Monday 11 January 2010

New Year Celebrity Quiz

I am reliably informed by my newspaper that we have just exited the decade of the 'celebrity'. I confess to feeling a little left out; I have never felt quite the same about ballroom since dear Peter West hung up his dancing pumps. Indeed I have only recently discovered what a 'Major Ron' was.

However I must sternly admonish those of my readers who when they read of Jordan think of the Arab Legion. Gentlemen we cannot live in the past! Why wargaming was something of a trendsetter when it came to those who only required one name Don,Tony, Brigadier, then Terry, Bruce and Phil to say nothing of Jack and Duke.

So to usher in the new I present a picture quiz of the type loved by the ladies magazines.


Which famous bearded wargamer is this? And for an additional five points can you name the figure range he is using.

Clue: He used these figures for a series of articles in the late Battle Magazine. And if that doesn't help you date the picture take a look at his pipe! A Bauhaus affair of ceramics and stainless steel it effortlessly emits a cloud of smoke that obscures the windows. We definitely have one of the Young Turks here! why I wouldn't be surprised if he owned those new fangled average dice.

AND THE ANSWER IS:

Yes it is indeed the young master himself, Mr Stuart Asquith. I cannot tell exactly when the picture was taken though I would like to think it was at one of his notorious 'Champagne and Wargaming' breakfasts that were such an important feature of the social calender back in the Seventies.

15 comments:

Vintage Wargaming said...

Well those are Hinchliffe 25mm ECW figures, just to leave somethng for others ro guess..

Mad Carew said...

Who is Major Ron? No, seriously?
That is a fine looking pipe by the way.

DC said...

Is that a young Mr Asquith? I spot figures by Hinchliffe, Minifigs, and i think Garrison too...?

Anonymous said...

Yes, Mr Stuart Asquith with Hinchliffe and Minifigs ECW armies, thirty two years ago.

Peter Leonard

Der Alte Fritz said...

Another vote for Mister Asquith.

Stryker said...

Why surely it is a younger version of your goodself - the evidence is right there on your blog! Some of those must be Minifigs...

Ian

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Agreed re. Minifigs, especially those foot on the right of the picture....

I also thought possibly Mr Asquith, but then I noted what looked like a purloined ashtray on the window sill and was immediately thrown into doubt - surely the esteemed ex-editor of Practical Wargamer wouldn't stoop to half-inching pub ash trays???

Anonymous said...

Yep, another vote for Mr Asquith (as I don't know the gentleman personally, I think "Stuart" would be rather too familiar).
The figures are a mix of Hinchliffe and Minifigs - I suspect the shot's about the same period (late 1970's, rather than 1640's)as his series in Battle (the Militaary Modelling) and wargamings battles of the ECW.

Juno

johnpreece said...

Stryker,
I cam understand the confusion: we both certainly have bad haircuts. Otherwise I am flattered to be mistaken.

The figures seem to me to be a mix of Hinchliffe, Minifig at least some Garrison and I can see in the bottom RH corner a solitary Warrior carrying a barrel. I can't spot any Tradition 25's which surprises me though i may just be overlooking them.
John

Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.com said...

Rats! Too late. The Hincliffe cavalry are obvious and the hind quarters & tail of a horse portruding from behind a flag on the middle right are unmistakably Minifig, (the infantry in front also look quite minifig-ish)and I recognise some Garrison pike and officers from my own 1st ECW regiment. But what make is the horse behind the flag on the left? The one with his head down? and are those Hichliffe musketeers?
-Ross

Anonymous said...

Gentlemen,

'Tis indeed myself in a photograph that appeared in our local rag on 16th April 1976. The bulk of the figures are Hinchliffe with some Minifigs.
Ross - that horse you mention is also Hinchliffe (I think, it's been 34 years!)
For the record the ashtray came from the Kardomah coffee bar. London EC1 - and we still have it.
What do you mean 'bad haircut' Mr Preece. It's called style.

Stuart (the pipeman) Asquith

Anonymous said...

1976 was, of course, the year that punk broke, so a few weeks later uncle Stuart could be found sporting a shaved head, bondage trousers and a bin liner - that's how i remember it anyway.

Susie from Bromley.

Anonymous said...

Mr Preece!

Your eyes must be worse than mine. Mr Asquith is only sporting a moustache -not a beard- the rest being "wargamer's shadow".

George

johnpreece said...

George
5 bonus points for spotting the 'deliberate' mistake. ( it is either my eyes or my brain that's gone).

Mad Carew
belatedly an answer; Major Ron was the father of 'Fergie' Duchess of York and a beloved figure in the tabloids back in the eighties.

Googling Major Ronnie Ferguson should give an interesting obituary or two.

Susie from Bromley
I shall now have to spend the rest of the day trying to get that image out of my mind. Dreadful times, I am still trying to get the spittle off my minifigs.

Tom Asquith said...

What a brilliant photo!

I have to say, Stuart is my dad and also responsible for getting me into wargaming and model; making... he's differnt now, the tash has long gone but the pipe does make the odd apperance still. I'm also fairly sure that the ashtray was not liberated from a pub!