Horse and Musket: Sikhs

Showing posts with label Sikhs. Show all posts

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Colonial Army in Review

Delhi Durbar, 1911

I thought I would hold my own "Durbar" today to display my British and Indian Colonial Forces, circa 1878. I have often seen Alte Fritz's Grand Reviews of his amazing Seven Years War Armies. I have borrowed the concept for my much smaller Colonial army. I can only claim to have myself painted the Gunga Din figure, the regimental bhisti of Rudyard Kipling's famous poem, plus the other Indian bearers. All of the other figures were painted by either Leuthen Studios or Carl Robson. The collection was the work of several years and includes figures by Perry, Foundry, Empress and Pontoonier Miniatures.

Left: 13th Bengal Lancers (Duke of Connaught's Horse)
Right: 9th Bengal Lancers (Hodsons Horse)

13th Bengal Lancers (Duke of Connaught's Horse)

9th Bengal Lancers (Hodsons Horse)

The Queen's Own Corps of Guides, Mounted and Foot

Kohat Battery, Mountain Artillery with 7 pounder Screw-guns

15th Bengal Infantry (Ludhiana Sikhs)

45th Bengal Infantry (Rattray's Sikhs)

Regimental bhisti and bearers

So I'll meet 'im later on

At the place where 'e is gone --

Where it's always double drill and no canteen;

'E'll be squattin' on the coals

Givin' drink to poor damned souls,

An' I'll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!

Yes, Din! Din! Din!

You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!

Though I've belted you and flayed you,

By the livin' Gawd that made you,

You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Left: Gardiner Gun and Naval Brigade Crew

Right: Royal Artillery with 7 pounder Screw-gun

2nd Battalion, Queen's Regiment

92nd Gordon Highlanders

York and Lancashire Regiment

5th (Royal Irish) Lancers

19th Hussars

10th Hussars

Camel Corps, 5th Dragoon Guards section

Royal Horse Artillery with 9 pdr Gun

Royal Army Medical Corps

13th Bengal Lancers Duke of Connaughts aka 4th Sikh Watsons Horse

9th Bengal Lancers (Hodsons Horse)

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Royal Artillery, Second Afghan War

Royal Artillery 6-horse team

I needed to give my British troops some more fire-power. I have used the Foundry colonial artillery limber and crew and Empress Miniature's excellent 7lb and 9lb guns and gunners from their Zulu War range.

This set must surely have been inspired by Richard Caton Woodville's famous painting, "Saving the Guns at the Battle of Maiwand".

Gunners riding limber

Gunners aiming 9lb Field Gun

7lb field Gun

The officer is from Perry Miniatures Sudan War range.

Mounted officer, Royal Artillery

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Imperial Infantry, Second Afghan War 1878-80

I have been intrigued by an illustration entitled "Route Marching 2nd Battalion Queen's 1879 Peshawa, India". This shows British infantry in the transitional khaki tunic with home service blue trousers with red stripe and covered foreign service helmet. The 70th (Surrey) Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Battalion The Queen’s (Second) Royal, Regiment of Foot, were both in Afghanistan at this time and the illustration could be of either regiment, despite the title, and they were ultimately amalgamated.

With these illustrations in mind, I asked Carl Robson to swap the Perry Sudan War infantry head with covered helmet, with the Pontoonier Miniatures British Infantry body. This was from expert advise I received from Ethan "Mad Guru" Reiff to create the "definitive" British infantry from the Second Afghan War. Ethan encourage me to commission the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment of Foot of Maiwand fame. I wasn't sure how this experiment would turn out, so in deference to the memory of the 66th, I asked Carl to paint the Queen's instead. I am very pleased with the result. The swap enables the figure to carry the correct equipment for this war and to have an appropriate helmet.

The pouches were black leather, not the white shown below, but this gives an idea of how the equipment looked.