Words by James Winspear
Main image from A Gentleman’s War
There is a curious picture in The Illustrated London News of January 25th, 1913. In it, H.G. Wells – author of science-fiction classics including The War of the Worlds – has been transformed from a figurative literary giant into an actual one. Wells and two other gentlemen tower like gods above a countryside in miniature, replete with flowing rivers, trees and cottages. In the background, one of the men kneels amongst the houses, surrounded by tiny soldiers and cannons. In the foreground, Wells himself is busy measuring a troop of cavalry with a piece of string. The article informs us that Wells and his companions are engaged in a novel new pastime called an ‘indoor war game’.