Stuart Asquith

[Dave Fielder]

https://battlegames.co.uk/stuart-asquith/?fbclid=IwAR19kg_69Mt8ZGoM2TJ6x70w-HeGGA-L4zPeYNNHTMXXh8gkUZ0kTPKUSWs
"It is with great sadness that I must report that Stuart Asquith passed away on 3 November 2019.  I count myself very fortunate to have known Stuart for some 40 years. In that time I have benefited from his enthusiasm, inspiration, knowledge, friendship and the wonderful hospitality provided by his wife and himself. I have also been lucky enough to share a good few table top battles with Stuart.
Stuart was essentially a modest man, but one should be in no doubt about Stuart's place in the hobby. He ranks among the wargame pioneers he admired so much like Don Featherstone, Peter Young and of course his own hero H. G. Wells.
A full appreciation of his written contribution to the hobby must wait for a more complete tribute but suffice to say that with more than 20 publications and countless articles to his name he leaves a lasting literary legacy. It is difficult to select one aspect of Stuart's contribution to the hobby out of so many, but for me the one that stands out is his editorship of Practical Wargamer. Stuart edited the magazine for 12 years and influenced a generation of wargamers. Stuart was Practical Wargamer and his editorship raised the bar and set the standard for all wargame magazines.
Stuart was the very best kind of wargamer. Generous to a fault, he always found time to encourage others. He loved every aspect of the hobby; the research, the painting, the rule writing and of courses he rejoiced in bringing his troops to the table. All of this comes through in his writings. While he talked happily of the battles he has lost, he has won a good few too – but irrespective of the result he has enjoyed and relished them all.
With Stuart's parting wargaming has lost one of its great ambassadors. Our thoughts are with his wife and family.
Charles S Grant"

[Steve J]

Well said and although I only met Stuart a few times, I treasure those memories as he was a true gent.

[Westmarcher]

I didn't have the pleasure of meeting him but I have enjoyed his many articles and contributions over the years in various wargaming publications. But in recent years (perhaps because I stopped buying mags as much or maybe I was looking in the wrong places), hadn't come across any of his work for ages until I saw him again in this recent report of Keith Flint's Cotswold Wargaming Day.

http://keefsblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/cotswold-wargaming-day-2019-post-match.html

People who knew him personally will obviously know better, but the news of his death seems all the more poignant in that this was only in September and, although he was a lot older looking since I last saw his photograph, it looked to me as if he was in fine fettle at that time and still enthusiastic about new developments in the hobby as ever (e.g., see the photo caption describing his interest in the concepts used in Chris Pringle's BBB). Sad news, indeed.

[Steve J]

He was indeed enthused by our Crimean BBB game, which was lovely to see. He was already making plans how he could play this at home with his existing figures.

[Sunray]

Dave

Thanks for sharing. In the pre internet age, he did much to establish our hobby as a serious pastime and banish the myth that it was a mere playing with toy soldiers.

The lead on our tables, and the roll of our dice is his legacy.

[sunjester]

It's a sad loss, he was an inspiration for many and a genuinely nice man. I had the pleasure of intermittently gaming with him in the mid-late 90s, he was a true gentleman gamer.

[Not Drowning, Waving]

I liked his books. Clear he did a lot for the hobby.