
The Siege of Bristol - On Christmas Steps
I won't lie to you, the temptation to start this article off by flexing the old creative writing muscles was a very genuine concern. There's something about the breach of the city of Bristol, during that first siege in 1643, that warrants a bit of pomp and spectacle. Bristol, at this point, was the second city of the country. Charles was determined to get control of a decent port through which he could ship in reinforcements and mercenaries from abroad (the abysmal state of t

The 1st Regiment of Foot Guards - Birth of a Legend Part 1. The Interregnum
I will confess myself very ignorant on the matter of the 1st Foot Guards. When the re-enactment regiment was first raised a few years ago, as an offshoot of Prince Rupert's Bluecoats, a number of fellow Bluecoats took great(ish) pains to point out the historic legacy of the regiment. Being a callow youth, I completely missed the point and thought that everyone was up for it because they got a glamorous redcoat (I'm still not entirely convinced that that isn't the case). I'll

My Time in the Sealed Knot
It was the 16th of May 1992, the sports hall at Woughton Campus, Milton Keynes; I was 16 rising 17 and, as a keen role-player, I was attending the Milton Keynes Wargames Society annual ‘Campaign Weekend’. This was 2 days of solid wargaming and fantasy role-playing games (the latter being more my cuppa tea, make of that what you will!) alongside a large market and exhibition area. As I entered the hall at what was my second ever MKWS Campaign my eye was caught by some shiny th