The Battle of Quatre Bras 1815. My blog on our two day refight of the battle on the grand scale. The outcome was similar, even with a different French plan to Ney’s. Where was d’Erlon when you need him😂. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

Plaque for Scottish Holocaust victim to be unveiled in Edinburgh. Outside St Stephen's Church in Stockbridge, where a service was held for Jane Haining before she travelled to Budapest to work as a matron. Later murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz in 1944. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wargaming: the surprisingly effective tool that can help us prepare for modern crises. We might not be able to predict the future perfectly given the speed of change. But we can test the options. Wargaming is how we start. My Quatre Bras weekend wasn’t wasted😂. theconversation.com/wargaming-th...

By close of play the French dominate the crossroads but the Allies have plenty in reserve. French cavalry are in the Allied flank. Similar to the historic Quatre Bras. Black Powder and thanks to Veterans Hub for good game.

My grand flank attack with Jerome’s division started well, pinning Alten. However, the dice gods bit back and the attack has ground to a halt. Jerome has probably brought his massive baggage again😂. Quatre Bras.

Day2 of the Battle of Quatre Bras 1815 at the Veterans Hub in Glasgow. The French are close to the crossroads but too slow getting there. Allied reinforcements have arrived in large numbers. Black Powder in 28mm.

Ardvrek Castle wall 'ripped down' for use as stepping stones. "Some special individuals decided when the water was over the beach area, rather than get their little tootsies wet, they would rip down a 500-year-old wall to make a path for themselves.” Unbelievable! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’m taking Jerome’s division on a big flanking move, while the French centre is closing on the crossroads, although at a heavy cost. Quatre Bras in 28mm using Black Powder.

The French are within a stone’s throw of the crossroads, but not with enough troops or guns. and the British are arriving in numbers. Quatre Bras at the Glasgow Veterans Hub this weekend.

A few French have arrived! The Dutch are getting worried. Quatre Bras.

We are refighting the Battle of Quatre Bras 1815 at the Veterans Hub in Glasgow over both days this weekend. Multi -Player 12x6 table. All quiet at the crossroads and Gemioncourt for Bylandt’s Dutch/Belgium brigade. It won’t be for long!

Giles Tremlett: Spain has too rosy a view of Franco’s regime. Let’s remind ourselves of its horrors. Little is taught about the murderous, incompetent dictatorship – and now almost one in five young people say Franco was good for the country. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Holodomor on screen: how cinema shapes memory of Ukraine’s famine. One factor preventing wider recognition of the Holodomor as a central moment in 20th century history is the lack of compelling treatment in film. theconversation.com/the-holodomo...

At nightfall, neither the Russians or the Persians have made much progress. My mother told me not to play cards. She wasn’t wrong! Lust for Glory in 15mm.

Lust for Glory playtesting game this evening. Listening to the Napoleonic Quarterly this morning on the 1804 Russo-Persian War. So, we are fighting in the Caucasus this evening.

Book reviews: Korean War - US forces. Two newish Ospreys, one examines the army and marine uniforms in enough detail for modellers. The other looks at the Seventh Fleet, primarily used for air and naval bombardment. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/kore...

Latest off the painting bench is another fill in project from the lead (resin in this case) pile. Some government dragoons for Jacobite skirmish games in 28mm. 3D prints from British Miniatures.

Book review: Russia and the Golden Horde - Charles Halperin's study of the Mongol impact on medieval Russian History. He raises the curtain on the ideology of silence that pervades traditional Russian history to show extensive Mongol influence on Russia. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/russ...

A water system that works for people and nature. While Scotland has avoided the worst aspects of privatisation in E&W, many challenges remain for Scottish Water. Dave Watson from the Reid Foundation will discuss on Monday 24 Nov. At 7pm. Register👇 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-water-sy...

The five best TV shows about the Tudors – recommended by a historian. We seem to have an endless appetite for Tudor history. A mix of old and new here. theconversation.com/the-five-bes...

The truth about Vikings and mead might disappoint modern enthusiasts. Ale was the main drink. Honey’s scarcity made mead expensive. By the Viking age, wine, Odin’s drink in the Grímnismál, may have begun to replace mead as the elite’s preferred choice. theconversation.com/the-truth-ab...

The Austrians won the cavalry battle but my French infantry brigades smashed through the centre before they could reorganise. Victory to Marmont. Black Powder at the club today.

Appropriately, given my online talk on the Napoleonic Wars in the Adriatic this evening, I am leading Marmont against the Austrians. The first division has made a bold attack on the Austrian flank.

Who needs Netflix when you can discover the Napoleonic Wars in the Adriatic this evening. And you can’t ask questions on Netflix! www.tickettailor.com/events/napol...

OTD in 1885, Serbia declared war on Bulgaria. They suffered a decisive defeat and were only saved by Austria-Hungary's demand that Bulgaria halt its counter-invasion. The decisive Battle of Slivnitsa is just inside the modern Bulgarian border.

Tutankhamun was decapitated 100 years ago – why the excavation is a great shame instead of a triumph. Howard Carter’s team decapitated the pharaoh, severed his limbs and dismembered his torso. Then they covered it up. theconversation.com/tutankhamun-...

My Ottoman raiding party sniped away without making much impression on the Russian infantry. The Faithforged activation system is pretty brutal, which may be the intention, but it’s a bit frustrating. Back to the drawing board.

The midweek game is another Faithforged test game. Version3 appears to be a lot clearer. It’s 1768, and an Ottoman raiding party has sneaked across the Dniester River to attack a Russian supply convoy. Another scenario to expand those in my new book.

Book review: The Lion of the North. Third and latest in Griff Hosker's English Mercenary series. It covers the 1632 Lutzen campaign. Our hero commands a light cavalry regiment at the cutting edge of the Swedish army. A fast paced and a gripping read. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

Zadie Smith: Does Britain value culture any more? Ask the striking workers at the British Library. As someone who has spent many days researching in the British Library, this is spot on. We need fewer flags and more libraries. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Game designers bring to life to Scotland's mysterious Picts. One of the ideas behind Carved in Stone is for it to be used as a guide for tabletop role playing games (TTRPGs) similar to Dungeons and Dragons. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Wow! If I wasn't a fan girl already... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Book review: The Siege of Vienna 1529 - The Drawing of the Dark. Tim Powers, gives a fantasy twist to the less well known siege. It may irritate some, but I think he blends the two genres well. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

Lest we forget those who died far away from our shores. At least the Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not. Macedonian Front in WW1.

Calls for WW1 piper, who won the Victoria Cross, to be honoured with a statue. In an incredible moment of valour at the Battle of Loos 1915, within the chaos of a gas attack, Laidlaw tore off his own gas mask, climbed up on the parapet and started playing the pipes. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

OTD in 1938, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died. He was the Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Türkiye, serving as its first president. You will find more than a few statues of him if you visit Türkiye!

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy 138 has just dropped into my mailbox. There is an interesting article on the Cretan War😉. Soon, in all good newsagents, so get your copy!

Groundbreaking British Museum show set to challenge samurai myths. “What I want to address in the exhibition is the way that perception of the samurai has become narrowed down to just this male warrior in armour wielding a sword.” www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

A nice Lord of the Rings table and other sci-fi offerings at North Ayrshire Gamers today.

General D’Armee at North Ayrshire Gamers today.

The Bulgarians and their Russian volunteers held onto the church but only just. Greek and Serbian flank attacks reached the walls by the end of the game.

2nd Balkan War at the Irvine club today. Bolt Action. Serbs and Greeks attacking the Bulgarian positions.

Memorial to the 244 engine room staff who lost their lives when the Titanic sank. Remaining at their posts so others could survive. Staggering number.

Following Fulham away takes me to Liverpool for the footie today and my favourite art gallery, The Walker. A realistic painting of Napoleon crossing the Alps, the death of Nelson and ‘When did you last see your father. Among many other famous paintings.

Book review: Romanian Campaign 1916-18. This is a reprint by Naval and Military Press of Major-General Kirke's 1924 article in the Journal of the Royal United Service Institution. Invaluable, as very little has been written in English on these campaigns. balkandave.blogspot.com/2025/11/roma...

Which one is more English?

Putin’s repressive machinery turns inward to target pro-war figures. The cases point to a new trend: a purge not only of dissenters but also of the regime’s own supporters, as rival factions within the system turn on each other. Just like Stalin’s purges! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Score draw to the Albanians at close of play. I’m afraid I showed little of Skanderbeg’s tactical skill. In my defence there wasn’t much room to manoeuvre. But my troops stuck it out and held the Ottomans off. Midgard rules.

We are playing Midgard tonight on 15mm. The Ottomans are making a sortie into Albania to sort out Skanderbeg.

Hey board game folks, I need to contact some board game influencer types for a listicle i'm doing about family board games (for The Guardian). i'll probably contact the usual suspects but if you know of someone from an underrepresented group, pls give a shout! would love more diverse voices!