Roman Conquests, The Danube Frontier - Dr Michael Schmitz

 

In the week leading up to the Christmas break, I finished reading another book in the series from Pen & Sword Books, covering Roman Conquests, with this particular volume focussed on the Danube Frontier and written by Dr Micheal Schmitz.

Pen and Sword Books - Roman Conquests

If this series of books might be of interest, I also reviewed Roman Conquests - Britain by Dr Simon Elliott back in early October, see the link below.

JJ's Wargames - Roman Conquests, Britain, Dr Simon Eliott

I well remember greeting the publication of this book with great anticipation at the time as I was well into my Romano-Dacian project and eagerly in search for as much information and historical input that I could find to inspire and inform that work and so I signed up for a pre-publication pre-order, with the book being promoted as authored by Philip Matyszak who wrote the volume covering Roman Conquests in Macedonia and Greece.

The last unit added to my Romano-Dacians was a cohort of legionaries back in September 2019 and work remains to finish off the other half of this collection. I love this hobby!

A frustrating delay in the publication followed, during which I took a break from my Romano-Dacians to refresh my palette for my AWI collection followed by a distraction into the Age of Sail, and so I have had this particular book on my pile of reading material since its publication in 2019.

Thus in preparation for a return to work on my Romano-Dacians, I thought I would grab some inspiration from Michael Schmitz's work and refresh my knowledge around Roman activity of this particular frontier

The back of the dust jacket summarises what the book is designed to offer:

Narrates the campaigns to conquer Pannonia, Moesia, Thrace, as well as the great wars against Dacia and their allies.

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Describes and analyses the forces, strategy and tactics of both the Romans and their adversaries.

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Discover how Roman Legionaries modified their equipment to minimise the effect of the deadly Dacian falx.

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Illustrated with maps, photographs and stunning colour paintings.

So my thoughts after reading the book is that if you know absolutely nothing about Roman warfare in this particular part of their Imperial frontier that started to become front and centre of Roman strategy in the wake of the first civil war and the rise of Julius Caesar, through to the Marcomannic War or Northern War fought by Marcus Aurelius and beyond, heralding the collapse of the Western Empire, then this book will really set you up with all the key history points and facts required to get an understanding of what this frontier was all about.

Personally, I only partially added to what I already knew from my other reading and improved upon that with the chapters covering the early campaigns of Caesar, Augustus and Tiberius with the latter being of particular interest setting up as it does the formation of the pre Dacian conquest under the Flavian dynasty (Vespasian, Titus and Domitian) and the factors that led to the decision by Trajan to solve that particular problem by a total annexation of Dacia under a Roman Governor.

Likewise the chapters covering the Marcomannic Wars, first and second, fleshed out a clearer understanding of what is known amid the academic historical speculation adding to other recent reading from sources such as the Ancient History magazine that produced a very interesting edition covering the warfare from this particular period.

I think Michael Schmitz makes a very compelling case in underlining why the rise of a united Dacia, with all its individual tribes coming together under one supreme leader, first under Burebista and subsequently under Decebalus, together with its access to superior weaponry and tactical know how provided by Roman deserters and that it was not just another barbarian confederation unable to keep its troops in the field for long before the need to service its agrarian economy interceded its need to oppose a Roman invasion, makes it very clear why it was such a threat to Roman security.

Improved head and arm protection on display in combat with Dacians and their deadly falx - Radu Oltean

These factors alone put it at the top of the Roman 'hit-list' but then added to when an opportunistic, cunning and militarily able leader like Decebalus took charge looking to build a wider confederation of local allies along the Danubian frontier only reinforced the need for Rome to find a final solution.

Of course the huge gap in our knowledge of this war is that Trajan's own history of it is lost to us save about eight words of introduction announcing where he moved to at the beginning of the war, and thus we are left with a lot of educated guesswork from the wonderful Trajan's column, probably sculpted by artisans who had never seen a Dacian or indeed a Roman army in battle panoply; partially mediated by perhaps a more reliable portrayal of the armies on the Adamklissi Monument, depicting Roman Legionaries in all the different types of armour they possessed together with the improvements to arm and head protection not illustrated on the column.

I think for me, the most thought provoking parts of this book is Schmitz's emphasis on the 'what ifs' and the implied challenges the Dacians presented. Namely, what if a more coordinated response from Dacia's allies in the form of the Sarmatian and German tribes had been formulated to oppose Trajan, mixed in with the undoubted use of Roman know-how that sadly is a point of conjecture alluded to by the sight of Dacians firing ballista at advancing Roman legionaries from the walls of their fortresses on Trajan's Column.

As a wargamer of this period, I am still not sure any rule set I have come across adequately or sympathetically quite captures how a Dacian army operated in the field, with a mix of Roman technology, more armoured troops, heavy falxes as a shock weapon added to your typical warband army as seen on the German frontier, supported by bow and kontos armed Sarmatian cavalry, which is basically what I have produced.

Romans falling in with a Dacian wagon convoy during the Moesian winter offensive in Trajan's Dacian War - Radu Oltean

The fact is that the Dacians were quite able to beat and destroy Roman armies on their home soil and that potential has to be there on the table-top to make sure the Roman player knows he faces a significant challenge to his all conquering legionaries.

On that point as well, Schmitz highlights the fact again and again, as illustrated on Trajan's column, that Decebalus seems to have forced Trajan to relegate his legionaries to an elite body of engineers building bridges, forts and roads in the wake of the real fighting spearhead, his auxiliaries, and German tribal allies carrying wooden clubs; better suited to fighting in the broken terrain of the Dacian mountains, as Decebalus wisely avoided battle in the lowland plain fronting the Danube and pulled back into his mountain stronghold to contest the few passes that allowed access to his capital, Sarmizegatusa. 

In fact the only occasion we see the legionaries in action is at the end of the campaign as Trajan uses them to storm the Dacian fortress in testudo formation.

My other key area of interest, covered by the book, is the Marcomannic Wars fought across and around the Roman province of Dacia against those same German tribes from Trajan's time, the Marcomanni and Quadi, plus a few others together with free Dacians and of course the Sarmatians. 

Again Schmitz does a good job of thought provoking with the limited information available together with a very handy review of the Roman generals that fought alongside Marcus Aurelius and his co-emperor Lucius Verus, adding some useful comments about their abilities which can only help inform those ratings on a wargames table.

I have always thought these wars would make a nice extension to the Dacian collection, with the added problems imposed on my Romans of too few troops and the occasional man dropping dead from the Parthian plague and causing the loss of even more troops. 

That together with snowy terrain and Romans facing of against Sarmatian heavy cavalry, what's not to like?

Ok so this book does the job it lays out on the cover, with a good look at the key Roman campaigns fought in this area, up to the final collapse of it and the abandonment of trans-Danubian Dacia in around 271-272 AD, less than two-hundred years after Trajan had completed its conquest.

Rome likely expended more blood on this frontier over the centuries than practically any of the others and given the threat it posed in terms of access into northern Italy by land or across the Aegean by sea, it is clear why its possession and control was so important to the Empire.

I  enjoyed reading this book and know I will refer to it for inspiration around table-top games I intend to play with my own collection, but I can't end without highlighting a few niggles and caveats that occurred to me whilst doing so.

The text is plagued with numerous mis-prints that become slightly tedious as you find yourself going back over a sentence that does not make sense due to an annoying typo. Even when preparing this review and referring to the dust cover notes, I found one there, which I corrected for this post but actually is written as follows;

Describes and analyses the forces, strategy and tactics of the both the Romans and their adversaries.

Come on Pen & Sword, this is sloppy from a professional publisher like yourselves that fulfil a very important role in publishing military titles for the general reader and our hobby and does a disservice to the work of some very interesting authors such as Dr Schmitz.

In addition, yes the book does come complete with six black and white line drawn maps of the region which is very much appreciated considering the track record of some military publishing today, but they seemed to me to be rather generic in the various towns and sites indicated on them, with many of those mentioned in the text not placed on any of the maps to help illustrate where the heck the reader was being pointed to.

The Dacians took full advantage of the terrain by constructing blocking positions on mountain sides and valleys - Radu Oltean.

Finally, yes the book does come with stunning colour artwork but, I noted with a wry smile, that said artwork was taken from another great book covering the Dacian Wars by Radu Oltean, a treasure among my library and kindly autographed by Radu after ordering it directly from him back in 2015.

I can't recommend this book more strongly and would be a good read alongside Schmitz, if you have the slightest interest in the Roman wars against Dacia and I note this is Volume I so I hope we will get a second volume in time, oh and there is more of Radu's inspiring artwork in this book. 

JJ's Wargames - Dacia The Roman Wars, Volume One

Roman Conquests, The Danube Frontier is 162 pages which includes:

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1. Illyricum: The Push Towards the Danube

Chapter 2. Julius Caesar

Chapter 3. Octavian's Illyricum

Chapter 4. The Danube as the Northern Frontier

Chapter 5. The Pannonian Uprising of AD 6 to 9

Chapter 6. The Dacians: an Emerging Empire

Chapter 7. The Flavian Danube

Chapter 8. Trajan's Dacian Wars

Chapter 9. Hadrian

Chapter 10. The War of Many Nations

Conclusion: 'The Best Defence is a Good Offence'?

Notes

Select Bibliography 

Index

Maps include (Dacia, the Danube theatre in relation to the wider Roman Empire, Illyria, Pannonia, The Western Empire, Thrace)

My copy of the book is in hardback and has a list price of £19.99 UK / $39.35 US but I note at the time of writing can be purchased from around £14 to £15.

I quite like this series of books based on the two I've read and I think are a useful resource if the area covered is a theatre of interest to you.

That's it for now, as I'm off to prepare for a Christmas break with friends and family, and I will post my annual Christmas Eve greeting to readers tomorrow followed hopefully by a post covering some Xmas gaming fun enjoyed in the holiday and my annual year end review.

Roman Conquests, Britain - Dr Simon Elliott

One of my birthday presents this year was this new book by Dr Simon Elliot recounting the narrative of the incomplete Roman conquest of Britain from Julius Caesar's initial 'reconnaissance in force' in 55-54 BC through the campaigns of expansion and pacification that followed the Claudian invasion of 43 AD.

I was looking for such a book as this, which would bring my understanding of the Roman invasion and occupation of my home island up to date, and to accompany my planned exploration of some of the key sites in the UK on my 'bucket list' and to perhaps include others after reading it.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews of ancient history book titles, I always approach them with a certain caution in that from previous experience one is never sure that the read is going to offer much new in its insights or end up just being a rehash of previous sources of which the primary ones become fewer and fewer the further back you go, that mixed with a generous portion of so called 'educated guesswork and speculation' that seems to constitute a lot of the discourse in this area until archaeological finds come along and upset the apple cart.

The cover on this book, beautifully illustrated by Dominic Allen and published by Pen and Sword, boldly states on the back of the dust jacket;

'Offers a clear narrative and analysis of the Roman conquest from Julius Caesar's failed incursions (55 and 54 BC) to the Claudian Invasion (43 AD) and the subsequent campaigns of expansion and (never completed) pacification.'

'Analyses the weapons, equipment, organisation, leadership, tactics and strategies of both the Romans and their British foes, and how each attempted to adapt.'

'Draws on the very latest historical research and archaeological finds.'

'Well illustrated with colour photos and colour artworks.

Dr Elliot is described as;

'an award winning and best selling historian, archaeologist, author, broadcaster, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Kent, Trustee of the Council of British Archaeology, Ambassador for the Museum of London Archaeology, Guide Lecturer for Andante Travels and President of the Society of Ancients....'

I have to say I enjoyed the read and it does pretty much what it says on the cover and, given my earlier points about limited source material, gave me a solid understanding of the key periods illustrating well the unique aspects of Britain in the Roman Empire; for example, how long it took the invaders to occupy and pacify the territory they took from the Claudian invasion in 43 AD to Agricola's campaign in the north that culminated in the Battle of Mons Graupius in 83 AD, a period of forty painfully slow years of expansion compared with Julius Caesar only taking eight years to conquer the far larger territory of Gaul.

The process of the Roman invasion and gradual occupation of Britain is well illustrated in this map
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman.Britain.campaigns.43.to.84.jpg

The progress of this 'stop-start' occupation is explained well and I certainly came away with a very good understanding of the the critical factors that enabled the Romans to make the progress they did against an enemy that, in the main, chose not to meet them in open battle but resorted to guerrilla tactics designed to wear down their opponents and attack their supply lines.

This campaign winning factor was the creation of the Roman fleet or 'Classis Britannica' that was able to take full advantage of Roman command at sea by dominating the British coast and riverine routes in support of Roman advances, never too far away from their support to rapidly move troops, bring up supplies and land scouting forces ahead of the main thrusts, that kept the enemy off balance and in retreat until forced to make a stand and suffer the likely consequences.

How kids of my generation had the Roman invasion of Britain illustrated in the children's magazines of the time 'Look and Learn' and 'Tell me Why'.

The challenges of pacification are also well discussed and the evidence that supports the known and suspected uprisings that kept the Romans occupied behind their forward line often as much as before it, with archaeology on key Roman military structures showing evidence of ditches dug forward and behind in these periods of unrest, only for the rearward defences to be removed later along with the threat that caused their construction.

After reading this book, my urge to get on and finish my Romano-Dacian collection is reignited, which must say something of what a good read I found it to be.

As an example and with a personal particular interest in the Principate era and the Trajanic-Hadrianic time of the occupation I found the chapter covering the always dangerous period of change from one emperor to the next very interesting, covering the relatively peaceful time of Trajan as he focussed his efforts on Dacia and later Parthia dying in Syria and with Hadrian at his side.

Elliot references the Historia Augusta for this period when it states that;

'the Britons couldn't be kept under control  . .'

and quotes the Roman rhetorician Marcus Cornelius Fronto writing to his former pupil, Marcus Aurelius in the AD 160's, stating that the heavy casualties suffered by the Romans in the Rome-Parthian War at that time were comparable to those suffered at the beginning of Hadrian's reign.

Among the evidence he puts forward to support the ferocity of this British uprising includes the funerary monument to Titus Anneus, a centurion of the I Tungrorum auxiliary cohort in the vexillation fort of Vindolanda referencing him being killed ' . . . in the war.', together with one of the recently excavated tablets, specifically number 164 remarking on the ' . . . nasty little Britons. [Brittunculi]'

He goes on to state that the troubling level of the insurgency, which he quotes Moorhead and Stuttard as describing it 'threatening the very survival of the province', and required the creation of a special task force, with a tombstone to Titus Pontius Sabinus, Primus Pilus (Senior Centurion) Legio III Augusta, recording his being seconded by the Emperor Hadrian to command an emergency task force called the 'expeditio Britannica.' which included vexillations from three legions, based in Germania Inferior  (legio VIII Augusta, legio XXII Primigenia and legio VII Gemina); which if troops were also drawn from his own legion may have amounted to an expeditionary force of some 4,000 men, supported by auxiliaries as mentioned on an altar in Maryport, Cumbria to Marcus Maenius Agrippa commander of cohors I Hispanorum, an auxiliary cavalry regiment attached to the expeditionem britannicam by Hadrian.

York (Eboracum) and Chester (Deva Victrix) figure large in the later attempts
at Roman pacification of Britain, both of which I visited
and looked at the evidence of their Roman past
JJ's Wargames - The Yorkshire Museum, York
JJ's Wargames - Deva Vicitrix, Roman Chester, Part One

Elliot speculates as to who might have been causing the trouble, with the Brigantes, only recently pacified, put forward as prime candidates, with the raising of auxiliary troops from this region of northern England for service overseas a likely reason for revolt, but trouble north of the border, later to be consolidated with the construction of 'Hadrian's Wall', was always a threat and cannot also be discounted and it seems likely that the trouble may have overwhelmed the local garrisons which may explain the disappearance of legio IX Hispana, and the intervention of Centurions Sabinus and Agrippa.

For any wargamer interested in the Roman period of ancient history and in the British occupation, all this detail of suspected uprisings and revolts is glorious stuff to feed any thoughts and ideas for modelling a collection to recreate these potential clashes and I found my imagination running riot with ideas as I read Elliot's accounts of what is thought was going on in these islands at specific periods of that occupation.

The campaign that should have completed the final occupation of Britain and led to the invasion of Ireland in time, but never fulfilled after Agricola was recalled to Rome
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agricola.Campaigns.80.84.jpg

Intermixed with the narrative is a generous inclusion of the latest archaeological finds that support the conclusions and the evidence on the ground illustrating Roman activity at any given time given the level of construction that followed and preceded Roman activity from roads and town construction to marching camps and military impedimenta left in their wake.

There is a lot in this book and the journey through the various periods, and the many emperors and Roman commanders, might be mind blowing to the casual reader with only a partial knowledge of Roman history, and I would recommend a listen to Mike Duncan's old podcast 'A History of Rome' for a good grounding in the places and people involved in its long-long history and which will make all the names covered in this book much more familiar.

That said I thoroughly enjoyed the read and, as I read to inform and inspire my hobby, came away with lots of ideas and inspiration and would recommend it to similarly inclined pursuers of our hobby.

The last 'really big' Roman resurgence campaign was led by Septimius Severus in what would be described today as a campaign of 'shock and awe' and stabilised the north for another ten years after its conclusion.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman.Britain.Severan.Campaigns.jpg

There is however one gripe I have with the book, and it's a familiar one, but an example that stands out in my mind as a classic transgressor. You would think that a book covering the Roman invasion and incomplete occupation of mainland Britain would have included at least one map, perhaps just to illustrate some of the key places mentioned.

As a reader who is native to these isles and who has travelled among them quite extensively even I found reference to certain obscure towns in and around the northern border of England and Scotland new to me and my heart goes out to readers who are not familiar with the layout of Britain, but who have a strong interest and desire to know more.

The Romans would go on and on developing their defences in Britain in the face of continual uprisings and invasions illustrated by the octagonal tower in York, built in the later occupation.

Even putting this post together required me to source the excellent colour map from Wikipedia seen above to illustrate the extent of Roman military operations covered in this title from the Claudian invasion in 43 AD to the Agricola invasion of Scotland in 77 AD and a similar map included in this title would have been very much appreciated.

As the President of the Society of Ancients and a wargamer himself, if his collection of Severan Roman figures included as part of the collection of colour plates is to be considered as illustrative, I would have thought the inclusion of at least a few maps would have been a high priority given the bane of the hobby this part of our reading often includes, and I feel a bit like Nelson calling for more frigates and the want of them, please, please, please, Pen & Sword and other publishers, will you start to put this omission right and get appropriate maps included in your titles.

Rant over on that particular irritation and back to the book contents and the final conclusion to this book that draws on a theme I made in my last book review looking at the Two Battles of Copenhagen in 1801 and 1807 and drawing the comparison of government led misappreciation of the threat a potential enemy presented with that conflict and the later Invasion of Iraq in 2003 and indeed Churchill's decision to bombard the French fleet in Mirs-el-Kabir in 1940, both with distinct similarities to this previous conflict with Denmark.

In his conclusion to the decision by Romano-British elites to expel Roman tax collectors in the 5th century, effectively detaching themselves from an overstretched empire, quoting Zosimus;

'The barbarians caused such suffering among the inhabitants of Britain . . . that they revolted from the Roman Empire. They no longer recognised Roman law, but reverted to their native customs. So the Britons armed themselves and took many risks to ensure their own safety and keep their town free from barbarian attacks.'

He goes on to liken this to the first 'British Brexit' and the defining characteristic of the Roman occupation that underpins Britain's very distinctive relationship with the rest of Europe, part of it but separate and that as well as the roads, towns and borders that separate the home nations of Britain being a left over aspect of the incomplete Roman occupation, the fact that English is as much a German based language as it is Latin has also come to define these islands in relation to its European neighbours and illustrates how we are still living with the consequences of our Roman past today.

A very interesting and thought provoking comparison to modern times, with not exactly the same circumstances but certainly with a similar rhyme, to quote Mark Twain.

Roman Conquests Britain by Simon Elliott is 229 pages which includes the following:

Introduction

List of Tables 

1. The Legions of the Roman Principate

2. Known Auxiliary Cohorts and Alae of the mid-late 2nd century AD

3. Regional Fleets of the Roman Principate

14 Black and White Plates, 16 Colour Plates

Chapter 1: The Roman Military in the Republic and Empire

Chapter 2: Britain in the Late Iron Age

Chapter 3: Julius Caesar and Britain

Chapter 4: The Claudian Invasion of Britain

Chapter 5: Early Conquest Campaigns AD 43 - AD 61

Chapter 6: Later Conquest Campaigns AD 62 - AD 193

Chapter 7: Septimius Severus in Scotland

Chapter 8: Later Campaigns in the Far North

Conclusion

Timeline of Roman Britain

List of References and Bibliography

Index

The book is hardback and published by Pen & Sword and has a cover price of £19.99 but a quick glance on the net shows the title selling from £14.50 to £15.00.

Long Weekend in Cardiff 2021 - Cardiff Castle, Romans and the Firing Line Regimental Museum

 

Last Week I celebrated my sixty-first birthday and took a week out from the normal routine to spend time with friends and family, which at my time of life is the best way to celebrate birthdays; so the paint desk was shut down and the walking boots put on, and off I went on my travels that culminated in a long-weekend away with Carolyn in Cardiff, the capital city of the nation of Wales, to visit our youngest son Will and his girlfriend Marie after he moved up there last month to start his post-graduate medical training in the city's hospitals.

Described as 'strenuous', our approximately six mile walk would complete a circuit that would take in the caves and four waterfalls that make this a stunning part of the country to visit and enjoy.
 https://www.breconbeacons.org/things-to-do/attractions/natural/waterfalls

Arriving Friday mid-morning, after an early start to avoid the holiday traffic moving in and out of the south-west, and a likely increase because of people going home in time for the children going back to school later in the week, we followed the sat-nav out to the Brecon Beacons National Park, to spend a day walking in waterfall country near Cwm Porth.

One of the park's 'Meet and Greet' team, finds Carolyn's boots particularly curious. The Robin has been voted as Britain's national favourite bird and this picture probably explains why. Bold, fearless and naturally inquisitive, with a song to delight the weary walker, I spent a few minutes feeding this little chap before we set off.

On arrival we quickly donned coats, ruck sacks and walking boots, grabbed a bit of trail sustenance in the form of some fresh baked croissants that Marie had brought along and after taking some time to share some food with one of the local meet and greet residents, set off on our days walk.

A real treat to be so trusted by this wild Robin, willing to take part in our quick snack before setting off.

We started our walk with a visit to the cave complex that illustrates the power of the vast amounts of water that gathers up on the Brecon to carve its way down to the coast, with the massive caves often clogged with giant trees and debris from the many downpours that characterise the weather in the winter months.

If like us, you enjoy getting out into the countryside and a bit of walking exercise then the Brecon Beacons National Park is a must visit area and the waterfalls here were an added bonus.

The power of the water and elements are made all too clear with the way this tree lies uprooted in the water.

The series of four waterfalls were a real treat to the walk, providing great vistas of motion and sound

Apparently, according to Will who was walking the route only a week earlier, the water levels were half what they were then and a short period of heavy rain can massively increase the flow of water in a very short time. 

Needless to say, I had my camera to hand whilst on the constant lookout for local wildlife, particularly the birds and thought there would be a good chance of seeing the odd kingfisher or two.

The Dipper, Cinclus cinclus, a resident of fast flowing streams throughout temperate Europe, searching for food among tumbling, rock strewn waters where it wades, swims and dives with complete mastery.

No kingfishers showed up but instead we were treated to the delights of Dippers and Grey Wagtails delicately hunting for invertebrates among the rocks and in the shallows.

The Grey Wagtail, Motacilla cinerea, a female lacking the black bib of the male, whose favourite habitat is fast flowing streams with boulders and an overhang of trees - so perfect conditions!

Our wagtail, showing off her gorgeous yellow undertail.

Our Friday walk was the perfect way to start our weekend, before heading back to our hotel in Cardiff with a weekend of touring, eating, drinking and good company ahead.

On Saturday, we were up bright and early for a day in the heart of Cardiff, and with wall to wall sunshine and blue skies we opted to spend the day walking leisurely around the massive Bute Park gardens alongside the River Taff, before exploring the historic heart of Cardiff, its eleventh century castle, built by the Normans on the foundations of the original third century Roman fortifications build by the 2nd Augusta Legion after its move to the area from Exeter.

The magnificent 11th century Norman keep, atop the original motte dominates the bailey or Castle Green of Cardiff Castle, which was virtually destroyed in 1404 during the Welsh rebellion of Owain Glyndwr and practically rebuilt in the 19th century with a large restoration by the Bute family incorporating Victorian gothic interpretations of its medieval past together with a nod to its Roman origins. 

Sadly Owain Glendwr didn't do the castle any favours when he practically destroyed the place in the fifteenth century and the restoration work carried out by the Bute family begun in the eighteenth century by John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute and Capability Brown, has left the place looking somewhat like a Walt Disney interpretation of a 'magic castle' with, to my eye, grotesque Victorian Gothic style battlements and great hall with an interior decoration straight out of Sir Walter Scott and the legends of King Arthur to its mock up of a Roman gate tower, harking back to its first century origins.

What's wrong with that you might ask and I suppose to the untutored eye there is nothing wrong with this city centre iconic building, but I found myself searching among the, to my eye, dross, for the real Cardiff castle, which is there if you care to look, epitomised by the Norman keep and other medieval sections of wall and the odd section or two of original 3rd century Roman wall, picked out from the Victorian additions.

However it would be churlish of me not to recognise the symbolic nature of Cardiff Castle and its long historic association with the city through two thousand years, which has seen it play an important role as a defensive fortification as recent as the Second World War with its solid walls and below ground passages serving as a ready made air raid shelter for the local people.

A large section of the original third century Roman fortification can be seen by following the steps down to the Firing Line Museum near the front gate entrance to the castle, untouched by either Glyndwr or the Butes.

Our plan was to walk the walls of the castle and climb the towers before going into the Victorian Gothic great hall and library, the latter building being the most attractive to mine and Marie's eye, and somewhere you could easily ensconce yourself with a good book.

Then we descended down into the lower passages under the wall where the WWII air raid shelters have been restored alongside the longest section of original Roman wall, seen above, and the entrance to the Firing Line Museum of the 1st, The Queen's Dragoon Guards and The Royal Welsh celebrating and commemorating the 300 years of military service by Welsh soldiers in the British Army.

However before checking out the museum we spent some time admiring the cement and plaster mural opposite the Roman wall, recording the conquest and occupation of this part of Wales by the Romans against the local tribe, the Silures; and was sculpted by a local artist Mr Frank Abraham between the years 1981 to 1983.

The style of the sculpting was very reminiscent of standing and admiring Trajan's column in Rome with the mural leading the viewer through a picture book portrayal of the occupation and eventual conquest, not, it has to be said, after a very long struggle by the Silures to resist. 

I have spent some very pleasant days exploring the local area and its history including the Norman and Roman occupation, and you can see the remains of these occupations in the series of posts in the link below:

JJ's Wargames - Mr Steve & JJ's Three Castles Walk

Whenever I am visiting a different part of the country to home I really like to take some time to visit the amazing collections of historical military treasure held by the British Regimental Museums that represent the Regimental connections with their particular part of the country, and over the years of this blog visits to these museums by me and Mr Steve have been recorded with the encouragement to others with a similar interest to support them by visiting as well.

JJ's Wargames - Regimental Museums 

On entering the Firing Line Museum, now reopened after the pandemic restrictions, the visitor is greeted with this stunning radio-control model of a Tiger I that used to be driven by visitors in the grounds of the castle pre-pandemic

The British Army has been in continual change ever since its foundation at the close of the English Civil War and the establishment of the first British standing army, the New Model Army, that helped create the nation of Britain with Parliament supreme under a constitutional monarchy, hence the reason the Army is not called the Royal Army alongside the Royal Navy or Royal Airforce.

That said with the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the army and its regiments owe their allegiance to the Crown and the regimental traditions have been nurtured since then to carry on the heritage of service from one generation to the next, with soldiers of today able to draw inspiration from the deeds of their predecessors and with the new regiments such as the Royal Welsh proudly combining the heritage of such famous British regiments as the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the 24th, 41st (Welsh) and 69th Foot and the Territorial soldiers of the Royal Welsh Regiment.

A gorgeous piece of Regimental tableware illustrating the action by Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill of the 24th Regiment attempting to save the Queen's Colour after the Battle of Isadlwana 1879

Thus the Firing Line Museum brings together a collection of items that capture those key deeds from the history of the Welsh regiments in the British Army, perhaps none more famous than the Battles of Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift now recorded for posterity in film with Zulu and Zulu Dawn, two classic movies that make traditional British Xmas television viewing and that saw the most casualties suffered by the British army in one day, 1300 killed at Isandlwana, and the award of eleven Victoria Crosses, the most ever awarded in a single action.

The French Revolutionary War, Napoleonic War and the War of 1812 figure large in the history of Welsh Regiments and the collection bears testament to service throughout the first 'Great War' that featured in the early years of the 19th century.

The boarding of the San Nicholas and San Jose by Nelson's HMS Captain at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent 14th February 1797 - Nicholas Pocock
Soldiers of the 69th Foot were serving as marines on board Captain and Private Mathew Stevens was first to board the San Nicholas.

In the late 1700's and early 1800's the army often provided soldiers for service at sea and members of the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Foot, which would amalgamate later with the 41st (Welch) Foot in 1881 to form the Welch Regiment, would see service as adopted marines seeing action at the Battle of St Kitts and the Saintes in 1782, the capture of Toulon in 1793, the Glorious First of June 1794, Battle of Genoa 1795, serving alogside Nelson in HMS Agamemnon, and with him in HMS Captain at the battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797, with a soldier from the regiment, Mathew Stevens being the first to board the 80-gun San Nicholas.

The coat of Colour Sergeant Chadwick, c.1815 who saw service in 1797 at the battle of Cape St Vincent aboard HMS Britannia. The green facings of the 69th Foot are seen here together with a picture depicting the Battle of the Glorious First of June at the back.

A general service naval cutlass and pistol for service at sea

The scrimshaw engraved powder horn commemorates the surrender of the French invasion force which landed at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, Wales in 1797, the last invasion of the British Isles and the pistol is thought to have been issued to the Kings Dragoon Guards and is engraved 'Henshaw 1793' K.D. Guards on the lock plate together with the letters E.I.C. suggesting it may have been sold afterwards to the East India Company.

An officers coatee and Belgic shako of the 69th Foot, with a King's Dragoon Guards pattern 1812 helmet (top) from the Gatley Collection and worn at Waterloo

The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was raised in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse by Sir John Lanier and would go on to earn battle honours at Blenheim, Ramilles, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Dettingen and Warburg.

After the Second World War it was amalgamated with the 2nd Dragoon Guards to form the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards.

The 1st King's Dragoon Guards in action with French Dragoons at the Battle of Waterloo 18th June 1815

The museum holds a marvellous collection of items relating to its service at perhaps its most famous battle honour, Waterloo, during which the King's Dragoon Guards took part in the famous charge of the Union and Household Cavalry brigades on General d'Erlon's I Corps attack at the start of the battle.

No. 6 Troop, Waterloo guidon is seen at the back of this display, alongside an officers coatee of the 69th Foot, with a King's Dragoon Guards pattern 1812 helmet (top) from the Gatley Collection and worn at Waterloo and the hilt, blade and scabbard of a 1796 pattern heavy cavalry sabre used at Waterloo.

A better look at the 1812 pattern British heavy dragoon helmet of the King's Dragoon Guards together with a British cavalry pistol discovered on the field of Waterloo after the battle, marked on the trigger guard 'K.D.G.E. 15', identifying as belonging to a member of E Troop, King's Dragoon Guards.

Captain James Frank Naylor's diary recording his exploits at Waterloo and the campaign of 1815.
I wish I could write like that!

Alongside the King's Dragoon Guards, the 69th Foot played its role as part of the British infantry component of Wellington's Allied army at Waterloo, and was badly cut up at the Battle of Quatre Bras on the 16th June 1815 as the Duke of Wellington held Marshal Ney at bay as the Prussians were defeated along the road at Ligny.

The loss of the King's Colour of the 2nd Battalion, 69th Foot at Quatre Bras, 16th June 1815 after ensign Duncan Keith was cut down by a French cuirassier. The 69th Foot suffered 38 killed and 115 wounded in the battle out of an initial strength of 546 men

The King's Colour of the 2/69th has a famous story behind its capture by French cavalry at Quatre Bras and a fascinating one that led to its recovery and return to the UK.

The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was raised by Colonel Edmund Fielding in 1719, being raised from invalid soldiers through disease or injury, later renamed the Royal Invalids in 1741 and then numbered the 41st Regiment of Foot ten years later, becoming a conventional line regiment in 1787 and being joined by a young lieutenant Arthur Wellesley a year later.

Members of the 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot photographed by me in 2019 at Crusade
http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2019/01/crusade-2019-penarth-district-wargames.html

From 1793-96 the regiment saw service in the West Indies taking part in the capture of Martinique and the attack on Guadeloupe, following which it returned home before being sent to Canada in 1800 where it would form a key component of British troops that saw service in the War of 1812 with elements of the regiment serving under Major-General Isaac Brock at the siege of Detroit and the Battle of Queenstown Heights in 1812, under Major-General Henry Proctor at the Battle of Frenchtown, with the regiment forming the core of the force that laid siege to Fort Meigs.

The 41st Foot played a key role in the British defence of Canada in 1812 and was largely destroyed in the Battle of Moravian Town, but with the light company continuing to serve, seeing action in the last great battle on the Canadian frontier at Lundy's Lane. 
Here are examples of the 1803 Shako plate worn up until 1812, an officer's gilt gorget, cross belt plates and regimental buttons and number excavated at Fort George, after the Battle of Niagara. The three General Service Medals were awarded to Sergeant J. Stagnell, Lieutenant B. Bender and Private J. Adams of the 41st Foot for the action at Detroit in 1812.

The regiment would also be present at the Battle of Lake Erie, the defeat at the Battle of the Thames and the capture of Fort Niagara in 1813, with the exploits of the regiment captured in the memoirs of Private Shadrack Byfield who lost his arm at Conjocta Creek in 1814 before returning home.

The King's Colour of the 41st Foot which was taken to Canada by the Regiment in 1799 to be replaced in 1801 with the  Act of Union that year requiring the cross of St Patrick  to be included in the design of the Union Flag, and that shamrocks be included in the central wreath.

This King's Colour of the 41st Foot is very old, in fact the oldest preserved colour in the museum, presented to the regiment on the 26th May 1773 and continuing in service until 1787 when the regiment abandoned its title 'Invalid', becoming a standard regiment of line. 

With time pressing to explore other parts of the castle, amongst other things, I quickly grabbed some pictures of other items I would have liked to have spent more time studying but which I think gives an idea of what an interesting museum this is and to encourage others to pay it a visit.

As it seems likely we will be revisiting Cardiff quite regularly over the next few years I certainly plan to.

A rather impressive representation of the 1st King's Dragoon Guards as they would have looked on the 16th May 1919 when they charged Afghan forces in the Khyber Pass, during which Captain William Rowland Frederick Cooper, who led the squadron was 'badly wounded' in the shoulder, and was later awarded the Distinguished Service Order and received mention in the London Gazette on the 3rd August 1910. 

World War One has left an indelible mark on all corners of the UK as the many War Memorials in its towns and villages bear testament to and Wales is no different in marking a war that ended any sense of glory associated with total, industrial warfare that was heralded in the 20th century.

The dramatic diorama below reminded me of another presentation I saw at the Crusade Show in Penarth back in 2019, this time by Dr Jonathan Hicks introducing his book 'The Welsh at Mametz Wood', detailing the fighting that occurred in that part of the Somme battle in 1916.

The book takes a close look at the actions of the 38th Welsh Division who were raised in 1914 and who would see their first action in Mametz Wood in July 1916, and I recounted Jonathan's presentation in my show report back in 2019

If you're interested in reading more about the book and the presentation then follow the link below.

http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2019/01/crusade-2019-penarth-district-wargames.html

The museum holds a small collection of interesting machine-guns, heralding that significant development in modern warfare from the last century.

This PM M1910 Russian Maxim machine gun was first used by the Imperial Russian Army in WWI with this particular example having been captured by soldiers of the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Regiment in Korea in 1952, but with this type of gun continuing in service into the Vietnam War.

The Vickers Heavy Machine Gun saw service with the British army from the First World War right into the Cold War era of the 1960's which is an indication of the effectiveness of this six to eight man operated gun, with the example given on the notice of ten such guns firing at High Wood, during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, continuously for twelve hours, firing in the indirect, long range barrage mode, and getting through 100 barrels and firing one million rounds without any failure.

The Japanese Type 92 Heavy Machine Gun, was a development of the Hotchkiss series of machine guns and entered service with the Japanese in 1932 and was used throughout WWII, gaining the nickname of 'The Woodpecker' by Allied soldiers, due to its very identifiable sound when fired; and I well remember the account I was given by a veteran British soldier, lying wounded in Queen Alexandria Hospital, during the Battle for Singapore in 1942, knowing the hospital was under direct attack, when he heard the distinctive sound of this gun firing though his ward window.

The castle has many interesting treasures to seek out for those of us with an interest and a keen eye as a visit to the Great Hall and library revealed an interesting collection of 17th century armour and hand weapons.

How about this for an amazing treasure, a six hundred year old light cannon, found in the well within the castle keep, still on its original tiller bed.

And finally, I thought given the recent focus of the blog, I would end our look at Cardiff Castle with a group of three naval cannon that most visitors seem to walk past without a second glance but that are very unique and rare.

Unfortunately the other two were being clambered all over by a child seemingly determined to be in the picture and so I contented myself with the example below.

French frigate 6-8lb cannon captured from frigates escorting the French invasion force to Bantry Bay in Ireland in 1797 and brought to Cardiff as ships ballast.

We had a fantastic few days exploring the waterfall country on the Brecon Beacons, Cardiff Castle and the Bay area, and I met up with Mr Steve during our stay to enjoy an evening meal out on Saturday night together with a quick visit to the new Firestorm Games shop which opened that weekend and is a very impressive games shop.

Not only that but we were blessed with fantastic weather to be out and about in and it was great fun being shown around the town by Marie and Will and a nice way to finish off my birthday week.

Thank you to Marie and Will for a lovely time in Cardiff, made even better by glorious weather

Next up: Well I'm back into the routine, and the painting desk is back up and running with the wet pallet restored and work commencing on finishing some 28mm AWI Mohawk Indians, some British AWI regulars, before turning my attention to some 28mm Vikings I'm painting for Steve M, and then back to the ships with a selection of French and Spanish schooners and cutters.

Not only that but I have a book review to do and a Peninsular War scenario AAR to report on, so plenty of stuff to come.

Sources referred to in this post:

https://cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk/

https://www.cardiffcastle.com/

https://www.cardiffcastle.com/see-do/roman-chariot-corner/

https://bute-park.com/

https://www.cardiffcastle.com/history/butes/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/69th_(South_Lincolnshire)_Regiment_of_Foot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41st_(Welch)_Regiment_of_Foot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_King%27s_Dragoon_Guards

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadrack_Byfield