Tudor Longbowmen

Since acquiring a display cabinet I have found that whilst it fabulously shows off my collection it also serves to remind me of what needs to be done so here's the first of no doubt quite a few posts of gaps in units which have been completed, that's how I see it, for you it is simple viewing pleasure.

I now have a wonderfully symmetrical unit of longbowmen comprising 18 stands of figures to complement a unit of bill of the same size which serves the purpose of demonstrating the ratio of bow to bill in 1513.Or rather as it was becoming bow to bill to pike, with the latter being provided by landsknechts. In reality this 'ratio' was very much in a state of flux and experiment and almost entirely different whether one looks at Flodden or the French campaign. 

I suppose that's what made this army more appealing in that there is a much greater choice of potential units to represent and no real demonstration of how they fought in open battle so it's a wargamers delight. One particularly good book which explores the Tudor army organisation in this early period is 'Henry VIII's Military Revolution' by James Raymond.

You will hopefully be able to see the whole army in the, ahem, December issue of Wargames Illustrated. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room to get my article in this month's issue so it was delayed. However, it is a definite for December, published 30 November - you can get a glimpse of it in the back of the current issue. Hopefully it's worth the wait and I'm pleased that it will be published in the 500th anniversary year.

Some photographs from the shoot for the article will be published here around the same time.

All the best

Stuart