More VBCW nonsense here.
Civil war in the 1930’s is a
strange affair. On the one hand, modern inventions such as radio, tanks, air
planes and the machine gun have fundamentally changed the way war is fought,
but on the other hand, a lack of supply lines and military infrastructure means
that all factions in the war are forced to fall back on many of the tried and
tested methods of warfare.
One such example is in the use of
horse on the battlefield. Although full frontal cavalry charges are something
of the past, horses still have a role to play. Some units use horses for
manoeuvrability while others use them to transport goods to the front line or
tow artillery pieces around.
This picture depicts a postal
worker from the Liverpool Free State, who is working as a courier, transporting
vital documents behind the front lines. In the days when radio communication is
not secured, such a job is of the utmost importance to the war effort.
LFS Mounted Dispatch Rider |
Here we can see Captain Webster
of the BUF, who has been seconded to the General Staff of Lord Winterfield in
Somerset, where he is acting as his intelligence officer. Captain Webster is
not a natural cavalryman, but as Lord Winterfield insists all his staff ride
into battle (mostly for propaganda reasons- because it looks heroic) Captain
Webster is doing his best to learn.
The mounted postman is, I think,
a Renegade Miniatures WW1 British Cavalryman. My pal Tym, of the Gentleman’s
Wargame Parlour, painted it for me. The horse is a plastic horse from Warlord
Games. All I have done is add a base so that it matches the rest of my army.
Captain Webster is a BUF officer from Musketeer Miniatures,
and the mounted officer is a Spanish Civil War figure from Empress Miniatures. Although
they are both sculpted by Paul Hicks they are from different ranges, hence they
are not exactly the same, but they are close enough for what I need.
Mounted Wbster needs a tache!
ReplyDeleteNi ce work mate. :)