If any one person could take credit for converting me from being a "serious" historical wargamer to playing simple, fun wargames with shiny toy soldiers, that person would be the late Stuart Asquith.
Stuart first came to my attention with his magazines Practical Wargamer and Regiment as well as his Toy Soldier Box column in Military Modelling which eventually pushed me over the edge into ordering enough recast Britains charging highlanders from Soldierpac to form a regiment for MacDuff. Of course I painted them in matte detailed fashion but it was a big step towards today's glossy toy regiments.
I don't remember now what motivated me to write to him, but I think it was on the demise of Practical Wargaming to express how much I had enjoyed and would miss it and possibly about the positive effect it had had on my attitude towards wargaming. (
It was 20 years ago so details are fuzzy!) At any rate he wrote back after viewing my old website and we periodically exchanged notes and pictures then emails over the years that followed. When he started slimming his own collection he offered me his Britain's Light Brigade at a price I couldn't refuse and they still form the bulk of my cavalry, for both sides!
I can't claim to be a close personal friend but I really enjoyed our periodic correspondence as well as his writing and was rather pleased when he invited me to contribute pictures of some of my War of 1812 40's for his first book on the subject and will miss hearing from him.
Stuart had a huge, positive influence on our hobby and that can continue through his books but it is a sad loss for the hobby as well as for his family and friends.
For more about Stuart see Bob's eulogy at
http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/2019/11/stuart-asquith-rip.html
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