The Black Hounds

They came from all over Wales. Men, women, boys. Numbers waxed and waned depending upon the immediate threat to their locality. Some were there from the beginning and would be there at the end. The miners of the Rhondda Valleys figured heavily amongst these bitter-enders.

Bonded together by the brotherhood of the pit, unafraid of the dark, used to explosives, physically and mentally toughened by cramped hard labour, they made perfect guerrilla fighters. In the battle for the valleys their local nickname of Trogs, was rapidly picked up and used freely by the Government Paras. A nickname that held a derisory tone, would become a badge of honour. After the crisis, to be called a Trog was to be known a man amongst men.

One group of Valley Boys led by local tenor, Alun Barry, became known as the gwyllgis, or the "Black Hounds" (MI5 analyst interpretation). They were renowned for their skill and daring in ambushing road bound Government spearheads and follow up convoys.

The "Black Hounds" remained a local militia despite attempts to incorporate them into the mobile commandos and permanent Free Wales forces. At various times the Hounds included a bus mechanic from Porth, a Tabernacle minister and a Rhondda council employee. Two were known communists and only one positively identified as a plaid cymru activist.

In an interview given to a Canadian journalist from the National Post, Barry described their motivation as "We go down the pit in the morning with our neighbours to keep the bread and butter on our families tables. We fight when we have to fight, to protect our communities and our way of life".

In wargame terms the "Black Hounds" are a small core of hardened militia or home guard. They can be used independently, to supplement the permanent militias or work in tandem with a mobile commando. Armed with ex-Army small-arms and home-made explosives they are experienced in mining culverts and deploying litter bin fougasses in roadside ambushes.

Cheers
Mark
   

Out of the cold but still winter in '79

Free Taff Mobile Commando

Thought I'd share some good news from work as it helps to pay for the hobby. My principal project has been validated and signed off as a success by the Project Board. Phew! Built from the ground up, yourHR is a pay and personnel portal offering employee self service and online pay initially, but with plans to be truly transformational.

The culmination of two years standing behind my vision, five months of intense development, three months rollout and pilot. Tackling issues on a daily basis, of which the technical were the easiest to overcome. I'm delighted, proud, and not a little relieved after putting so much of myself into this project. In part because  it gave me a real focus for returning to work after my neurological episode last year. In part because I believed in what I was trying to accomplish. The pay-off for me is that it's given me my confidence back and has proved to my worst critic, myself, that I can do this stuff.

The 'Valley Boyos'

No respite for the wicked or chance for a breather yet. It doesn't just stop of course. I'm testing the next module due for rollout in January, whilst we are building two others and designing yet another. And I have to juggle this with all the reports that are generated by the end of a pilot and planning for the challenges ahead.

All that to say that I've not had the energy left to write creatively when I got home this week and probably not for another week to come. The upside is that I spent a couple of nights ratifying my Winter of '79 figures collection, which will allow me to get more done. I made that bold step to say to myself that just because I have a figure doesn't mean it has to be painted. Some will go into reserve, some syphoned off for Maff whilst the remainder of the also rans will be relegated to eBay.

Well, not quite all the also rans. I've been busy converting figures too. Once I was able to say to myself, right, these figures are keepers, some of the left overs became conversion fodder, losing heads and weapons to fill gaps, ring the changes or give that additional Winter of '79 character to other minis. It is strangely therapeutic lopping heads off and during the course of the day at work I find myself looking forward to doing more conversions when I get home.

 S&S Models Workbench!

click for larger picture

Another bit of good news this week is seeing what's coming from Shaun at S&S Models in the New Year. I have to laugh as only a week or so ago I was thinking that I was more or less at the end of laying out cash on Winter of '79 and now I have to build a bigger vehicle park! I mean, how can I resist that Mark I Ferret or those Scorpion/Scimitar CVR(T). You just can't have enough Scimitars in my book. Though I do have a soft spot for the Scorpion too. At last there's a mean looking FFR Land Rover in 20mm and I know that Maff will get that open back as a Taff gun wagon. Really looking forward to all of these. You can see more photos on Shaun's photobucket gallery here.

The Cold War will be big next year.

Cheers
Mark
  

Free Taff Teaser

We're upping the game at Winter of '79. Here are the Free Taff Fly-Halfs, part of a full 15 man team that joined my collection last week from another ardent Winter of '79 fan.

These miniatures are taken from Rolfie's Falklands era SAS types. Perfect as Boathouse Hooligans, Free Taff rebels or auxiliaries of any political colour, as long as it's DPM. Inspired, it's time to wield an X-acto  knife and convert a spare pack of unpainted SAS right from M16s to SLRs and Sterlings.

Cheers
Mark

News At Ten:

  

Military operations have begun on the Welsh border this evening. The Emergency Government have made an appeal to the nation to remain calm.

Troops belonging to the Wessex Rangers, 5 Para and 8th and 9th Field Forces are according to official sources, mopping up pockets of rogue army units assisting a small number of civilian insurgents claiming to be part of a Free Wales Army.

A government spokesman has announced that the operation is limited to Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, South Wales and is being directed against known occupied positions. The civil population will remain safe as long as it does not interfere with the actions of the legitimate forces of the Crown.

Gunfire can be heard by Abergavenny Hospital Radio and the first casualties of the battle have started arriving. Evan Daly, a presenter at the station gave us this eyewitness report.

"From our vantage point on the 3rd floor of the hospital, we could see troops and tanks massing on the other side of the A40. Around half past eight this evening the sound of large calibre could be heard from the south and then the first casualties came in by ambulance, private cars and shop vans. It appears the fighting is centred on the village of Llanover. A territorial army volunteer in the Free Wales Army told me they came at them with tanks, were beaten back and came on again.

Businesses and householders in Abergavenny are boarding their premises. I can see barricades are being erected and armed men are on the street building sand bagged positions on street corners". 

We will have an in depth report in the lunchtime news tomorrow.

Washington.......

The Pre-Match Prep Talk

"Good morning gentlemen. As you know, I have had to recover somewhat after my unscheduled visit to the other side of Offa's Dyke..."

Crowd: [LAUGHTER]

".....but as you will all agree, we have unfinished business over there. I therefore think it appropriate to give you an overview of current thinking on the Welsh rebel forces - for those of you who slept through Mr Keegan's lectures at Sandhurst, that is the first use of that phrase by an English General in some 600 years..."

Crowd: [LAUGHTER & BLEATING]

"Now, firstly, the deserters. And let's be clear gentlemen. Former members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces who have decided to stand against the government are deserters and as such subject to military law. We will give them no credence by calling them rebels. Is that understood?"

Crowd: [QUIET AFFIRMATION]

"Deserters from the various Welsh regiments who defected in the autumn have since then, been integrating with and training up the local TA cadres, who themselves have been enrolling local diehards. This gives them several battalion sized battlegroups with varying level of training, mechanisation and support."

Next...the Mobile Columns and the Marines. This is something of an unholy alliance and are frankly dangerous. The mobiles are the original Free Taffs who drive around in armed landrovers etc; the booties seem to see them as kindred unconventional spirits....."

Crowd: [CATCALLS]

".....but the Mobiles have been reinforced by the few special forces deserters and they and the booties have bought an edge to an otherwise dull spear.

Now. The Militia; these could be a joke, titles like "the rhondda boys" sound pretty amateur - but there is a complication. The Welsh Guards no longer exist as an effective formation, there are however some who were on leave, training etc etc. These have been acting as snipers, stay behind parties and generally running around being troubemakers. Some joined the Mobiles and a lot have been mentoring the Militia. Not a pretty thought.

Finally a few words on support, we believe the anti-government forces have no shortage of  Land Rovers, and they do have some CVRTs. They are known to have taken whatever AFVs were down at Castlemartin, including a troop of Abbots; and there are reports of a couple of scratch crews making a run for the border in stolen tanks. Armour is not therefore a concern. They have some helos but the Crabs in their usual slack way, don't know how many.

Two notes of caution. Their training includes a lot of tabbing so they can and will cover ground on foot. Second, their radio comms are in a fast gabble of idiomatic Welsh and elliptical English that we cannot break.

Finally. When we kick off and take the game to their try line, remember this. Experience to date, including my own little adventure, indicates that if you drop the leaders and any showy bastards, the rest will disperse.

Thank you"

Crowd: [ATTENTION then DISMISS]

"Hugh, before you dash, Llanover? I'd like your plan as soon as. Say before 18:00?"

Cheers
Maff