An English shieldwall (wighaga, or bordweallas) ...
collected and painted in 1986, when I began as a schoolmaster and, amongst other things taught lower school history.
That included the foundation of England, and I used these 15mm fellows (possibly by Donnington's) and others like them to illustrate the terrible defeat at Battle, and the heroic, exhausted defence of Senlac Ridge. But I also taught history with better outcomes at the school, using balsa, cocktail stick and paper ships to explain the great English victory over Spain in 1588. I wonder if any of those chaps (now around 38/9 years old) remember?
Anyway, last year I finally decided to have a go at De Bellis Antiquitatis (version 1.1), after thinking about it for a long time. So, more English, and some nasty Danes were bought (Essex, appropriately, this time), started, then left.
But this week, I'll finish them, this project:
Love the figures.There is a rich vein of gaming in the classroom to be mined I think. I ran a lunchtime club a few years ago for children to game LOTR using their figures- great fun and they were enthusiastic at the time when it was popular at school.Now other non wargaming crazes are in the ascendancy I fear.
ReplyDeleteI too am a big alpine fan ever since my parents had a biggish sloping border in the house we lived in til I was 13. I built my own where I lived around 20 years ago but am still thinking where to put a trough etc here.I look forward to seeing the work developing...
I must admit that my attempts in the direction were over 25 years ago, i.e., well before the IT revolution that has buggered up, sorry, offered a transformative interactive experience to young people. I would be surprised if our odd little hobby had legs today in the educative space...
ReplyDeleteExcellent news - it is remarkable, as Springinsfield has previously noted, how the enthusiasms of some wargame bloggers seem to be so similar. Sounds as if your parents had a scree - lucky people. I've looked into troughs, but they seem scarily expensive. For my cheap, raised bed, see next post!