame Vault so there is no real excuse for not investigating them, at least. - They cost less than a single large galley model !!! The emphasis is on a workable game which, while not a simulation, gives a feel for ancient galley warfare.

Beyond the ship scale there are no scales given. The whole effect is a little abstract, especially when one looks at the ship characteristics. But if this is done to make a playable game it can be worth it.

The presentation is an A4 PDF with some colour illustrations, figures, tables and Quick Play sheets.
The rules are concise and readable. Some comments are given to explain or support interpretations given in the rules.
N.B. If you make a set of PDF rules it is a bad idea to use a solid colour background anywhere in the design. Home printers get drained easily.

There are fleet lists with national characteristics but no points system or suggested fleet compositions for a fight. Squadrons of no larger than 10 ships must mean they are intended for largish actions on the table

The ship types table includes types from the Bronze age through to early  medieval times so you can try Sea Peoples against Vikings if you so desire.

The game turn is a chance sequence of 6 activity segments, 3 for each side, in which you can move ALL your ships each time!!! But when they occurr is determined by a card deck, so you can be massacred by poor card shuffling - or see your dream manoeuvres crumble...

Movement is easy with all types having the same manoeuverability, just differing speeds. Sailing is simplified so that one cannot raise or lower sail during the battle (? as far as I can see?) nor can galleys -  or round ships -  tack, apparently. 

All combat mechanisms are simple and use a single D6. Results are not nuanced, as one says these days.  But this is what one wants for many ships and short playing time ( and reduced brain fatigue). To further help reduce brain ache there is almost no book-keeping, only 5 types of marker being required or a ship status chart. I can forsee a horrible day for the Carthaginian player when he looks helplessly on as  the Roman draws all 3 action cards in succession and wipes out all ships within range.

Morale is elementary with a 50%  rule but some variation is added by the possibility of giving squadron commanders different characteristics such as 'artillry expert' or 'Bloodthirsty' - which affect their scope for action in the game.

I will make some test games in the next few days and report back.