Battered and paint worn he may be, but this Peter Laing 15mm despatch rider somehow sums up the great charm of Laing's odd little lumps of metal that still conveyed the essence of what they were meant to be. I also have, somewhere, a tiny Peter Laing lump that is instantaneously recognisable as Lenin, with his pointy-headed RCW Bolshevik minions. I bought the despatch rider at the same time to be a White despatch rider, but to me he has always looked like this fellow:
Obviously not in his desert days (when another multi-national Empire finally went to its doom, and new discord was sown that lasts, dangerously, until this day), but in his later RAF days. Yes, the 15mms of lead conveys the spirit of Aircraftsman Shaw on his Brough Superior. Brough custom made a series of bikes for Lawrence, and I saw one about six or seven years ago - it was simply enormous, with what, to modern eyes, appeared to be a crash inducing wheelbase. Ah, the crash. Was he pushed, or did he swerve? To which question we shall have no answer. But there are doubts enough. And as for the man himself. What a strange, complex man, possibly, in his own way, a genius (a word I use only for people of the calibre of J.M. Keynes, or Isaac Newton) . Even discounting his fantasies - reading all the books in All Souls' library, losing the first, much longer draft of Seven Pillars at Reading station, and, perhaps, the shooting in the desert - he was strange, odd, gifted, tougher than anyone could expect, brilliant, and tormented.
On a lighter note, I enjoyed a first smoke with a new pipe:
The cognoscenti will recognise it as a 'Rhodesian'. With a slightly larger, but shallower bowl than my favourites, it burned well. A Rhodesian. Is there anything else that bears the name now, apart from the breed of dog - the Rhodesian Ridgeback? Mmm, 'Look upon my works, ye mighty....'
I had a friend who always referred to himself as a Rhodesian, though he left there at speed in 1980. Spent the next 25 years in exile pining for Africa and finally returned to South Africa. Sadly be died in a crash a year later. I always think of him as a modern day White Russian.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting idea - latter day White Russians. Not as tragic a group as the White Russians (and not as awful a group, in some cases), but, still, I'm glad it wasn't me and mine. At least Zim got 'good ol' Uncle Bob' - funny how his UK cheerleaders from the 1970s and 1980s are very quiet on the subject these days. Something I didn't know until recently, Ian Smith declared UDI at 11 o'clock on 11th November - not that the barb pierced the thick hides in Westminster or Whitehall.
Deletei trust all is proceeding well with the family emergencies and i am glad to hear your NHS experience has been good for all concerned.Peter Laing is a memory laden name for me.I have one or two figures kicking about but that is all.I had ancient armies by him in my scholl and uni days including a full Roman Legion of cohorts of 24 figs and a double strength first cohort...
ReplyDeleteYes, thanks, Alan. Small children - you know what they are like - chirpy, jumpy and happy one minute, very ill the next! But, recovering now. What happened to your Legions ?? Don't say that you sold them for base coinage!
DeleteDitto the above from Tradgardmastare that all is well with the family. Peter Laing was often scoffed at by my contemporaries, but I used to own a very pleasing Crimean pair of armies by PL and they did good service. The picture of the motorbike reminded me of my father who rode a Matchless in his youth (with my mother perched on the back in gloves and hat).
ReplyDeleteThanks - as the child said, 'This is not good' (I think that's a quotation from the Octonauts). Don't tell me that you, too, part company from your loyal men?! Post a photo of your parents on the Matchless - let us revel in nostalgia.
DeleteHave large armies of Peter Laing figures for the Crimean war - classic figures ! , lots of character - unlike some modern figs
ReplyDeleteYou lucky fellow! By the time I had sufficient cash to think about large armies, Peter Laing was, think, ill, and he had sold on his moulds. Do you know any more of the story?
DeleteI'm afraid not somebody is meant to have purchased the molds - see TMP list of traders - but they have never resurfaced again . Not sure how popular they would be with the younger/modener gamer ?. They very occassionaly appear on EBay and I once was able to puchase a lot of a second hand figure dealer very cheaply , its a bit of a shame because I think people who have Peter Laing figures might wont to enlarge their collections . He did a wonderful return of post mail order service ( in an era when I was using Postal Orders to pay for orders ) which put other firms to shame - MiniFigs for instance who toof weeks to send you your figures and always included extra figures and sample figures that he thought you might be interested in . Another wargaming era sadly missed !.
DeleteAh, as I thought. I was trying to remember how I knew that PL had been ill, and I think that I had a letter, in reply to a query of mine, from a chap who told me, but that he had intentions to buy/produce in the future. This would have been about 1988 - does that sound right?
DeleteYes it could be , bought most of mine in the mid- 70s through to mid 80s .
DeleteI wonder what is known about Peter Laing? A noteworthy figure in our hobby.
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