"Gendarmes d'Elite Trumpeter, Officer questions" Topic

While it looks like some nerw models of these long under represented troops will be available soon in 28mm, I need them for my Historicopn games, so I went with the Connosieur figures, which just arrived. Perfectly acceptable, although the new ones coming out soon will likely be niocer.

The basic uniform information is easy enough to find. Here's the Histofig plate:

From this I gather that the earlier "reversed colors" for the trumpeters (Red coats w/ blue lapels and cuffs, piped in white), the look of which which I rather prefer, was replaced with a new uniform in the style of most of the guard trumpeters, consisting of a light blue coat faced crimson with white piping, ? circa 1807 – 1809. All the depictions I have seen of this, later light blue uniform have the chapeau with white and crimson feather border, which seems rather odd for a trumpeter (less so, I suppose if you consider the chapeau was typical line gendarme headress.

Anyway, does anyone have a more definite date for the transition to the sky blue jacket, and was a bearskin worn with that jacket, or only the chapeau.

Officer distinctions it seems were limited – silver aigulette instead of white, and on the right shoulder instead of the left. Silver epaulettes, silver cords and flounders (and presumably silver grenade emblem) on the bearskin. Anything else?

Also, a number of illustrations (and re-enactors) show the fawn/light buff waistcoat and breeches as a much deeper yellow color. Such as:

The usal caveats as to period dyes etc considered, which is more likley "correct"?

Thanks in advance for any help…

Peter

All my sources agree with you. The red coat disappeared somewhere between 1806 and 1808 according to artists of the time. They may have been concentrating on parade rather than campaign rig? There are many images of the bearskin with the blue coat fortunately (it looks much better) although Jouineau says ""and the second uniform hat without stripes replaced the bearskin" around 1807.

The yellow? It was natural hide. It will indeed wear and fade but I think the re-enactors are nearer it than the drawing.
Mind you, remember the Star Wars line? "Say aren't you a little fat for an imperial gendarme?"

I think the rationale for the change was to bring the Gendarmes into line with the basic sky blue/crimson colour scheme of the other Guard cavalry units of the time- though subsequently other regiments' musicians deviated from that norm.

The chapeau worn with the new uniform was consistent with the full dress uniform of the Horse Grenadier trumpeters. The Grenadiers wore a chapeau of 'general officer's quality' in full dress- never a white bearskin as still occasionally illustrated/seen on wargames figures.

In service dress, the Grenadiers trumpeters wore ordinary black bearskins. If the Gendarmes followed the Grenadiers in this respect of dress also (quite possible), they would have worn bearskins with their new sky blue uniforms when on service.

Thanks, gentelemen! Yes, likel the change in the Gendarme trumpeter's coat was to conform with the pattern set for the rest of the Guard cavalry. Now I shall have to decide whether to go with the early red or later sky blue jackets!