The 11th Light Dragoons

For some time now I have been using three stands as the standard for my units. I started this with the Austro-Prussian War armies and have continued it through the Russo-Japanese War, WWI, Crimean War, Carlist War and Wars of the Roses collections. The number of figures on a base varies only slightly – I use three figures on the early 20^th Century stands, where the formations are more open, but for the other periods I use six figures for infantry and three for cavalry. For the six and three mix works out well because all the ranges I have bought recently have been from manufacturers who sell their figures in packs of six infantry or three cavalry.

The physical size of the stands can differ with the period. Most have 50mm frontage and 40mm depth (although the Russian Crimean War stands are 40mm x 50mm to represent the fact that the Russians generally used narrow, deep formations). The Napoleonic armies (Prussians, Russians, French and United States) are on slightly narrower bases, 45mm x 40mm to match with others in the group. The Napoleonic ranges also vary in unit size, being of four stands, not three, again to fit in with the long standing standard unit size we have chosen for play within the group.

 

Left to right above a stand each of Austrians from 1866, WSS Bavarians, Carlists, British Crimean, Russian Crimean, French Napoleonic.

When I started the Egyptian project I thought long and hard about unit size. Since no one else in the group is collecting these armies I can use the three stand approach.

 

Looking at the various historical sources the “fit for service” strengths for infantry units on both sides varied radically from 700 men through to less than 100. The cavalry strengths were equally varied, with the British suffering from a severe shortage of horses – so  much that in the first month of the campaign less than one-third of their cavalry had mounts (of the 1,101 light dragoons listed in the returns of 8 March 1801, there were only 320 horses). The bulk of the British cavalry fought dismounted.

 

So my question for the Egyptian campaign was whether to  try to capture the varied strength of units. And the answer is on the whole no. The exception is the British cavalry. Here I will create three mounted units and two dismounted units, each of two stands. Which leads to the point of this post

with the first unit of British in Egypt cavalry – the 11^th Light Dragoons - passing in review:

 

Mounted (using the Perry plastic Light Dragoon set)

 

Dismounted, and armed with muskets rather than carbines, using the metal figures.

 

The other units that will follow will be the 8^th and 26^th Regiments, but I still need some more figures to complete these units so it may be a while before they shuffle onto the parade ground.