Reprinted from Henry Harris, How to Go Collecting Modelling Soldiers (PSL, 1969)
Posted in response to the photos of his desirable new roll top desk for painting and modelling by Alan Tradgardmastre at the ever interesting Duchy of Tradgardland blog
http://tradgardland.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/new-to-me.html
Some illustrators I know use roll top desks for much the same tidy domestic reasons.
Henry Harris’ useful little book also has a 6 page chapter on Wargames by Donald Featherstone including a short rules section, reprinted here and those in Featherstone’s own Book Tackle Model Soldiers This Way (Stanley Paul, 1963) :
https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/15/featherstone-simple-ww2-rules/
Blogposted by Mark, Man of TIN blog, 15 September 2018.
Published by 26soldiersoftin
Hello I'm Mark Mr MIN, Man of TIN. Based in S.W. Britain, I'm a lifelong collector of "tiny men" and old toy soldiers, whether tin, lead or childhood vintage 1960s and 1970s plastic figures.
I randomly collect all scales and periods and "imagi-nations" as well as lead civilians, farm and zoo animals. I enjoy the paint possibilities of cheap poundstore plastic figures as much as the patina of vintage metal figures.
Befuddled by the maths of complex boardgames and wargames, I prefer the small scale skirmish simplicity of very early Donald Featherstone rules.
To relax, I usually play solo games, often using hex boards. Gaming takes second place to making or convert my own gaming figures from polymer clay (Fimo), home-cast metal figures of many scales or plastic paint conversions. I also collect and game with vintage Peter Laing 15mm metal figures, wishing like many others that I had bought more in the 1980s ...
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Man of Tin blog 
Hmm, “the undoubted distraction of his very attractive wife” ? Roy’s distraction or his own?
Anyway, my inexpensive (finish it yourself) roll top did sterling service for decades despite being a reduced size “student” version, a bit too narrow and low. Alas the roll top part eventually fell apart so now its just my messy desk.
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It is a puzzling but joyously odd little comment / section. Roy Dilley and his schoolboy son Anthony make it into the photographs in the book, Donald Featherstone and the author are pictured but there are no photographs of Mrs Dilley to judge the undoubted compliment by.
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A more basic desk has been base camp for my hobby for almost as long as I have had a hobby. I am familiar with this book, but had forgotten this passage.
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A great little book it is.
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A lovely piece of social history Mark; thanks for sharing it.
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“…enables the modeller to remain with his family while he is working.” The very reason I was banned by Mrs Marvin from using the spare bedroom as a modelling den when moving in five years ago. The dining room table now keeps me sufficiently within eye shot!
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Marvin
As Maudlin Jack Tar observed, this section is a great piece of social history but also strangely relevant to (downsizing to) the increasingly small British house or flat. A roll top desk and … “a picture of family life of an ideal sort”.
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