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That's a lovely caricature of Mike himself there as the unfortunate General devoid of his mount |
I have posted before on this blog about my genuine affection for the old Napoleonic journal "Empires, Eagles and Lions". For the uninitiated, it was a small black and white magazine with a manila/buff cover put out by the New Jersey Association of Napoleonic Wargamers...and it was brilliant!
The editorial team and its contributors researched all sorts of obscure topics that were of great interest to wargamers, especially those like myself in far off Western Australia seeking additional uniform details, regimental compositions or accounts of battles, formations and tactics often from primary sources.
One of my favorite aspects of the journal was the genuinely entertaining and magnificent artistic turns of the late Mike Gilbert. He would draw up nearly every front cover with a snapshot of an article in that months edition, an amusing incident in one of their wargames made immortal in "Friday Night at the Fights" or the hilarious "Encounters of the most unpleasant kind".
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Mikes cover above was inspired by his wargame where, as an Austrian General, he was certainly "up against it!" |
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Jean Lochets Editorial and his take on the front cover |
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The journal is now well and truly gone however I still flick through my old ones often. Great memories and a great talent.