A very sad day on April 13th when we heard that our good friend Nick Langford had finally lost his fight with Parkinsons disease. My sympathies are of course with his family who have the loss of a lovely man as well as a great Dad and Grandad to come to terms with. For me a good friend is gone as well as my opponent across the wargames table and collaborator in many a history or gaming enthusiasm, for nearly forty years.

Nick commented to me several times, over the years what a lot of enjoyment he had received from our hobby of wargaming. He was certainly the prime mover  in the evolution of our wargames from being all about the game to being as much about a few drinks and an excellent meal with friends. That's not to say Nick's competitive streak had waned. He still liked to mash an opponents army, by brilliant tactics or unlikely dice throws, and rub it in with gleeful laughter! 

Nick was in no small part the cause of my own interest in history. Great long discussions and debates about all manner of  subjects and our thoughts about what we had been reading last are one of the things I shall miss the most. I'm really not sure how I am going to feel about the projects that we tackled together (Macedonian Successors, Seven Years War, Moghuls and Maharattas...) It will be weird that Nick's not there when the toys are out on the table. On the other hand I reckon that any time the lowly Pindaris charge to an unlikely victory or the French fusiliers stand and fight against the odds, I will be able to hear Nick cheering them on.

Goodbye mate, thanks for everything.