Saturday 16 December 2017

The Sand of the Desert is Sodding Red...


The sand of the desert is sodden red,—
Red with the wreck of a square that broke; —
The Gatling's jammed and the Colonel dead, *
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed his banks,
And England's far, and Honour a name,
But the voice of a Wargamer rallies the ranks:
'Play up! play up! and play the game! '


*Poetic Licence.  No Gatlings or Colonels were deployed in this game...

The great square deploys.


A closer view.  the Durhams are in the foreground with the Langbaugh Light Infantry.































The Rajputs under their reliable Officers 
(all unreliable ones having been killed off by this stage)

The Balamory Islanders and the Midsomers
  
The Teesdales face off against charging Dervish Cavalry

Mustapha leek comes on in waves

The Warwicks of Major Whitemoore take a disproportionate
 amount of stick from the Dervish as do the Teesdales.

Once in contact the Dervish are a devastating enemy

The Durhams and the Midsomers suffer terrible casualties

The Islanders reform their lines supported by the Rajputs.  

The Midsomers are abandoned to their just deserts

The last stand of the Langbaughs

Major Dundarse perishes on the job

The Square begins to crumble

The end game sees the Rajputs, Islanders 
and the Warwicks still standing.

The final three Majors reform the square, 
having seen off the Dervish.  

Colonel Whynot, his men all dead, abandoned by the
surviving Majors, and worse of all pinned
by a monkey's nipple.

Friday 8 December 2017

Red Sea Gazette 14. The War is Won...






Link to the Complete Galloping Majors PDF

Link to the Complete Red Sea Gazette

The Deployment Begins

A hatless Major Whynot watches the progress.  

1st Brigade pooh pooh the terrain to their front
2nd Brigade split the formation around the scrub


Major Dundarse displays his Dundarse
Major Pea, Major Whitemoore and Ali Bongo
Major Whynot wearing the King's Liverpool headgear
The gap between the brigades
The Dervish swarm to the front of 2nd Brigade
1st Brigade also struggle against superior numbers
The Hadendowah Camels lurking
2nd brigade fight their way across the Donga
First Brigade stand their ground, maintaining the square
The fight across the Donga becomes fractious
The Midsomers advance around the scrub.
2nd brigade firing line outflanks the Dervish.
1st Brigade stands its ground in square... still...

The only Dervish unit to cross the Donga loses 7 men in
a single round to the fire of the Gurkhas.
But the fight at the Donga continues
Ali Bongo saves the 1st Brigade Square as the Camel Corps
dance away...
With the Dervish cavalry massing it seems that
the integrity of the square is in doubt.
Cavalry demonstrate against the front and side of the square
Major Pea poses beside the sailors
Major Stroker is photo bombed by an irate Dundarse

2nd Brigade cross the Donga and march off table in perfect order...
apart from the unit of Rajputs who broke...
1st Brigade defeat the Dervish only a short time later...
but it is later...
The Langbaughs advance in excellent order
Good looking game, and some very nice camel action
Fat old Major Sir Portly B`Stard of the
Queen's Own Minifigs
 on table for the first time!
Captain Barkinge-Madly of the Artillery survives the campaign,
having fought in virtually every single engagement
Whitemoore at the head of his column
The End game, and a panoramic Lithographic reprint of the battle.