Paddy Griffith
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Sidebar".
Paddy Griffith (4 February 1947, Liverpool, England – 25 June 2010) was a British military theorist and historian, who authored numerous books in the field of War Studies. He was also a wargame designer for the UK Ministry of Defence, and a leading figure in the wargaming community.
Academic life
Griffith was a freelance military historian and a prolific author on military history and tactics. He was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he obtained a first-class honours degree in Modern History. He was a lecturer and then senior lecturer at RMA Sandhurst from 1973 to 1989.[1][2]
Forward into Battle
In Forward into Battle: Fighting Tactics from Waterloo to Vietnam (1981), Griffith put forward ideas about the "empty battlefield" or how increased fire-power had led to military formations becoming increasingly disaggregated. The conclusion he drew was that the willingness to close with the enemy was a key factor. It proved to be a highly influential work.[3]
Wargames
Griffith was the founder of the Wargame Developments Group[4] and SMATS (South Manchester Tactical Society)[5] which is a reincarnation of the Manchester Tactical Society founded by Spenser Wilkinson in the 1880s. He was the author of numerous books in the field of War Studies and a wargame designer for the UK Ministry of Defence.
Wargames Developments and COW
In 1980 while still a lecturer in War Studies at RMA Sandhurst, Griffith organised a conference, "New Directions in Wargaming", held at Moor Park, Farnham, which lasted an entire weekend (23–25 May 1980). He was the primary force behind the foundation of Wargame Developments, a group consisting of professional military personnel, civil servants, educators, and both professional and amateur wargame designers. Since 1981, the Conference of Wargamers (COW)[6] have been held at Knuston Hall Residential College for Adult Education. The typical COW consists of presentations in the form of papers and lectures, workshops, and practical sessions.[7]
Beginning in November 1980, the Wargame Developments group has published a regular journal, The Nugget.[8] Currently there are nine issues distributed annually. It is subscribed to by a wide range of people, including professional military personnel and civilians. Griffith edited the first 15 issues, as well as the 50th. Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Griffith is credited with developing the megagame role-playing system.[9]
Death
Griffith died of a heart attack on 25 June 2010, aged 63.
Publications
Works
Script error: No such module "Template wrapper".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ Griifith profile at ospreypublishing.com Script error: No such module "webarchive".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Romjue, John L., (1998) American Army Doctrine for the Post-Cold War, Military History Office of the U.S. Army
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
External links
- Paddy Griffith's Web Site (archived in 2018)
- South Manchester Tactical Society founded by Paddy Griffith
- Link to wargames which Griffith designed
Template:Wargames Script error: No such module "Authority control".