Raid on New Brighton (VBCW Mini Battle Report)

Captain Webster of the Britsish Union of Facists- (BUF) had a problem: His loss of the company colours at the Battle of Cornhill Farm had left him in a position of weakness amongst the loyalist commanders in Chester. Webster is desperate to impress the Duke of Farnham, who currently has over all command of the Chester defences, but the defeat at Cornhill has left him in an embarrassing situation. Fortunately, Webster had a plan.

Using Fascist contacts in Deeside, Webster managed to borrow a small fishing boat, and a couple of landing boats. He has assembled a crack team of volunteers, mostly BUF, but also a few men recruited from the Dukes own ‘Black Russians’, who are always keen to strike a blow against the Reds, and the Manchester Regiment. Under the cover of darkness and a dense sea fog the team landed on the beach a short way from the Tower Ballroom, in New Brighton, where the Wirral Socialists are keeping the BUF colours as a trophy. The team managed to break into the ballroom after hours and make off with the flag. All they need to do was get back to their boats without being detected...

This was the plot of a short battle we fought today. Webster and his commandos needed to make it across the board back to their boats, bearing the newly liberated company colours.

Here's what happened...

Captain Webster leads his commandos across a field, trying to avoid Wirral Socialist patrols and a watchtower with a searchlight.

Unfortunately they blunder straight into one such patrol, and the alarm is raised.

Wirral Socialist Volunteer militiamen carousing in a near by pub join in the fray. They are quite drunk, but still well armed and dangerous.

The remains of Websters commandos are cornered in a field near the beach- so close you could smell the sea. They have no choice but to make a break for it, ducking and weaving as the dash across the open field. Webster is 'winged' by a bullet, and one of his men is killed, but the last commando carrying the flag escapes off the beach.

The outcome of this battle was a draw, as Webster never made it off the board. Luckily for him, he managed to slip away unnoticed and make his way overland back to Chester- no mean feat, considering he had to cross about 18 miles of hostile territory, on foot, with a bullet in his posterior!