The Battle of Cannae 216BC

Hello there! The New Buckenham Historical Wargamers recently put on the Battle of Cannae as a weekend game.

I was unable to take part but did manage to take some photographs during the day.

As you can see, the Carthaginian centre had just given way, but there were some well painted units still on the table.

The game was enjoyed by all that attended and there are further photographs on the clubs Facebook page here.

Ill Gotten gains From Brecon Books

 Hello There! Here are the book I managed to find in Brecon Books.

These were a welcome addition to my Napoleonic library

A couple of basic additions to the American civil war

I do not have anything on the air war in Normandy. also the Le Paradis book caught my eye as I had an uncle who was at Dunkirk and knew some of those executed at Le Paradis.

The Zulu Rising book would be useful as I have little on the Colonial period. The Ancient Armies is full of illustrations from Angus McBride

These cheaply filled a few gaps in my Campaign collection.

As did these.

Overall a very worthwhile visit. Search for 'Brecon Books' on the internet and they will come up.

Brecon Books

 Hello There! While away I found this secondhand book shop.

With such shops you have no idea what to expect and can easily find a very small selection of a military nature. Here there was not only a large selection of a broad range of subjects but these were spread over many shelves and areas. But more surprisingly there was a 'Wargaming' section which was also extensive. Many subjects did cross over between sections but it was worth the time to search.

Highly recommended for the wargamer and military historian as there is a lot to look through.

The Royal Welsh Regimental Museum

Hello there! This is a museum I have been wanting to visit for many years. After seeing a couple of the Victoria Crosses awarded after the Battle of Rorkes Drift I wanted to see some of the others, which are on display here.

This is very much a 'military' museum with many exhibits, briefly described, and very over whelming for the average member of the public. It made me think of the old Royal Norfolk's military museum, before it was transferred to the Norwich Castle Museum. Both are a vast collection which for the military historian and wargamer is practically 'Heaven'!

The main display case is in the main entrance to the museum. It is well lit and shown with many contemporary pictures of the recipients.

Also the two recipients from the Battle of Isandlwana, who tried to save the colours at the end of the battle.

As I am also interested in the American Civil War, it was a nice surprise to find this in the museum. It turns out that Patrick Cleburne served in the 41st Foot before he travelled to the United states.

Going off at a bit of a tangent there is an extensive range of fire arms in the museum. While most of them are in the armoury room there are some interspersed around the rooms as well.

A few dioramas are used to showcase some parts of the Battles of Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana

There are plenty of illustrations, mostly contemporary to the battles, of the battlefields.

This flag and its description basically says it all! And no, I was not allowed to take it home!

There are also plenty of paintings on display.

Some of the exhibits have been recovered from the battlefields.

Here was one of the few Napoleonic exhibits.

The medals room is packed with awards through the ages. This one caught my eye due to the connection to Rorkes Drift.

Some original uniforms gave a useful idea of what was also worn.

A massive diorama of Rorkes Drift was a large centre piece in one room.

Further information on the VC recipients, after they left the service gave some interesting reading.

The uniforms from the colonial period, were informative but these ones were not originals.

A strange exhibit, but it has made its way from South Africa.

The question of the ammunition boxes was described, along with some original finds from the battlefield.

The arms room had a comprehensive collection from the Napoleonic wars to the present.

Even a couple of German WWI Maxim Machine Guns!

Finally a few exhibits from the Second World war.

A visit to the museum is well worth the effort. I have been trying to get here for many decades and at last, I managed it.