War Department Wargames Group, the Big Battle League and the Invasion of Arcadia.

Terry Mutlow has been in touch again about those who participated in this group and event.

Terry writes;

With reference to the posting about the 1975 large scale Invasion of Arcadia and the subsequent Big Battle League, I enclose two lists of participants. and members of the War Department Wargames Group.

Sadly we lost the great wargames eventer and hobby journalist Robin Hunt in 1998 and veteran wargamer Jack Devlin a few years later.

In particular you may note the inclusion of the charming and incisive Mark Urban, a schoolboy at the time, who went on to be the defence and then current political editor of BBC2 NEWSNIGHT, as well as author of several excellent non-fiction books.

If you'd like to run these, lists on Vintage Wargaming, we may pick up some "self-Googlers" like me who may respond with stories or even photographs of some of the battles of the time!


The names Terry has sent are:

Jeff Banbury (N3 Division AMTE); Peter Beard; Andrew Bell; Antony Best; Peter Betteridge (USOD Landing Forces, Arcadia); Chris Brammall (Commander, USOD Armour, Arcadia); Andy Brammall (Jnr Commander, USOD Armour, Arcadia); ‘Jumping Joe’ Connolly (Commander USOD, Airborne, Arcadia);
Russell Collins; Charlie Cudlip; Stephen Edgar; Colin Hegner; Duncan Hislop; Steve King (Commander, USOD King’s Own Regt); Mike & Jenny Klaka; Graham & Keith Knight; Tim Lewis (CO, Special Forces USOD, Arcadia); Nigel R. Long (Supreme Admiral, USOD); Patrick Mackle; Jay Mercer; Roderick O’Brien; Giles Orpen-Smellie; Rob Perkins; Neil Roberts (Co-Organiser, Arcadia); Phil M. Sibbald; Andrew JF Smith; Tony Thomas: Mike Ulrich (ATC) (Head of USOD Air Force); John Whitehurst; Steve Wilson