Dave Watson

As defence chiefs, we warn you today about Russia, and say this rearmament is not warmongering | Richard Knighton and Carsten Breuer Our security is more uncertain than in decades. But by working together, and by showing strength, Britain, Germany and the rest of Europe can preserve peace, say defence chiefs Richard Knighton and Ca...

As defence chiefs, we must warn you about Russia and say this: rearmament is not warmongering. Our security is more uncertain than in decades. But by working together, and by showing strength, Britain, Germany and the rest of Europe can preserve peace. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Mad Dogs with Guns rules at Irvine today. I have no idea but looks good.

They are. Even though I got my feet wet!

General d’Armee 2 at Irvine today.

Playing Cruel Seas at the Irvine club today. I am escorting a convoy in the Adriatic under attack from the Royal Navy.

I’ll spare Mesut’s blushes😂. I would add, almost anything by Virginia Askan.

Cynoscephalae 197 BC This Osprey Campaign book by Mark Van der Enden covers the classic legion v phalanx battle of the ancient world. The Battle of Cynoscephala...

Book review: Cynoscephalae 197 BC. This Osprey Campaign book by Mark Van der Enden covers the classic legion v phalanx battle of the ancient world. Although the Romans won, there were special factors, which undermined the performance of the phalanx. balkandave.blogspot.com/2026/02/cyno...

Lovely crisp winter’s day with a classic view of snow capped Arran on my morning walk.

It’s #WorldRadioDay apparently so send some love to the radio operators & maintainers in your life.

Jim’s on his hols so I’ll dedicate this post to him. 👍🫡

Fall in love Roman-style by playing boardgames Ovid thought that a bit of healthy competition could foster romance.

Fall in love Roman-style by playing boardgames. The Roman poet, Ovid, explains the importance of play for attracting and keeping a lover in his poetic manual, The Art of Love. One of his top tips is to play boardgames, and, importantly, to play to lose.😂 theconversation.com/fall-in-love...

I am reading the memoir of a war correspondent embedded with the Italians in Tripoli in 1911. This is a great line that sums up Italian strategy, “The Italians are besieging the desert. They have sat down beside it and called upon it to surrender.” 👏

It gets a mention in the introduction, but not a chapter of its own.

Sikh arms and armour I was down in Manchester for the footie yesterday. Passing quickly past that disaster, I popped into the Manchester Art Gallery, which was h...

My review of Manchester Art Gallery’s, special exhibition on Sikh arms and armour. Well worth a look if you are in the city. balkandave.blogspot.com/2026/02/sikh...

British Amphibious Warfare 1739-1815. A new book out today. Some great stories of success and failure that highlight how difficult this type of operation was. It includes a chapter from me on amphibious raiding in the Adriatic during the Napoleonic Wars. www.helion.co.uk/military-his...

Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?

Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong. More people lived in the classic-era Maya lowlands than on the Italian peninsula during the peak of the Roman empire – all crammed into an area a third of the size. www.theguardian.com/news/2026/fe...

A special exhibition of Sikh arms and armour at the Manchester Art Gallery.

I’m down in Manchester for the footie. Glorious Wagner painting of a Roman chariot race, inspired by Ben Hur - book not the film! Manchester Art Gallery.

Certainly none on the obscure ones I visit and write about 😂. Zorndorf is good. And nothing 18C planned that I can see other than Kings Mountain 1780.

Seleucid Armies 312–63 BC This is the new Osprey MAA by William Horsted, covering a popular wargame army: the Seleucids. Seleucus I Nicator was the founder of the S...

Book review: Seleucid Armies 312–63 BC - the new Osprey MAA by William Horsted, covering a popular wargame army. There is an overview of the wars, but the focus is on the numerous troop types, including elephants and scythed chariots you love or hate. balkandave.blogspot.com/2026/02/sele...

That is very good. I dusted it down recently for current research.

‘A white man’s war, a Black man’s fight’: the eye-opening story of Black soldiers in Vietnam At a time when Black military history is being rewritten under Trump officials, new book The War Within a War provides a vital reminder

‘A white man’s war, a Black man’s fight’: the eye-opening story of Black soldiers in Vietnam. At a time when Black military history is being rewritten under Trump officials, new book The War Within a War provides a vital reminder.
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/f...

Ancient Roman alters to go on display in Edinburgh Two Mithraic Roman altars are to be displayed as a part of an upcoming exhibition after being acquired for the nation.

Ancient Roman altars to go on display in a special National Museum exhibition in Edinburgh. The altars were used by soldiers worshipping the god Mithras almost 2,000 years ago in a temple at the northern frontier of the Roman empire.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

E-petition debate: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics and democracy There will be a Westminster Hall debate on 9 February 2026 on an e-petition calling for a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics and democracy. The debate will be opened by Ben Goldsboro...

Thanks to everyone who signed the E-petition for a debate into Russian influence on UK politics and democracy. Here is the briefing- Russia is “an immediate and pressing threat”, including cyberspace and information operations. No sign of Reform Ltd MPs?
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Product Recall Notice - Basing Sand - The Colour Forge Please find below further information subsequent to the product announcement we released on Thursday, 5th February. After carrying out tests on two of our products, we are announcing a recall for Moss...

URGENT PRODUCT RECALL FROM COLOUR FORGE: thecolourforge.com/product-reca...

Two of their basing sands have been found to contain Asbestos! See link for recall details including safety info for handling the product.

Off the painting bench this week. Arab irregular cavalry for the Italian-Ottoman War 1911. Pendraken miniatures.

OTD in 1934, the Balkan Pact was signed by Greece, Romania, Turkey and Yugoslavia, aimed at maintaining the territorial status quo after WW1. Mainly to present a united front against Bulgaria. Some of my 28mm Yugoslav troops of the period. More in two books I penned😉.

D-Day veteran who 'never thought of himself as a hero' dies aged 100 Lamond served during the Normandy landings and later helped rescue PoWs in the Pacific.

One of Scotland's last surviving D-Day veterans has died aged 100.
Albert Lamond, from Glasgow, was an 18-year-old signalman aboard HMS Rowley when he took part in the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Victory to the Mughals at Plassey at the club today. Clive is dashing for a ship home and British India is strangled at birth. Lust for Glory will need a few tweaks for India, but works fine.

Battle of Plassey 1757. Mughal v East India Company . Lust for Glory rules.

Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech Dozens of complaints about reading material in school libraries have been received, with campaigners warning that "book bans" could increase.

Books are being challenged in Scottish schools. Librarians fear a 'chilling effect' on freedom of speech. “While hopefully librarians will not remove books, they may feel pressure to remove some from open collections and limit access”. www.theferret.scot/books-scotti...