Wartime collectible going under the hammer - 13/08/2010

The Game of War, a 600-piece game designed to train troops for combat, will be appearing at auction at Bonhams.

Bonhams will be selling the set, made in 1890, at its Chess, Playing Cards and Games Auction on October 13th.

The item is expected to sell for between £1,500 and £2,000 due to its age and rarity. It was used by British officers in the run-up to the first world war, which started on July 28th 1914.

It has a small map drawn to the scale of six inches to the mile and the troops are indicated by two blocks of colour – red and blue.

Luke Honey, Chess and Games consultant at Bonhams, said: "This is a rare and superb example of a late 19th century war-game used to train British army officers in military manoeuvres.

"It gives us a fascinating insight into the tactics of the period, which, ultimately culminated in the tragedy of the first world war."

The set also includes six machine-gun units, which were used in the war to devastating effect, as well as infantry, mounted cavalry and horse artillery.

More than 15 million people were killed in the conflict which ended on November 11th 1918.

Posted by Ophelia Weston