About Jeff Herbert

Jeff Herbert joined the Society as member in June 1982.  He has written a lot of articles for the Society’s magazine “Despatches”.  In the 1980s, when I was a student, he invited me to join the miniatures wargaming events hosted at his home.  Teaching the ‘Young’ Lawrence a lot of wargaming skills and the ethics of wargaming.  He beat me in a lot of HKSW Ancients Competitions when I played WRG Ancients, DBA, DBM and DBMM.  If my memory is correct, he has beaten me in all the Ancients Competition Games I played against him.  Jeff has won a lot of Miniatures Wargames Competitions in Hong Kong.   When I first met him at HKSW in the 1980s, a fearsome and solemn looking English man, who appeared just like the “Sean Connery” version James Bond to me, but after I played wargames with him regularly, I found him to be a kind and friendly Gentleman.  The Model Wargamer that I wanted to become. 

Quoted from his article “Club Objectives” in the Society’s website: 

“Only Peter, Andrzej and I are left of what can be termed the original membership and the only founding member is Peter.  When we joined the figure collections in Hong Kong were quite small, you had to build your own or be content to watch, members fronting up with one or two units to put many of the games together.  In this way an entire ACW campaign was put together and fought on a month-by-month basis with whatever turned up, one player with a brigade of infantry another with a battery of guns or a regiment of cavalry.  This is what the club is about.  We tried to reintroduce this a year or so ago, Peter even brought along free figures.  We played Fire and Fury and those that took part enjoyed it.  It has literary come to the point that if Peter cannot attend, due to duty commitments, I have to bring all the figures unless I can get somebody like Dick to bring some.  Bearing in mind that I am also on 24-hour operational call there may be a time when there will be no game available for those who just arrive on speck.  It is also becoming difficult for me to get car parking at the venue, if I cannot, I will be unable to bring more than one bag ….”  Jeff hosted a number of huge games with on occasion 20 people taking part.  

Just like Andrzej Cierpicki and Peter Hunt, Jeff had devoted a lot of efforts to the Society and is one of the Great Leaders of the Society.  When Andrzej left Hong Kong in 2016, Jeff answered the Calls to Arms to succeed Andrzej to be our chairman and promised to serve for three Years but ended up for six Years.  We need leaders like this to steer us in the Storms.  In my opinion he is an irreplaceable asset of the Society.

Jeff has declined to be a Life-Member of the Society even before the Committee proposed to do so.  “I shall continue my Membership/Subs with HKSW. So, no need to make me a life member” was his emails to us.  Jeff has already left Hong Kong in March 2022 but remains a firm supporter of the club.

Lawrence Ho

Members Co-ordinator

The Hong Kong Society of Wargamers

15 August 2022