Donald Featherstone

Who was Donald Featherstone?

Donald F. Featherstone was a British author of more than forty books on wargaming and military history.

Featherstone was born in London. and during the Second World War, he joined the Royal Armoured Corps. An account of his war experiences can be found in his book Lost Tales. Originally a physiotherapist, Featherstone was first introduced to wargaming by reading H. G. Wells' Little Wars and his first opponent was Tony Bath in 1955.

In 1960 the two of them began editing the UK version of the War Game Digest, a seminal wargaming newsletter started by Jack Scruby. Featherstone expressed disapproval of a trend towards articles "attempting to spread an aura of pseudo-science over what is a pastime".

He started his own periodical in 1962, the Wargamers' Newsletter. After a discussion with Paddy Griffith, Featherstone realised that wargaming as a hobby could considerably aid in understanding military history. Featherstone appeared on the BBC to promote the hobby. In 1966, he organised the first UK wargames convention.