1938: A Very British Civil War

Status
Not open for further replies.

DeletedUser

n 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire was caused by King-Emperor Edward VIII's proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American socialite. The marriage was opposed by the King's governments in the United Kingdom and the autonomous Dominions of the British Commonwealth. Religious, legal, political, and moral objections were raised. As British monarch, Edward was the nominal head of the Church of England, which did not allow divorced people to remarry if their ex-spouses were still alive; so it was widely believed that Edward could not marry Mrs Simpson and remain on the throne. Mrs Simpson was perceived to be politically and socially unsuitable as a consort because of her two failed marriages. It was widely assumed by the Establishment that she was driven by love of money or position rather than love for the King. Despite the opposition, Edward declared that he loved Mrs Simpson and intended to marry her whether the governments approved or not.
The widespread unwillingness to accept Mrs Simpson as the King's consort, and the King's refusal to give her up, led to Edward's abdication in December 1936.

that is what happened in this universe, but in alternate history...
In May 1937, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom married Wallis Simpson. The marriage to Wallis was not recommended by Stanley Baldwin, the British Prime Minister; and Edward refused to abdicate. This marriage left the British government, and most of the people, alienated; and hatred for King Edward and Queen Wallis rose. In January 1938, a protest by Dockyard workers in Liverpool was brutally crushed by the army; and violent clashes began across the country; between the Kings troops and those of several other factions. The British Civil War had begun!

The outbreak of conflict led several groups to attempt to seize the country or their own personal goals. major factions included:

  • The Edwardian Army - Led by King Edward VII. they wore normal army uniforms.
  • British Union of Fascists (BUF for short) - Led by Oswald Mosley. they wore army uniforms dyed black.
  • The Georgian Army - Led by Edward's younger brother, George,(Formerly Prince Albert, Duke of York).they wore normal army uniforms.
  • The Anglican League - A large army led by a group of bishops and archbishops, they were aligned with the Georgian Army. they wear army uniforms dyed blue.
  • The Red Field Army (Socialists) - Made up of disgruntled workers and Spanish Civil War veterans, they sought to turn Britain into a Socialist state based upon Lenin's Russia.they wear normal clothes.
  • The Scottish, Welsh and Cornish Independence Movements - Groups in Scotland, Wales and even Cornwall who sought to form their own independent nations, they were supported at various times by The Red Field Army and The Anglican League. they wear anything they can get their hands on.
  • The British Empire Independence Movements - Groups of people from across the Empire fought for autonomy and independence. they wear anything they can get their hands on.
  • Foreign Volunteer Units fighting for the major factions. Examples included the AVAC (American Volunteer Army Corps) formed by Joseph Kennedy (who wear american army uniforms) and the Hanoverian Legion formed by Hermann Göring fighting for the Edwardians (who wore German uniforms) ; the ANZAC Volunteers and the Imperial Volunteers fighting for the Georgians (who wore British uniforms) ; and the International Revolutionary Corps formed by Leon Trotsky (who wore anything they could get their hands on) and the People's Soviet Volunteer Army formed by Vyacheslav Molotov fighting for the Socialists (who wore Socialist 'uniforms'). there was also German volunteer groups that were aligned with the BUF (they wore BUF uniforms) .
  • and finally, there was small groups of independent fighters, they included; a small force of American volunteers called 'the George Washington Volunteers.' they were in Britain to fight for 'liberty' (in other words, overthrowing the monarchy and instating a presidency, they wore American army uniforms). then there was the so called 'Scarecrow movement', a nationwide force (originating in Herefordshire) consisting of fighters dressed as Scarecrows, led by the legendary king of the Scarecrows; Twiggy Mommet. no-one is entirely sure what they fight for, so feel free to invent. last but not least scattered across the nation are small groups of Armed Morris Dancers, who fight for anyone and everyone. and of course, not to forget, there will always be the odd group of mercenaries, fighting for the side that pays them the most money.
rules:
normal forum rules, no god-modding, no double posts, no swearing etc etc.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY! be accurate to the year, so no helicopters, jet fighters, M1 Abrams, RPG-7's, Bazookas or whatever. if you are not sure if the weapon in question was used at the time then check it up on the web! (or in a book).
This is a Gentleman's War! be sporting towards your enemies! do not execute prisoners, no filthy foreign tricks, or whatever.
and finally, the most important bit; even if you are accurate, you must confine yourself to realism, aircraft are scarce, tanks are virtually never seen (so don't have swarms of tanks!), fuel is scarce, so some units have gone back to using cavalry, most armies don't have access to armoured vehicles at all, and as such end up commandeering civilian vehicles, and sometimes converting them for another use.
and for small arms, most units will be equipped with rifles, maybe a Bren gun for regulars, or sometimes an old Lewis gun for others, some units will have the odd shotgun, units may have one or two submachine guns if well connected, but most will not.
hand grenades and the like will be scarce among non-regulars, so improvisation is common, Molotov cocktails and the like are sometimes used.
also, methods of commmunication will be scarce, will radios and telephones rare, some resort to using flag, mirror, hand signals and even morse code. control of a telephone box could easily become the focus of a skirmish.

PLAYERS:
each player will either be a solitary warrior, or will command a squad/section of up to 10 men. if the player does not want to be a soldier, then they can be a civilian, a doctor or nurse, or whatever. use your imagination! here is the character sheet;

NAME:
FACTION:
HOME NATION:
AGE:
APPEARANCE:
PROFESSION:
BIO:
PERSONAL WEAPON:
NAMES OF MEN: (optional)

the players will clash arms in the village of Morfield in the county of Hartfordshire, North of London. an area bitterly fought for by all sides. this will take place in late June, 1938.
by this time in the war, no side has yet made any headway, and is still locked in stalemate.

i am afraid that my efforts in creating and uploading a map of Morfield have failed, and as such i must vaguely 'describe' the area. so here goes;
the village is relatively large, and at it's centre is a crossroad's and village green, clustered around is the church, the village shops (butcher, baker, pharmacy, general shop and so on) and the houses. south of the village is a railway track, which has Morfield Railway Station on the south side of the track.
just north-east of the village is a large duckpond and a small wood. north of the village is Elroy farm, which runs along the road.
south of the railway track is mainly fields, which the odd farm and wooded copse here and there.

players may start the RP wherever they want (as long as they are either in or around the village). they must seek to control the village by combat.

so... i think that is pretty much everything.we'll start once we have enough players, and i'll post my character soon. whilst you are participating in this RP, remember these four things: 1; be historically accurate! 2: this is a gentleman's war! be sporting to the other chaps! 3: use your imagination! and most importantly... 4: Have Fun!



NOTE: I cannot take an ounce of credit for this idea! as it was originally created by Rob Jones, Steve Mortimore and Simon Douglas in 2008, when they wrote the original VBCW source book and had it published.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

This RP is great :D

NAME: Alex
FACTION: AVAC
HOME NATION: America
AGE: 21
APPEARANCE: Tall and skinny but very muscular.
PROFESSION: I am a full time army man
BIO: Not much is none about me because i was abandoned at birth.
PERSONAL WEAPON: a shotgun and a large knife.
NAMES OF MEN: Joe, Josh, Joseph, James, Shawn, John, Alexander, Charles, Bobby, and Jack

I will start off at the General Store.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser28032

NAME: William Gerrard
FACTION: The Red Field Army
HOME NATION: England
AGE: 26
APPEARANCE:5'11, has short dark hair and a short scruffy beard. Wears dark trousers and a white shirt and brown trenchcoat with a red bandana tied around each arm.
PROFESSION: Shipbuilder
BIO: Born in Liverpool as the son of a unionist William (Or Bill as he is more commonly known) quickly gained his fathers socialist leanings and on the outbreak of war in Spain rushed off to join the International Brigade. Upon the wars end Bill returned home to Liverpool where got a job as a shipbuilder and formed a soviet with some of his fellow workers. It was Bills Soviet that began the protests over the kings marriage, the protest had begun peacefully but upon the arrival of the army things got out of control.
He spent the next few months fighting in the streets with the RFA even seizing control of a small armoury in order to arm his men against the imperialist oppressors. Bill is now leading the Vanguard that will take control of the village of Morfield before moving on to London.
PERSONAL WEAPON: Lee Enfield Rifle, Molotov
NAMES OF MEN: (Molotov Cocktails all round)
1) Jack Gerrard (Lee Enfield)
2) Barry Gates (Lee Enfield)
3) Tanya Armstrong (Webley Revolver)
4) Garry Armstrong (Shotgun)
5) Neil Cooper (Moisin Nagant Rifle)
6) Lee Taylor (Webley Revolver)
7) Sarah Wright (Webley Revolver)
8) John Harris (Shotgun)
9) Martin Chambers (Webley Revolver)
----------------------------------------------------

Bill sat huddled in his trenchcoat, his breath misting out between his lips into the early morning air. He had arrived at the train station with his comrades late last night the first of many or so he hoped, their ammunition supplies had dwindled since seizing the armoury back in Liverpool and Bill didn't reckon that they would hold out long in a fire fight.
Behind him he could hear Barry playing a workers song on the violin like he had back in Spain "Sing along Comrades let the enemy know we are here" Jack called out before joining the song with his own voice. Bill had to admit that his brother knew how to keep morale going.
Looking down both ends of the railway line Bill for the second time this day hoped that his comrades from Liverpool wouldn't take too long before arriving, they had serious work to do today and they would need all the help thay could get.
 

DeletedUser

-
As we trudged through the hardening mud near the heart of town our soldiers morale dropped and many fights and arguments brooke out. However they were quickly shushed away by those who remained calm and composed. By the time we reached the general store we were nothing but a dirty shivering mess of unexperienced new recruits. (which in reality was actually pretty accurate) as soon as we reached the general stores door my friend Paul welcomed us in.

-
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

NAME: Richard Walker
FACTION:BUF
HOME NATION:England
AGE: 25
APPEARANCE:5 foot 10, bald head with some hairs beginning to grow, stubble. wears an early WWI British army uniform dyed black with a BUF armband on his left arm. wears an early WWI British field cap dyed black.
PROFESSION: Butcher
BIO: was born in Norwich (England), grew up and took on his father's profession (Butcher) at 23 he joined the BUF and took part in many protests and marches. and the outbreak of war he was given the command of a group of other men from Norwich, in early 1938 they were told to retreat from Norfolk as the area had been overrun by the Anglican League. after recent heavy skirmishing in the outskirts of London he was posted to Morfield, where he was told to try and gain a footing.
PERSONAL WEAPON:Lee-Enfield, Butchers knife.
NAMES OF MEN:
Tom (Lee-Enfield)
Stuart (Lee-Enfield)
Oscar (Lewis Gun)
Howard (Lee-Enfield)
John (3x Molotov Cocktails, Webley Revolver)
Alan (Lee-Enfield)
Michael (Shotgun)
Simon (Lee-Enfield)
Herbert (Lee-Enfield)


----------------------------------------------------

Richard rubbed his hands for warmth on the unusually cold June morning as he walked beside the duckpond. Tom was walking beside him and the rest of the section were deployed around the duckpond.
Richard looked at his watch. according to it the time was 7:49 in the morning. ten minutes until Richard planned to move out.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser24989

NAME: Jack
FACTION:BUF
HOME NATION: England
AGE:26
APPEARANCE: 5 feet and 6 inches, wearing the BUF uniform with a medal on his chest, a nice long black hair, brown eyes,a muscled man but not crazy muscled.
PROFESSION: cavalry man.
BIO: Was abandoned in London at a random house.
PERSONAL WEAPON: a flint pistol and a saber.
NAMES OF MEN:
1-Thomas (A saber and a rifle)
2-Callum (A saber and a rifle)
3- Joseph (A saber and a rifle)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

Richard looked at his watch. 8:00.
time to move out. "forward! move into the village!" he ordered.
the men got up from their positions and advanced down the road and into the village.
as they reached the village green Richard saw a group of what looked like royalists going into one of the village shops across the green.
"Halt!" he said. the men stopped.
"i think there's some royalists over there by one of the shops, Tom you take, Stuart, Oscar, Howard and Alan and take up position in the first floor of that pub." Richard said pointing to the village pub several buildings up.
"everyone else, follow me!" he ordered.
Richard ran across the green and crouched down behind the village sign in the centre. the others joined him.
he could see Tom and the others moving into the pub and taking up positions.
Richard drew the bolt on his Lee-Enfield and pointed it at the shop, waiting for the 'royalists' to come back out.
 

DeletedUser28032

Bill jumped at the sudden ringing noise coming from within the ticket office, he'd forgotten about the telephone. Rising from his place on the platform he walked over to the low wooden structure and opened the door. "Hello? who is speaking?" he enquired quietly a broad smile spread across his face upon hearing the voice on the other line "Good to hear from you comrade when do you arrive?...Ok we can hold this place till then, good luck comrade" hanging up the phone Bill walked back onto the station "Grab you things comrades we need to hold this place till our comrades from Liverpool arrive...Tanya, Garry go check out those railway sheds" the brother and sister saluted him breifly before running off down the line towards the old railway sheds with any luck there'd be something of use inside.
Meanwhile the rest of them set about barricading themselves in they held the only train line in and out of London and they meant to keep it.
 

DeletedUser24989

While Jack was riding around in the town with his white horse he saw captain Richard in the field with a couple of men, so he started riding to them. ( he got down his horse and walked to Richard and said very respectfully)" excuse me sir( with a bow) May I ask what are you doing here?
 

DeletedUser

"i supposed to be taking the village! what the bloody hell are you doing here! this village ain't owned by the BUF! there's a group of royalists in that shop over there! now hide the bloody horse or you'll get us all killed!" Richard replied, a note of panic entering his voice.
this was just what he needed... one of the gung-ho cavalry lobby running around on a white horse in an enemy-held village!
 

DeletedUser24989

" I very sorry sir( a little shy, and slapped his horse on the rear then it started running away) Do you have a plan on how to get them?
 

DeletedUser

"yes. i do. i wait for them to show their heads. then i point my rifle at them. then i pull the trigger. the rifle goes bang and one of them dies. and if it goes badly i've got some men in the pub who are ready to fire." said Richard. he hated the cavalry. they culd be defeated by the simple antics of pushing them off their horse.
he turned back to the shop and squinted. still no sign of the Royalists.
 

DeletedUser24989

"Maybe they know you are here sir and now they are getting prepared to fight?(a little excited) or maybe they escaped from a back entrance?( questioning himself)"
(Jack looked at Richard face, It was red with madness) " Perhaps I have to return my scouting in"
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser13682

NAME: Shamus O'Leary
FACTION: Irish Republican Army, fighting for the Scottish, Welsh, and Cornish independence
HOME NATION: Ireland
AGE: 29
APPEARANCE: Stands 5' 8", brown hair, blue eyes, pale as Jim Gaffigan
PROFESSION: shopkeeper and militiaman
BIO: Shamus was born to Connor, a regiment leader of the Irish Republican Army, who won distinction fighting against the English in the Irish War of Independence. After that, Connor fought against the treaty forces, wanting a fully independent Ireland. Shamus followed his footsteps, and when the British Empire seemed to be on the verge of falling apart, took his squad to England, to help the other oppressed nations of Britain to freedom. They wear uniforms from the Irish Defence Forces, dyed a lighter green, with orange helmets. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33577523@N08/3537607276/
PERSONAL WEAPON: Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Lee-Enfield, Enfield No. 2 Mk I revolver, bayonet
NAMES OF MEN:
Andrew O'Leary (RIC Lee-Enfield, Webley Mk. VI, bayonet)
Conner Patrick (MP 18, Webley Mk. IV, combat knife)
James Boyle (RIC Lee-Enfield with scope, Webley Mk IV, combat knife)
Harry Moran (Vickers machine gun, combat knife)
Ronald Moran (Vickers machine gun tripod, Webley Mk III)
William Casey (dynamite, Enfield No. 2 Mk 1)
Sinead Brown (2x Webley Mk IV)

________________________________________

The village in this area was quiet, except for the sounds of warfare in the distance. This was the last stop before London. If the oppressed nationals of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Ireland could capture the village of Morfield, then London would fall like a tree to a woodsman. Nearby was a pub, it was early, and the men were hungry. Shamus and his men captured the pub, and while some guarded, the others made breakfast. Now, since everyone was fed, it was time to watch. 15 minutes here, then move toward London, destroying the opposition.
 

DeletedUser

NAME: Father Dennis Fulton
FACTION: The Anglican League
HOME NATION: Britain
AGE:35
APPEARANCE:Has donned the standard blue-dyed uniform of the Anglicans. Only distictive parts of the uniform are the gold braid on his trousers.
PROFESSION:Minister and Soldier
BIO: Dennis Fulton was born to a simple family of candlemakers in London. The family business was barely surviving with few avenues Dennis was sent to the church in hope something could be made of him. It was successful and he became a priest at an unusually young age. With the coming of the Civil War however he has been shown to be a zealous defender of god and the church.
PERSONAL WEAPON: SMLE MK. III
NAMES OF MEN:
Dennis Beetmaur (Maxim Gun Crew)
Alistair Kingston (Maxim Gun Crew)
Brody Miller (Martini-Henry shotgun configuration)
John Haley (same as above)
Robert Hoten (same as above)
Phillip Doley (Pattern 1914 Enfield)
Douglas Hotmayer (same as above)
Mel Davis (same as above)
Jim Relis (20 guage double barreled)
Ron Davis (Webley)
======================================
There they sat waiting in a house of the lord. Of course he was a father, and this was more or less his flock. However the sanctuary had been violated as the riflebarrel that occaisonally caught a gleam of sunlight in the church's steeple showed. Yet it was all for a good cause, they were after all defending the church from the supporters of the ilegitimate king, and also the far more brutish foces of the atheists the socialists. The Church was secure Father Fulton noted. The door was barricaded. The side doors secured and the men at position. They had a simple radio tucked away and its message was clear. They were to hold the church and supress enemy forces until a Georgian force could penetrate and secure the area. Fortunately they had plenty of ammuntion and food. Father Dennis had also blessed his men. After all, while killing your fellow man was an awful sin. Dennis felt that whatever fate awaited them they were right.
 

DeletedUser28032

Bill cocked his rifle upon hearing the sounds of running feet as did several other comrades "Who goes there? Name yourself in the name of the Soviet" Jack shouted his own rifle propped on an old table "It is us comrades" came Tanya's reply as she rounded the corner, a large can of Parrafin her brother followed carrying a crate of empty beer bottles "The engineer was a drinker comrade" he said with a smile as he set the bottles down before them "Good work comrades, Tanya, Sarah set to work making the cocktails..." "thats not all comrade" Bill scowled at Garry's interuption but didn't stop him as he began to explain what he'd seen whilst he was by the sheds.
Imperialsts, Fascists and the Irish were all converging on the pub that lay just down the road and by the sound of things they would be heavily outgunned unless....
"Jack I am going to take a small patrol out to meet with the Irish perhaps we can make a deal with them" the RFA had no quarrel with the Independance movement and was under the impression that as long they kept their politics to themselves that the independance movement had no quarrel with them.
"We'll need all the we can get if we're to oust the fascists" Bill declared as he left the station with Barry, Lee and John in tow. If the Irish showed any signs of being violent then he would return to the railway station and wait it out until the Liverpool train arrived.
 

DeletedUser31931

(OOC: hope I'm not too late!)

Name: Ben Andrews.
Faction: The Edwardian Army (Soon to change.)
Home Nation: Britain
Age: 35
Appearance: Tall, blonde and good looking (what else do I need to say?!)
Bio: Growing up in the higher classes he was brought up in the skill of arms. A fine shot he wishes to join the Edwardian Army and gain honour and prestige for his family.
Personal Weapon:Tommy Gun, a decent pistol and a knife
Names of Men: (They all have my equipment)
Sam
James
Matthew
George
Simon
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser24989

Bill cocked his rifle upon hearing the sounds of running feet as did several other comrades "Who goes there? Name yourself in the name of the Soviet" Jack shouted his own rifle propped on an old table "It is us comrades" came Tanya's reply as she rounded the corner, a large can of Parrafin her brother followed carrying a crate of empty beer bottles "The engineer was a drinker comrade" he said with a smile as he set the bottles down before them "Good work comrades, Tanya, Sarah set to work making the cocktails..." "thats not all comrade" Bill scowled at Garry's interuption but didn't stop him as he began to explain what he'd seen whilst he was by the sheds.
Imperialsts, Fascists and the Irish were all converging on the pub that lay just down the road and by the sound of things they would be heavily outgunned unless....
"Jack I am going to take a small patrol out to meet with the Irish perhaps we can make a deal with them" the RFA had no quarrel with the Independance movement and was under the impression that as long they kept their politics to themselves that the independance movement had no quarrel with them.
I am not sure about making Pacts with them, but There is a only way to find out. I will send some cavalry to take cover around, in case it goes badly"

After William left with his men, I went to the cavalry barracks and picked three people,"Thomas! Joseph! Callum! I have a duty for you men, I want you to follow William and give him some assistance in case things go badly with the Irish!( the men replied) affirmative!"
 
Last edited by a moderator:

DeletedUser

Young Jimmy Relis quietly came down the stairs, "Father Phillip would like to tell you something." "Major, Jimmy, I'm Major Fulton right now. You can adress me in that manner when I'm dressed for the lord. Now what was that, Phillip wants something?" "Yes he says he's been watching an interesting group converging on the pub. He's watching them through his scope. Go up there he's in the steeple." "Of course Jimmy, don't be so impatient I will get there." 'Major Fulton' proceeded up the stairs and in a couple minutes was in the steeple.

Phillip was absorbed in watching the enemy through the scope of his rifle. "Phillip," he looked behind looking quite surprised. "Ahh, Father it is you." "Major Fulton." "Alright 'Major'. I've been studying the streets here and I've noticed a number of differently uniformed groups preparing to converge on that pub over there." He pointed at the pub which was 600 meters away."It appears that a detachment of RFA men are approaching a contingent of what I suspect are Irishman. Oddly the RFA are not approaching too stealthily. In fact it looks like they want to meet them." "Bloody Catholics and a bunch of socialists too. I'd say kill the lot. Wait, they're meeting up you say?" "Yes." "Shouldn't they be on opposing fields?" "If I remeber correctly the independence movement cares only to fight you if you choose to become their foe. So they may be forming an alliance up." Suddenly an idea came to Fulton. "As soon as one of those socialists looks like he's starting negtiations with the Irish wait thirty seconds. Then blast one of the Irishman or if you can't see one in the scope a socialist. That will fix any plans for an aliiance." "Yes sir."

Fulton move down the stairs casually glancing around his church turned fortification.
 

DeletedUser31931

Ben sat with his unit in the middle of a house (OOC: Care to explain the state of the Edwardian army at the moment) and cleaned his gun. George and Sam were having an argument about something and Ben wasn't fussed. A messenger on horse back rode towards him. "Your unit is to move now" he said and rode off promptly. Ben sat back, they were in the middle of a Edwardian village and Ben intended to defend it. "Men get the defences ready! We are to come under attack soon. Get the villagers to help and all those that can to fight!" By the end of the day the defences were in place and he had two new recruits which he gave the spare weapons to. Their names were Max and Thomas.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top