"British light infantry - did they wear the Belgic?" Topic

Now that the myth of the "light infantry cap" is long put in its grave, the question remains – Were the British light infantry ever issued the Belgic shako and if so, which regts at what times?

And for that matter, were the 95th and 60th ever issued the Belgic? I realize this contradicts every Sharpe episode and everyone's image of the British rifle regts, but it's possible they got the Belgic along with everyone else.

I doubt it. The Belgic didn't last long after Waterloo, and the lights didn't wear it there, so they probably never saw it before the next version of the shako started being issued (in 1817?).

Mark

Raises a # of questions, Mark. What's the evidence that the Lights and Rifles didn't wear the Belgic at Waterloo?

I have seen a line drawing of the 28th Foot wearing a modified Stovepipe at Waterloo with their traditional back-badge. Is there evidence for other Line regts not being issued with the Belgic?

How about the Light and Line regts who went to North America in 1814?

What's the evidence that the Lights and Rifles didn't wear the Belgic at Waterloo?

Well, none, it's simply a fact I've "known" for about 40 years. I've never seen a source that implies they wore the Belgic. If you look at the mont st-jean website:

link

you will notice that they don't show lights in Belgics, either.

Is there evidence for other Line regts not being issued with the Belgic?

None that I'm aware of. Apparently the 28th had to scrounge stovepipes from units that got the Belgic. I'm not sure if this was due to commander's preference or some other regimental oddity (and you know the British regiments love those little details that set them apart from the other regiments).

How about the Light and Line regts who went to North America in 1814?

I don't know, not having studied the War of 1812 much. I would suppose they got the new shakos before being shipped over, but that's just a guess.

I'm sure someone will be along directly to correct me.

The problem is that we've all "known" that lights and Rifles didn't wear the Belgic for 40 years, but we've been wrong before. There must be some evidence somewhere.

There must be some evidence somewhere.

I'm sure there is. And I'm sure it indicates that the lights work stovepipes at Waterloo, which is why we've all known about it for decades. If there were evidence to the contrary, don't you think it would have surfaced by now?

You have far more faith in our assumptions than I do. The "light infantry cap" being the most obvious example. For some decades wargamers believed that light infantry had their own distinct shape and size of shako.

This was a foolish, erroneous and unfounded belief, however dearly and tenaciously held.

Do you have ane evidence that they had the Belgic shako? You are basically suggesting that everyone is wrong about this, and while that'spossible, I won't believe it without some sort of contrary evidence.

This question might be easier to answer if I had access to my books, but alas, I am at work.

My go-to book is CE Franklin's "British Napoleonic Uniforms" and he seems fairly certain that the Lights retained their stovepipes at least until Waterloo "as a distinction of their role".

One uncertainty he does raise is whether some regiments adopted a version of the stovepipe that tapered to the top, but states that there is little evidence to support this.

The only General Order he quotes with regard to the light shako, for rifle and light regiments and the light companies of the line, is the official authorisation of the bugle badge in December of 1814 to replace the regimental badge. He notes that most had been doing this for "some time" anyway.

With regard to the 95th in particular, I would have thought that with such an iconic regiment and with the abundance of material stored in the Royal Green Jackets and National Army museums, on top of the collection of memoirs published by officers and men, that some evidence of a change in shako would have been noted along the way.

I can imagine rifleman Harris saying something like "Had a bad day today. Got my new Belgic shako, and I don't like it as much as the old one" if there had been a change like this, particularly given the pride they had in being so different.

Regards the tapering stovepipe for lights, I've always believed it was becaus they wanted a tighter fitting, more secure cap. Thus, they went for smaller sizes of the stovepipe and jammed it down tight. This would make the base seem wider. This was my own practice when re-enacting, and I didn't even do light infantry!

From the Ann S.K.Brown Collection.
A plate by David Finart in Paris 1815?
He appears to be an officer of the 95th in Belgic shako.

link

I've also seen plates from a series by Genty depicting soldiers in Paris in 1815-16. One is of a soldier of the 95th in cylindrical shako and another of an Officer of the 52nd Light also in cylindrical shako.

postimg.org/image/24xcm9zlw

So if the second is true I'm not sure about the first ??

Cliff

That first link could be a KGL, perhaps?

The light officer appears to be from the 43rd and the private in the background wears a belgic.

The other issue is whether many of the line regts didn't also retain the stovepipe, given the debate about whether the belgic was issued to the rifles and lights.

Or for that matter, whether the lights coys of line regts didn't retain the stovepipe when the centre coys got the belgic?

To confuse us to no end. I'm half surprised they didn't have a different hat for every regiment.