"British Greatcoat" Topic

Hi All,

While in action, would there have a combination of some troops without greatcoats on, and some with them on, within a regiment? at Waterloo etc for example.

Or would there have been a command for all to remove greatcoats for action etc?

Can some of my regiments be made up of a combination of some without and some with greatcoats?

Thanks

I would think it would depend on the weather on the day in question.

Generally, I don't bother with figures in greatcoats, but there is no reason why you couldn't have some of your units wearing greatcoats if you want. They are your toys after all.

thanks Mike. Rather than one unit wearing them, and another unit not, I was more thinking of one unit having some men in the unit wearing them and some without. On a day such as Waterloo for example. Or whether the British command would have expected all to be the same in a unit. Or whether it was down to the individual to decide whether he wanted to wear it in battle or not?

I don't believe there are any actual documented cases of Brtitsh infantry units wearing the greatcoat in a major action during the Peninsular or Waterloo campaigns.

As for some in greatcoat, some in tunic as per the common look of French battalions, I would find it highly unlikely this would have been the case for British battalions.

Personally, I love the look of French battalions in a mix of uniforms in each battalion. I do this also for Russians. My British battalions are all in tunic however.

The British tended to be more 'regimented' and disciplined than the French when it came to dress. Whereas a French unit of mixed greatcoated and uncoated figures would be realistic, the same would not be true for the British. While marching 'at ease' you might get a mix but 'on the day of battle' they would all be dressed the same within a particular unit. On duty, and the sergeant's word would be law.

I think this has come up before.

The fact is that fielding British Battalions in Greatcoat really is a bit of a NoNo. While technically speaking in an individual's kit issue, it wasn't really.

Such was the consideration of HM Forces for the man on the front line (bit like now, really) that all Greatcoats were either put into store at the start of a Campaign (dependent on season, one would hope) or there were a number per company stuck in the baggage.

These were then issued to those on guard or other duty in an attempt to stop them freezing to death (how about being stuck some where in the Pyrenees in the middle of winter without one!) and returned for the next detail, while those coming off watch cuddled up in their blankets!

Its almost enough to make you want to be French !

If they were like most militaries, individuality was not encouraged. I would think the battalion commander or even brigade commander decided when to wear the greatcoats and when to take them off.

Incidentally, and this will come as a blow to a lot of collectors with British Guards figures, the 1st Guards did not have their greatcoat with them at Waterloo. I have recently been looking through the QM correspondence held at the HQ archive and found papers relating to a Regimental order to leave all greatcoats behind at Antwerp (or Ghent) presumably as a brief summer campaign was anticipated. This must have meant even greater misery endured in the terrrible rainstorm of 17th June.
So you can all start chipping off those greatcoats rolled atop the backpacks of your prize Guards figures!

p.s. On the other hand, court martial documentation at Kew identifies certain officers (from a line regiment) as "wearing a greatcoat throughout the day."

Lord Hill

Oooh. Which line regiment?

Darn! I have my British Guards wearing their greatcoats!
picture

Don, Oh no! :)

Well everybody makes their own little exception to reality (not least of which being thousands of men represented by a few hundred max) so I'm sure a few greatcoats can be overlooked!

There's a scenario I've bee thinking on lately about the fightings in the road to Corunna, exactly that skirmish action where some british stragglers held off the French cavalry. In that scenario British troops with great coats would fit in perfectly.

Is there any manufacturer who sells british infantry with greatcoats in 28mm?.

Connoisseur.

Thank you John, pity that they seem to have just one figure with greatcoat.