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THE ANKH-MORPORK CITY WATCH GROUP Motto: FABRICATI DIEM, PVNC In the first Discworld books there was a Day Watch and a Night Watch. The Night Watch were the dregs of society. As time progressed the two were combined to become The City Watch. Although members of the Day Watch were named, once the two groups were combined Carrot was quoted as being the only Captain and none of the ex-Day members were ever mentioned again. The basic Watch uniform is a chainmail shirt, iron breastplate, iron and copper helmet, leather knee breeches and in wet weather a leather rain cape. Sandals are worn in summer and boots, of a poor cardboard type quality, in winter. A simple copper badge of office is carried or fastened to the uniform, or on a collar round the neck. Golem and Gargoyle Officers are not required to wear any uniform although Golem must wear a helmet. The Watch carry at various times, a night stick or oak truncheon,
regulation seven foot pike or halberd, crossbow and short
sword. When on duty they would also have an hourglass,
a bell, pigeons and a couple of round white painted semaphore
paddles depending on the period. The armour and weapons were originally taken from the armoury on a "if it fits wear it" basis, so there is no set standard uniform. No specific mention of uniform colours has been made in any of the books. While in Bonk Vimes took a dislike to their Watch uniform which was red, blue and yellow. He preferred a uniform you could lurk in. Clarecraft and Kidby tend towards a dark red for their Watch figures and Josh Kirby uses red and white a lot in his paintings. The uniform is considered to be darker colours like maroons and browns with red and white used to add detail and give some conformity to the group. In Thud Sally was given a shiny new breast plate and soup bowl helmet. It must be assumed that there may now be a more standard uniform if they were now having new armour made. See the side menu for details of the named characters who have served with both Vimes and Carrot. The models are based on all sources of information and are not confined to any one book or even a specific period of time. i.e. Nobby has his morning star from "Guards, Guards" and also the white feathers from "Jingo". The Watch is constantly expanding. In Thud Vetenari complained that Carrot's request for 60 new officers was over a third of the current complement which makes it just under around 180. This included trolls, dwarfs, one werewolf, three golem and an igor. Watch House(s):a) The current Watch HQ. b) At the time the books start there is only one night watch house in use, this is in Treacle Mine Road. Within this building were the original Treacle Mines that gave the road its name. At the back of the building part of the old mine equipment still remains surrounded by sheds, rabbit hutches, a pigsty and stables. The building was burnt down to a patch of melted rock by the Dragon in GG leaving just the stable block, the old mining tower and stout stone wall all round. Vetinari is about to have it rebuilt in memory of a deceased officer, John Keel. c) There were a number of derelict Watch Houses in other parts of the city and a strong suggestion in MAA that these would be reopened. By FoC there were Watch Houses in Chittling Street, handy for the Shades area, Dolly Sisters and Long Wall as well as Pseudopolis Yard. There are also smaller stations not permanently manned at most of the main city gates The public house The Bucket in Gleam Street was considered to be the fifth Watch House at this time. This has always been Colon's boozer. It is run by Mr Cheese who is thin, dry and only smiles when he has heard of a serious murder. Known for his short measures and cheeses. d) The Drum is the base for the newly formed River Watch who didn't have a boat for a long time, Not much of a problem you would have though on the Ankh, but by the time of Night Watch they were sinking the boat on a regular basis. (how - they must have have dug a hole and buried it???) The building now boasts its own semaphore tower. e) A Training School has been set up in an old Lemonade factory off Knuckle Passage, just over the alley from Pseudopolis Yard. Also used to store equipment like the yellow and black barricades used in the Thud riot, although they were more a physical symbol of an idea as they are just lengths of wood painted in stripes and mounted on trestles. Watch Life Recruiting Poster "The City Watche Needs Men! Be A Man In The City Watche!" New recruits take the King's shilling, which is attached to a chain to ensure they don't take it far. By the time of Night Watch, the job had become a good career, pay was not bad, a pension and a medical scheme; and after a year or so a trained copper could move to the Watch of another city with the hope of instant promotion. Known as "Sammies" even in towns that had never heard of Sam Vimes, they had spread as far as Uberwald. In Thud the Watch currently has starting pay of $38 a month plus allowances. Never come across the Watch before. Read about one of their strange cases Ideas on using the Watch in Games Workshop's Warhammer and Mordheim Other Military Units and weapons of war also for Warhammer - now includes rules for an Ankh-Morpork army of the Jingo period. |