His people adored Edward VIII...

[AzSteven]

Found an interesting article for VBCW fans online today...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1247825/His-people-adored-Edward-VIII--day-fell-love-jolly-plain-adventuress.html

Based on the article, I need to do up some Royal Fusiliers for the Royalist faction.

[fastolfrus]

Loved this couple of lines :

Mosley seemed to imagine that the crisis could be his opportunity for power, and he offered the support of the British Union of Fascists to the King.

After a 'night of soul-searching', Edward declined, recognising the dangers of a move that threatened 'the scars of civil war'.

[commissarmoody]

I know right
 'We loved him. We would have drawn swords for him. And then, by God, didn't he let us down!!' expostulated an officer in the Royal Fusiliers, of which Edward had been Colonel-in-Chief.

[Arlequín]

While a civil war wouldn't have been inevitable had Edward not decided to abdicate, Churchill was willing to head a 'King's Party' in the Commons. There is likely to have been some unrest as a result of this.

I find it quite ironic that the Mail seems to be doing a run on the 30's, judging by the links in the article.  I wonder if their next one will be "How we supported the Blackshirts and said Hitler was what this country needed"... I'll not hold my breath. 

[Plynkes]

Careful, Jim. We don't want to upset them, they might start a 'moral panic' campaign against us.



Hurrah for the Blackshirts, I say!

[answer_is_42]

Very good! You have too much time on your hands.
What's sad is that I wouldn't be surprised if that were printed. Grown men playing with toy soldiers? A further example of our broken society.

An interesting article. However, no matter how passionate a few majors and politicians were about Edward VIII, there was still such a small chance of armed conflict over the matter as to make no odds. We got our civil war out of the system hundreds of years before, and even then it was a very small minority of the populace who really cared about which side they fought on. It’s the continentals who do civil wars, we’re far too civilised...

[Arlequín]

      Mind you the lad is obviously a BUF youth member, judging by his grey shirt and black tie 

I'd imagine wargamers would get off lightly, it is after all a military pursuit... They might draw the line at fantasy based games though  as with anything else multi-racial in context.

I think you would be surprised at how possible a civil war might have been. I agree that the bulk of the population would be disinterested, but nevertheless we're talking about a time where people still did what their 'betters' said and the Royals had huge support amongst ordinary people. It would take some time to get going, but with the likely change in course in late 30's British politics and perhaps other butterfly effects, who knows for sure? If I was a betting man, I'd rate the chances of a civil war, albeit low, as being higher than the chances of a BUF Government, whether elected (even as part of a coalition) or through the 'back door'.

Even without a civil war, the influence of a pro-Fascist/Nazi king, who seems determined to involve himself in politics has serious implications for British foreign policy in the late 30's, especially as the appeasers/time buyers (whichever you prefer) would have been out of mainstream politics after Baldwin's government fell. 

[Hammers]

Careful, Jim. We don't want to upset them, they might start a 'moral panic' campaign against us.

Oh, yes we do!

[Red Orc]

That's hilarious! And a bit scary. Top marks for biting satire (and Jim, quite right on their attitude to Mosely and Hitler in the '30s. Do you think we should right to them and request that they re-print some of those articles?).

[Arlequín]

I don't think they want reminding of their moderate past, the current crop of stories tend to be scarier imo. 

Even the numerous Daily Mail mockups you get on an image search are hard to distinguish from the real thing.

[paul c]

Sending up the Mail? And people think wargamers are all right wing...

[Christian]

I don't mean to be disrespectful but Edward VIII looks a bit like Hugh Laurie... especially from his Blackadder Goes Forth days.

[paul c]

Far too short; 5 foot 5..

[Arlequín]

Sending up the Mail? And people think wargamers are all right wing...

I suspect a large proportion of traditional wargamers as opposed to figure gamers in general are, but the Mail goes several steps further to the right. Except when they do the 'we're all going to die' features. 

I'd actually say that wargamers tend towards small c conservative, rather than right wing though, there's an inherent value attached nowadays when you use the word 'right'.

[Red Orc]

Yeah, but ususally 'we're all going to die' because Albanian Gypsy Dole-Scrounging Paedophile Muslim Gay Liberals are Coming Over Here Taking Our Blond Babies and Heroin.

Or something.