Hello. This is Huw Puw, reporting from the front line for the Fish Guardian.
Yes, that’s right; the Front Line. It seems that following my numerous near-death experiences in reporting the campaigns of the Army of Cantref Cemaes, I am now the Fish Guardian’s subject-matter expert on the Front Line and my editor insists on sending me back to the Front Line as often as he can (as soon as he finds out I’m back in Fishguard, in fact)…
So once again, I found myself blindfolded and bundled into a car, then dumped in the field headquarters of a regiment of the Army of Cantref Cemaes. Thankfully there were no cross-dressing nutcases to be seen, but there was a lot of sharpening of bayonets and swords going on, which was most worrying. From asking around, I gleaned that the newly-raised Catrawd Waldo Williams was about to go on its first raid into the No-Man’s Land of the Landsker. Colonel Lewis-Jones assured me that his men’s lack of combat experience didn’t matter, as they were going to go in with the cold steel and give those Royalists “A damned good taste of Welsh spunk!”
I wished him luck and requested permission to observe the attack from somewhere at the rear of his regiment…
Above: As dawn rises, the ‘Waldo Williams’ Regiment (known generally as ‘The Wallies’), with a company of the Llanfyrnach Armoured Regiment and a squadron of the Preseli Horse, advance on the isolated farm of Dyffryn-Conin. The farm is to be used as a firm base for a further assault on the railway near Clunderwen.
Above: The locals enjoy the morning air, oblivious of the impending battle. As is customary, the ladies wear traditional Welsh dress in case some tourists come past.
However, the Royalist garrison of Clunderwen Junction has been tipped off and is advancing to meet the enemy at Dyffryn-Conin!
Above: On the Royalist left flank, a long, drawn-out chord on an accordion splits the early morning air and chills the blood of all who hear it, friend and foe alike! This of course, is the internationally-recognised signal that Morris is about to be perpetrated… The Welshmen pray that it can’t possibly be true, but yes, the sound of clacking sticks, jingling bells and the sight of capering Silly-Bastards draws nearer and the Civil War in Pembrokeshire is plunged into new, unimaginable depths of depravity… The Bastards…
Above: In the Royalist centre, Lt Col Keir and the Slebech Castle Ladies College Cadet Corps provide the tactical headquarters and a rifle company for the Royalist force. These young ladies are now hardened veterans of campaigns in England as well as Pembrokeshire and together with the cross-dressing lunatics of Y Merched Beca are giving me a deep-seated fear of anyone in a long skirt…
Above: On the right of the Cadets is a company of regulars belonging to the Royal Highland (Black Watch) Regiment and on the right flank is a ‘Storm-Wing’ of the BUF’s Sir Thomas Picton Independent Cohort, supported by an anti-tank rifle team and a Machine Gun Carrier from the 2nd KSLI.
Above: Suddenly, the thundering of hooves and the revving of engines announces a charge by the Preseli Horse! Resplendent in their buff coats and steel helmets, the Welsh cavalrymen draw sabres and charge the hedgerow, screaming their war-cries; “Shwmae Mam!”, “Beth ydym ni’n ei wneud yma?!”, “Peint i mi!”, “Rhedeg i ffwrdd!”…
The BUF watch the oncoming charge in disbelief: “Are they bloody mad, Sergeant?! Don’t they know it’s the 20th Century?” “I dunno Sir, but they’re not as mad as Private Pritchard; he’s a bloomin’ ‘ero, Sir!” BUF Private Pritchard sprints forward to the hedgerow and lobs a Mills Bomb into the heart of the cavalry charge, cutting down two of the troopers before running back to the cheers of his comrades. As they reach the hedgerow , the rest of the cavalry are wiped out by concentrated BUF rifle and Lewis Gun fire! [Private Pritchard’s heroics were the result of a random even card]
Suddenly finding their arcs of fire clear of friendly cavalry, the Welsh armoured cars open up on the hedgerow, cutting down a few Highlanders and BUF. However, the Royalist MG Carrier returns fire and kills the driver of one of the armoured cars.
Above: Confident that her right flank is holding, Lt Col Keir orders her ‘gels’ to take up positions in the farmhouse, while she brings her tactical headquarters and heavy machine gun section up in support. She does however, dispatch a medic to the right flank.
Above: But what fresh hell is this?! As if one load of Morris-dancers wasn’t enough, yet another Morris-man scampers out of the farm stables, inflicting a Nerve Test on all nearby units… War is Hell… However, the young ladies of the Slebech Castle Cadet Corps prove to be made of steel and the terrifying apparition capers off to join his mates on the left flank. [Yep, another random event card…]
Above: Back on the right flank however, the Black Watch suffer a bit of a wobble as they come under heavy and accurate fire from the Wallies’ Glogue Company and one of the armoured cars. Buoyed up with confidence, the Glogue Company runs forward to the cover of the barn, but many are cut down in the open before reaching safety.
Above: Back at the farm, the Wallies’ Llanfyrnach Company has occupied the stable-block and is raking the farmhouse with fire. Colonel Lewis-Jones senses that his moment of glory has come… Dragging me and his personal standard-bearer along by the scruffs of the neck, he personally leads the Hermon Company through the farmyard gate and across the yard to assault the farm house! Thankfully his grip on my collar eases off and I manage to take cover in the corner of the yard, behind the civilians (that’s me at the top-left of the picture above)!
Above: Having weathered the assault of the Morris Man, Lt Col Keir brings up her tactical headquarters and most crucially, her heavy machine gun to assist in the defence of the farmhouse…
Above: Veterans of the Great War will recognise the scene in the farmyard as the Cadets open up on the Hermon Company at point-blank range with pistols, rifles and heavy machine gun… The Colonel manages to reach the farmhouse with two men, but they are quickly cut down at the front door and the Colonel is forced to fall back, dragging his wounded standard-bearer with him.
Above: Meanwhile, over on the Royalist left flank, a duel has been taking place between another Royalist Machine Gun Carrier and the Wallies’ heavy machine gun section. The carrier eventually gets the best of the exchange, cutting down two of the three Welsh machine-gunners. Seeing their way clear, the Carew & Cresselly Morris scramble over the hedge and charge! The accordion-playing reaches a new crescendo and the jingle of bells strikes terror into the hearts of all there to witness it!
Above: Despite the early Royalist success on the right flank, the continuous machine gun fire from the armoured cars and the Glogue Company is shredding the morale of the Black Watch and the BUF. The anti-tank rifle meanwhile, seems utterly incapable of hitting anything. However, the MG Carrier does sterling work in the anti-tank role and manages to immobilise the smaller of the two armoured cars. Nevertheless, the infantry are jumpy and Lt Col Keir dispatches her Sergeant-Major and an additional medic to stabilise the situation.
Above: The cowardly BUF have finally had enough and pull back from the hedgerow, leaving the Black Watch to it, who are themselves cracking under the strain! The Llanfyrnach armoured car crews scent victory and advance over the rather squishy remains of the earlier cavalry charge! Hurrah!
Above: However, that Royalist MG Carrier is still lurking and bullets finally penetrate the paper-thin ‘armour’ of one of the armoured cars, killing the crew. The second car pulls back and is soon followed by what’s left of the Waldo Williams Regiment…
But I survived, which is what really matters…
This is Huw Puw, reporting for the Fish Guardian while running as fast as I can back to friendly territory (and with luck, all the way back to Fishguard).
Models, Rules, Acknowledgements, etc
My sincere thanks to Chris and Rhys at the Carmarthen Old Guard for embracing the silliness and joining the Civil War in Little England Beyond Wales and thoroughly getting into the spirit of it all! Thanks especially to Rhys, who painted that magnificent Welsh Nationalist army in only a week or so! Huw Puw would apologise to Rhys for mercilessly taking the mick, but he has no shame…
The rules used were ‘Went The Way Well?’ by Solway Crafts. They’re not the greatest rules in the world, but they do give a fun game, as long as you’re playing with gentlemen and not bounders, rules-lawyers and nit-pickers…
The models are a bewildering array of manufacturers and have mostly been covered in previously articles here, so I won’t go into detail. Empress, Footsore, Hinterland, Warlord, Great War, Woodbine, Mutton-Chop and other manufacturers all feature. The livestock are by Redoubt Enterprises.
The Huw Puw figure was sculpted from scratch by the supremely talented Martin Small and is based on the John Sparkes comedy character of the same name.
The farm is an epic pre-painted model from EM4 Miniatures.
The terrain cloth is by Tiny Wargames.
The hedges were frantically finished off by me on the day of the game and were still wet with PVA glue when we placed them on the table! They’re made out of six-inch lengths of rubberised horsehair, kindly supplied by my good mate Andy. I then Bostiked them down to 6″x 1″ MDF bases from Warbases. Warbases also supplied the very nice laser-cut MDF gates and styles, as well as a Royal Mail pillar-box and phone box in resin. The hedges were then finished off with thinned PVA glue and ‘Blended Turf’ flock by Woodland Scenics. Some of the hedges also include Woodland Scenics tree-armatures that were finished off using Woodland Scenics foliage mesh, which is rather like miniature camouflage netting – you rip pieces off the mesh and then drape it over the (glue-covered) tree branches.
The trees were also frantically finished off for this game (I’ve got around 300 woodland Scenics tree armatures awaiting completion) – this time using Woodland Scenics ‘clump foliage’ and ‘foliage clusters’.
Regular readers of this idiocy will probably remember that I’ve created a Welsh Nationalist faction for the ‘Very British Civil War’ in Pembrokeshire; namely the 
The most powerful Welsh Nationalist faction in West Wales is the Free Wales Army (FWA)’s Pembrokeshire Division, centred on the port of Fishguard. Prior to the civil war, Fishguard was something of a hotbed of Welsh Nationalist academia, mainly drawing on the non-conformist and pacifist Welsh chapel tradition. However, with the departure of most of the pacifist Nationalists to the new Senedd (Parliament) at Machynlleth, the FWA has rapidly filled the vacuum, aided by public revulsion at Royalist/BUF methods in the Landsker. The FWA therefore emerged as a pro-war, militaristic backlash against the failed policies of the traditional, pacifist Welsh Nationalist intelligentsia. Some observers ascribe fascistic elements to the FWA movement; they certainly love their bottle-green uniforms, public rallies and oaths to the cause and there are echoes of Italian and German fascism in the title of Yr Arweinydd (‘The Leader’) for their senior member. The current Arweinydd is a shadowy figure only known as Martin Bach (‘Small Martin’).
asterisk with downward-turning ‘arms’). Those without uniforms typically wear a green armband with the eagle symbol in white. Flags again are bottle-green with the white eagle in its stylised form or sometimes in a more realistic form, typically inscribed with the motto ‘FE GODWN NI ETO’ (‘We will rise again’). The naval ensign is similar but in sea-grey.
After some debate, the capital of the new Republic was established at Machynlleth, site of Prince of Wales Owain Glyndŵr’s short-lived Senedd (‘Parliament’). A new Senedd has been created and despite the war, the Republic has even managed to hold local elections, to provide the Senedd with Representatives. However, not all Welsh Nationalist territories are willing to suborn themselves to the Republic, though many of these (such as the Republic of Cantref Cemaes and the Kingdom of Dyfed) do send non-voting Representatives to the Senedd, which to its credit, allows these dissenting voices to be heard.
The ‘Knights of the Grey Mare’ are a shadowy and terrifying guerrilla group operating in the Gwaun Valley, which is a deep, narrow and thickly-wooded gorge, nestling in the mountains east of Fishguard. They resist ALL attempts to move into the Gwaun with ruthless and terrifying acts, backed up by wild rumours of druidic practices and the Dark Arts. They are never seen and never heard, though they most definitely exist; patrols and sentries will simply disappear, only to reappear at dawn, minus everything below the neck.
This move was a massive gamble for Lord Rhys, but through sheer force of personality and undoubted popularity, he has managed to maintain his social position within Carmarthenshire and to largely preserve his power and estates, while simultaneously opposing the government and English hegemony over Wales. Of course, he’s got a lot of cash and that buys influence, men and weapons. A string of early victories against Loyalist forces in Carmarthenshire, as well as against the Reds in the coal-mining districts of the upper Amman, Loughor and Gwendraeth Valleys also helped to secure his Welsh Nationalist credentials.
The flag of the Kingdom of Dyfed is a bright green & white flag, split vertically, with green at the hoist and white at the fly. In the centre are the Arms of Dyfed, being a royal blue shield displaying a gold lion rampant, surrounded by four gold roses. The personal banner of Lord Dryslwyn was originally a black, upward-pointing black chevron on a white field, with three standing black ravens (two above and one below the chevron). Since elevation to become Lord Rhys, this is now quartered with the arms of Dyfed described above.
They certainly do look like cracking figures – I just wish they’d been available 10 years ago! 🙁
The uniform of the Fusiliers-Grenadiers was largely modelled on that of Grenadiers à Pied of the Old Guard; namely a long-tailed blue ‘cutaway’ coatee cut in the line infantry style, with brass/gold buttons, blue collar, white lapels, red tail-turnbacks with white eagle ornaments and red Brandenburg cuffs. However, from 1806 to 1808 the uniform had some slight differences; the collar and lapels were edged with red piping and the cuff-flaps were red, piped white with more white piping around the edge of the cuffs. On the shoulders were blue pointed shoulder-straps, edged with red piping.
Although I haven’t painted these units, they formed part of the Middle Guard and wore very similar uniforms, so are worth mentioning here. Both battalions were raised in March 1809 from a cadre of Imperial Guardsmen and volunteers (most of them Italian). The Vélites of Turin were specifically raised to be the bodyguard for Napoleon’s brother-in-law, Prince Borghese, who lavished money and expensive Parisian tailoring on his beloved regiment.
A specific request by Prince Borgehese for the Vélites of Turin to be issued with an Eagle was refused by Napoleon, but there is a surviving flag of the standard 1804 ‘lozenge’ Pattern (pictured here). This may have been a private purchase by Prince Borghese, but if officially issued, it seems likely that the Vélites of Florence would also have been issued with such a flag. These flags were probably carried on light-blue poles with gilt spearhead finials. I can’t find any other details of fanions for the Vélites.
I doubt that there’s a single Napoleonic wargamer who doesn’t have at least one Imperial Guard unit in their collection and I’m certainly no exception… And having recently painted my very LAST Imperial Guard infantryman (for the two Young Guard Corps at Leipzig in 1813), I thought I may as well post the pics here, starting with the Old Guard (which appropriately enough, are the oldest figures in my Imperial Guard infantry).
Back in the mists of time, I had a single unit of 16x 15mm Old Guard Grenadiers à Pied by Battle Honours. They got a lot of mileage and by the mid-1990s were looking rather battered. By then we’d started doing demo-games at wargames shows and I was wanting some new models, so asked Mike Hickling at AB Figures if they had any imminent plans for Old Guard infantry models. By sheer luck, he had just cast the very first of the new AB Figures Old Guard and he put them straight in the post to me on approval! I had it on good authority therefore that these AB Figures Old Guard figures were the first to appear anywhere – they were in our Bautzen 1813 game at ‘Warcon’ (1995 I think?) before they even appeared in the AB Figures catalogue! 🙂
Above: French 15mm Old Guard Grenadiers à Pied by AB Figures. When I first saw these, I was totally blown away by the quality of sculpting and the accuracy of the depiction. They look just as though they have stepped out of a Detaille or Gerard painting. Even today, nearly 25 years later, I still think that they’re the best figures ever to have been produced in this scale (or indeed any scale). They’ve even got their customary earrings sculpted on…
Above: Regular readers of this blog will note that my painting was a fair bit better in those days… 🙁 Eyesight and cramping hands now get the better of me. I also had a lot more patience and would routinely paint my own flags…
Above: The Chasseurs à Pied had some subtle uniform differences to the Grenadiers à Pied; their coat was cut in ‘light infantry’ style, with pointed lapels and pointed cuffs, edged in white piping. Epaulettes were green with red fringes and crescents. The bearskin this time had no front-plate and no cul de singe and plumes were now red-over-green.
Above: The Old Guard on parade, with Général de Division Dorsenne, the Colonel-General of the Grenadiers à Pied at their head in full ceremonial uniform.
I’m just having a drink to the memory of my late father-in-law, Chief Petty Officer Harry James RN, chief engineer of a Royal Navy Landing Craft Flotilla, who 75 years ago tonight was being fished out of Portsmouth Harbour by the crew of a US Navy DUKW…
Above: Harry’s vessel on D-Day – LCT(E) 413. This was a very rare vessel – only four LCT(E) were employed during the Normandy Landings and this (Harry’s photo – taken at Port Said in 1946) is the only photo I’ve ever seen of one. It was the Emergency Repair (E) variant of the Landing Craft Tank (LCT) and instead of the tank-deck it had workshops for the at-seas repair of landing craft. Unlike the standard LCT, there was also an upper deck with offices, cabins and stores, plus stowage and davits for its own motor-launch (and presumably Harry’s rowing-boat).
Above: But all is quiet in Fackingham… The vicar strolls through the church-yard and thinks about choirboys…
Above: Factory-workers take up positions around the tank-factory. While many of the armoured vehicles are only partly-built, some are runners and the crews fire up the engines and load ammunition.
Above: Upon reaching the edge of town, the armoured car crew halt and scan the houses warily, waiting for the infantry to move forward and lead the advance into town.
Above: Cadet cavalry follows the infantry into town… Who brings cavalry to a street-fight…? Oh well, at least they add a degree of class to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl. In the background, a Cadet headquarters orderly runs forward to commandeer an animal feed agent’s steam-truck. Thankfully, steam and internal-combustion motor maintenance and operation is all part of the thoroughly modern educational syllabus provided by the Slebech Castle College for Young Ladies…
Above: At the western end of Fackingham, the rich pickings have attracted other factions… Socialists, Anglican League and Yorkists advance on the tank factory.
Above: With the fight at the abbey over, the Cadets, covered by the tankette and a heavy machine gun, move forward into town.
Above: Demonstrating a remarkable degree of dexterity and speed, the Post Office Rocketeers somehow manage to dismantle their weapon and leg it into cover as the armoured car’s machine gun knocks chunks out the brickwork around them! The armoured car turns its attention to the machine gun, but is in turn engaged by previously-unseen heavy machine guns at the far end of the square! The armoured car’s paper-thin armour can’t withstand much punishment and the car is soon reduced to a burning wreck in the middle of the square.
Above: The LDV machine gun crew atop The Pelican whoop with triumph and taunt the Royalists as they turn their gun on the tankette.
Above: The surviving bank staff are taken prisoner and are escorted to the rear by a mounted Cadet.
Above: On the north side of The Pelican, the LDV Headquarters Platoon is getting the worst of their firefight with the Welsh Royalists.
Above: Duty done, the cadets have a lock-in and a party on the roof terrace of The Pelican, while waiting for their Gentleman Friends from the Welsh Royalists to join them…
Above: At the far end of town, the Anglican League and Yorkists look to be making headway into the tank factory.
Then at last, salvation arrived in the form of a new Estonian scupltor named 
Above: The first Murat figure depicts him in the uniform he wore in 1800 as Général de Division of the Reserve Cavalry Division 0f the Army of Italy at the 
Above: My second Murat figure shows him as a Marshal of the Empire, commanding the Reserve Cavalry Corps of the Grande Armée at the 
As Murat was now commanding a whole Reserve Cavalry Corps, he’s based with an Aide de Camp (ADC) on a 40mm square base.
Again, as a corps commander, I’ve based him on a 40mm square together with an ADC.
His ADC is dressed much as before, except this time he has buff campaign overall trousers with a crimson-pink stripe down the seam, as well as a crimson-pink shabraque with gold edging. The figure is taken from the latest French ADC pack by AB Figures.
Above: Following his appointment on 15th March 1806 as 
Once again, as a corps commander, I’ve based him on a 40mm square; this time with two ADCs. I must confess however, that I decided not to add the snows of Eylau to the base!
The other ADC is wearing the uniform worn by the famous memoirist 
Above: Following his proclamation as King of Naples on 1st August 1808, Murat devoted most of his time to the governance of his kingdom and didn’t participate in the 1809 Campaign against Austria. However, in 1812 he was recalled along with the Neapolitan Army to join the Grande Armée for the invasion of Russia and true to form, Murat had a whole new uniform that was even more off-the-wall than ever…
Murat’s flamboyant dress, bravery, horsemanship and dazzling swordsmanship on the battlefield won him a whole new legion of adoring fans – the Cossacks…
Above: This figure is based on a famous 1815 equestrian portrait of Murat as King of Naples (shown here) and was probably the uniform worn during Murat’s disastrous 
Murat was placed in command of an entire army-wing during the 1813 Campaign and as such, I’ve based him on a 50mm square with three ADCs in attendance, including a Polish officer as his command contained two corps from the Duchy of Warsaw. All three figures are taken from the most recent AB Figures French ADC pack; two are dressed in the usual variations of white & crimson-pink, though one this time has the pelisse jacket slung over his shoulder to show off the crimson-pink dolman beneath. The dolman has white facings and gold braid, though buff facings are also recorded, as shown here. The yellow plume is another recorded variation on the usual theme.
Above: As mentioned at the top of this article, I decided to use the less animated of the 1807 Murats to plug another significant gap in my French Napoleonic collection; 
His ADC is an officer of the Chasseurs à Cheval of the Imperial Guard and is dressed in much the same ‘undress’ uniform as his Marshal, though in somewhat simpler style. I actually used a spare AB Figures Officer of the Sailors of the Guard and the horse was taken from an AB Figures ADC pack. The two escorts are Chasseurs à Cheval of the Imperial Guard in full dress and are taken from the AB Figures Napoleon & Staff set.
With Lord Tenby’s 
However, Prince Albert’s forces had not been idle. Under the leadership of the capable Sir Charles McKay-Price and aided by reinforcements and resupply from Canada, they had slowly been building their strength in preparation for a major offensive against Lord Tenby’s forces. Nevertheless, the Protectorate Army was still some way from being a competent field force and so it was left to the more capable elements of the army to conduct raids, fighting patrols and spoiling attacks against the Royalists.
Manor Park, looking west toward Carew and Pembroke.
In the courtyard we see the VIP consulting with the local BUF staff – it’s the notorious 
Manor Park, looking East toward Tenby. The BUF are completely unaware that Albertine Highlanders are lurking in the woods at the top of the picture. However, the Albertines are equally unaware that a Royalist field gun is deployed behind Manor Park (roughly where the sheep are in this photo).
Looking north toward Redberth, the Albertines are also unaware that BUF outposts are deployed along this sunken lane.
The attack begins. In the foreground are the territorials of ‘D’ Company, 4th Welch Regiment. Beyond the road are the dismounted Freshwater West Australian Light Horse, while the Pembroke Post Office Lancers split into two Troops.
In the centre, the Light Horse deploy their Vickers MG Section to cover the road.
Major Broughton and his guidon-bearer move forward.
On the left flank, ‘A’ Troop of the Lancers move forward to support the Light Horsemen.
Resplendent in their purple ‘kangaroo feathers’, the Light Horsemen move forward through the hedgerows.
An Australian blows his thing.
As the Australians cross a field, a unit of BUF open fire from the sunken road.
The clock starts ticking now that the BUF are alerted to the enemy presence. Royalist reinforcements will soon start to arrive, so the Albertines need to complete their mission in the shortest possible time.
The Australians and BUF trade fire with each other, with light casualties being suffered on both sides. Men on both sides scramble for cover as bullets find their mark. The Lancers move forward in support, firing from the saddle as they do so. A saddle is emptied by BUF bullets, but the Lancers press on.
On the Albertine right flank, ‘B’ Troop of the Lancers moves forward, covered by the Territorials.
The Territorials haven’t yet spotted any enemy, but don’t like the look of that hedgerow in front…
With trumpet blaring, the Post Office Lancers add a degree of tone and class to the battlefield as they dash forward.
With the Australians now suppressed by fire from the hedgerow, ‘A’ Troop of the Lancers attempts to seize the initiative and launches a reckless charge on the BUF!
However, the Lancers’ gamble pays off, as the BUF are also suppressed by Australian fire. They completely fail to cause any casualties on the charging Lancers and as the Lancers charge home they break and run! Blackshirts are quickly lanced, ridden down or captured by the victorious Lancers.
Meanwhile, on the other flank, ‘B’ Troop of the Lancers dashes across the field to the sunken lane. A volley of shots rings out…
As the Territorials suspected, a second unit of BUF Militia is lurking in the lane. The two sides trade shots inconclusively across the field.
The BUF Militia Commander and his 2IC leave Manor Park to tell his men to keep the bloody noise down… Just in time to witness one of his units being ridden down by Lancers!
A St John’s Ambulance officer attached to the BUF, looks on in horror as the Lancers complete their annihilation of the BUF.
“View Halloo!” Spotting the BUF officer and his friend, the Lancers charge off in hot pursuit, though the officer manages to dash back into Manor Park, while the NCO hides in the phone box.
The St John’s Ambulance officer sneaks off, hoping that his black & white uniform will enable him to hide among the cows…
Major Broughton moves forward to rally his men and get them moving forward again.
Having seen what happened to their comrades on the right and not wanting it to happen to them, the remaining unit of BUF leg it as fast as their hairy little fascist legs will carry them back to Manor Park.
The Territorials set off in hot pursuit!
‘A’ Troop charges on up the road, unaware of the fugitive hiding in the phone box.
The Blackshirts scarper, with the Lancers hot on their heels!
The BUF officer bars the gate, while one of his staff officers frantically looks for an escape route. A BUF signaller, calling frantically for support, finally manages to make contact with a friendly unit!
Captain de Carnelle’s Company of Cadets has heard the call and has withdrawn from the front line near Carew. The young ladies arrive in rear of the Australians!
The Lancers reach the lane, but their horses refuse to tackle the steeply-banked hedges! The BUF make good their escape and barricade themselves inside Manor Park.
‘A’ Troop of the Lancers meanwhile, runs into trouble as a previously un-located BUG heavy weapons detachment opens up on the horsemen. Amazingly, no casualties are suffered by the ‘Lucky Lancers’.
Another heavy weapon joins in – this one an 18-pounder field gun belonging to the 2nd Haverfordwest Volunteer Horse Battery RA. Still the Lancers suffer no casualties!
The Haverfordwest Horse Artillery have traded their horses in for a commandeered tea van…
The Duchess of York’s Highlanders, waiting in ambush positions, spot te approaching convoy…
A Highlander NCO orders his men to hold their fire until he gives the word.
However, a Highlander fires on the horse gunners and the ambush is compromised!
With the ambush detected, Baron Kylsant attempts to escape across the fields. Meanwhile, fortune favours the ‘Lucky Lancers’ once again as the BUF machine gun jams!
However, Captain de Carnell’s Cadets are now engaging the Australian rear.
A cadet sharpshooter takes aim at the exposed Australian machine gun team.
Another cadet rushes forward to engage the Australians.
As more cadets move forward, one takes a tot from her hip-flask to steady the nerves!
A cadet seeks a target among the hedgerows.
A cadet readies her rifle and prepares to engage the enemy.
Major Broughton’s men turn to face the new threat. With the ambush blown, the time has come for his force to scatter and infiltrate back into friendly lines. Baron Kylsant has escaped justice this time, but his time will come…
As recounted in my 
1. ‘D’ Company, 4th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Welch Regiment (Territorial Army) was based at Pembroke Drill Hall. As the local Territorial Army infantry company, one platoon of ‘D’ Company had naturally been called out to assist the police in maintaining order at a large public meeting that was to take place at the Great War Memorial on Castle Hill, Pembroke. However, the BUF also decided to impose their version of the ‘King’s Peace’ and a massacre was the result.
One of the first to fall was the Territorial platoon commander and his incensed men were quick to return fire on the BUF. Civilians were armed from the Drill Hall’s armoury and the BUF were soon driven from the town. ‘D’ Company then moved quickly to secure the locality: The Defensible Barracks was seized in a bloodless coup as they were joined by ‘A’ Squadron of the Pembroke Yeomanry and the men of the local Coastal Artillery Regiment, Royal Marines Detachment and Royal Dockyards Police. Most of the Officers and Airmen of RAF Pembroke Dock also joined the coup, though the Loyalists made a stand at the depot of the 2nd KSLI in Llanion Barracks. Nevertheless, the loyalist positions at Llanion were quickly overrun and the rebels consolidated their position in the south-west of the county. Within a week, an Albertine brigade group landed to reinforce the rebels, who quickly declared for Prince Albert.
Despite the switch of allegiance, the men of ‘D’ Company are proud of their regiment and have retained the old title. Perhaps in a vain hope that the rest of The Welch will join them against the King? They continue to wear their old Service Dress uniform and insignia. The only variation on Dress Regulations is the cap-band, in Albertine Purple.
With the sudden descent to war, the tent-pegging display team soon became the Pembroke Post Office Lancers, volunteering en masse to defend Pembroke (and the Albertine cause by default). Their smart uniforms were also an extremely effective recruitment tool and the Lancers quickly found their ranks swollen to full Squadron strength. Their uniforms retain the blue, red and brass Post Office theme, though with the addition of smart-as-carrots pith helmets which are festooned with spare elastic-bands in the finest traditions of the Post Office (you never know when they might come in handy for parcelling up loot or prisoners).
Aside from a few Great War veterans and a few former Yeomanry and Territorials in the ranks, the Lancers have little in the way of infantry skills, so they are retained as shock cavalry and reconnaissance troops.
The Post Office Lancers formed part of the Albertine contingent sent by sea from Pembroke Dock to reinforce the beleaguered Bishopric of St Davids, where they fitted in well with other cavalry contingents outfitted in Ruritanian uniforms. They fought well in their first engagement at Robleston Hall, charging fearlessly in the face of stiff enemy opposition and blunting the Royalist offensive there, pausing only to carry out the day’s 2nd Collection at Dudwells Sub-Post Office. However, they suffered heavy casualties, as nobody likes a show-off; least of all BUF Vickers Machine Gun teams…
So despite their detractors and accusations of being a throwback to Queen Victoria, the ‘Parcel Force’ as they have become known, have proved their worth on the battlefield. They might be silly buggers, but they’re sill buggers with style, panache and bulging sacks.
16. In 1936, the Royal Australian Air Force purchased a number of Saro London flying boats from Great Britain. RAAF personnel were then sent to RAF Pembroke Dock, to train on the new aircraft, with the intention of forming a brand-new RAAF flying boat squadron at Pembroke Dock, before flying their new machines back to Australia. However, the war intervened and the aircraft were not even delivered to Pembroke Dock. The Australian aircrew, finding themselves marooned in the midst of a war on the far side of the globe and hearing the trumpet’s call… found a superb surfing beach at a place called Freshwater West and set up camp there, well away from the Poms and their stupid war. However, the Main Street Massacre changed all that.
It came to pass that some of the Australian officers were relaxing in the King’s Arms on Pembroke Main Street, enjoying a few quiet pints and looking forward to a few loud ones. Squadron Leader ‘Skip’ Broughton was just lifting a foaming pint of “Feelin’ Foul” to his lips (‘Felinfoel’ isn’t a name that comes easily to Englishmen, let alone Australians) when a volley of shots erupted in the street outside! A bullet smashed the window, then smashed Skip’s pint before passing through his hand and lodging in the dark oak panelling of the public bar! Squadron Leader Broughton stood, ashen-faced, dripping with blood and beer as the other Australians looked on in shock and horror. “Strewth, Skip! The bastards shot your pint!” Unaware of the screams and incessant gunfire outside the smashed window, the Australians stared dumbstruck at their stricken leader and his former pint. Then, as one man, the enraged and dripping Australians charged out into the street. Someone was going to pay!
Having joined forces with the people of Pembroke against the Blackshirts (and by association, the King), the Australians have nailed their colours firmly to the Albertine mast. There are no aircraft to fly, so the Australians have turned their hand to horsemanship (already a well-honed skill among many of them). The Australian airmen’s natural dash and initiative has made them excellent light cavalrymen and the Freshwater West Australian Light Horse Squadron has been rapidly incorporated into the Pembrokeshire Protectorate forces. Some wags insist on referring to them as ‘Air Cavalry’ – a clearly ridiculous name that
will surely never catch on…