World War One (1 Viewer)

[King & Country]

Hi Guys,

As all of you suggest World War One is such a huge subject — just like WW2.

Gallipoli...Doughboys...War in the Air...the advent of gas warfare...the possibilities are endless but you have to start somewhere. So for me and King & Country that is 1914. Actually I did consider the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand for a wee while before moving onto the outbreak of hostilities in the West. However given enough time and energy plus about three lifetimes we just might cover most of the subjects some of you crave for!

For Britons of my generation and older World War One was one of the pivotal points of 20th Century history. Casualties were enormous and virtually no British and Empire family (or French or German) were left unscathed. My paternal grandfather lost two brothers in France and my maternal grandmother another brother in the Middle East. I know of no city, town or village in Britain that does not have a war memorial to the fallen of 1914-1918. British and Empire casualties were approximately four times what we suffered in WW2.

Anyway that’s the history lesson for today. Lest we forget!

Andy C. Neilson

 

[Dragoon]

I for one am very happy to hear officially that Andy is starting the WWI line with "The Guns of August". The color and variety of uniforms for that period will offer a lot of possibilities for Andy's creativity. Can't wait - shelves are cleared, ready and waiting!

 

[Rob]

Hi Andy,I think its best to start in 1914 and work from there.I'm sure you could produce some excellant figures from Mons for example.I think this will be a terrific new range and will do great business for you.As you say there is something uniquely terrible about WW1 that haunts us Brits to this day.(not forgetting our brave allies of course).But its something about the images of the trenches,terrible casualty figures and towns and villages losing great swathes of their young men at a stroke that still hang over this countrys history.In some ways more so than the second world war.

As a student of WW1 since the age of eleven i make my own "Pilgramage"(i suppose you could call it)every year to the battlefields.I can thoroughly recommend anyone who is thinking of going to visit them to do it.You won't fail to be moved by the atmosphere of both the battlefields and the cemeterys.Of all the places on the western front my favourite has to be the "sunken lane" on the Somme.A small innocent looking country lane that saw terrible slaughter as the British army tried three times to attack from it only to be hurled back by concentrated machine gun fire.Its such a sobering place and makes you realise just what sacrafices were made and how lucky we are.

Rob

 

[jazzeum]

I, too, am looking forward to this range. I remember mentioning it to Andy a couple of years ago when I first met him. He didn't think highly of the idea at the time but I'm glad he's doing it now.

Speaking of the Guns of August, I haven't done a lot of reading on World War I but I remember reading years ago Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August and The Proud Tower so I recommend them. I've just picked up Martin Gilbert's book about the Somme and am looking forward to reading that.

I think starting at the beginning is an excellent idea, both from a historical and financial point of view. As the use of the tank and airplane came later, you will get a lot of figure sets you can gauge possible interest with these instead of tying up a lot of inventory in tanks and airplanes.

I will be also interested to see how the Old Northwest tanks fit in with the K & C range. They may be too small but in a diorama they may be excellent backdrops. Speaking of dios, I'll be interested to see what Gordon and our other excellent dioramaists on this board come up with.

 

[Combat]

I hope KC starts up the WWI line with several releases and some personality figures. I'm sure we will get mostly Brits, French and Germans, but hopefully there is room for some russians, italians, and austro-hungarians that fought in 1914. How about a nice "Marching off to War" vignette with some German frauleins tossing flowers to the soldiers as they head off to the front?

 

[CannonFodder1971]

Hi Guys,

Casualties were enormous and virtually no British and Empire family (or French or German) were left unscathed. My paternal grandfather lost two brothers in France and my maternal grandmother another brother in the Middle East.
Andy C. Neilson

My maternal gandmother's father served in WWI (surname Hughes - survied but lost brothers and cousins, many names on the Menin Gate) and my maternal grandfather (Tobin) died at the Somme, leaving a widow at the time when women had few property rights let alone the franchise. My grandfather was lucky as Guinness operated a scheme whereby veteran's messenger boys would be "considered favourably" and sure enough he was kept on as an employee into adulthood. On the other hand much of Dublin was in turmoil, and many WWI veterans kept a low profile in the following years, particularly after martial law and various indiscriminate acts of brutality by Crown forces. Still though WWI fascintates me, and I'm really looking forward to the series as/when it emerges.

 

[mitch292]

My great grandpa served with the irish guards in WWI my grandfather still has all the medals and a few pictures of there unit. All of the great grandfathers brothers died in the war.

 

[vandilay]

I think from a New Zealand point of view WW1 was also far worse in terms of losses,every small town here has a memorial to the Great War.
Over 100 thousand kiwis served overseas from a population at the time just topping 1 million and of those 18500 never came home and 50 thousand
where wounded.Small numbers I know compared to a lot of countrys but
still pretty horendous.

 

[OzDigger]

Very true Vandilay, the Aussies and New Zealanders or ANZACS as their combined effort came to be known as was high in proportion to their respective population size. I have the Delprado Aussie Sargeant and Turkish soldier and look forward to a new and improved set from K & C.

I would especially like to see a set of Light Horse Men like those that charged at Beersheba being the 12th Australian Light Horse which was apparently the last succesful cavalry charge in history. My Grandafather was in the 12th Light Horse Regiment but as he was in the Australian Mounted Police at that stage he missed out on that action as he was busy rounding up Aussies that were playing up as the saying goes.

 

[vandilay]

Very true Vandilay, the Aussies and New Zealanders or ANZACS as their combined effort came to be known as was high in proportion to their respective population size. I have the Delprado Aussie Sargeant and Turkish soldier and look forward to a new and improved set from K & C.

I would especially like to see a set of Light Horse Men like those that charged at Beersheba being the 12th Australian Light Horse which was apparently the last succesful cavalry charge in history. My Grandafather was in the 12th Light Horse Regiment but as he was in the Australian Mounted Police at that stage he missed out on that action as he was busy rounding up Aussies that were playing up as the saying goes.

Hi
I believe you may not be too big on the gloss figures,but soldiers of the world
does 3 Australian Light horsemen from that charge which are very nice.
[bayonets in hand] It would be great too see them covered by K and C
but if your not adverse to glossys check them out.My wife was just
giving me some grief [not the rommel variety] about not having enough
Australians in my colection so they are next.

 

[OzDigger]

Hi, I have seen a few mounted figs based on that charge but I'm sure a K & C version would beat the best of them and look forward to that possibility.

 

[Rob]

Hey Oz,just to say congrats on winning the ashes!.You whooped us good and proper.All the best

Rob

 

[OzDigger]

Hey Oz,just to say congrats on winning the ashes!.You whooped us good and proper.All the best

Rob

Thank Rob, but I think they have two games to play in the series - we're hoping for a total whitewash

 

[Chuck Harris]

Hi
I believe you may not be too big on the gloss figures,but soldiers of the world
does 3 Australian Light horsemen from that charge which are very nice.
[bayonets in hand] It would be great too see them covered by K and C
but if your not adverse to glossys check them out.My wife was just
giving me some grief [not the rommel variety] about not having enough
Australians in my colection so they are next.

My wife should give that kind of grief about not having enough 101st ABN. in my collection.
Her father was in the 101st, 502 Easy Company from start to finish. Made all the jumps did not miss a battle, got all the metals +Bronze Star with V for valor, 3 Purple hearts. He never left the line. This was common for troopers After Bastone somewhere in German he busted back to PFC for darn near killing a green 2nd LT for getting 4 of his men killed for no reason. The morning reports bear this out.

 

[vandilay]

Hi Chuck

I guess after being through everything they went through
it would be pretty hard to take some one with little or no
experience coming in and calling the shots [especialy when mistakes cost lives]
With ties so close to your family I,ll bet the 101 st stuff you do have
occupys a special place in your collection.

Regards Rob

 

[Chuck Harris]

Hi Chuck

I guess after being through everything they went through
it would be pretty hard to take some one with little or no
experience coming in and calling the shots [especialy when mistakes cost lives]
With ties so close to your family I,ll bet the 101 st stuff you do have
occupys a special place in your collection.

Regards Rob

Yes it does. My wife said he would never talk about WWII.
On my very worse day in Southeast Asia I never had anything as bad as what they went through in WWII.
With the help of some friends at Fort Campbell's History Dept. I was able to research his history with the 101st the how and why for his metals and his being busted back to PFC. The green 2nd LT was send back to rear under guard, no further info on any reports as to what happen to him.
My wife father PFC Ross pasted away in 1982. I had wall Plac made up with all his metals and other decorations along with a picture of him made by French Photographer Dec. 10, 1944 in his class A uniform. The Battle of the Bulge started 6 days later.

 

[vandilay]

Yes it does. My wife said he would never talk about WWII.
On my very worse day in Southeast Asia I never had anything as bad as what they went through in WWII.
With the help of some friends at Fort Campbell's History Dept. I was able to research his history with the 101st the how and why for his metals and his being busted back to PFC. The green 2nd LT was send back to rear under guard, no further info on any reports as to what happen to him.
My wife father PFC Ross pasted away in 1982. I had wall Plac made up with all his metals and other decorations along with a picture of him made by French Photographer Dec. 10, 1944 in his class A uniform. The Battle of the Bulge started 6 days later.

I,m glad you where able to track down a little of his history,
Its amazing how fast this stuff can be lost to families.
And his is obviously a story worth preserving
I always find it a little sad when I see groups of medals coming
up for sale .I had my eye on my grandads medals since I was a kid
and luckily enough I have them on display at home.

We had a fair bit on contraversy here in NZ recently when
charles Uphams daughters decided to sell his v.c and Bar [double v.c]
His wish was for them to be displayed at our national war museum.
luckily the imperial war museum in England bought them and gifted them
to our museum for 999 years rather than ending up in a private collection
[incredibly generous as they where valued in the millions].

Just be sure to make a record of your own service to pass on.
I,m sure future generations of your family will apreciate it.
Regards Rob