I arrived at Knuston Hall in the middle of the afternoon and was, as ever, warmly received by the staff including Manager Eamonn Flanagan (who fled as soon as he could) and Duty Manager Rue Herd, seen here welcoming drinkers to the bar:
In a change (one of many!) to the usual running order, on Friday evening a short event was held to commemorate the life of Paddy Griffith. This included some comments about Paddy's contribution to wargaming by Bob Cordery and a one-minute silence.
The weekend 'proper' commenced with 'Completely Over The Top' - our new plenary game. This involved players being organised as a British Infantry Division (3 to a battalion), with a commanding General and a few Germans. 3 attacks were then carried out in 1916, 1917 and 1918, with various different approaches.
In 1916, there was a lengthy artillery barrage
The infantry then advanced (walking slowly toward the enemy...)
The Germans, alas, were still very much alive and hardly any Brits made it to the first trench line.
In 1917 a creeping barrage was tried but the overall result was similarly dismal. In 1918
new technology was introduced - the tank. His Majesty's Land Ship 'Knuston' is seen here in the British assembly area. The crew of three comprised a commander, left track gearsman and right track gearsman.
This new approach helped the British brreak through the German lines 'to the green fields beyond...'
I was then involved in running 'The End' (see previous posts) and was then roped in to play Graham Evans 'The Elephant in the Room' - now popularly know as 'Pachyderm Down'. I took the role of a Roman Velite attacking the elephant. All was going stunningly well until it stamped on me....
More on Saturday's games later...
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