"L Battery Royal Horse Artillery and the action at Néry..." Topic

…1st September 1914

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felduniform.blogspot.com.ar

Hope you enjoy!.

Amicalement
Armand

I think the Horse Artillery guns and limbers were still painted grey in September 1914. The painting on which the engraving at the top is based, shows this.

Excellent work, impressive, thanks!

Yes outstanding modelling!

link

The Nery gun, preserved at the Imperial War Museum, who presumably know what they are about when it comes to paint…

Glad you enjoyed the dio boys!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

@ Sparker:

Google L Battery Nery; look at images; there's a neat CONTEMPORARY postcard of the action showing the gun in grey paint.

Do you really think the gun in the IWM is THE Nery gun? There's hardly a mark of battle damage on it. And do you think someone in the BEF in the retreat from Mons, stopped and thought: "Oh! Let's preserve THIS gun and exhibit it in the IWM, which has not been conceived of yet"?

Khaki drab became the standard colour for British artillery in 1900, though blue-grey continued to be used into 1917 at least. It should be noted that the postcards with a grey-coloured gun do not have the protection over the recuperator and show the barrel projecting well forward of the recuperator as well. In light of these inaccuracies, one should not place too much reliance on the colour.

Robert

Thanks Monk,

But why illustrate the gun as grey if it wasn't grey?
And were the BEF's guns that went to France in 1914 painted khaki drab or grey?

…And is that fact that the gun on the postcard is at the point of firing significant? Or that the artist seems to have gotten the shattered left wheel correct, judging by the seemingly contemporary photographs elsewhere on the Google page?

After further research, it looks as though the postcard artist has illustrated an 18pdr gun, as used by the RFA (and not the 13pdr as used by the RHA). But it is painted GREY.

Spartacus,

Even if your earlier questions are rhetorical, the answer is yes. Although the paint job might not be original.

And do you think someone in the BEF in the retreat from Mons, stopped and thought: "Oh! Let's preserve THIS gun and exhibit it in the IWM, which has not been conceived of yet"?

Dunno! But d'ye think someone in the Imperial German Army, in policing up the battlefield, might have made a trophy of an abandoned British gun? And do you think in 1919 the RHA might have asked for it back?

I tell you what I do know – If the Imperial War Museum says its the Nery gun, then I take their word over your motheaten postcard!

I have plenty of examples of WW1 postcards that show incorrect colours for artillery, tanks, uniforms, etc.

The representation of an 18 pdr rather than the 13 pdr further reinforces the problem of using these as definitive sources.

Robert

Sparker,

The British held the field at Nery. After the battle they retrieved the gun. If you Google L Battery Nery, check out the Images, there is what seems to be a more-or-less contemporary photograph of it. It must have been held in some RA Depot until presented by them to the IWM in 1922. (The idea of an IWM didn't come about until 1917).

And just because it's the IWM, it doesn't make them infallible.

@ Robert: many thanks for your input. I haven't yet been able to find out whether RA guns were grey or khaki in September 1914. But I'm pretty sure I read somewhere in the past they were grey to begin with.

The specific question is around RHA guns. I am not sure.

There were definitely examples of other guns in khaki drab and in grey in 1914.

Robert

FWIW, the painting of the action at Nery on which the diorama above is based, was done in 1915 by Matania, an official war artist. As such, I doubt the powers to be would have let him get away with inaccuracies. In the painting the gun and limbers are portrayed in a grey colour scheme.

Again, FWIW, Wm Britains, the makers of 1/32 scale military models for collectors (pre-painted), produced: "Premier WW1 RHA Gun, Limber and Crew" [ set no: 8919].The crew are in Service Dress Khaki, the gun is a 13pdr, and the gun and limber have a grey colour scheme.