Wednesday 24 January 2018

It was 50 years ago this May or when Plan(et)s collide

Yesterday after school I went to a C.P.D  (continuing professional development or teaching for teachers) event locally. Often CPD  is not the most inspirational thing in life but yesterday's was different. It was about WW2 in Dunfermline, the role of the Home Guard and Polish troops here in the War. The talk centred round detailed maps of the defence plans for here if an invasion had come and the actual remains left such as concrete road blocks and trenches.


I had heard some it before but  there were fascinating new details such as the Home Guard officer who built an armoured car (sadly no pictures) out of a Buick car. I left inspired and greatly enthused.
This morning I was looking through old photocopies and found my copy of all Charles Grant's Meccano magazine articles  on WW2 wargaming.- " Introduction to Battle" ,the first of which was dated May 1968. The two things combined in my mind and an idea of an idea began to form for a new project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the rules and combine  it with a Grantian ( if I can conjure such a word up)take on modelling local buildings. An old school homage to a battle that never happened.

4 comments:

  1. Fascinating. Never had CPD like this! There is a good Osprey book on these areas https://ospreypublishing.com/british-home-defences-1940-45-pb

    Check out the Coleshill House CART website to see if there were any secret Home Guard OBs and Auxiliary patrols in your area.

    Good job the Victorians never built the Irish Channel Tunnel to Scotland / mainland Britain that is mentioned on my blog!

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  2. Here you are: nearest to Dunfermline http://www.coleshillhouse.com/fife-and-angus-auxiliary-units.php

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  3. Played the Grant rules years ago , very Old School but interesting, the rules in full are in 'Battle' a great book to read as well

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  4. Sounds interesting. I have fond memories of hearing my grandfather's tales of his Home Guard escapades. Some of the stories could've come right out of Dad's Army!

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