"British Light Coy shako badges.. horn or plate?" Topic

Hi Gents,

I have some annoying recollection of seeing an illustration of a British Line Infantry Light Company shako (I'm referring to the 'stovepipe' shako) with a bugle horn badge, as per the Light Infantry Battalions, but I have been through 3 Ospreys and find nothing to support this notion.

Please tell me this is just some fanciful brain-hiccup of mine, and that the Light companies of Line Battalions wore the same rectangular-ish badge as the Grens and Center coys..?

Thank you for any enlightenment,
Bob

In Uniforms of the Peninsular War, 1807-1814 by Haythornthwaite, see plate 16: Officer Light Company, Chasseurs Britanniques, 1812 – small white metal bugle horn with cords above, on stovepipe shako.

Plate 8: Officer, Light company, 45th Foot, 1812 – same small white metal bugle horn and cords, on stovepipe shako.

Plate 6: Officer, light company, 4th Foot, 1808 – same.

Osprey Men-at-Arms #382, the Irish, shows in Plate H an officer of the light company of the 87th with stovepipe shako, and brass or gold bugle horn and cords as above.

Osprey Men-at-Arms #114 shows officer of the 30th Foot, 1812, white metal horn and cords above "30" in white metal, on stovepipe.

You didn't ask, but Haythornthwaite's Uniforms of Waterloo, plate 12, shows a sergeant of the light company of the 27th wearing the Belgic shako, but with white cords, green tuft on the left, the number 27 in yellow metal with yellow metal horn and cords above.

Finally, same book plate 14 shows an officer of the light company of the 33rd with gold cords, green side plume, brass or gold "33" below yellow metal horn and cords, on the Belgic shako.

All the light company illustrations I can find show the bugle horn and cords!

GdeP

Thank you GdeP!
My confusion was stemming from this image of Victrix Flank Coy figures..
picture
I wasn't sure if those green plumes with rectangular badges were the norm. I was finding support for this in my old 'Armies at Waterloo', by Pericoli. Although the Belgic shakos were represented, the Light coys were shown as having the same badge as both Center and Grenadier coys, which could, arguably, lend support to these green-plumed/rectangular-badged figures. As well, plate 32 of Winslow's 'Military Dress of The Peninsular War' (as well as the actual cover of the book) shows a British 3rd Foot Guards Light Companyman with stovepipe, green plume, and rectangular badge…precisely like the image on Victrix's box cover.

However your generous and multiple sets of sources disagree.

Was this something, perhaps, that was open to regimental interpretation?

Cheers,
Bob

As Wislow above, see figure on the right..
picture

Hello, Inkbiz:

If you note the cords on the 27th, Inniskilling, light company man being white instead of green, there certainly could be regimental variations.

I have no idea what the front of the cap of the light company of the 28th looked like, but the battalion still wore the stovepipe at Waterloo, and I have seen an illustration of the front plate cut away to show a top scroll, a bottom scroll and the number "28" in between, all against the black of the stovepipe (or was the plate painted black?). This regiment is also unique in wearing the "back number" for its action at Alexandria, Egypt in ?1800? The flank companies may still have carried French back packs at Waterloo, taken at Alexandria.

GdeP

To make it easy,the British light BATTALIONS had the horn insignia. the light COMPANIES in line regiments,had whatever plate the parent regiment had. They just had shoulder wings and green cords/tufts.

Bob

That may be the case, with the exception, at least, of:

4th Foot, 1808;
27th at Waterloo, and with white cords;
30th, Waterloo;
33rd, Waterloo;
45th, 1812 in Spain;
87th in Spain; and
Chasseurs Britannique in Spain.

GdeP

FWIW, a General Order dated 28 December 1814 authorized the bugle horn badge in place of the regulation shako plate for all Light Infantry and Rifle Regiments and companies. The LI and Rifle Regiments had obviously been wearing these long before this, but regarding Light companies, I would suspect that it was generally limited to officers (who purchased their own kit). Doubtless there were Regiments that, pre-Waterloo, provided their Light bobs with bugle horn badges, but in the absence of positive proof I'd err on the side of regulations. CH Smith (1812) does show a Light coy ranker of the 29th with regulation plate.