In remembrance....

 Afternoon all, its been several months since I last posted on this blog and in the upcoming weeks I'll explain what's been happening on the games front, the developments at our home and news about the Shed Wars experience. Its all good news but sadly I have some bad news as well.

The Shed has always tried to welcome new players and as I have reported in the past many of these gamers have over the years become great friends. About three years ago I was contacted via the blog one such good friend, David. 

Tragically David passed away a few weeks ago. This was a complete bombshell to us all at the Shed and we paid our respects at his funeral on Monday. David had been ill for a few months but we all thought he would recover, so when we received the terrible news it was a complete shock. How his family dealt with this crisis must have been unimaginable, horrific and devastating. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time. 

I write this with a heavy heart but at the same time I know that it was an honour to have met, got to know and play wargames with this gentleman. As I stated earlier David contacted me a few years back, just after we moved. I have a simple rule that any new players that might cross the threshold into my home and shed must be vetted off site first. With the Salute show on the following weekend we agreed to meet at the event and say hello. 

I first met David under the Waterloo concourse clock at nine am on a Saturday morning. Neither of us were carrying bunches of flowers for the other as is the custom for meeting at such a location but spotting the wargamer was relatively straightforward as were were both aged men sporting grey beards. Shaking hands we agreed that travelling to Excel would best be done on the newly opened Elizabethan line. 

Our journey flew by as we shared stories of games played, histories of interest and periods which we collected. Indeed we were so engrossed in our conversation we hadn't realised how quick the journey on the new tube would be. We travelled so far east we missed our stop and had to go back again. It was during this second part of the journey (one which I can recollect vividly) that David informed me that he had been a re-enactor and that his gaming friends included the Perry twins. As a result I told him that this connection and acquaintance with such notables in our hobby virtually made him Wargames Royalty. He chuckled and brushed this off with perhaps a hint of embarrassment.

His evident passion and knowledge of the hobby, the promise of more Napoleonic troops to bring to the table and his very affable nature confirmed that he would be a most welcome addition to the Shed Wars community. By the time we reached Salute David had already pencilled in a date to visit.

David is sitting on the right ready to launch his Saracens against the marching Crusaders

David visited the Shed on a regular basis over the next couple of years and became a firm favourite amongst those who frequented often. He slotted in seamlessly and was both a worthy opponent and great team mate depending upon which side he was on. His historic knowledge was fascinating and his humour both easy and dry. His luck with the dice however was somewhat lacking at crucial times.

To his credit he adopted our no-nonsense and straight forward approach to games with ease. An approach that asks all to be both Gentlemen and Generals in equal measure.

His funeral was incredibly emotive, the stories we learned about the man clearly resonating across those gathered. It is with regret that we only had a short time to enjoy his company but his loss at the Shed has been keenly felt. 

We also learned something else,...

every Monday we meet and play games, we laugh, we chat and count each other as friends: but we also all live in worlds outside this bubble and don't really make the time to know more about each other. Over the last few years I have tried to address this with BBQ's and gatherings when we can socialise away from the gaming table and meet each other's families. This also demonstrates to our partners that the rest of the group exist and in the main are perfectly normal human beings. We need to do more so in those times when tragedy does strike the network is strong to support those that need it.

David thank you for your company and friendship, we will all miss you and may you rest in peace...