In My Younger Days

It's a bit of a nostalgia trip for me - this Thirty Years War stuff - I hope it's not annoying anyone...the last time I was interested in the period was in the md 80s when I was in my twenties. I joined the ECWS I was so into it and here is me at my first event (in the helmet). With me is the man who recruited me Gordon Usher and his son Nick - they ran the 'Froome Garrison' and were great mates. Every wednesday evening we'd meet at Gordie's for either WRG or a game of 'Kingmaker' and weekends we'd all go to the local wargames conventions in his green VW van - all sliding around in the back clutching our bags of figures feeling nauseous. Good times.
Funnily enough I knew there was a Czech TYW scene even around then which was no easy thing before the internet and the Velvet Revolution - my parents had gone on an early package holiday to Bratislava and witnessed a combat display in the castle and duly took photographs as they knew I'd be interested. The group was called 'Historical Fencing' or so they told me.