More Marines

The week has seen the completion of the second battalion of Marines.

Next on the painting table is the 13th Regiment of Foot.

The Guards...and a Goat

The Easter break has seen the completion of the Guards Brigade for the British in Egypt...and a goat. 

The brigade comprises of two battalions: the 1/Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards and 1/3rd Regiment of Foot Guards. I have done these with stovepipe shako.

First is the Coldstreams

And then the 3rd Regiment of Foot Guards

And why the goat? 

Well after Lawrence's and Iain's comments about the gaot that is the mascot of the 23rd Foot I felt obligated to make the effort. This piece was on a sprue of farm animals I bought to fill out a recent Warlord Games order and was just crying out to be the 23rd's mascot. There was a temptation to have a before and after model, but I couldn't find the time to make a goat roasting over a fire on a spit.

Marines...

...that is marines, not Royal Marines. These are marines in1801 and the royal title was not granted until the following year. What this means is that the facings are white and not blue.

This will be one of two battalions that I will build for the British in Egypt project. Quite possibly there was only one battalion of marines on shore service in Egypt, but I am doing two, because I like them, and I can!

Next on the production line are the two battalions of Guards.

23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot

This weekend saw the completion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the 23rd Regiment of Foot.

I have done these in round hats.

This completes the third of five units that will make up Moore's Brigade. The two remaining units, the 42nd foot and the Corsican Rangers, will be in the next order that will be placed in late April.

Next, just to get a bit of variety with the painting, will be a battalion of marines.

Generals and Émigrés

This week’s focus has been on completing the generals and adding the first of the émigré regiments for the British in Egypt.

 

Of the generals I have done three brigadiers in Doyle, Coote and Craddock.

Doyle

Craddock

 

Coote

The first of what will be four émigré regiments is De Watteville's Regiment founded by Louis de Watteville, the son of a Swiss mercenary who commanded a regiment in the service of the Netherlands. Louis served as a junior officer in his father's regiment against Revolutionary France and when the Dutch were defeated by the French he took up similar commission in a Swiss corps in the Austrian army in 1799. When Austria too was defeated, the various Swiss units were disbanded and de Watteville’s regiment was created by patching together parts of several Swiss regiments – Salis, Roverea, Courten and Bachmann –  and signed on in British service as mercenaries. 

On arrival in Egypt each of the contingent parts of the regiment still had their distinctive facings – Salis blue,  Roverea/Courten black,  Bachmann red - and I have represented them in this way, with Bachmann on the left of the line (right when viewed from the front) Salis on the right and Roverea/Courten in the centre. There is some evidence that later in the campaign they were issued with a new uniform matching that of the Roverea contingent. The regimental flags were taken from the Perry site – they were not issued with British colours until 1805.

 

The regiment continued service with the British throughout the Napoleonic Wars, chiefly around the Mediterranean. It served in the Peninsular Campaign from 1811 to 1813. Sent to Canada in 1813 to fight in the War of 1812 the regiment was retired at the end in 1815 and for their services the surviving soldiers were granted land in Canada. If I ever decide expand the War of 1812 force I think I will have to add de Watteville.

 

Louis de Watteville’s career reached its pinnacle in Canada. Promoted to major-general in 1813 and separated from the regiment, he commanded the district of Montreal for a while, before assuming command of the Right Division on the Niagara front after Raill was wounded and captured at Lundy’s Lane and participated in the Siege of Fort Erie. After the war he retired to Switzerland.

More British in Egypt

Two items were finished over the weekend. First was the second of the five gun sets that will be included in this army. This time the crew are loading the 6lb gun. In the set two figures wear the regulation cocked hat and two wear the fatigue cap.

Second is the first batch of generals. This set contains figures representing Generals Abercrombie, Hutchinson and Moore. I have done Abercrombie and Hutchinson as the senior command group and the Moore as a brigadier.

 Abercrombie (hand on hip) and Hutchinson (pointing)

John Moore

The 28th Regiment of Foot and the First of the British in Egypt Artillery

The 28^th  (North Gloucestershire) Regiment of Foot is the second of the British in Egypt infantry to pass through the uniform store and the first in this collection in the stovepipe shako. As my good friend Lawrence reminded me the 28^th had a unique honour: at the Battle of Alexandria the French cavalry succeeded in breaking through the British lines, reformed behind the 28^th and began to charge while the 28^th was still heavily engaged to the front. Hurriedly the order was given for the rear rank to face about and fighting  back to back the regiment successfully defended itself. For this action the regiment was accorded the right to wearing the regimental number on both the front and the back of the shako.

 

The second piece off the painting table this weekend is the first of the artillery. Listed as "Foot Artillery firing 6 Pounder in Mother Shipton hats", this set has a unique gun. To prevent the wheels sinking into the desert sand the gunners tied staves from wooden barrels to the wheels.

A second gun set, this time in cocked hats, is assembled an ready for work.