The sixteenth annual Society of Ancients Battle Day

Saturday 30 March 2019

Sycamore Hall, Drayton Road, Bletchley, Near Milton Keynes, MK2 3RR

Telamon 225 BC

The Celts at first were ignorant of the arrival of Atilius and imagined from what they saw, that Aemilius' cavalry had got round their flank in the night and were engaged in occupying the position. They therefore at once sent on their own cavalry and some of their light-armed troops to dispute the possession of the hill. But very soon they learnt of Gaius' presence from one of the prisoners brought in, and lost no time in drawing up their infantry, deploying them so that they faced both front and rear, since, both from the intelligence that reached them and from what was happening before their eyes, they knew that the one army was following them, and they expected to meet the other in their front

The Gauls discover they are trapped between two Roman armies and must fight it out with both of them in order to escape with their loot.

Translation of the Loeb Classical Library edition of The Histories of Polybius Book II 27, found online at http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/2*.html

For our sixteenth annual Battle Day, we once again invite you to a unique day’s wargaming.

The battle: Telamon 225 BC – two Roman consular armies catch up with the raiding Gallic army that is trying to return home with all its loot. With enemy to front and rear, the Gauls must fight back to back and defeat both Roman armies to make their escape.

The aims of the day remain the same as ever:

• To have fun!
• To gather as many ancient and medieval wargamers as possible to refight a historical battle.
• To fight the same battle simultaneously on many tables, using a different set of rules on each table.

The day will run from 9am until 5pm, with an hour either side to set up and pack away.

We will have the usual pre-battle introduction to Telamon, this year given by well-known author and Society member Duncan Head, putting it in its historical context and highlighting the controversial aspects of the battle.

And of course, The Society of Ancients will be awarding a number of prizes (for various criteria, some more frivolous than others) to the wargamers on the day, including prizes for Best Game and Best Terrain.

To offer to stage a game – contact Richard Lockwood at battleday@soa.org.uk or else via his details in Slingshot. But in any case, come along and take part as a player – most if not all of the games have room to take extra players and we have always managed to place people with a game. Of course, some like to attend just as a spectator and that too is fine.

The cost of attending the Battle Day, to contribute towards hire of venue and tables, will this year be £10 (juniors and students free). Ideally we will collect your cash on the day, but cheques can be accepted too.

Don’t miss out – come and be part of it!

The Battle Day is open to both members and non-members of the Society of Ancients.