Return to Madasahatta ... or somewhere nearby (3)

Recently, I was able to retrieve the 15mm figures and model ships that I used for my Dammallian, Mankanikan, and Marzibarian wargames.

British Dammalia

The senior commanders of the British forces in Dammallia.

The Royal Essex (front) and Queen's Own Rifles (back) infantry battalions.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions, Dammallian African Rifles.

The British Dammallian Police Battalion (front) and the Dammallian Native Police Battalion (back). In time of war, these two police units would be placed under military command.

The locally-recruited Port Albert Infantry Battalion (front) and Port Albert Artillery (back).

Officer and men of the Royal Navy.

HMS Insolent, a flatiron gunboat.

German Mankanika

The senior commanders of the German forces in Mankanika..

The 1st (German) Schutztruppen (front), 2nd (African) Schutztruppen (middle), and 3rd (African) Schutztruppen (back) Battalions.

German Schutztruppen Artillery (left) and 1st and 2nd Mankanikan Native Police Battalions (right). In time of war, these two police units would be incorporated into the Schutztruppen.

Officer and men of the Imperial German Navy.

SMS Meteor, a small cruiser/colonial gunboat.

The Sultanate of Marzibar

The senior commanders of the Marzibarian armed forces (front) and 1st and 2nd Battalions, Sultan of Marizibar's Guard (middle and back).

Marzibarian Artillery (left), 1st and 2nd Battalions, Marzibarian Zouaves (right front and middle) and officers and men of the Marzibarian Navy (back).

Sultan Abdulla, a small gunboat/ram.

Arab forces

Arab artillery (left) and four bands of Arab riflemen..

Miscellaneous

Two coastal passenger steamers.

Three sailing dhows.

Return to Madasahatta ... or somewhere nearby (2)

Eric Knowles' Madasahatta Campaign served as a model for my own colonial imagi-nation setup. It featured three countries:

British Dammallia

Named by Sir Archibald Creep, the first European explorer to set foot there. It is reputed that the name resulted from Sir Archibald's Portuguese cartographer and man-servant mis-hearing his master's comments about the county; ‘There's damn all 'ere!’.

The Colony is administered for the Crown by the Colonial Office in London, and there is a Colonial Governor resident in the capital, Port Albert, but the main power lies with the British Afro-Asian Colonial Company which owns the rights to almost everything.

German Mankanika

Named by Doctor Franz Mattengloss, the first European explorer to set foot there.

The Colony is administered for the Imperial German Government by the Colonial Ministry in Berlin, and there is a Colonial Governor in the Capital, Port Wilhelm.

The Sultanate of Marizbar

It is ruled by the Sultan of Marzibar, who owes titular allegiance to the Sublime Porte, but who rules Marzibar as a despot. Marzibar is an island that is eight miles long by two miles wide on which are situated several small villages and a town, Marzibar City. The latter was called the ‘Venice of Africa’ by Arab explorers and traders during the 17th Century; it has also been described as ‘the worst, pestilential hell-hole on the coast of Africa’ by Sir Archibald Creep.

I have used these Madasahatta-like colonies as a background for several mini-campaigns and one-off battles in the past ... and methinks that I ought to do so again!

Return to Madasahatta ... or somewhere nearby (1)

I recently had a conversation with my old friend David Crook about the Madasahatta Campaign that we both took part in many years ago. In particular, we talked about how the late Eric Knowles used figures from his huge collection to create the various armies that were fielded during the land campaign as well as the naval battles we fought using Eric's extensive 1/1200th-scale fleets of warships dating from the 1880s to the 1910s.

This set me thinking, and I have spent some time since reading the book I wrote about the campaign. The PDF edition of the book included a colour map of Madasahatta that I drew:

At the outbreak of the campaign, the various forces deployed on the island were as follows:

Garrison of New Surrey (The British Colony)

• Port Victoria
• 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers (less 1 Company) [3 Infantry Units]
• 47th Mountain Battery (2 x 12pdr. Guns) [1 Mountain Artillery Unit]
• Rumbletum’s Kraal
• 1 Company, 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers [1 Infantry Unit]
• Clinkajeer's Kraal
• 1 Squadron, Bengal Lancers [1 Cavalry Unit]
• Fort Chupatty
• HQ and 2 Companies, 1st Battalion, Ludhiana Sikhs [2 Infantry Units]
• Fort George
• 2 Companies, 1st Battalion, Ludhiana Sikhs [2 Infantry Units]

Garrison of Hansaland (The German Colony)

• Festung Teufel
• 2 Companies, 1st Battalion Askari Infanterie [2 Infantry Units]
• 1 gun (1 x 88mm Howitzer)
• Hansaland Kolonial Artillerie [½ Mountain Artillery Unit]
• Festung Askari
• 2 Companies, 1st Battalion Askari Infanterie [2 Infantry Units]
• 1 gun (1 x 88mm Howitzer), Hansaland Kolonial Artillerie [½ Mountain Artillery Unit]
• Festung Amelia
• 1 Company, 12th Marine Battalion [1 Infantry Unit]
• Seemanstadt
• 12th Marine Battalion (less 1 Company) [3 Infantry Units]
• Bluchershafen
• 10th Wurttemburg Artillerie Batterie (2 x105mm Guns) [1 Field Artillery Unit]

Garrison of the Arab Concession (The Arab/Turkish Colony)

• Port Maleesh
• 1 Battalion, State Guard (4 Infantry Units]
• 1 Battery, Artillery (2 x 88mn Howitzers) [1 Mountain Artillery Unit]

Whoppituppas Tribal Forces (The local native tribes)

• Hornikraal
• Royal Bodyguard [4 Infantry Units]
• The Elephant Regiment [4 Infantry Units]
• Militini's Kraal
• The Lion Regiment [4 Infantry Units]
• Gindrinka's Kraal
• The Leopard Regiment [4 Infantry Units]

In theory, it would not be too difficult to reproduce these forces using 28mm, 15mm, or even 10mm figures ... and it is something that I have considered doing several times over the years.

Eric was a great enthusiast for puns, and this becomes clear when one looks at names he chose for the (fictional) people - and tribes - who were involved in events on Madasahatta:

• Sir Charles Buckpasser-Cleverly Bt.
• Governor of the British Colony of New Surrey
• Ambitious, able, snobbish, but not a soldier.
• Major General Sir Harry Hopeful
• British Military Commander
• Brave, unimaginative, dogged.
• Father Ignatius Stoppit S.J.
• Stern, fervent, Jesuit missionary. Utterly opposed to drinking, wenching, raiding, cattle stealing, cannibalism, pontoon, solo and other savage amusements. Despite advice to the contrary, he has insisted on establishing a mission station in Whoppituppa country, near to their capital, Hornikraal.
• General Freiherr Wilhelm von Boozy, Iron Cross (First Class)
• Governor and Military Commander of the German Colony of Hansaland
• Old Junker family, stiff necked Prussian. Always wears full dress uniform. Cruel and proud, veteran of the Franco-Prussian War. Able tactician. Hates German Colonies, any overseas service, British, Africans and French (in that order). Is a darn sight too friendly with ...
• Jakob Geltmeister
• Local representative of the German trading company HANSA OST AFRIKA. Greedy, gluttonous, sottish. Renowned for his complete lack of either moral or business scruples. Derives considerable profit from shady deals with Makmi Anoffah.
• Makmi Anoffah
• Unscrupulous Levantine trader known to be trading with the Whoppituppas, dealing in slaves, gold, guns, ivory, Daz, Mars Bars, and other dangerous goods. He is supported by an Arab band led by the ...
• Wazir Aminitago
• An Arab Emir noted for organising lightning raids and ambushes and then disappearing as swiftly and suddenly as he came.
• The Firkawi
• A tribe of southern Madasahatta. Fishermen and cattle herders. Their Paramount Chief is Rumbletum. There are two subordinate chiefs, Boosoobi and Clinkajeer. The Firkawi are not very brave. They are employed by the British as porters, guides, askaris, etc. Famous for their inability to navigate off tracks in the bush.
• The Whoppituppas
• Large fierce inland warrior tribe of Bantu stock. Famed for their savage fighting spirit and untiring virility. They are led by their great war-chief King Gottawhippetindali, the bravest and most lecherous of them all. There are two sub-chiefs, Gindrinka and Militini, the two eldest of the King's ninety-seven surviving sons.
• The Bairasses
• A very poor downtrodden tribe of Kaffir stock living in Hansaland. Heavily oppressed and exploited by the Germans, who use them as porters, miners, askaris, etc., at a standard rate of one Reichsmark per decade and a daily food ration of as much sauerkraut as they can hold between finger and thumb. Their Headman is Chief Ardup who spends his time trying to please the Germans, the Whoppituppas, and the Arabs all at once and wondering where the next meal is coming from. The Bairasses expect a short life and a sticky finish and are rarely disappointed.
• The Dodgilot
• A tribe of nomads living in the unexplored Bush country of North Madasahatta. They are very elusive, hostile to all other men, and are led by a very fat, indolent chieftain called King Stukinakarsi. After one or two border clashes, the Germans have decided to leave them well alone and get on with the profitable pastimes of gold mining and Bairass whacking.
• The British have never met them, doubt whether they exist, and consider that they are a figment of German propaganda designed to keep British gold prospectors out of Hansaland.

I strongly suspect that much of the above is no longer acceptable to members of the general public as they reflect the somewhat different views at the time ... but back then we didn't know better.

Arithmetic on the Frontier: A poem by Rudyard Kipling

The title of John Sly's article in the recently published issue of SOLDIERS OF THE QUEEN made me re-read Kipling's poem, the text of which follows.

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A great and glorious thing it is
To learn, for seven years or so,
The Lord knows what of that and this,
Ere reckoned fit to face the foe—
The flying bullet down the Pass,
That whistles clear: "All flesh is grass."

Three hundred pounds per annum spent
On making brain and body meeter
For all the murderous intent
Comprised in "villainous saltpetre".
And after?—Ask the Yusufzaies
What comes of all our 'ologies.

A scrimmage in a Border Station—
A canter down some dark defile—
Two thousand pounds of education
Drops to a ten-rupee jezail—
The Crammer's boast, the Squadron's pride,
Shot like a rabbit in a ride!

No proposition Euclid wrote
No formulae the text-books know,
Will turn the bullet from your coat,
Or ward the tulwar's downward blow.
Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—
The odds are on the cheaper man.

One sword-knot stolen from the camp
Will pay for all the school expenses
Of any Kurrum Valley scamp
Who knows no word of moods and tenses,
But, being blessed with perfect sight,
Picks off our messmates left and right.

With home-bred hordes the hillsides teem.
The troopships bring us one by one,
At vast expense of time and steam,
To slay Afridis where they run.
The "captives of our bow and spear"
Are cheap, alas! as we are dear.

---

This poem was published in 1886 and yet it still has a resonance today. The recent war in Afghanistan may now be over, and the bullet would probably now come from a Kalashnikov rather than a jezail, but the essence of the poem remains true. It reminds us that the complexities of what is in effect modern colonial warfare requires local knowledge and an ability to adapt in the light of practical experience rather than relying on a textbook approach that overvaules overwhelming firepower and sophisticated and expensive technology.

Soldiers of the Queen (SOTQ) Issue 194

The latest issue of the Victorian Military Society's SOTQ (Soldiers of the Queen) was delivered on Saturday, and I have spent some of the time since reading each of the articles in it.

The articles included in this issue are:

• The Army and the Periodic Press by Prof Ian F W Beckett
• A Soldier of the Queen and the Imperial Tour of India 1875-1876 by David Howell
• Commissions by the Back Door by Dr Roger Salmon
• 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by John Sly
• Book Reviews by Andy Smith
• Obituary: Meurig Giles Morgan Jones by Dan Allen
• Officers of the Victorian Military Society
• Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria Tuesday 1st July 2025 to Sunday 1st November 2026 at the National Army Museum.

Another excellent collection of articles, and it is very difficult to select a single one as being more interesting that another. That said, I can see myself returning to and re-reading both Professor Beckett's article about the Army and the press and Dr Salmon's article about the commissioning of officers via the back door.

The annual cost of membership of the Victorian Military Society is:

• UK: £30.00
• Overseas: £40.00 [except for Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore: £43.00])

My opinion remains that this magazine and the membership of the Victorian Military Society is well worth the cost of the annual subscription.

Another Belle Époque imagi-nation: The Kingdom of the Ashona

Having rediscovered the box of 15mm figures donated to me by Carl Luxford, I decided that I would use them to create another Belle Époque imagi-nation to my collection.

As the figures include several cavalry figures on wonderfully barded mounts, I decided to base my new imagi-nation on the Kanem-Bornu Empire. This existed from about the eighth to the end of the nineteenth century and was located in the area of Africa that incudes parts of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, and Chad.

---

The Kingdom of the Ashona

The flag of the Kingdom of the Ashona.

The history of the Kingdom of the Ashona

The area now occupied by the Kingdom of the Ashona was originally ruled by the Harabian Empire, but when the empire collapsed, the former Harabian rulers remained in place and continued to administer the country. As a result, the Kingdom of the Ashona has more in common with modern Harabia than it has with the neighbouring Sultanate of Sahel and the Kingdom of the Obele.

The position of king is hereditary and is usually occupied by the eldest son of the previous king, although there have been occasions in the past where a younger son has inherited the throne. This has usually been due to the mental or physical incapacity of the eldest son.

The economy of the Kingdom of the Ashona

The economy of the Kingdom of the Ashona is based on a mixture of agriculture, fishing, trading, and mining and exporting precious metals and jewels. There are also some small-scale manufacturing industries in the country’s capital – mainly producing metal goods, including firearms – and the country is famous for the large number skilled craftsmen in wood and metal who can be found in its main towns.

The armed forces of the Kingdom of the Ashona

The country's army is composed of a small but well-equipped regular bodyguard which comprises infantry and cavalry units. This is supported in time of war by a tribal militia.

The army of the Kingdom of the Ashona has the following units:

• Infantry
• 1/1st Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• 2/1st Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• 1/2nd Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• 2/2nd Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• 1/1st Militia Infantry Regiment
• 2/1st Militia Infantry Regiment
• 1/2nd Militia Infantry Regiment
• 2/2nd Militia Infantry Regiment
• 1/3rd Militia Infantry Regiment
• 2/3rd Militia Infantry Regiment
• Cavalry
• 1/Bodyguard Cavalry Regiment
• 2/Bodyguard Cavalry Regiment

The army is organised into the following formations:

• Bodyguard
• 1st Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• 2nd Bodyguard Infantry Regiment
• Bodyguard Cavalry Regiment
• Total bases = 6; Total SPs = 22 SPs
• Tribal Militia
• 1st Militia Infantry Regiment
• 2nd Militia Infantry Regiment
• 3rd Militia Infantry Regiment
• Total bases = 6; Total SPs = 24 SPs

Total bases = 12; Total SPs = 46 SPs

Units shown in italics are militia or reserve units.

A visit to our storage unit yields a lot of useful surprises (5)

The contents of the fifth REALLY USEFUL BOX I brought home from the storage unit included:

Three sailing vessels:

Two river/coastal passenger vessels:

A Turkish coastal gunboat and a German colonial cruiser:

NB. All of the above were made from FIMO coloured polymer clay for my British Dammallia, German Mankanika, and Sultan of Marzibar project. One vessel is currently 'missing' ... the British flatiron gunboat HMS Indolent.

A 1/1200th-scale model of the unbuilt Lion-class battleship:

It was scratchbuilt using parts from Revell models of a King George V-class battleship and a Missouri-class battleship.

A visit to our storage unit yields a lot of useful surprises (4)

The contents of the fourth REALLY USEFUL BOX I brought home from the storage unit included:

The senior commanders of the German Mankanikan armed forces.

A unit of German Schutztruppen and two units of locally-recruited native Schutztruppen.

German Schutztruppen gunners and two units of armed Native Police. In time of war, these two police units would be incorporated into the Schutztruppen.

German Navy figures.

The senior commanders of British Dammallia's armed forces.

Two units of British infantry.

Two units of British Dammallian African infantry.

A unit of British Dammallian Police and a unit of British Dammallian Native Police. In time of war, these two police units would be placed under military command.

Locally-recruited reserve troops of the Port Albert Infantry and Port Albert Artillery.

Royal Navy figures.

All of the figures shown above were manufactured by Essex Miniatures.

---

The contents of these four storage boxes have given me pause for though, and in particular the contents of this and the previously featured storage box. I could rebase all the British Dammallia, German Mankanika, and Sultanate of Marzibar figures and incorporate them into my Belle Époque project ... or I could keep them as a separate project that is to all intents and purposes ready to use.

It is something that I seriously need to think about.

A visit to our storage unit yields a lot of useful surprises (3)

The contents of the third REALLY USEFUL BOX I brought home from the storage unit included:

Minifig American World War I infantry figures painted by Nick Huband.

Four Arab warbands and five Arab gunners. The figures were manufactured by Essex Miniatures and were painted for a currently-defunct Colonial imagi-nation project.

The senior commanders of the Marzibarian armed forces and two units of the Sultan of Marizibar's Guard.. These are all Essex Miniatures figures.

Two units of the Marzibarian Zouaves and some members of the Marzibarain Artillery and Navy. These are all Essex Miniatures figures

I started work on the nineteenth century colonial imagi-nations project that involved British Dammallia, German Mankanika, and the Sultanate of Marzibar over ten years ago, but over time it got relegated to storage ... which – on reflection – might have been a rather silly decision.

Soldiers of the Queen (SOTQ) Issue 193

The latest issue of the Victorian Military Society's SOTQ (Soldiers of the Queen) was delivered last Friday, and I spent a very interesting time reading it over the weekend.

The articles included in this issue are:

• La Trobe, Redcoats and Mounted Police, 1839-1846 by Dr Andrew Kisby
• The Diehards at Detling: Military Odyssey 2025 by Tim Rose
• Kolhapur 1844 by David Howell
• Obituary: Professor John Laband (1947-2025) by Ian Knight
• Officers of the Victorian Military Society
• Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria Tuesday 1st July 2025 to Sunday 1st November 2026 at the National Army Museum (In my last review, I used the wrong end date for this exhibition! Mea culpa!)

Another excellent collection of articles ... as usual! I must admit that if I had taken up re-enactment, I’d have liked to have joined the ranks of the Diehards … but I am now of an age when the only military group I could honestly re-enact would have to be the Chelsea Pensioners!

The annual cost of membership of the Victorian Military Society is:

• UK: £30.00
• Overseas: £40.00 [except for Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore: £43.00])

My opinion still remains that this magazine is well worth the cost of the annual subscription.

Even more experiments with ChatGPT

There were several very interesting comments made about my very recent blog post entitled 'More experiments with ChatGPT' ... and they set me thinking about what other experiments I could try using ChatGPT.

To date, I have asked ChatGPT to:

• Create images of people (including myself) in various historical garb
• Create maps for several of my imagi-nations
• Design ironclads and early pre-dreadnought battleships
• Write portable Wargame rules for Colonial & early 20th Century Warfare and the Chaco War
• Create Victorian-style line drawings based on photographs of people and wargames

My latest experiment was to take a Victorian-era illustration and ask ChatGPT to create photographs of wargame figures based on them. The results were as follows:

A line drawing of the Union American Civil War unit, the Garibaldi Guard.

A ChatGPT generated photograph of the Garibaldi Guard as a unit of wargame figures.

I was impressed by the results produced by ChatGPT and decided to repeat the experiment using the image that was on the cover of the latest issue of the Victorian Military Society's publication, SOLDIERS OF THE QUEEN.

The original coloured illustration used on the cover of latest issue of SOLDIERS OF THE QUEEN.

ChatGPT's rendition of the above cover illustration as wargame figures.

Frankly, I think that the final illustration is extremely good ... and I also think that many people would not be able to tell the difference between it and a real photograph of a group of painted wargame figures.

These recent experiments have certainly given me pause for thought ... and show just how sophisticated AI software that anyone can use has become.