"Light companies of the 9th and 88th Foot?" Topic

Does anyone know if the light companies of either or both of these regiments had the bugle horn on the front of their stovepipe shakos in the peninsular war? I just acquired a 52 figure set of British flank company troops – plastics by Victrix – and all have the shield plate on front. I need to convert to be "correct."

In addition, does anyone out there have any specific "peculiarities" about these regiments – drummers in pink; sergeants with yellow sashes – not crimson with yellow line; and the like?

GdeP

I always enjoy your British Peninsular War uniform questions G de P, as I can never resist having a glance through my Franklin's "Napoleonic British Uniforms" book and invariably find something new each time.

Under the section covering headwear he has a depiction of the stovepipe shako with the bugle badge of the light company of the 33rd.

The narrative relating to it is that this was a later version favoured by light infantry and "some" line battalion light infantry companies, and that this was only officially approved in 1814.

No reference that I can find anywhere else of which regiments had actually adopted this for their light companies before 1814 though.

If it were me, I'd probably not bother with a conversion unless you receive specific information otherwise. Either way, you could always argue that the figures represent those who had not lost or replaced their original shako plates.

The illustrations and notes for both the 9th and 88th look fairly standard, with the usual pre-1812 reversed drummer colours.

Good luck with the yellow for the drummer, by the way. If you can find an acrylic which doesn't require either three coats or a spatula to paste it on, please let me know.

Good luck with the yellow

I've found that an undercoat of a leathery or sandy colour helps the yellow to cover, besides providing ready shading.

Hello, Plutarch:

I like your line of thinking about using these figures as they are. I would NOT like to try to sculpt tiny bugle horns onto the front of those shakos.

I must admit I was getting concerned after I dug through the "cent jour" site for the armies at Waterloo. All (except the 28th) have the bugle horn over the regiment number. My old Staddens will serve for Waterloo uniform for the…

1st (blue wings), bugle horn over #1; or 4th – red wings, same horn with #4;
23rd – red wings for all companies, horn over #23 for light company, white over red for the centre companies!
27th – red wings, same horn and #27. Buff belting, white lace, gray overalls;
28th – red wings, but scroll over number over scroll as for all other companies! and
40th red wings, horn over #40, buff belting, white lace..

BUT: DRUMMER IN WHITE COAT!

I almost broke down in tears when I saw Victrix painted figures on the internet with yellow drummers, shaded lace, almost like real folks, until I rationalized that they may be 54 mm figures! You are right about the yellow!

Musketier: Where were you before I painted these drummers!!! How does that technique work with buff uniforms, as for the 27th and 48th? I intend to do them, as well as the 45th and 5th eventually.

Another "wrinkle" I saw recently on TMP is that the 45th had blue wings! Dark green facings, but blue wings seems odd to me.

GdeP

Useful guide to British drummer uniformsby regiment can be found at link

45th had red wings. Silver officers lace.
Dark green facings.

All light companies had the bugle horn badge I think. Though I don't worry about it myself.

There is a report saying many of the 45th wore blue trousers at Talavera.

I think there was no peculiar uniforms for the 9th or 88th foot. I do remember reading about the 88th regimental band having some black cymbalists though.

All light companies of line regiments had the same shako plate as other companies. The differences of course were the green plume and wings.

Plate E of Osprey MAA382 shows a 27th light coy officer with a belgic shako and regimental plate with bugle horns on his rossete, turnbacks and on the wings where the strap and wing are joined. The men had the bugles on the rossette and turnbacks.

However, plate plate H, shows a 87th light coy officer with a stove pipe shako with no regimental plate but a bugle horn and an unusual christmas tree shaped green tuft and bugle horns on the wings and turn backs. Note that this plate was taken from a silhouette made in 1809. Also, plate H of Opsrey Warrior 20, shows the light coy of the 69th in 1809 in action with the bugle horn in lieu of the shako plate along side a battalion coys soldiers with the full plate.

Franklin's "British Napoleonic Uniforms" pgs 110-111, states that there were variances among the light companies as above but in December 1814 a general order prescribed the bugle horn and below the regimental number for rifle and light infantry regiments and light companies of line regiments.

So, based upon the evidence that I could find to date, I suggest that you keep the shako plate as is for your line light companies.

Re drummers for the 9th and 88th; Franklin pg 164 shows the 9th's drummer in reversed colours ie pale yellow with red facings and wings trimmed white (until the order of 1812). Note that the drummers lace is almost plain white without the little chevrons or stars that typically dot the lace pattern. For the 88th (pg 275) the drummer has yellow lace flecked with tiny red chevrons only on cuffs (a band immediately above) and skirts. This is unique ie no lace on the arms or seams of the jacket.

I hope this helps and good luck with your regiments.

IronDuke: I am really glad that I do not base my figures with 4,6 figures on a square, grass, turn, flowers, and the like. I leave the in singles, base painted chormium oxide green line old line toy soldiers, until I can move and decide how to be more "formal." I will paint two new drummer for the 88th, after scraping off the sleeve chevrons! I'll repaint the two drummers in buff for the 27th or 48th.

I will happily leave the regimental plate in place! I seem to recall in a handbook about the armies at Waterloo seeing a light company private man of one of the regiments there, with the regimental plate instead of a bugle horn. Just green hackle and ?white cords? It may have been a Haythornethwaite book. Could it have been the 27th?

PrinceofEssling: I have put that link into favorites – and my thanks. Will be fun to read and remember!

Edwulf: I asked TMP a while back about the 45th, for I remember a small illustration in a Lemonifided book from the 1960's with an officer of the 45th in light blue breeches, and "v" notched boots with no cuffs. I also passed through a game website that I now cannot find, noting the 45th with light blue breeches or overalls. I would like to do some of the 32 figures I plan to do of them with light blue, and some whites and greys for wear and tear variety.

Thanks all. Always want to learn more!

GdeP

The report on the 45th wearing blue trousers stems from something in the united services journal… I can't find the precise one. I have painted the 45th and several of them have blue trousers so that they stand out and look like the veteran unit they were.

I also remember reading that the 45th in Martinique had wings without the worsted edges. There is a picture of them in Wellingtons Infantry 1 with wings like this. On of the guys I re-enacted with told me that this was because the c.o had sold the wool off the wings to buy food for the unit. Not sure if that's true. That's in 1793/4 mind.