Nugget 356

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from our printer – Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent – yesterday, and I will be posting it out to members later today.

I have sent the PDF copy to the webmaster, and with luck members should be able to read this issue online at some point over the next few days.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the second issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Halfway to paradise? Not quite … but certainly halfway through my radiotherapy.

This afternoon I will be undertaking my nineteenth session of radiotherapy … and I will only have another eighteen to do!

Being someone who likes to plan their time, I do find the fact that to date my treatment times have varied each day by up to four hours a bit difficult to plan around. I have to make sure that I arrive at the hospital fully hydrated, which means drinking at least 1.5 litres of water beforehand, and as it takes between twenty minutes and an hour to get there, I have to leave home at least an hour before my appointment. I have yet to be treated at the appointment time as even after hydrating as best I can, I usually have to ‘top up’ my fluid intake before treatment can take place.

The radiotherapy takes about fifteen minutes. Once I’ve been positioned on the treatment table by the radiotherapists, they leave the room and conduct a short CT scan, which they overlay on my original CT scan to ensure that I’m exactly in the right position. The X-ray treatment then takes place. This is performed using a linear accelerator, and once it is complete, I’m free to go home … usually after a swift trip to the loo!

To date, most of my appointments have been either early in the afternoon or later in the afternoon. If it is during the early afternoon, I either have to eat lunch before I go – which can interfere with my hydration – or delay it until I get back … which can be as late as 3.30pm. If it is during the late afternoon, my journey to the hospital often coincides with the school run and my journey home takes place during the rush hour.

To date, my worst experience was leaving home at 2.00pm and returning home just after 6.00pm, and on average the whole thing takes three hours. That said, at least I’m not having to travel up to Guy’s Hospital at London Bridge for my treatment, which would have taken far longer.

Nugget 356

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue on Saturday, and I will be sending it to the printer on Monday morning. I hope that it will be ready to be posted out to members by the end of the week.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the second issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

AIChat defines The Portable Wargame

Whilst I was waiting for my radiotherapy session yesterday, I decided to ‘ask’ AIChat what it knew about THE PORTABLE WARGAME, and this is what it ‘wrote’:

The Portable Wargame is a set of rules for tabletop wargaming that was developed by Bob Cordery, a well-known wargame designer. This rule set is designed to be versatile and portable, allowing players to easily set up and play wargames with minimal equipment.

The Portable Wargame is unique in that it uses gridded terrain and bases representing units rather than traditional miniature figures. This simplifies gameplay and makes it easier for players to create their custom battles. The rules themselves provide a good balance between realism and playability, allowing for tactical decision-making and strategic planning.

One of the key features of The Portable Wargame is its flexibility. It can be easily adapted to different historical periods, from ancient battles to modern conflicts. Additionally, the rules can accommodate both large-scale battles and smaller skirmishes, making it suitable for a variety of tabletop wargaming preferences.

Another benefit of The Portable Wargame is its portability, as the name suggests. The rules are intentionally designed to be played on smaller playing surfaces, such as a standard-sized table or even a smaller board. This makes it easier to set up and play games in different locations, making it a great option for gamers who may not have access to a large dedicated gaming space.

Overall, The Portable Wargame is a versatile and accessible rule set that provides the opportunity for engaging and tactical wargaming experiences. Whether you're a seasoned wargamer or just starting out, this ruleset offers a great way to enjoy tabletop battles.

This is not a bad synopsis of the concept, and better than I would have expected.

I have been to … St George’s Garrison Church, Woolwich

On Sunday afternoon, Sue and I went to St George’s Garrison Church, Woolwich, to attend the Commonwealth & Gurkha Garden fundraising afternoon cream tea.

The church served as the Woolwich garrison’s church until it was hit by a V1 on 13th July 1944. The building caught fire and the roof fell in, and once the site was secured and a temporary roof was erected, the building remained unused. During the 1950s and 1960s the building was neglected and vandalised. The upper parts of the walls were demolished in 1970 and a canopy was erected over the apse to protect the area around the altar. In the same year a memorial garden was created onsite.

In 1973 the building was listed, and in 2011 it was handed over to the Heritage of London Trust, who obtained a match-funded grant of £400,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for £800,000 of conservation work that included the building a large canopy roof over the eastern end of the church.

Since 2016 the church has been run by a local group, the Woolwich Garrison Church Trust, and as part of their continued development of the site, they are raising money to have an accessible Commonwealth & Gurkha Garden built next to the building. Woolwich and Plumstead have the largest Gurkha community in the UK and they have given lots of financial support to this project, and Sunday’s event was part of the ongoing fundraising efforts.

The plan of the Commonwealth and Gurkha Garden. The design has been produced by Juliet Sargeant, an award-winning garden designer.

Despite the threat of rain, there was a good turnout, and the afternoon tea was excellent. We arrived just after 3.00pm and stayed until 5.00pm. During our stay I took several photographs and we both spoke to the chair of the Woolwich Garrison Church Trust, Tim Barnes KC, about the possibility of us giving the trust a donation.

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The uncovered part of the church has been laid out as a garden, and is regularly used for all sorts of events and functions.

The food tent attracted lots of attention ... and the cream tea that was available was superb.

Due to the inclement weather, most attendees sat at tables in the covered area near to the altar..

A display of artist's impressions of the new Commonwealth & Gurkha Garden was placed in front of the altar.

Above the altar is a mosaic depicting the church's patron saint, St George. On either side of the mosaic are plaques showing the names of the members of the Royal Artillery and Indian Artillery who won the Victoria Cross ...

... from 1854 to 1864 ...

... and from 1880 to 1945.

Fifteen years on ...

Fifteen years ago I wrote the first blog post on my newly-minted blog. It stated that:

After much prompting ... and not a little reluctance on my part ... I have decided to take the plunge.

I have now joined the world of the self-publicising, self-centred, self-indulgent blogger.

I intend to share my thoughts on wargaming (and other related matters that crop up) with a wider audience ... probably much to the relief of my wife and wargaming colleagues. So watch this space ... and come prepared to be bored!

Over the past fifteen years I have written well over five thousand blog posts, my blog has been visited more than four and a half million times, and there have been in excess of forty thousand comments ... and blogging has enriched my wargaming in more ways that I can count! It has put me in contact with numerous wargamers from across the globe who I may well never have met – and will probably never meet – whose ideas, feedback, and encouragement have enriched my enjoyment of wargaming To them I say a heartfelt ...

THANK YOU!

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PS. I hope that I haven't been too much of a self-publicising, self-centred, self-indulgent blogger, and that I've never been too boring!

Military History Plus bonus podcast

On Tuesday Professor Gary Sheffield announced on Twitter that there was going to be a bonus Military History Plus podcast released on Wednesday. (I know that Twitter is now called ‘X’, but it sounds silly saying that I’m reading a tweet on ‘X’.)

The bonus podcast featured the Irish military historian and writer Gerry White talking about Irish history from 1913 to 1922. The discussions covered Home Rule, the First World War, the Easter Rising, the Irish War of Independence/Anglo-Irish War, and the Irish Civil War.

This was yet another excellent podcast and I am pleased that Professor Gary Sheffield and Dr Spencer Jones decided to produce this extras podcast.

Warships of the Soviet Fleets 1939-1945

Back in March I reviewed the first two volumes of this three-part study of the WARSHIPS OFTHE SOVIET FLEETS 1939-1945.

The third part deals with Naval Auxiliaries and includes the following chapters:

• Staff & communications ships and boats
• Dispatch ships
• Survey vessels
• Salvage vessels
• Depot ships
• Training ships
• Sanitary transport ships
• Icebreakers
• Transport ships
• Oilers
• Water carriers
• Tugs
• Experimental and special purpose vessels
• Cable layers
• Harbour vessels
• Ex-enemy ships acquired after the end of hostilities
• Armament and sensors
• Project numbers
• Enemy losses of warships inflicted by ships of the Soviet Navy
• Afterword
• Alterations & Additions
• Future updates

I have several other books that deal with the vessels used by the Soviet Navy during World War II, but these three volumes are by far the most extensive in their coverage. The line drawings are very useful, and the writers have tried to find photographs of as many of the vessels covered in these books as possible.

The chapter that covers the armament and sensors carried by Soviet Navy warships covers everything from the heavy guns that were designed to arm the never-completed 1930s battleships to the light machine guns carried by motor torpedo boats. It also covers:

• Torpedo weapons
• Anti-submarine weapons
• Rockets
• Mine warfare
• Sensors

This last section really helps the reader to understand the ship specifications featured in this series.

I thoroughly recommend these three volumes to anyone who has an interest in the development of and role of the Soviet Navy during the Great Patriotic War.

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WARSHIPS OF THE SOVIET FLEETS 1939–1945: VOLUME III: NAVAL AUXILLIARIES was written by Przemyslaw Budzbon, Marek Twardowski, and Jan Radziemski, and published by Seaforth Publishing in 2023 (ISBN 978 1 3990 2281 1).

Seven sessions done; thirty sessions left

This afternoon I will be undertaking my eighth session of radiotherapy … which will mean that I will be a fifth of the way through my treatment.

It has not been easy to achieve the right level of hydration during the recent hot spell, but as I’ve got into the rhythm of my daily treatment, I’ve learned how to pace my water intake so that I’ve got the right amount of fluid in my system at the right time.

So far, I haven’t noticed any side effects, but I’m told that they may well not appear until after the radiotherapy has ended.

Nugget 355

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from our printer – Macaulay Scott Printing Company of Welling, Kent – yesterday, and I hope to be able to post it out to members on Monday.

Due to the webmaster being away from home at present and therefore unable to update the website, members cannot yet read this issue online. However, I hope to send it as an email attachment to all e-members as soon as I can.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the first issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

A flocking progress report: The Germans and Axis troops and equipment

I have now had the opportunity to photograph the German and Axis figures and vehicles that I have renovated, rebased, and flocked with cork granules, and here they are:

A flocking progress report: The Russian troops and equipment

I have now had the opportunity to photograph the Russian figures and vehicles that I have renovated, rebased, and flocked with cork granules, and here they are:

A flocking progress report

In the run up to the start of my radiotherapy, I had been continuing to work my way through the figures and vehicles that I renovated during the COVID outbreak, flocking their bases with fine cork granules. I have continued doing this – albeit at a slightly slower pace – since my radiotherapy started, and I have now reached the point where this phase of the project has finished.

To date I have flocked the following:

RUSSIAN

• Infantry figures: 89
• Artillery figures: 41 (including 4 x naval gunners)
• Officer figures: 10
• Tanks and self-propelled guns: 6 (1 x T-60 light tank and 5 x T-34/76 medium tanks)
• Armoured cars: 5 (5 x FAI)
• Artillery pieces: 19 (including 7 x 45mm M1932/M1937 anti-tank guns, 4 x 76.2mm M1927 regimental guns, 1 x 76.2mm M1939 divisional gun, 2 x 122mm M1938 howitzers, 3 x 152mm M1909/30 howitzers)
• Artillery tractors: 11 (including 2 x STZ-5 light tractors, 3 x T-20 Komsomolets light tractors, and 3 x Komintern heavy tractors)
• Wheeled vehicles: 15 trucks

GERMAN & AXIS

• Infantry figures: 114 (including 1 x Policeman, 12 x Hungarian infantry, and 8 x Spanish infantry)
• Artillery figures: 39 (including 6 x Luftwaffe gunners and 5 x Hungarian gunners)
• Officer figures: 8 (including 1 x Hungarian officer and 1 x Spanish officer)
• Tanks and self-propelled guns: 10 (2 x PzKpfw III medium tanks, 2 x PzKpfw IV medium tanks, 2 x Hungarian 38M Toldi light tanks, 2 x Panzerjager I, 2 x 150mm sIG 33 [1 x PzKpfw II chassis and 1 x PzKpfw III chassis) self-propelled guns)
• Armoured cars: 2 (1 x SdKfz 222 light armoured car and 1 x SdKfz 231 heavy armoured car)
• Artillery pieces: 17 (including 2 x 37mm PAK 36 anti-tank guns, 4 x 50mm PAK 38 anti-tank guns, 1 x 75mm GK 06 light mountain gun, 3 x 75mm leIG 18 light infantry guns, 1 x 150mm sIG 33 heavy infantry gun, and 3 x leFH 18 light howitzers)
• Half-tracks: 5 (1 x SdKFZ 11 light half-tracks, 1 x SdKfz 251 armoured half-track, and 3 x SdKfz 7 medium half-tracks)
• Wheeled vehicles: 15 (including 1 x Citroen staff car, 5 x Kubelwagen light cars, 2 x Steyr 1500A heavy cars, 3 x Opel Blitz light trucks, and 2 x Krupp Protze light trucks)

As I look back at what I have done, it turns out to be a more extensive list than I expected ... and whilst searching for something else on Saturday, I found another couple of boxes of stuff that need to be renovated and rebased. So much – in fact – that I suspect that it will double the size of the collection that I have already done!

Nugget 355

The editor of THE NUGGET sent me the latest issue earlier this week, and I sent it to the printer this morning. With luck it should be ready to be posted out to members by the middle of next week.

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IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the first issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2023-2024 subscription year.

If you have not yet re-subscribed, an email reminder was sent to you some time ago with the relevant information you require to do so. If you have lost this and wish to re-subscribe or you are a new subscriber, please request a PayPal invoice or the bank transfer information from the Treasurer or follow the instructions on the relevant page of the website.

Things did not quite go as expected

Firstly, thanks to everyone who wrote a comment on yesterday’s blog post. By the time I got home from the hospital I wasn’t in the mood for answering each one individually, but I enjoyed reading them.

As you might gather, things did not quite go as I expected. Sue and I arrived at 1.00pm and whilst she remained outside in the waiting area, I was ushered into the Radiology Department. I waited there until nearly 1.45pm, at which point I was told to empty my bladder and then drink 350ml of water as quickly as I could.

At 2.00pm my bladder was subject to an ultrasound scan … and was found to be too empty. I then had to drink a further 350ml of water and at 2.30pm I had a second ultrasound scan … and this time I was told that the scar tissue from my colostomy was making it difficult to see how full my bladder was and that I was going to need to have a CT scan.

I was directed to a changing room and changed out of my clothes and put on a back-opening gown and non-slip socks. Once I had done this, I was taken into the treatment room and given a CT scan. This apparently satisfied the radiotherapists who were administering my treatment, and my prostate and its associated lymph nodes were then zapped with directional X-rays. Once this was done (and the zapping only lasted a few minutes) I was shown back into the changing room, and once I was dressed, I was allowed to leave. By this time it was 3.15pm and I was both hungry (I’d had no lunch) and bursting to go to the loo!

Apparently, the problem with my bladder is associated with my slow metabolic rate, and I take longer than the average person to pass water through my system. Therefore, as from today, I have to start the water drinking process at least an hour before my appointment to ensure that my bladder is full when I am given my pre-procedure ultrasound.

To add a further bit of confusion to my situation, at the end of today's treatment I was given a completely different schedule of treatment times from the ones I was given during my recent visit to Guy's Hospital, London Bridge. As a result, I am going to have to change a number of appointments I have already arranged, and I am definitely going to have to miss several important Masonic meetings that I was due to attend. This is somewhat annoying and inconvenient ... but the success of my radiotherapy is my most important concern and must take priority over everything else.