Professor Tony Pollard has been a familiar figure on British TV screens ever since his early appearances on Time Team and later, with Neil Oliver, in the popular series Two Men In A Trench which was a real breakthrough in the field of battlefield archaeology.
Since then, he has risen through the academic ranks to command an entirely new section of the university of Glasgow, where he is Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology and Director of the Centre for Battlefield Archaeology.
I first met and briefly interviewed Tony at the Partizan show last year (see the Battlechat special here ) where we discussed his involvement with the unique Waterloo Uncovered charity, and it was his participation in that project that has led to the hugely ambitious plans for this coming weekend: The Great Game, a charity wargame using 22,000+ figures to replay the Battle of Waterloo for a veterans’ charity on 15 and 16 June 2019.
Tony was able to spare nearly an hour out of his breakneck schedule (you can hear incoming message alerts punctuating the interview) to discuss his background and his journey as an archaeologist that has led to this point, where he is able to combine his passion for the hobby with his mission to use wargaming as an educational tool. We only planned to spend 30-45 minutes chatting, but it’s clear that Tony has a great deal more to say!
So, sit back for an hour and listen to this enthusiastic and passionate man get excited about what the coming weekend, which must surely rank as a once-in-a-lifetime event, has to offer the visitor. Good luck to Tony and everyone else involved in this marvellous project!
Henry
P.S. Given the newsworthy nature of this interview, it is available exclusively to patrons for just 12 hours and will be going public tomorrow, 11th June.
The Great Game – University of Glasgow
The Great Game – What’s On Glasgow
Also look out for tweets with the hashtag #waterlooreplayed
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