Skirmish At Burning Farm - Transvaal 1901. A table Top Game In 28mm.

              Skirmish At Burning Farm - Transvaal 1901

A party of Northumberland Fusiliers under the command of Sergeant (Stomper) Armstrong with support from men from the Staffordshire Mounted Infantry, were ordered to torch a farmstead 20 miles west of Krugersdorp.

This act of aggression was too much for a small commando of Boers who soon started to pepper the British with rifle fire. Three soldiers were immediately wounded, one (a corporal)

managed to crawl and hide behind a mound with a few other soldiers. One Fusilier on the far side of the burning farm managed to bag two Boers with incredible rifle skills while the mounted infantry flanked to the north.

Seeing the mounted infantry advancing on their flank the Boers panicked and started to withdraw, seeing this Sergeant Armstrong ordered the Northumberlands to advance.

                          

 

Soon overwhelmed the Boers surrendered, the action had cost the life of one Staffordshire Mounted Infantryman and six Northumberland Fusiliers wounded. The Boers had lost five dead and four captured, two of whom were wounded.

The Battle of Jones's Kopje 1901 - Hobbs End Gazette. A Tabletop Game In 28mm.

                 HOBBS END GAZETTE

                                                                September 21st 1901

Our South African correspondent Tarquine Squears was on the scene when the Boers blew up the railway track leading to Kroonstad, he was staying with the garrison of a blockhouse on the veltd nearby.

The garrison is made up of men from the Royal Fusiliers and a section of Australian troops of the third contingent, several volunteers from Hobbs End are serving with the Fusiliers.

A party of Fusiliers went to inspect the damage and soon Mauser rounds started to whistle and crack over head. Our attention was drawn to a nearby kopje with distant figures moving around.

The men soon started advancing in open order supported by riflemen, two Fusiliers were soon dropped by very accurate Mauser fire. Moving forward as fast as they could the infantry were in a precarious position as there was not much cover.

The Boer riflemen were deadly and soon British and Australian troops were strewn across the veldt, but the attack went on. The Boers were not without casualties and they were soon mounting, the infantry were about to assault the kopje.

Bodies littered the kopje, Corporal Jones took control of the Boer position and the remnants escaped on horseback to fight another day. It had been a costly day with 12 Imperial casualties and 6 Boer, the area is now called Jones's Kopje.

Tarquine Squears, Hobbs End Gazette 1901

A Skirmish In Wallachia 1462 - A Tabletop Game In 28mm.

    A Skirmish In Wallachia 1462

Two Ottoman artillery pieces have had some repair done and are now behind the main army, with a small band of infantry, Janissaries, and Sipahi they are hastily catching up. Wallachia is a dangerous and terrifying place, many sites, ideal for ambush, have been scouted out by the cavalry, but evidence of Prince Vlad's favourite pastime line the roads.

Up ahead just before a small village, horsemen are seen, it looks like the expected attack is coming, Sipahi gallop ahead to meet the enemy.

A whisper flies around the Ottoman ranks "Kaziklu Bey, can it really be the Lord Impaler himself!" 

Wallachian cavalry split in two, one troop rides to meet the Sipahi while another flanks around behind.

The infantry and Janissaries brace themselves for the onslaught.

The fighting is brutal with neither side giving ground, the flanking troop now clash with the Ottoman infantry.

The Wallachian cavalry soon brake through the Ottoman infantry and the Sipahi are now getting the worst of it, so they retreated behind the Janissaries.

The Wallachian cavalry now formed up to charge the Ottomans again.

Pulling off another flanking move some Wallachians try to attack the cannons from the cover of the woods.

Meanwhile the Janissaries are giving the Wallachian cavalry a very tough time, and just as the cannons are reached the retreat is sounded, the Wallachians break off their attack.

The remaining Sipahi see their chance for glory and chase the retreating Wallachians, not deterred the Wallachians turn and fight.

Soon the remaining Wallachian cavalry join up with their comrades and the Sipahi are slaughtered.

The Sultan will keep his artillery, their target will most likely be Targoviste, but Prince Vlad has other surprises up his sleeve, this is not over yet.

Communists cry "police brutality", trouble in Wells Street - A Victorian Tabletop Game In 28mm

                           HOBBS END GAZETTE

                                                       Saturday 15th July 1893

                              Trouble in Wells Street, a serious affray.

Ever since the council condemned the row of houses on the west side of Wells Street the Communists  have been agitating for a fairer deal, finally the police got involved, our correspondent investigates.

Last night the Communists were again in Wells Street holding a meeting in the middle of the road and rather conveniently right outside their party headquarters. The speaker, Mr Greeves, was questioning the coincidence that Councillor Johnson's brother in law's company had won the contract to demolish half of the street and also where the residents were going to live as no alternative accomodation was forthcoming.

It would seem that Councillor Johnson doesn't like his name or his business dealings being the subject of street meetings and as he was in the same club as the Chief Commissioner getting the street meetings closed was fairly easy, unfortunately our local police had to carry out their orders to the letter and trouble was inevitable.

Almost immediately one of the Communists was knocked down and so was a policeman, the man who assaulted the constable was a local bruiser called Stebson, who goes under the nickname Gripper, a couple of constables who saw this quickly gave chase.

Diving into an alleyway Stebson turned to face his adversaries, a seasoned jailbird and thug Stebson is also fast and ruthless, one policeman was felled in an instant, his companion fought back but was too slow and he payed the price.

Back in Wells Street the fighting had stopped and two arrests had been made, on orders from above DI Bolton and his detectives entered the Communist HQ and searched it for any seditious material. Three policemen received hospital treatment and nothing of any interest was found.