"25mm AWI Guards flags?" Topic

Who makes 25mm flags for the Guards battalions during the Revolution?

I don't think the AWI guards units carried flags. As far as I recall they were created by drafting 15 men from each guard company in Britain and "promising young officers" and were composite units like the Grenadier battalions.

Quite right, As the Guards sent only a few men from each company. And no full companies were sent. The flags remained in England.

However, if you are not too concerned by complete accuracy you can always use Guard flags from the Seven Years War. They carried the same pattern throughout most of the 18th century.

Check out the Vaubanner Graphics catalog SYW listing for British Guard Colours at the below address.

link

Yours,
Brian Homenick.

Vaubanner flags are great !!! Have used the for my entire FIW Range. The Service is great TOO !

Actually, most manufacturers seem to do a set, even though there is considerable debate as to whether or not the Foot Guards did have any with them in America.

There is a tradition (but it is only tradition) that the major's colour and a company colour of the 3rd (Scots) Foot Guards were taken along. Originally, the unit was organised as a single large battalion, and was only split in two and organised as a brigade when it arrived. As the war went on, it is likely that fewer and fewer British units took colours into the field with them anyway (there are precedents for this in the F&I Wars, so it may have been a general practice in N America). There are no Foot Guards colours amongst the British flags captured at Yorktown, so it is possible the Guards did not have them in the South (assuming they had any at all, obviously).

The two colours in question are/were on display in a museum in Scotland and there are colour illustrations of them in Richardson's 1982 work on AWI flags and standards. If you do include them, remember that the Guards had the opposite of the Line regiments - ie the crimson flag is the King's Colour (and therefore goes on the right) and the Union Flag is the Regimental Colour (and hence goes on the left).

Sounds like it's easier just not to bother, a bit like the British Marines. At least that way you can spot where they are on the table....and very sad to read Mr Morrissey's article that the Saratoga regiments didn't carry colours either, but I imagine most gamers may well exchange historical accuracy for aesthetics when gaming that theatre (a Perry Miniatures regiment without any GMB flags - how scandalous!).

Giles

Absolutely. Give 'em something to wave, I say.

Thanks to all for your insights. This is another example why this site is so helpful to wargamers.