Dr Gavin Hughes FRHistS FRGS
@drgavinhughes.bsky.social
Short misadventurer in archaeology, mischievous military historian, author, broadcaster, relentless miniature painter & wargaming collector. Follows cricket but doesn't understand it. Looks a little like Asterix 🙂 Rep @Pastpreservers; CMRS TCD, NI , Wales
So then! A question from a pal on 'tother side' has got my hobby brain thinking... what was your first #WhiteDwarf magazine? I think mine was no. 52 (tho' 53 was the cover that got me into Fantasy minis) but it may have been the WD collection... - so long ago I can't actually remember 🤭
November 3, 2025 at 12:07 PM
So then! A question from a pal on 'tother side' has got my hobby brain thinking... what was your first #WhiteDwarf magazine? I think mine was no. 52 (tho' 53 was the cover that got me into Fantasy minis) but it may have been the WD collection... - so long ago I can't actually remember 🤭
#Samhain What do you get if you mix preservation of heritage with the supernatural? One of the most genuinely interesting Irish ghost stories... & a scared little man in a coat. It's the one where the stones bother us back... @homespunhistory.bsky.social #Halloween open.spotify.com/episode/1r9n...
October 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM
#Samhain What do you get if you mix preservation of heritage with the supernatural? One of the most genuinely interesting Irish ghost stories... & a scared little man in a coat. It's the one where the stones bother us back... @homespunhistory.bsky.social #Halloween open.spotify.com/episode/1r9n...
Saddle up folks! The fantastic, entertaining & informative duo Tim McGarry (NI comedy legend!) & Dr David Hume (NI historical savant!) will soon ride again on our screens - new 3rd series of Long & the Short of it coming soon... If you've missed it before, then Series 2 is already BBC i-player 🙂
October 26, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Saddle up folks! The fantastic, entertaining & informative duo Tim McGarry (NI comedy legend!) & Dr David Hume (NI historical savant!) will soon ride again on our screens - new 3rd series of Long & the Short of it coming soon... If you've missed it before, then Series 2 is already BBC i-player 🙂
Yes Steve - example attached 🙂
October 26, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Yes Steve - example attached 🙂
I always find this gravestone for John Duggan, in St Mary's Drogheda, incredibly moving. One of the '600' who rode into the 'Valley of Death' as a 17th Lancer #otd 1854, he survived - but only just. John fought throughout #CrimeanWar & ended his days as Sexton of St Mary's, dying in 1881, aged 67.
October 25, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I always find this gravestone for John Duggan, in St Mary's Drogheda, incredibly moving. One of the '600' who rode into the 'Valley of Death' as a 17th Lancer #otd 1854, he survived - but only just. John fought throughout #CrimeanWar & ended his days as Sexton of St Mary's, dying in 1881, aged 67.
A Tuesday hobby night... and all is well in this part of County Down; dog asleep by stove, daughter doing crystal art in corner, Egyptology doc on tv and putting together my last 28mm Thirty Years War Swedish regiments - well, mostly supergluing my fingers tbh 🤭
October 14, 2025 at 8:24 PM
A Tuesday hobby night... and all is well in this part of County Down; dog asleep by stove, daughter doing crystal art in corner, Egyptology doc on tv and putting together my last 28mm Thirty Years War Swedish regiments - well, mostly supergluing my fingers tbh 🤭
@derbyshiredro.bsky.social one of my favourite churches and places - All Saints, Wingerworth on a recent visit in May... such an interesting site with hidden associated archaeology surrounding it 🙂
October 13, 2025 at 9:31 PM
@derbyshiredro.bsky.social one of my favourite churches and places - All Saints, Wingerworth on a recent visit in May... such an interesting site with hidden associated archaeology surrounding it 🙂
A bit of Sarurday evening #irishtowerhouse mischief - if that's even a thing 🤭 The wonderful late C15th - C16th site at Roodstown, County Louth! Gate climbing an essential 😉
October 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM
A bit of Sarurday evening #irishtowerhouse mischief - if that's even a thing 🤭 The wonderful late C15th - C16th site at Roodstown, County Louth! Gate climbing an essential 😉
Hullo all! A very quick hobby update on an evening off... a return to C17th & having spent a fortnightbasing and undercoating over 300 28mm ECW infantry, it's on to tackle some lovely @warlordgames.com Pike & Shotte minis (with a few Assault Group, Bicorne, Perrys) for the Thirty Years' War 🙂
September 23, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Hullo all! A very quick hobby update on an evening off... a return to C17th & having spent a fortnightbasing and undercoating over 300 28mm ECW infantry, it's on to tackle some lovely @warlordgames.com Pike & Shotte minis (with a few Assault Group, Bicorne, Perrys) for the Thirty Years' War 🙂
Exactly so Nick! My Gobbo archers from the really early Warhammer Fantasy Regiments box (!) couldn't fit in the box - but I really need to find some of their heads 🤭
July 24, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Exactly so Nick! My Gobbo archers from the really early Warhammer Fantasy Regiments box (!) couldn't fit in the box - but I really need to find some of their heads 🤭
Midweek Saturday foolishness with Goblins to sort & repaint! Early WFB (some Drastic Plastic too!) to Old World but, true to my archaeology roots, I feel the urge to categorise them into theoretical 'Ages' of Warhammer. I know, I'll get my coat 🤭 @www.altworldstudios.com @discourseminis.bsky.social
July 23, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Midweek Saturday foolishness with Goblins to sort & repaint! Early WFB (some Drastic Plastic too!) to Old World but, true to my archaeology roots, I feel the urge to categorise them into theoretical 'Ages' of Warhammer. I know, I'll get my coat 🤭 @www.altworldstudios.com @discourseminis.bsky.social
A lovely venue 😊 - was here a few weeks ago to see the wonderful West Indies!
July 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
A lovely venue 😊 - was here a few weeks ago to see the wonderful West Indies!
This was incredibly good fun - lovely chatting to Henry about all things hobby & wargaming... and I think we conclusively prove I'm a very odd little man - who else bases their figures first, then? Am I in a minority of one 🤔 🤭?
July 4, 2025 at 9:29 PM
This was incredibly good fun - lovely chatting to Henry about all things hobby & wargaming... and I think we conclusively prove I'm a very odd little man - who else bases their figures first, then? Am I in a minority of one 🤔 🤭?
Yes, I'm feeling a little the same... so I'll repost this (I'm actually just sorting out old Aifix 1/32 figs at the mo') !
July 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Yes, I'm feeling a little the same... so I'll repost this (I'm actually just sorting out old Aifix 1/32 figs at the mo') !
I'm finding myself slightly obsessed at the mo' by the score of this film... perhaps the most 'Sixties' version of the theme?
May 23, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I'm finding myself slightly obsessed at the mo' by the score of this film... perhaps the most 'Sixties' version of the theme?
Thursday evening hobby warning! Just finished these little fellas for War of Spanish Succession - 1st Foot Guards for Queen Anne! They are mainly Warlord plastics, with Ebor Miniatures heads & couple of Front Rank officers, with a Foundry drummer wearily tramping onwards! Next up, some French!
May 15, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Thursday evening hobby warning! Just finished these little fellas for War of Spanish Succession - 1st Foot Guards for Queen Anne! They are mainly Warlord plastics, with Ebor Miniatures heads & couple of Front Rank officers, with a Foundry drummer wearily tramping onwards! Next up, some French!
#VEDay I think it's appropriate to post this today; a pal, Billy Maxwell, was in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during the war & carried this regulation issue Bible with him where ever he served. I am very privileged indeed to have an item which I know was very precious to him & soldiers like him.
May 8, 2025 at 1:52 PM
#VEDay I think it's appropriate to post this today; a pal, Billy Maxwell, was in the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers during the war & carried this regulation issue Bible with him where ever he served. I am very privileged indeed to have an item which I know was very precious to him & soldiers like him.
Well... over the bank holiday, I binge watched this! Asterix and The Big Fight... Hugely entertaining and now up there with another personal favourite - Mansions of the Gods.... better than Gladiator II ? Discuss! But I'm off to paint up my free @warlordgames.com Epic Celt sprue!
May 6, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Well... over the bank holiday, I binge watched this! Asterix and The Big Fight... Hugely entertaining and now up there with another personal favourite - Mansions of the Gods.... better than Gladiator II ? Discuss! But I'm off to paint up my free @warlordgames.com Epic Celt sprue!
We're about to dive in!
April 27, 2025 at 10:39 AM
We're about to dive in!
On this day 50 years ago, the marvellous & iconic William Hartnell passed away aged 67. Famed for playing Sergeants (mostly called Grimshaw), policemen & a famous Time-travelling Doctor. The Original, you might say. "Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I was not wrong in mine" 🙂
April 23, 2025 at 2:32 AM
On this day 50 years ago, the marvellous & iconic William Hartnell passed away aged 67. Famed for playing Sergeants (mostly called Grimshaw), policemen & a famous Time-travelling Doctor. The Original, you might say. "Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I was not wrong in mine" 🙂
Busy watching #ThePenguin and completing my 1870s French - "bon courage, mes amis"! Although I'll admit that I've surprised myself in somehow discovering that cut down bayonets make excellent tiny cheroots for my suave French officers!
April 21, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Busy watching #ThePenguin and completing my 1870s French - "bon courage, mes amis"! Although I'll admit that I've surprised myself in somehow discovering that cut down bayonets make excellent tiny cheroots for my suave French officers!
My butterfly mind is in full swing! I've been meaning to put together inf for Franco-Prussian War, so 1812 paused until next week... Meanwhile, in the alleged words of French Minister for War in 1915, when advised that a new, less obvious, uniform be introduced, retorted 'Red trousers are France!'
April 20, 2025 at 1:46 PM
My butterfly mind is in full swing! I've been meaning to put together inf for Franco-Prussian War, so 1812 paused until next week... Meanwhile, in the alleged words of French Minister for War in 1915, when advised that a new, less obvious, uniform be introduced, retorted 'Red trousers are France!'
And properly finally (!) - a great Citadel advert... I'm sure the Paladin mini is lurking in a box somewhere... @madpadre.bsky.social @jewelknightjess.com @sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
April 10, 2025 at 9:55 AM
And properly finally (!) - a great Citadel advert... I'm sure the Paladin mini is lurking in a box somewhere... @madpadre.bsky.social @jewelknightjess.com @sonicsledgehammer.bsky.social
Finally (ish!) - this wonderful page... I bought a number of Guardroom 15mm army deals - and yes, I'm still painting them up 🤭
April 10, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Finally (ish!) - this wonderful page... I bought a number of Guardroom 15mm army deals - and yes, I'm still painting them up 🤭
I still have a number of these games by Standard too... Samurai Blades (not shown) was great fun! Does anyone remember 'Cry Havoc'? I think there was Crusades version too... @westburywargamers.bsky.social @yarkshiregamer.bsky.social
April 10, 2025 at 9:50 AM
I still have a number of these games by Standard too... Samurai Blades (not shown) was great fun! Does anyone remember 'Cry Havoc'? I think there was Crusades version too... @westburywargamers.bsky.social @yarkshiregamer.bsky.social