| | Background of the T.W.W.S. |
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Club origins
Tunbridge Wells Wargames Society was formed at the end of the 1960's by our Founder and Life President George Gush, on
the left in the photo.
In the old days we were almost exclusively playing games on a table with 20mm model soldiers, converted often from
Airfix figures.
We meet in the wargaming room at his home in Tunbridge Wells. Some of our current members joined in the early years of
the Society and have, with occasional absences due to work commitments, been members throughout that time. The Society
has maintained a steady and healthy Membership and regularly attracts new members in all age groups.
As the number of members outgrew the space we moved over the years via various locations in the area to our current
venue in Speldhurst Village Hall, where we have been since 3rd August 1997.
In 2018 The Society celebrated the fact that we had been going strong for 50 years. We are one of the oldest, if not THE
OLDEST, wargames societies in the United Kingdom. To mark the occasion a new logo was created for the Society by Henry
Hyde; the logo is very similar to that which was put together many years ago to go on the cover for our magazine, Rank
and File, which we produced for many years before the age of the internet.
The club now
We are now a group of individuals of differing backgounds, brought together initially by our common interest in table
top battles using "toy soldiers". As we grew other styles of game became available, including board games with some
with a military connection.
Over the years the size of the Society has grown, as has the availability of all sorts of new models, games and
historical information that we could only dream of back in the early days.
Nowadays, you can get nearly anything that you want to use in your table top battle, be it Ancient, Napoleonic, Fantasy,
etc. Where we had one scale there are now dozens. We also now play many more games not involving models but on a game
board. Some of these are quick games to fill in half an hour at the end of a meeting, others start in the morning and go
on till the end of the meeting.
The general ethos of the Society is non-competitive, though we do on occasion hold light-hearted tournaments. As a
Society we do not organise competitions and tournaments, which enables us to keep a friendly and informal atmosphere at
our meetings. Many of our games involve several players on each side, reflecting our social side and lack of competitive
drive. Even a game with just two players will attract plenty of onlookers ready and willing to provide "helpful advice".
What is quite unusual is that among our members we have a large number of creative talents, so many games may be using
"Home Grown" rules or adaptations of published rules. Several of the members of the Society have published rules which
are now used in the wider wargames community.
As we have the space, there are occasionally quite large games set up, and these will involve half a dozen members or
more. We have occasionally have special events at the hall, involving all the members attending. These can often be big
games; in the past we have held additional meetings to allow for "One Day Campaigns", using fairly simple rules, and all
members are invited to participate, e.g "D Day". We also host informal visits from other clubs.
You do not need to have collections of figures or models to become a member of the Society. If you are interested in any
aspect of the hobby and are interested in learning more, come along to one of our meetings.
Painting
One aspect of our hobby that may be overlooked is that it also involves the development of other skills in the realm of
model-making and painting figures and models for use on the table top. Where we started with a paintbrush and some
(usually) Humbrol enamel paints, there are now a wide range of paint manufacturers and the medium used has evolved and
the use of acrylic paints is widespread. Many people now also make use of an airbrush which can be used just for the
initial paint covering or, in practised hands, provide intricate camouflage patterns.
One of the great attractions of attending the meetings is the fact that we can exchange tips about aspects of our hobby,
be it painting, applying transfers to models, the inaccuracy of new releases from some manufacturers who cannot have
tried to assemble them before they sell them to us!
We have a large number of new younger members, who actively participate in our activities and regularly place entries in
our Painting Competition.
Miniature Wargaming Magazine
If you are interested in more background you can read a copy of an article from Miniature Wargames Magazine from May
2021 by downloading it here:
Miniature Wargames Article Miniature Wargames Article
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Charitable Giving
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The Society decided in 2009 that following our Open Day, Cavalier, we would make a regular donation to the Charity
Combat Stress, which helps our Veterans and ex-service personnel. We also operate a Charity book stall at our meetings,
where donated books raise money for the cause.
Following Cavalier in 2024 a further donation of £350 has been made, bringing our total donations to date to around
£6000.
For more information about the work of the Combat Stress charity please visit their website at:
Go to the Combat Stress Website (opens in a new tab)
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Cavalier, our annual Wargames Show
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We run an annual show, called "Cavalier", held in the Spring of each year. We invite many Traders and Wargames
Societies to participate. The Traders give wargamers the opportunity to stock up on models and equipment. The visiting
Clubs, Societies and other groups present attractive Demonstration and Participation games, the latter giving visitors
the chance to play a game while attending the show. Members of the public can see what the hobby is all about and in
this way, we hope to attract new people onto the hobby. Very good refreshments are available from a professional
catering company.
Our recent shows saw around 350 paying visitors as well as 70 players from the Clubs and Societies which put on games to
entertain and inspire us. Plenty of traders are there so that you can part with your money to buy even more products to
swell the ranks of your armies. More information is available on the Cavalier page.
During our show in 2025 some videos were shot and these can be found at the following locations:
On YouTube Video by
modelpaintwhatever
On YouTube Video by Tabletop
Miniatures
On Beasts of War The same video on beastsofwar.com
See the Cavalier 2026 -
Annual Show page for more details of the show.
| | How are we run? |
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The Society is run by a Committee of 7 members elected annually. The election is carried out at the AGM, nominations
being required at least a month in advance. Any paid up member may stand for election, using a Nomination Form which can
be found on our Library Page. Any changes to the Committee take place after the AGM.
As a general rule, if a Committee member is happy to carry on, and only the current Committee members are nominated,
then the election is a formality. Following the election of the Committee, they meet and allocate who will undertake the
duties of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. If necessary the Committee will take a vote to determine who has the role
concerned.
Our AGM usually takes take place at the first meeting in April of each year, after the Open Day, though this can change
if circumstances require this. It normally starts in the early afternoon, and usually lasts about 30 to 45 minutes. The
Officers report on the club's activities, finances, and projects. Subjects for formal discussion must be submitted to
the secretary in writing in advance, though last minute items may be accepted on the day at the discretion of the
Chairman. They must still be presented to the Secretary in writing before the start of the meeting.
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