The Italian/Russian battleship Guilio Cesare/Novorossiysk

At the recent Conference of Wargamers (COW), I took part in a committee game about the loss of the Russian battleship Novorossiysk in Sebastopol on 29th October 1955. The ship had a rather unusual and chequered history, and I thought that its story might be of interest to some of my regular blog readers.

Giulio Cesare was one of three Conte di Cavour-class dreadnoughts (Conte di Cavour, Giulio Cesare, and Leonardo da Vinci) that were designed in response to the laying down of the French Courbet-class battleships. She was laid down on 24t June 1910 at the Gio. Ansaldo shipyard in Genoa, launched on 15th October 1911, and completed on 14th May 1914.

Giulio Cesare as completed.

At the time, her characteristics were as follows:

• Displacement: 25,489 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 176m (577ft 5in)
• Beam: 28m (91ft 10in)
• Draught: 9.3m (30ft 6in)
• Propulsion: 24 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers providing steam to 4 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 21.5 knots
• Range: 4,800 nautical miles at 10 knots
• Complement: 1,000
• Armament: 3 x triple & 2 × twin 305mm (12-inch) guns; 18 x single 120mm (4.7-inch) guns; 14 x single 76.2mm (3-inch) guns; 3 × 450mm (17.7-inch) torpedo tubes
• Armour: Belt: 80mm to 250mm (3.1-inch to 9.8-inch); Deck: 24mm to 40 mm (0.9-inch to 1.6-inch; Gun turrets: 240mm to 280mm (9.4-inch to 11.0-inch); Barbettes: 130mm to 230mm (5.1-inch to 9.1-inch); Conning tower: 280mm (11-inch)

During the interwar period, Giulio Cesare and her contemporary Italian battleships (Conte di Cavour and the similar Andrea Doria-class battleships Andrea Doria and Duilio*) became increasingly obsolete, but due to financial restrictions and international treaties, they could not be scrapped and replaced by newer ships. In the end, it was decided to modernise them … and as a result, they underwent the most drastic reconstructions of any of the early dreadnoughts.

Between 1933 and 1937, Giulio Cesare was lengthened to improve her speed, her, armour and underwater protection were upgraded, her propulsion machinery was replaced (with a resulting increase in her top speed), her main armament was extensively renovated (the number of 12-inch guns was reduced from thirteen to ten and their calibre increased to 12.6-inch), her secondary armament was replaced, and her original superstructure replaced by a much more modern one.

Giulio Cesare after her extensive reconstruction. Her new bridge is similar in design to that found on the Italian Navy's contemporary heavy cruisers.

As a result, by the outbreak of the Second World War, her characteristics were:

• Displacement: 29,100 tons (deep load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 186.4m (611ft 7in)
• Beam: 28.6m (93ft 10in)
• Draught: 10.42m (34ft 2in)
• Propulsion: 8 x Yarrow boilers providing steam to 2 x steam turbines, each driving a propellor
• Speed: 27 knots
• Range: 6.400 nautical miles at 13 knots
• Complement: 1,260
• Armament: 2 x triple & 2 × twin 320mm (12.6-inch) guns; 6 x twin 120mm (4.7-inch) guns; 4 x twin 100mm (3.9-inch) anti-aircraft guns; 6 x twin 37mm anti-aircraft guns; 6 x twin 13.2mm anti-aircraft machine guns
• Armour: Belt: 80mm to 250mm (3.1-inch to 9.8-inch); Deck: 125mm to 166mm (5.3-inch to 6.5-inch; Gun turrets: 240mm to 280mm (9.4-inch to 11.0-inch); Barbettes: 130mm to 280mm (5.1-inch to 11-inch)

During World War II, Giulio Cesare took part in several naval battles:

• July 1940: Battle of Calabria: She was lightly damaged by British gunfire.
• November 1940: Attack on Taranto: Although present in Taranto harbour when Fairey Swordfish torpedo-bombers attacked the Italian fleet whilst it was at anchor, she escaped damage. 
• November 1940: Battle of Cape Spartivento: She took part in an offensive sweep designed to show that despite the losses at Taranto, the Italian Navy was still capable of challenging the Royal Navy’s dominance of the Mediterranean.
• December 1941: First Battle of Sirte: She took part in an attempt to intercept a Royal Navy convoy on its way to supply the besieged island of Malta.
• As a result of fuel shortages, from early in 1942 she became a harbour-based training ship. When the Italian Navy surrendered and sailed for Malta in 1943, Giulio Cesare was one of the ships that was interned.

As part of the settlement of war reparation agreed by the Allies, Russia was allotted one of the older Italian battleships as war reparations. (They had wanted one of the modern Italian Littorio-class battleships, but this request was denied). Giulio Cesare was selected and in 1949 she was transferred to the Soviet Union and renamed Novorossiysk.

The former Giulio Cesare was reanmed Novorossiysk when she became part of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet.

After some technical delays, she eventually arrived in Sebastopol where she became the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. She later served as a gunnery training vessel with the Black Sea Fleet, but on 29th October 1955, she sank in Sevastopol Bay after a massive explosion occurred aboard her. 617 crew members were killed and the wreck was salvaged in 1956 and subsequently scrapped.

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* The Leonardo da Vinci sank after a magazine explosion on 2nd August 1916, was refloated in 1919. The Italian Navy considered modernising the salvaged ship by replacing her amidships triple 12-inch turret with six 102mm (4-inch) anti-aircraft guns. However, due to the financial situation Italy was in, this was never done and the hull was sold for scrap on 22th March 1923.

ANZACS TV series

Last week I discovered that the entire ANZACS TV series was available to watch on YouTube … and I’ve been watching it ever since.

This five-part miniseries was first broadcast in 1985 and it follows the story of a number of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in 1914.

After undergoing basic training, the battalion took part in the ANZAC landings and fighting on Gallipoli. After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, they were deployed to France and took part in the fighting around Pozières during the Battle of the Somme. The battalion subsequently fought at Ypres before returning to the Somme during the winter of 1916. It then participated in the attack on the Hindenburg Line and the 3rd Battle of Ypres (1917). When the Germans mounted their spring offensive in 1918, the battalion helped to defend the area near Amiens before taking part in the Allied counter-offensive from August to September 1918.

The five episodes are entitled:

• The Great Adventure
• The Big Push
• The Devil's Arithmetic
• Fields of Fire
• Now There Was A Day

The battles are depicted with commendable accuracy and I thoroughly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in the fighting that took place at Gallipoli and on the Western Front.

Model railways, mini-campaigns ... and another ghost of an idea

After I wrote my recent blog post entitled MODEL RAILWAYS, MINI-CAMPAIGNS ... AND THE GHOST OF AN IDEA I remembered the plot of Antoine Vanner's most recent book in the DAWLISH CHRONICLE, BRITANNIA'S BLUFF.

The plot of the book revolves around an attempt to draw Turkish attention away from Gallipoli in the run up to the Allied evacuation and involves a landing and temporary occupation of part of the Turkish coast in the Gulf of Alexandretta.

The main means of communication in the area is a railway line, and it plays an important role in the defence of the landing area.

Now, this would make another excellent railway-based mini-campaign, as the maps from the book show.

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

Notes

In the book, the two redoubts (Wellington and Marlborough) were constructed by the landing force and were served and supported by the railway. They were intended to be the outer defences for the landing area at Alexandretta.

The defensive Clapham Perimeter around Toprakkale Junction was constructed by the landing force to protect its improvised airfield and the local railway depot. It was also the base for an extemporised railway gun.

The Turkish force that was sent to attack the landing area comes from the direction of Ceyhan.

So, this is yet another ghost of an idea that may never come to fruition ... but it certainly has the sort of potential that makes it worth investigating further!

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BRITANNIA’S BLUFF: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: NOVEMBER 1915 – JANUARY 1916 was written by Antoine Vanner and published in 2025 by Old Salt Press (ISBN 9781 943 40470 4) and can be purchased via Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions.

HMS Engadine: Her role in two World Wars

It was whilst I was researching the background of HMS Engadine for my recent blog post about the Battle of Jutland that I realised that she had played two very different roles in two different hemispheres during the two World Wars.

She had begun life in 1911 at the shipyard of William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton, Scotland as a cross-channel packet ship owned by the South East and Chatham Railway. She was capable of reaching just under 22 knots, and from her introduction into service until she was leased by the Royal Navy, she operated on the Folkestone to Boulogne route. Along with several other fast,short-sea packet ships, she was requisitioned for service in the Royal Navy soon after the outbreak of the First World War.

SS Engadine.

SS Engadine was taken into service on 11th August 1914 and was commissioned as HMS Engadine on 1st September. She was modified at Chatham Dockyard, Kent, to become a seaplane carrier, and this involved the construction of three canvas hangars (one forward and two aft) on her upper deck. Her complement of four seaplanes were housed in the hangers and deployed by being being lowered onto the sea by newly installed derricks so that they could take-off and land.

HMS Engadine.

These conversions proved to be successful, and in February 1915 Engadine was purchased by the Admiralty and further conversion work was undertaken in Liverpool. A permanent hanger with a capacity for four seaplanes was installed in place of the two aft temporary ones, two cranes were added aft to handle the seaplanes, and an armament of four 12-pounder 12 cwt quick-firing (QF) guns and two Vickers 3-pounder quick-firing (QF)anti-aircraft guns were fitted for self-defence. It was in this configuration that she took part in the Battle of Jutland.

In December 1919, she was sold back to her original owners, the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and returned to her role as a cross-channel packet ship. When the railways were reorganised in 1923, she came under the conrol of the Southern Railway. Ten years later she was sold to the Filipino ferry operator Fernandez Hermanos Inc. and was renamed SS Corregidor.

SS Corregidor.

When the Japanese declared war on the United States, SS Corregidor was operated by Compañia Maritima and based in Manila. On 16th December 1941 she set sail at 10.00pm with up to 1,500 passengers aboard ... which was well over her capacity. She was also carrying military supplies, including Philippine Army 2.95-inch mountain guns. On leaving harbour, she entered a defensive minefield, and at just before 1.00am there was a large explosion on the starboard side of the ship. She immediately began to sink, and despite the best efforts of PT boats from Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three (MTBRon 3), fewer than 300 passengers were rescued.

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The Royal Navy has a tradition of re-using names for ships that perform similar or the same function. Probably the most well-known instance of this is the name Ark Royal.

The first Ark Royal was the flagship of the English fleet which fought the Spanish Armada in 1588. The second was a merchantman that was - like Engadine - converted into a seaplane carrier in 1914. She was retained by the Royal Navy after the First World War and reamed HMS Pegasus in 1930 to release the name for use by the third Ark Royal. This was an armoured aircraft carrier that was launched in 1937, and which has a very active war until she was sunk by a U-boat torpedo in the Mediterranean in 1941.

The next Ark Royal was also an aircraft carrier that was launched in 1950 and commissioned in 1955. She was the last conventional aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Navy until the Queen Elizabeth-class came into service. She was decommissioned in 1979. The name was re-used for the third ship of the Invincible-class of light aircraft carriers, which was launched in 1981 and decommissioned in 2011.

The name Engadine was re-used in 1941 for an aircraft transport ship ...

HMS Engadine (1941).

... and again in 1965 when the RFA Engadine was laid down at the shipyard of Henry Robb Ltd, Leith, Scotland. She was a helicopter support ship (the modern equivalent of a seaplane carrier) that was operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She served during the Falklands War as a helicopter support and refuelling ship in San Carlos Water. She was withdrawn from service in 1989 and scrapped 1996.

RFA Engadine.

110th anniversary of the battle of Jutland

Today marks the 110th anniversary of the opening phases of the Battle of Jutland, which was the world’s biggest pre-aircraft carrier naval battle*.

A map showing the course of the Battle of Jutland.

I suspect that in the great of almost all naval wargamers there is a desire to recreate this battle, but its sheer size makes this very difficult. Avalon Hill’s board wargame about the battle certainly makes it a feasible project … but it uses counters rather than model ships and somehow it doesn’t quite ‘hit the spot’ for people like me.

The box art on Avalon Hill's board wargame about the Battle of Jutland.

Now, I have been extremely lucky over the years to have taken part in two re-fights of the battle using 1:1200th-scale model ship. (In my eyes, this is the best size of model ship to wargame with if one has the space … but as my recent blog post shows, I am rather biased!)

The first was not actually a true recreation of the Battle of Jutland: it was the so-called Second Battle of Jutland as staged by the United States Naval War College in the Queen’s House at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The Queen's House at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The second was staged in central London by the informal grouping of wargamers known as the Jockey’s Field Irregulars. I had the honour to command the Grand Fleet … and the sheer scale of this wargame is difficult to adequately describe. Even the photographs I took don’t do this wargame justice.

A photograph of the recreation of the Battle of Jutland at Jockey's Field.

I don't know if I'll ever be able to take part in such a huge naval wargame again ... but the memory of the game at Jockey's Field will live with me forever as one of the outstanding wargames I ever took part in.

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* This is almost an untrue statement! The seaplane carrier HMS Engadine ...

HMS Engadine.

... participated in the battle as part of the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron. One of her seaplanes (a Short Type 184 flown by Lieutenant Frederick Rutland) ...

A Short Type 184 seaplane.

... spotted three cruisers and five destroyers of the German II Scouting Group. This is thought to have been the first heavier-than-air reconnaissance mission during a naval battle.

During the battle, she came upon the heavily damaged armoured cruiser HMS Warrior, and assisted in rescuing approximately 750 of her crew before she sank.

Britannia's Bluff: The ships

Back in September, I wrote a blog post that included images of some of the ships that were going to be featured in Antoine Vanner's forthcoming novel (BRITANNIA'S BLUFF), which was published recently.

The book includes illustrations of the most important ships featured in the book. These are shown below.

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

© Antoine Vanner

I am particularly pleased that Antoine Vanner has included a battleship (the Memduhiye) that is based on one of my favourite Turkish ships, the Mesudiye.

The Mesudiye (Turkish: Happiness) was built as a central-battery ironclad for the Ottoman Navy in the 1870s. She was ordered – along with a sister ship – from Thames Iron Works and delivered in December 1875. (Her sister ship – the Hamidieh – was compulsorily purchased by the British Government at the time of the Russian war scare of 1878 and completed as HMS Sultan.)

By the end of the nineteenth century, she was obsolete and poorly maintained, and in 1898 the Ottoman government decided to have her reconstructed by the Gio. Ansaldo & C. shipyard in Genoa. When she returned to service in 1904, she was a coastal defence pre-dreadnought battleship.

Her characteristics when built were:

• Displacement: 8,797 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 101.02m (331ft 5in)
• Beam: 17.98m (59.0ft)
• Draught: 7.9m (25ft 11in)
• Propulsion: 8 x box boilers producing steam to power 1 x 7,431 ihp compound steam engine driving a single propeller
• Speed: 13.7 knots
• Complement: 700
• Armament: 12 × 10-inch RML guns; 3 × 7-inch RML guns
• Armour: Belt: 305mm (12-inches); Battery: 254mm (10-inches)

Her characteristics after being reconstructed were:

• Displacement: 8,980 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 101.02m (331ft 5in)
• Beam: 17.98m (59.0ft)
• Draught: 7.9m (25ft 11in)
• Propulsion: 16 x Niclausse boilers producing steam to power 2 x 5,500 ihp triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a propeller
• Speed: 17 knots
• Complement: 800
• Armament: 2 × 9.2-inch Vickers A guns (Not fitted); 12 × 5.9-inch Vickers D QF guns; 16 x 3-inch Vickers N QF guns; 10 x 57mm Hotchkiss QF guns; 2 x 47mm Hotchkiss QF guns
• Armour: Belt: 305mm (12-inches); Battery: 254mm (10-inches)

The Mesudiye.

Britannia's Bluff: The newest addition to the Dawlish Chronicles

The latest addition to Antoine Vanner's DAWLISH CHRONICLES was published yesterday ... just in time for Christmas! I have already bought my copy and hope to read it over Christmas ... if I can put to one side the temptation of reading it at once!

The latest book deals with the Gallipoli campaign, and sees the retired Admiral Sir Nicholas Dawlish recalled to service in order mount an operation that will divert Turkish attention from the forthcoming evacuation so that it can be carried out with the minimum casualties. As the book's blurb on Amazon states, this will involve 'a colossal bluff. Drawing on his half century’s experience of conflict, guile, new technology and outright daring, he plans a lightning diversionary campaign at sea, on land and by air. Speed and surprise will be the deciding factors.'

As I have commented before, the thing that marks out Antoine Vanner's work is the level of background research he does into the history, politics, and technological developments of the era he is writing about, and for that reason alone his books are worth reading.

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The thirteen books in the series that have been published to date are (in chronological order):

• BRITANNIA’S INNOCENT: THE DALISH CHRONICLES: FEBRUARY 1864 – MAY 1864
• BRITANNIA’S INTERESTS: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JULY 1866 – NOVEMBER 1866
• BRITANNIA’S GUILE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JANUARY 1877 – AUGUST 1877
• BRITANNIA'S WOLF: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1877 – FEBRUARY 1878
• BRITANNIA'S REACH: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: NOVEMBER 1879 – APRIL 1880
• BRITANNIA'S SHARK: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: APRIL 1881 – SEPTEMBER 1881
• BRITANNIA'S SPARTAN: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: JUNE 1859 AND APRIL 1882 – AUGUST 1882
• BRITANNIA'S AMAZON: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: APRIL 1882 – AUGUST 1882
• BRITANNIA'S MISSION: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: AUGUST 1883 – FEBRUARY 1884
• BRITANNIA'S GAMBLE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: MARCH 1884 – FEBRUARY 1885
• BRITANNIA’S MORASS: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1884 – DECEMBER 1884
• BRITANNIA’S RULE: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: SEPTEMBER 1886 – APRIL 1888
• BRITANNIA’S BLUFF: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: NOVEMBER 1915 – JANUARY 1916

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BRITANNIA’S BLUFF: THE DAWLISH CHRONICLES: NOVEMBER 1915 – JANUARY 1916 was written by Antoine Vanner and published in 2025 by Old Salt Press (ISBN 9781 943 40470 4) and can be purchased via Amazon in paperback or Kindle editions.

Refighting the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914

At Dice of the Hill last Wednesday, four of us refought the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 1914. We used 1:3000th model ships, vinyl sea mats, and John Hammond's 20-page-long Skytrex WORLD WAR I NAVAL rules that were published in 1973.

The action began with the German East Asia Squadron (comprising the two armoured cruisers SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau and the three light cruisers SMS Nürnberg, SMS Dresden and SMS Leipzig, accompanied by the colliers SS Baden, SS Santa Isabel, and SS Seydlitz) approaching the entrance to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands from the southeast. The German commanders (one of whom was me) thought that there was no enemy ships in the harbour, and our plan was to sail in, seize control of Port Stanley, arrest the Governor, and then re-coal our ships from the stockpile that was maintained there for the Royal Navy's use.

The German Far East Squadron.

Little did we know that a strong British squadron (the battlecruisers HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible, the armoured cruisers HMS Carnarvon, HMS Cornwall, and HMS Kent, the armed merchant cruiser HMS Macedonia and the light cruisers HMS Bristol and HMS Glasgow) had arrived in the Port Stanley during the previous day.

The British Squadron less HMS Macedonia, which was patrolling the area to the east of the harbour.

Furthermore, the old pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Canopus was moored near the entrance of the harbour to act as a coastal defence battery.

HMS Canopus. She was so placed as to give her 12-inch guns the ability to engage any enemy ships approaching Port Stanley.

Led by the three light cruisers, the German squadron turned northward ...

The German Squadron on a course towards Port Stanley.

... and were surprised when heavy artillery engaged them from the shore! (It was actually HMS Canopus who fired at and hit SMS Nürnberg. Because they could not see HMS Canopus, the Germans assumed that the British has installed a coastal defence battery on the islands,)

The German Squadron comes under fire.

Despite being under fire, the German squadron continued to sail towards Port Stanley.

At the same time, HMS Kent (who had been ordered to keep her boilers lit so that she could relieve HMS Macedonia) set sail to engage the enemy whilst the rest of the squadron lit their boilers and prepared to leave harbour as soon as they had sufficient steam up.

The British Squadron prepare to leave Port Stanley harbour.

At this point the action began to become intense ... hence the lack of photographs!

HMS Kent and HMS Canopus engaged the Germans, and despite the German light cruisers being ordered to turn away, SMS Nürnberg was repeatedly hit and eventually sank.

The German Squadron comes under heavy fire. By this point the German light cruisers had been ordered to turn away and make their escape so that they could become independent commerce raiders.

By this stage in the battle, the leading British battlecruiser was leaving the entrance of Port Stanley's harbour and had opened fire of SMS Scharnhorst. At the same time, HMS Canopus hit SMS Gneisenau and both German armoured cruisers had begun to suffer significant damage.

SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau are hit and damaged by shells from several British warships.

My fellow German commander and I decided that our best course of action was to sail SMS Scharnhorst and SMS Gneisenau towards the entrance of Port Stanley to engage the British ships at close range in the hope that we could seriously damage or even sink one or both of the battlecruisers.

The British Squadron making its way out of Port Stanley harbour.

As it was, we had run out of time and had to pack up and go home ... and the final outcome remained unclear. That said, the two remaining German light cruisers had got away and would be able to raid British maritime supply lines ... and there was always a chance that in sacrificing their two armoured cruisers, the Germans might be remove one or more British heavy units from frontline service.

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It was interesting to see the number of regular Dice on the Hill attendees who paid a visit to the battle whilst is was being fought, and we hope to make these sort of wargames a regular part of the group's activities. Probably not every week, but possibly every month or so.

William Algernon Tapsell DCM (and bar), MM

One name that stood out on the display at the Abbey Wood Memorial Garden was William Algernon Tapsell. He had served and died during the First World War and had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) twice as well as the Military Medal (MM).

The former medal was established in 1854 and ranked just below the Victoria Cross (VC). It was awarded to NCOs and enlisted personnel for 'distinguished, gallant and good conduct in the field', and its equivalent for officers was the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). During the First World War, 24,620 DCMs were awarded, with 472 personnel receiving it twice, and nine being given the award three times.

The Military Medal was instituted in 1916, although retrospective awards for 1914 onwards were made. It was awarded to other ranks for 'acts of gallantry and devotion to duty under fire'. During the First World War, 115,589 Military Medals were awarded, with 5,796 personnel receiving it twice, 180 being given the award three times, and one person receiving it four times! The latter was Private Ernest Albert Corey, a stretcher bearer in the 55th Australian Infantry Battalion.

William Algernon Tapsell was born on 6th January 1893 and he was baptised at All Saints Church, Belvedere, on 9th April that year. His parents were Algernon Tapsell (a coachman) and Mary Jane Tapsell. They were living at 12, The Grove, Abbey Wood. In 1901 William was living at 2, Grove Road, Abbey Wood, and attending Plumstead High Street School (now Bannockburn School), having previously attended Knee Hill School, Abbey Wood.

William joined the Army underage (his birthday is recorded as being 11th January 1891 and his service number indicates that he was recruited in 1909) and served with the 2nd Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment. When war broke out in 1914, the battalion was in Bermuda. It returned to England on 3rd October 1914, and was deployed to France as part of the 25th Brigade, 8th Division, landing at Le Havre on 6th November 1914. The battalion took part in the Battle of Aubers Ridge in May 1915 and the Battle of the Somme in Autumn 1916.

By 1917 William was a Corporal serving with the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, a Kitchener battalion that had been raised in Lincoln in August 1914. The battalion had taken part in the Gallipoli campaign as part of 33rd Brigade, 11th (Northern) Division before spending time in Egypt. It was deployed to France in July 1916 to the Somme and subsequently took part in the Battles of Fleurs-Courcelette and Thiepval. During 1917 the battalion took part in operations on the Ancre (January to March) and the Battles of Messines (June), Langemarck (August), Polygon Wood (September to October), Broodseinde (October), and Poelcapelle (October).

He was awarded the Military Medal by August 1917 as it appeared in the London Gazette on 21st August 1917. This was followed in September that year when he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal on 17th September twice for separate acts of gallantry.

The citation for the first award was as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in assisting to dig out nineteen men who had been buried in a dug-out by a gas shell. Finding it impossible, owing to darkness, to work in a gas helmet, at imminent risk of his life he removed his own, and by his efforts successfully extricated some of the men. The dug-out was full of lethal gas fumes, and six of the men affected subsequently died. He set a splendid example of fearless devotion and self-sacrifice.

The citation for the second award was as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of battalion scouts. Having been ordered to reconnoitre in front of our advancing patrols, his party came under heavy and unexpected rifle and machine gun fire. In spite of this, however, after warning the patrols behind him, he continued to push forward until, owing to several casualties, further advance was impossible, whereupon he withdrew very skilfully with all his wounded back to our lines. Throughout the action he displayed splendid coolness and presence of mind and an utter disregard for personal safety.

William was promoted to the rank of sergeant and then commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st battalion 'for service in the field' on 27th April 1918. He died of his wounds on 18th September 1918, and was buried in St Sevre Cemetery, Rouen.

William's medals were sent to his parents, who were living at 3, The Grove, Abbey Wood ... although his dependent is listed as Mrs Rose, Dundonald House, Hamilton, Bermuda, who is thought to have been the mother of his illegitimate child, and who received his weekly death pension of six shillings and six pence.

The 109th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland … and some wonderful wargaming memories

Today marks the 109th anniversary of the initial stages of the biggest naval battle of the Great War, the Battle of Jutland.

Map showing the course of the Battle of Jutland.

Over the years, many naval wargamers have re-fought this crucial battles, and I took part in two such wargames. The first – which was staged the the US Naval War College in the Queen’s House at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich – was in November 2018, and the second staged by the Jockey’s Fields Irregulars in Holborn, London in December 2021.

The former used rules written by the staff of the US Naval War College in 1922 in light of the experience gained and data gathered during the Great War, ...

An example of the individual ship record cards used in the US Naval War College's 1922 Naval War Game.

... and the latter used a simplified, fast-play version of Fletcher Pratt's Naval War Game. Both used 1:1200th-scale model ships ... and the sight of so many model ships was stunning!

The final positions of the British and German fleets at the end of the Jockey's Fields re-fight of the Battle of Jutland..

Now that I can no longer crawl about on the floor, I doubt if I’ll ever be able to take part in such large naval wargames in the future … but I have some wonderful memories of those two wargames!

The Battle of Néry

Having read Professor Gary Sheffield’s recent battle report, I decided to find out more about this small but significant early Great War battle.

The Battle of Néry was fought on 1st September 1914 during the from Mons. The British 1st Cavalry Brigade were in the process of leaving their overnight bivouac when they were attacked by the German 4th Cavalry Division.

The British 1st Cavalry Brigade (commanded by Brigadier-General Charles James Briggs) comprised the following units:

• 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays)
• 5th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) Dragoon Guards
• 11th (Prince Albert's Own) Hussars
• 1st Signal Troop, Royal Engineers
• L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery (6 x 13-pounder guns)
• 1st Cavalry Brigade Machine Gun Squadron Machine Gun Corps

The German 4th Cavalry Division (commanded by General Otto Wladislaus Eduard Konstantin von Garnier) comprised the following units:

• 3rd Cavalry Brigade
• 2nd (Pomeranian) Cuirassiers Queen
• 9th (2nd Pomeranian) Uhlans
• 17th Cavalry Brigade
• 17th (1st Grand Ducal Mecklenburgian) Dragoons
• 18th (2ndGrand Ducal Mecklenburgian) Dragoons
• 18th Cavalry Brigade
• 15th (Hannover) Hussars Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands
• 16th (Schleswig-Holstein) Hussars Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, King of Hungary
• Horse Artillery Abteilung of the 3rd (1st Brandenburg) Field Artillery General-Feldzeugmeister Regiment
• 2nd Guards Machine Gun Detachment
• Pioneer Detachment
• Signals Detachment
• Heavy Wireless Station
• 18 Heavy Wireless Station
• 19 Light Wireless Station
• 10 Light Wireless Station
• 12 Cavalry Motorised Vehicle Column

The Germans unknowingly approached the British position through the early morning fog and were spotted at 5.25am by a patrol of the 15th Hussars. Fighting started fifteen minutes later when the advanced units of the German division were engaged by British machine guns and horse artillery. In response, the German commander ordered his troops to dismount and make an assault on the village of Néry.

During the battle, most of the cavalry fought dismounted. All but one of L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery's guns were knocked out early during the fighting, but the remaining one stayed in action for two and a half hours and engaged the German Horse Artillery. (The gun is now on display at the Imperial War Museum, Lambeth, London.) Three of that gun's crew (Captain Edward Kinder Bradbury, Battery Sergeant Major George Thomas Dorrell, and Sergeant David Nelson) were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions during the battle and the battery was subsequently awarded the honorific title 'Néry'.

The last gun of L Battery, Royal House Artillery in action at Néry.

British reinforcements (the 4th Cavalry Brigade – which comprised Household Cavalry Composite Regiment, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), and 3rd (King's Own) Hussars – with I Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, and 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment) arrived at around 8:00am and counter-attacked the Germans. This forced the Germans to retreat and the German 4th Cavalry Division was unfit to return to combat for several days.

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The Victoria Cross recipients were:

• Captain Edward Kinder Bradbury (16th August 1881 – 1st September 1914) was given the award posthumously.
• Battery Sergeant Major George Thomas Dorrell (7th July 1880 – 7th January 1971) rose to the rank of brevet Lieutenant-Colonel.
• Sergeant David Nelson (3rd April 1887 – 8th April 1918) rose to the rank of Major by the time he was killed in action at Lillers, France.

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L (Néry) Battery was formed in India in 1809 as 3rd Troop, Bengal Horse Artillery. It served with distinction during the Indian Mutiny, and Gunner William Connolly (c. 1816 – 31st December 1891) was awarded a Victoria Cross on 7th July 1857 for his heroism during the Battle of Jhelum, India.

After the mutiny, it formed part of the Bengal Army (the largest of the three Presidency Armies in British India), and it was renamed L Battery Royal Horse Artillery in 1889.

The battery is currently equipped with light armoured vehicles and is 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery's Tactical Group Battery.

Other people’s Portable-style Wargames: The Battle of Néry

Recently, Professor Gary Sheffield re-fought the Battle of Néry with Stuart Davies using the latter’s PORTABLE WARGAME-style rules.

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Stuart’s rules (with some Optional rules suggested by Gary) are summarised below:

THE RULES

Units

• Infantry Company: 2 figures.
• Infantry Battalion: 4 Infantry Companies PLUS a Machine Gun battery.
• Cavalry Squadron: 1 figure.
• Cavalry Regiment: 4 Cavalry Squadrons PLUS a Machine Gun battery
• Machine Gun and Artillery Batteries: Strength indicated by the number of gun crew (i.e. a 4-gun battery will have 4 crew figures)
• (Optional rule:  Machine Gun batteries have a maximum of 2 crew figures but each figure throws 2D6 and hit on 3, 4, 5, or 6 in the open. However, the Machine Gun jams on a 1 on D6 (i.e. either 50% or 100% of guns cannot fire in that turn)).
• (Optional rule: Field Artillery has a range of 12 squares and throws 2D6 dice per gun per battery.)

Turn sequence

• The moves were card driven.
• At the beginning of each turn each unit on both sides is dealt a card from the same pack, and that determined the order of activation.
• Thus if a unit gets the King of Spades (the highest possible normal card) it will move first, but one with the Ace of Clubs (the lowest possible card) moves last.
• If a unit gets a Joker, that trumps all court cards, and that unit can decide to go first or last.
• (Optional rule: A Joker means a unit can decide when to move/fire, which can be at any point in turn except when another unit is moving/firing.)
• Units can choose to reserve their fire, i.e. not use open fire during their turn but wait until a target appears.

Movement

• Units move up to the following distances:
• Infantry: Move 2 squares.
• Cavalry: Move 4 squares.
• Horse artillery: Move as cavalry.
• All can make a half move and then fire.
• All movement is orthogonal.
• Deduct 1 square of movement to mount/dismount, limber and unlimber.
• It is therefore possible to do multiple actions in same turn.

Firing

• Weapon ranges:
• Rifles: 4 Squares.
• Carbines: 3 Squares.
• Horse Artillery: 8 Squares.
• Machine Guns: 6 Squares.
• Each figure in a unit throw a D6 die to fire. (See optional rules for Machine Guns and Field Artillery above.)
• Dice scores to hit:
• 6 to hit in hard cover.
• 6 or 5 to hit in soft cover.
• 4. 5, or 6 to hit to hit in the open.
• Add 1 to dice to hit if close range.
• Deduct 1 from dice to hit if firing carbine.
• Artillery and Machine Guns nominate primary target directly to front but can hit targets in squares either side of target square.

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BATTLE REPORT

The opening positions. The British are at the bottom of the photograph.

The Germans emerge from the wood and mist and come under a storm of British rifle and machine gun fire.

British Machine Gun destroys a German Machine Gun.

Heavy fighting on the outskirts of Nery.

The British reinforcements arrive in the shape of the 4th Cavalry Brigade!

The British advance and the Germans prepare to retreat.

1st Life Guards overrun a German Horse Artillery battery,

The situation at the end of the battle.

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © Professor Gary Sheffield.