Sunday 16 June 2013

Happy Quatre Bras day!

Little to report but I thought, it being 16th June, I should post something.
Here is the beginning of the next project, 2 squadrons of the Scots Greys (about 120 men)
They are a mix of Foundry and Perry figs and I will probably divide them up into one squadron each. I'm very far from rich so these have been accumulated through numerous little ebay bargains, hunted down over the last 12 years or so. The other four squadrons will have to wait for some distant date in the future when, hopefully, someone starts making 28mm British heavy cavalry in plastic!


The new Perry figs are lovely sculpts but I can't help wondering why they were cast without the heavy white gauntlets which they wore. If you were about to engage in combat, probably with another big guy chopping at you with a big, sharp sword which would you go for? a) bare hands   or b) massive, thick leather gauntlets
So yesterday I spent about 4 hours adding my own milliput gauntlets to about 60 figs. They're a bit rough around the edges but I think they will look good when all painted up.
I'm also in the process of adding plumes to all the figs - I strongly believe that the Greys removed their oilskin covers and wore their plumes at Waterloo, and could ramble on at length, probably tediously, about all the primary evidence which supports this (not least being Corporal Dixon who describes having his plume shot off in the first charge!)

Whatever, there's nothing I can do about the oilskin covers adorning all of these figs but I can add a plume (cleverly protruding through an aperture in the cover...I have decided!)


.

Saturday 8 June 2013

Rifles - finished

Here is No.1 (Miller's) Company 2nd Battalion 95th regiment as they pour volleys into the Chasseurs a Pied of the Imperial Guard in Napoleon's final attack. Those names in pink were wounded, those in red were killed or died of wounds.

(front row) Corporal Dan Killing, Private Sam Doggett, Sam Hardy, Lieutenant John Fry, Privates Alex Smith, George Columbine,  Daniel Gardiner, James Giff, Corporal George Perry, Captain George Miller)
(back row) Privates William Halfpenny, Dennis Duff, Richard Jordan, Serjeant John Rutledge, Privates Richard Underhill, William Wood, George Turnbull, William Smith 1st, Henry Pollard, James King, John Francis)

(front row) Privates William Plunkett, Thomas Smith, William Willington, Luke Benton, Sam Cheetham, John Mitchell, John Pearce, William Aldridge, John Kinch, James Saunders
(back row) Corporal Willam Day, Privates Thomas Johnson, Thomas Jones 1st, Charles Dullea, John Himbury, Joseph Kemp, Joseph Luscombe, William Jones 1st, John Perry, Zachariah Giles, Patrick DignamJohn Daniels, James Spencer)

in the rear are Bugler Charles Perry, Serjeant James Stanley and Lieutenant & Adjutant Thomas Lawrence Smith.

(front row) Private Benjamin Child, Corporal Michael Nangle, Privates James Bennett, Joseph Elliot,  Thomas Conquest, Howel Bevon, John Hart 2nd, Cornelius O'Connor, Lt Thomas Cochrane, Privates Patrick Jelly, John Lewis, David Hague)
(back row) Corporal James McChristol, Privates William Wells, William Brockenborough, George Hopkins, Thomas Lawrenow, Corporal John Burrows, Privates Edward Marriot, William Hurst, Thomas Knight, Peter Street, William Suthers, Richard Voss, William Stamp)

 (front row) Corporal John Cocker, Private George O'Neil, Robert Fulton, William Edwards, William Greyson, Thomas Bushmill, Thomas Jordan, Owen Sullivan
(back row) Privates Thomas Tiffily, John Wyndham,  Richard Spatfield, James Sell, Nathanial Wood, John Sullivan, Corporal Alexander Watt

 The 2nd battalion ranks were comprised of 69% English, 19% Irish, 8% Scottish, and 4% Welsh.
Miller's company suffered 29 casualties - Privates John Daniels, John Francis, and Robert Fulton were killed in action, Samuel Doggett died of his wounds.


When Lt Colonel Amos Norcott had been wounded at 5pm, command had fallen to Lt-Colonel George Wilkins. who then "...whilst talking to the Duke in square prior to the final attack (of the Imperial Guard)  "both himself and horse were felled to the ground by the enemies [sic] artillery."

Thus Adjutant Smith may well have been the only mounted officer by the end of the evening (assuming his horse had not also been a casualty!)
Serjeant James Stanley, wounded in the final attack, had served in the regiment since 1805. He was from Sheepshead in Leicestershire, and aged 33 at Waterloo.