The second article about John Ruddle's garden wargames has no byline, but I suspect that it was written by the late Stuart Asquith or Duncan Macfarlane.
A German garrison town. Several regiments of German cavalry (including Uhlans and Kurassieres) can be seen in the photograph.
Part of Austrian-controlled Italy. An Austrian warship can be seen moored alongside.
A British battleship cruising off the coast of a German colony in Africa.
One of Britain's naval bases and commercial ports.
Another British commercial harbour. Several merchant ships can be seen unloading their cargoes. Royal Navy warships and a column of troops can also be seen in this photograph.
Austrian-controlled northern Italy. The sefront here looks very similar to that of Venice, including the Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, and the famous Campanile.
Two of the Royal Navy's eight destroyers ...
... and two of her six torpedo boats.
A Cornish fishing village.
The home of one of Britain's Admirals.
A British cavalry barracks in India.
A British hill fort in India, garrisoned by Sikh soldiers.
One of Germany's border fortresses. Nearby is the border with Britain.
Near to the German fortress is one of Britain's. Its garrison includes a Highland regiment.
A major British barracks and railway station.
A typical German town, dominated by its ornate castle.
A British stately home. It looks a bit rundown, but this does not seem to be worrying the owners, who are enjoying the good weather on their house's terrace.
Part of the French coast. Her pocket battleship (the Richelieu) can just be seen in the naval base in the top right-hand side of the photograph.
I think that these photographs accompanied an article in an early issue of MINIATURE WARGAMES, but I am not 100% sure of that fact.
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Quite an amazing setup.
ReplyDeleteRob Young,
DeleteA lifetimes work … and enjoyment!
It’s something that we can all hope to emulate.
All the best,
Bob
Bob -
ReplyDeleteWhat a great set of pictures. I've not seen these ones before. Looks as though Mr Ruddle got many years of enjoyment from his creation.
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteIf I managed to get half the fun and enjoyment he did from his wargaming, I’ll be a very happy chappy!
All the best,
Bob
That's a great collection of photos. Like many readers, I have had dreams of making such a world.
ReplyDeleteJhnptrqn,
DeleteWe can all dream …
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteGreat photos- I didn't realize that John's Garden Se-up was so extensive- great models for sure- very creative . Cheers. KEV. p.s. Have you started your Radio Therapy Bob?
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteIt was a truly huge project and he was a very creative wargamer.
All the best,
Bob
PS. I am still waiting for a start date. Things are a bit disrupted at the moment due to strikes by NHS unions over below-inflation pay awards … a problem that has been going on for years.
Absolutely extraordinary and wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIrishserb,
DeleteVery, very true! I’d love veto have something like it.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteVery impressive set up, and I love the buildings and the way that they have aged. I assume that the toy soldiers were removed and stored indoors each evening?
regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeleteI read somewhere that his toy soldiers stayed out during the campaign season and only ‘returned to barracks’ (where any damage etc. was repaired) during the late autumn and early winter).
Not something that I’d want to do …
Apparently, figures would sometimes go AWOL … and then turn up again, sometimes years later!
All the best,
Bob
Blimey, he must have had a very understanding wife! Certainly an impressive set up and the sort of thing we would have loved as kids to play around with our Airfix figures, Action Man etc.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteMy wife would love it if I had a hobby that also kept the garden neat and tidy!
All the best,
Bob
In my database of wargaming magazine articles (https://snv-ttm.blogspot.com/p/wargames-magazine-database.html), I find 2 articles featuring the game of John Ruddle: one is Practical Wargamer Dec 1990; the other is Wargames World 1 (a special issue of Wargames Illustrated, published in 1988). The pictures you show are from that article.
ReplyDeletePhil Dutre,
DeleteThanks for that information. It fills a bit of the void concerning articles about John Ruddle’s games.
All the best,
Bob
So lovely to see more of John Ruddle's set up - but surely the ships were just too small?!?
ReplyDeletehttps://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2023/05/aircraft-carrier-big-scale.html
Leadboy,
DeleteI see what you mean … but I think that they are an example of the ‘small is beautiful’ school of modelling.
All the best,
Bob