WW1
Games We May Have
Played On
the Home
and Western
Fronts
Examples of games on display or described:
Halma
Tyrolean Roulette
An old, complete set with
boards and ‘men’
A modern version, bought in a Two sets, one new, both by J
mountain bar in Italy
Jaques featuring the Tenniel
images
The Invasion of Europe: The
Shut the Box
Great War Game
A modern wooden version, by
P66/67 in ‘Play the Game’
Jaques
Chess: The classic ‘game of
Snakes & Ladders
Kings’
P 22/3 & 91 in ‘Play the Game’
A Jaques ‘Staunton’ set dating
from 1870s
Nine Men’s Morris
A modern pocket-sized
version of the old game
Crown & Anchor
P 95 in ‘Play the Game’
Happy Families
Dominoes
A ‘new’ set of Jaques’
double-nines, with
spinners
Trencho (see Nine Men’s
Morris)
P 62/3 in ‘Play the Game’
Reversi
Modern-day Othello
Mancala
A modern commercial
version
The list of possible contenders for
inclusion would obviously have to
feature such ‘classics’ as Chess,
Draughts Backgammon and the
many card games. The following
selection concentrates more on
the rather less-well-known games,
or those with interesting histories.
The presentation finishes with a
range of games-related images
and photographs
Halma
Originally invented over a hundred years ago, this race
game, a forerunner of the modern Chinese Checkers,
involved skill and fun to get all your ‘men’, (13 or 19
depending on how many were playing), from their
starting positions at one corner of the 16 x 16 squared
board to the opposite corner. One step (or leap if an
opponent got in the way) is taken in any direction at a
time, blocking the opposition’s progress where possible. A
basic strategy is to try to make ladders or chains of your
own ‘men’ that give you routes to your destination.
Although similar to draughts, in that you can jump over an
opponent’s man if there is a vacant square available beyond it, in this game ‘men’ are not
captured, but left on the board.
Tyrolean Roulette/Top and Five Balls/Bauernroulette/Poor Man’s Roulette
The origins of this game seem to be argued about. It could be
German, Austrian or Italian, and exists in several forms, with
different names. All, however, have something of the feel of
casino roulette, involving a small playing board with pits and
pockets, differently coloured wooden (properly, beechwood)
balls, and a small spinning top. The top is given a good spin
(using the palms of both hands), and as it comes into contact
with the balls it ‘fires’ them around the playing area, hopefully
landing some at least in the pits or pockets, scoring according to the colour of the ball and the
value of the pit.
A very portable game, early versions are now collectors’ items, but modern copies can be easily
located (we bought ours in a little café/bar in the Dolomites). This image is taken from a book
on antique games, and the game dates from mid 1900s.
Happy Families
Sir John Tenniel, chief cartoonist of Punch, and illustrator of Lewis Carroll’s
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, was commissioned by the London games
developer, John Jaques, to
design images for this much
loved family card game
involving the collection and
swapping of cards to form
family groups. Many children
grew up with Mr Bun the Baker
etc., and original versions of this game are collectors’ items.
Spellicans (aka Pick-up-Sticks/Pic-a-stix/
Mikado/Jack Straws/ ‘Les Jonchets’)
Most of us will have played a version of this popular family game. Although it comes in different guises, the aim is the
same: starting with an untidy pile of 30 – 70 differently valued slender objects (sticks; straws; etc), you try to extract as
many as you can, one at a time, without causing any of the remaining objects to move at all. To assist with the removal,
games made use of hooks, wands, sticks. The winner was the player with
the lowest value of sticks remaining after all had had their turn. The sticks
themselves were variously made from ivory, bamboo, bone, plastic or
wood, and could depict a range of tools, national figures or just plain sticks.
Some sets involved elaborately carved sticks.
Although many modern versions exist, the game it believed to have its
origins in China, but evidence exists of similar games from over 2,000 years
ago, in the Far East, Middle East and Europe. British versions, called ‘Old
Fashioned Jack Straws’, can be dated from 1888. By 1900 bone straws
were more common.
It perhaps led to the development of the modern game of Jenga.
Dominoes
Although there are several tile-type games (including Mah Jong,
Tangram, and more recently Rummikub) dominoes has the
greatest popularity in the UK. Like so many of our ‘traditional’
games, its origins are unclear, although it probably began, in some
form, in China. One explanation for the name ‘Domino’ features
two medieval monks, disguising the fact that they have improvised
a game and set to stave off boredom, chanted Psalm 110 in Latin if
the abbot approach, but he had always moved away before they
got to the word ‘dominus’! So this is what they called their pastime when explaining it to other
brothers! Our ‘modern’ sets (usually double-six, but double nines/twelves/fifteens and
eighteens can be found) date from around 250 years ago, and strictly speaking what we call
‘dominoes’ (like ‘cards’ and ‘dice’) refers to the equipment rather than a specific game. Being
simple in design, however, they were capable of being created from many materials - wood,
plastic, ivory, and (significantly) shrapnel and other military debris. And they were highly
portable.
Crown and Anchor
Put these words into Google, and high up in the results will be locations for pubs with this
name. This reflects the one-time popularity of this gambling
dice game involving three special dice, a marked out playing
surface (board, cloth or
improvised drawn layout),
showing the images found on
the dice (Crown; anchor; and
the four playing card aces). A
banker is identified (he/she usually comes out making
money). Although once a very popular game for sailors
(Royal Navy, merchant and fishing fleets) it is now quite
tightly controlled. It remains popular in the Channel Islands, where it is feature in their annual
agricultural shows, and Bermuda. It is highly likely that it featured as a popular pastime among
the Navy personnel of WW1
Nine Men’s Morris
Also known by several other names (Windmill, Mill, Mule, Merels, Merrills, Three in a
Row) this game of great antiquity, found in many parts of the world, is for two
players, with the aim of lining up three piece in a row and removing the opponent’s
pieces. Evidence of its existence include C17th Turkey and India, Israel, Ireland,
Norway, C13th Spain, and even the ancient city of Troy, together with medieval
European cathedrals (monks improvised board in the
cloisters). But excavations of Egyptian tombs dating from
2000 BCE have found clear indications of a similar game,
giving the game a very long history. It has a long tradition
in Yorkshire, and the folk museum in the Dales village of
Hutton-le-Hole has a special display and interest as it
hosted the World Merrills Championships in years gone
by.
It can be played with various numbers of ‘men’
(three, six or nine), the most common British
number being nine per player, and rules do vary,
even within UK counties. One of the attractions of
the game that would have suited troops in the
trenches is that all
the
necessary
equipment (board
and playing pieces)
can be quickly
improvised using
pebbles and a flat
earth surface.
As this game was a regular feature of pub life at the
time of WW1 it is highly likely that our troops at least,
and possibly those from other countries, would have
passed the time playing it.
As further evidence of this, an Australian version of the game was published by Chad
Valley in 1917, called ‘Trencho’. This used
images of guns for the ‘peg holes’,
located on a framework of troop-filled
lines. This game may have been known
by the Australian troops and their
families. Other, similar versions of this
game were called ‘In the Trenches’, ‘Fall
In’ and Shell Fort’.
Reversi (aka ‘Othello’)
This is a two-person strategy game, dating from 1883. Although
it is known it was invented by two English men, the two
concerned disputed ownership of the idea. There was a similar
dispute in 2002 when the Japanese press began publicising the
‘new’ game of Othello - this was simply a straight 1971 copy of
the original game, given a new name based on Shakespeare’s
play depicting conflict between black (Othello) and white
(Desdemona). “Simple to learn; a life-time to master”, it involves
placing your 32 black/white discs one-by-one on a 64-square board (a chess board will do), turning over
any white/black discs that you manage to trap between your discs. The
game usually ends when the board is full, the winner being the player with
more colours showing. Discs may be turned over many times during the
game. Reversi clubs were set up in many parts of Europe, with tournaments
arranged from as early as 1886 in Belgium. The game was also popular in
Germany by the start of WW1.
Pachisi (aka Ludo)
“The people of the Raj - modern India and Pakistan were not consulted about their participation in the war.
More than 1 million soldiers served overseas in the Indian
army - and 75,000 died. By autumn 1914, Indians were
already on the western front, facing the threat of
projectiles like the ‘Black Maria’. (Fountain 2014).
And these troops (plus the 48,000 Indian manual labourers employed
by Britain to work in France) will have brought their own games and
pastimes, and one such is the ancient game of Pachisi, India’s national
game. Evidence of this game has been found in cave temples, and
dated back to the C6th. Originally played with cowrie shells (serving
as dice), up to 25 ‘points’ could be rolled to speed your way to a win
in this racing game. (‘Pachisi’ itself is the Hindi and Urdu word for
25).
A simplified American version, named
Parcheesi, was developed in the 1860s, but, if
the image of the original Indian playing board
or elaborate fabric course look familiar we
should note that in 1890 a British patent was
applied for relating to another variation, known
to us as …..Ludo! The Germans had their own
version, Mensch ärger dich nicht, (“Man, do not
grow weary”). Such was the popularity of the
game that it was distributed to military infirmaries, where its popular name was taken as a
word of consolation. Today, as well as Ludo, it is also marketed under the names ‘India’ and
‘He Who Laughs Last’!
Snakes and Ladders
Most of us will have grown up with this game, probably not realising that
this too has its origins in India, developed as a means of religious and moral instruction and
encouragement towards maintaining an upwards course in life. The Indian (Hindi) name of
Gyan chaupar (Game of Wisdom) or moksha patamu was very similar
to the game familiar to us, involving rolling a dice across a board, with
landing on the base of a ladder leading to upwards progression
(morally worthy), whereas to land on the head of snake led to a swift
descent and loss of moral virtue. It probably has its origin in C13th –
C14th, among Hindi or Jain communities, before being adapted for
Muslim communities as illustrated in the circa 1810 example. Each
square had its own moral and ethical significance, with the aim being
to reach ‘the Throne of God’ at the very top.
Design for Gan Chapar c 1810
Developed for the
British market by
Jaques in 1880, their
version
was
originally based on a
circular route rather
than
the
more
common side-to-side
racing game and
became a firm family
favourite.
(Interestingly, during WW2, Jaques
produced wooden versions of this game for the
British prisoners of war, but secreted maps between
the cardboard layers of the printed game.)
The Invasion of Europe - The Great War Game
Perhaps not in the best of taste by today’s
standards, in 1910 the games publishing
company Chad Valley marketet a strategic
territory-winning game for two players, the
aim being to place counters in a way as to gain
possession of European countries.
The
Admiral and General deploying their army and
navy could move their forces, in directions
determined by a spinning compass. How
popular the game proved, either before or
after 4 August 1914, is unclear.
Shut The Box
This dice game, at least 200 years old and thought to be French in origin (especially
popular in Normandy and the Channel
Islands), and was popular with sailors from
the Normandy coast to amuse both
themselves and their passengers on long
journeys. The game is known by several
other names, some indicating its maritime
links: e.g. “Batten Down the Hatches”). By
the mid C20th it was a popular family and
pub game, and remains a favourite pastime
in Thai bars. The physical form of the game
took many shapes, but essentially it
provided a means by which, depending on
the roll of two dice, numbered open spaces
could be closed off, the winner being the player with the lowest total value of
remaining ‘boxes’ open after s/he rolls dice that cannot be used to ‘close’ any more
boxes.
At first glance it is a simple game of chance, but it does involve tactics, calculations
and judgements, making it a good game for developing rapid number skills. The
inclusion of Shut the Box among the games contained in C19th games compendia was
quite common. Although the basic equipment needed lends itself to improvised DIY
versions (using paper, sand, pebbles or other materials), wooden commercial
versions, with between 9 and 15 boxes, remain available.
Yahtzee (or ‘Yatch’ or ‘Yam’)
This dice game, known by many other names across the world, has several forms, but
basically players aim to thrown their five dice over 13 rounds to obtain this highest
score. Different ‘hands’ for the five thrown
dice attract varying scores, and on any one
turn a player can chose to throw some or
all of his/her dice up to three times to seek
a ‘hand’ yet to be claimed or to maximise
their points tally. Scoring each hand (e.g.
four of a king; full house; low/high straight)
follows rules very similar to poker dice or
cards poker.
All that is needed to play the game is a set
of five dice and, preferably, a shaker.
Ideally, a written score sheet for each player (contained in most commercial versions
of the game), helps in the scoring process and, depending on how many players are
involved (it can be just two, or several) it can be a popular bar and parlour game.
Although the throw of the dice makes it a game of chance, much tactical expertise is
needed to become a good player.
It is thought that the modern game was first patented in 1954 by a Canadian couple
(although a similar American game dates from 1940s, and other earlier noncommercial versions are known about), under the name of ‘Yacht’ (reflecting the fact
that it was devised to while away the hours with friends on
the couple’s yacht!), but its origins, in various forms, go back
much further. Like many other ‘modern’ games, its
beginnings are shrouded in mystery, but again its portability
made it a suitable pastime for troops and families during the
war years. It took some years to ‘catch on’ commercially,
but was used by teachers to help students with their maths
programmes.
Mancala
Throughout the War, British, French and
German forces were supplemented by
many from outside Europe. Britain
and France, both with ‘strong’
colonial histories, drew heavily
from former or existing colonial
nations. India alone provide over
100,00 troops, while British forces
were strengthened by, among
others, some 15,000 West Indians of African origin. The French received
troops from the area that became known as ‘Francophone Africa’, with the
Tirailleurs Senegalese serving with much distinction.
It is likely that those recruits with African backgrounds will have been familiar
with a group of games known by the collective name of ‘Mancala’ (meaning,
in Arabic, to move or take away - this game many have had its origins in
Arabia, Egypt or the Sahara). Although
there are many (over 200!) variants, the
basics are the same. There is evidence of
the game being played some 3,500 years
ago, and African slaves took their versions
to Surinam, America and the West Indies.
A number of ‘pits’ are carved (in wood) or
scraped (*in sand/soil), and two players distribute or ‘sow’ their ‘pips’
(pebbles; shells; seeds; chips; pips) equally among the pits on their side of the
board. Playing turn-by-turn,
pips from one pit are then
moved round clockwise from pit
to pit, ‘winning’ the opponent’s
pips if the last one falls in an
opposition pit with 2 or fewer of
the opponent’s pips in it. There
is more to this counting and
tactical game than this, which is
probably why it remains a
popular game across much of
the world (some regard it as
Africa’s national game). Board
carving is done with great skill, incorporating symbolic images and passed
down through families.
Drawing prepared by a U3A Drawing roup member, for display at the 4 August 201BU3A event.