Tony Barton
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2011
- Messages
- 181
The 2nd Guards at Hougoumont
I very nearly let the Waterloo 200th anniversary go unsung, but with a mad rush I have just managed to squeeze this chap in on the day . As usual with these big figures, I try and use the best materials to recreate the various textures.
The figure:
He’s a Dragon 1/6th body, one of the taller ones, so he’s actually 5’11” tall. I’ve called him Matthew Akers, recently volunteered from the Berkshire Militia, persuaded by the very substantial bounty and the prospect of some excitement, something he is unlikely to find in the Militia. He may regret that decision by later in the day.
When you start a project like this , you need to plan it all and do quite a lot of reading , to check out all the details. The sources don’t agree perfectly , and some details we shall never know, but the main outlines are clear. There are a couple of early articles in Military Illustrated which have been very helpful . The jacket pattern comes from an article on existing soldiers’ coats , of which there are about eight .
His uniform is very similar to the Line version , but has a couple of small distinction, with the lace in plain white worsted, and wings of facing colour rather than red.
The jackets were made from heavy broadcloth , lined in white kersey, with dark blue facings and tin buttons, and worn over a white flannel sleeved waistcoat and a large linen shirt, the collar of which was confined by the polished leather stock .
The cap or shako was the 1812 model, with a false front copied from a Portugese style. Made of felt with a leather peak and decorated with a brass plate and a festoon of worsted cords. The Light Company wore green cords and tuft ,and may have had an additional buglehorn badge over the main plate with the Garter Star , the badge of the Regiment. Most of the time the ornaments were stuffed inside( along with tobacco etc ) and the cap was covered with a waterproof oilcloth cover.
The knapsack is the 1811 model, which can now more certainly be reconstructed (not the completely spurious “ Trotter “ knapsack which never existed) .
I’ve followed the dimensions given by reconstructors, but I confess it looks a bit big.
Most of the armies had spent the night in the open in torrential rain, lying in their blankets in the mud. The rain stopped and the sun came out, but they must have been pretty filthy by the time the battle started. The 2nd Guards were presumably able to take some shelter in the buildings of Hougoumont, so perhaps they were slightly less filthy before the battle started.I've tried not to overdo it, but in reality he might have looked much worse than this.
I very nearly let the Waterloo 200th anniversary go unsung, but with a mad rush I have just managed to squeeze this chap in on the day . As usual with these big figures, I try and use the best materials to recreate the various textures.
The figure:
He’s a Dragon 1/6th body, one of the taller ones, so he’s actually 5’11” tall. I’ve called him Matthew Akers, recently volunteered from the Berkshire Militia, persuaded by the very substantial bounty and the prospect of some excitement, something he is unlikely to find in the Militia. He may regret that decision by later in the day.
When you start a project like this , you need to plan it all and do quite a lot of reading , to check out all the details. The sources don’t agree perfectly , and some details we shall never know, but the main outlines are clear. There are a couple of early articles in Military Illustrated which have been very helpful . The jacket pattern comes from an article on existing soldiers’ coats , of which there are about eight .
His uniform is very similar to the Line version , but has a couple of small distinction, with the lace in plain white worsted, and wings of facing colour rather than red.
The jackets were made from heavy broadcloth , lined in white kersey, with dark blue facings and tin buttons, and worn over a white flannel sleeved waistcoat and a large linen shirt, the collar of which was confined by the polished leather stock .
The cap or shako was the 1812 model, with a false front copied from a Portugese style. Made of felt with a leather peak and decorated with a brass plate and a festoon of worsted cords. The Light Company wore green cords and tuft ,and may have had an additional buglehorn badge over the main plate with the Garter Star , the badge of the Regiment. Most of the time the ornaments were stuffed inside( along with tobacco etc ) and the cap was covered with a waterproof oilcloth cover.
The knapsack is the 1811 model, which can now more certainly be reconstructed (not the completely spurious “ Trotter “ knapsack which never existed) .
I’ve followed the dimensions given by reconstructors, but I confess it looks a bit big.
Most of the armies had spent the night in the open in torrential rain, lying in their blankets in the mud. The rain stopped and the sun came out, but they must have been pretty filthy by the time the battle started. The 2nd Guards were presumably able to take some shelter in the buildings of Hougoumont, so perhaps they were slightly less filthy before the battle started.I've tried not to overdo it, but in reality he might have looked much worse than this.
