Pioneer Wargamer Passes Away

A couple of days ago, the wargaming community heard the quiet news that Donald Featherstone passed away.

The actual details have been hard to come by.  So far, I only received the news via blogposts by Mister Nizz, van Kradenburg and the crew from Meeples and Miniatures. 

I've known of Donald Featherstone and his work for about as long as I've been a wargamer. Although the only times I encountered his books were in various libraries.  I never seemed to find any in the game stores.  (This was back in the pre-online shopping/E-bay days). 

So I only have two of his works:

Wargaming: Ancient and Medieval Periods, and

Campaigning with the Duke of Wellington & Featherstone...

I met the man once, back in 1997.  Some gamers I was briefly acquainted with, while stationed at Fort Bragg, NC, knew Mr. Featherstone.  He'd arrived to join them on a road trip to the Siege of Augusta wargame convention.  During a private gaming session on the night before they left, he chatted with me about his superimposed image on the cover of Campaigning with the Duke.  He said the advice he was giving Wellington was on where to buy the best fish & chips.

So even though my encounter with Mr. Featherstone lasted only several moments, he did sign my copy of Wargaming Ancient and Medieval Periods.  So his passing feels a tad personal to me.

Rest in Peace Mr. Featherstone and thank you for all you've done for our hobby.