The British Army At Waterloo

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

27th Inniskilling

Been crazily busy for the last month or so and had no time for this project. At last things have calmed down and I can get back to painting. Here is No.2 Company 27th (Inniskilling) Foot - work in progress.
Standing helpless in column they were heavily shot up from the captured farmhouse of La Haye Sainte. Of a nominal strength of 91 (probably around 80 in reality) 41 were casualties.
With the exception of two Scotsmen (Privates Charles Smith and Nathanial Wallace) the company was entirely Irish. Lieutenant Betty was the only combatant officer of the 27th to escape unscathed. However, his luck did not hold - on returning to Ireland on leave he caught typhus and died.

These are a mix of Victrix, Victrix with Perry heads, Perry metals, and a Front Rank casualty.

The Perry faces are beautiful, too beautiful in my opinion to represent the 27th who I have always thought of as a particularly ugly and unloveable bunch. As a result I have experimented with Victrix Scots faces grafted onto Perry shakos. The chap standing behind the casualty is one such Frankenstein creation.

Monday, 2 May 2011

40th (2nd Somersetshire) Foot - No.1 Company

Work in progress on a company of 40th Foot. Hate buff facings and straps, very hard to get right. Also took these pics as the sun was going down, so light not good. Enough excuses.

Number 1 Company had a nominal strength of 79 on 18th June. (so you can guess around 65 men in reality) - 32 pictured here. As the regiment was only moved into position late in the day (so maybe the long shadows are appropriate) it suffered relatively few casualties, and this company was especially lucky - only 6 men were casualties, with only two dying of wounds - Corporal John Smith and Private John Tatchell.

Below are Captain Edward Cole Bowen, who commanded No.1 Company, Serjeant Joseph Richenberg, Drummer Alexander Hillman, and Ensign JL Wall.

Serjeant Richenberg was an Italian born in Naples who had transferred into the regiment from the Chasseurs Britanniques, the cavalry regiment in British service whose ranks had originally been filled with Royalist French. He continued to serve in the 40th Foot until 1830 when he was discharged to pension aged 40, intending to set up a new life in New South Wales.

Sunday, 10 April 2011

28th Foot (North Gloucestershire)

Following a hard day's fight at QB it seems unlikely the 28th numbered more than 400 at the outset of 18th June. We are still quite a long way off that number but a quick count this morning reveals 6 centre companies mostly complete, with the grenadier company complete and the skirmishing light company about halfway there. They will be in square so, as always, it's getting enough kneeling men that is the problem. If anyone reading this has any spares they'd like to sell...

The 28th were a mix of Irish (47%) and West Country (42% coming from Devon, Somerset, or Cornwall). Reflecting this concoction somewhat, my regiment is a mix of 4 main makes - 2 companies are Elite, 3 are Foundry, 1 is Essex, and 1, on the left below, is Victrix. I will probably complete the missing companies with more Victrix - I love the variety they provide.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

92nd Foot update

Lots of work recently on the charge of the Gordons at Waterloo. After Quatre Bras estimates of nominal strength were not more than 20 men per company. Here each company is 18 men (one entire company is still missing) while the flank companies are 24 men, which leaves me in the insane position of having TOO MANY figures for 1:1. Arrrghh!

The great majority are the very wonderful Victrix, including the Light company. The Grenadier company are a mix of Perry, Foundry, and Front Rank. The chap above is an old Hinchliffe figure with Victrix arms added.

A Foundry officer with a Victrix head.

Still a huge amount to be done, including the acursed yellow stripes of the Gordons through every kilt! But generally feeling quite pleased with the way these are coming along.