"La Régiment Irlandais (15mm AB Figures)" Topic

I was rummaging around in boxes recently and dug out a few units that I painted some time ago, but still look pretty good, despite their advanced years. This unit was painted for a mega-game of Fuentes de Ońoro that I ran for AB Figures in 2001. The unit is organised as a single battalion at 1:20 ratio – we were using General de Brigade rules.

This regiment grew out of the Irish Legion; a single-battalion unit that had been created from Irish émigrés in 1798. The Legion was later expanded to four battalions and re-named in 1811 to La 3e Régiment Étranger (Irlandais), though was more commonly known simply as La Régiment Irlandais.

The 1st Battalion saw action at Walcheren in 1809 and at Lützen, Bautzen and Kulm in 1813. The 2nd Battalion meanwhile was sent to Spain and saw action at Fuentes de Ońoro in 1811.

The regiment was organised as a French light infantry regiment, with six companies per battalion – 4x Chasseurs, 1x Carabiniers and 1x Voltigeurs.

Uniforms were cut in French light infantry style, being 'emerald green' in colour, with collars in 'primrose yellow'. Lapels, turnbacks and pointed cuffs were also piped yellow. Some sources show green 'round' cuffs piped yellow, with a cuff-flap in primrose yellow.

The Carabiniers are recorded as wearing bearskins and epaulettes with red plumes, cords and fringes.

The Voltigeurs are recorded as wearing shakos and epaulets with green & yellow distinctions.

The Chasseurs are recorded as wearing green shoulder-straps piped yellow, as well as shakos with white cords and pompoms in green, yellow, sky blue or violet (indicating company seniority).

The 1st Battalion was granted an Eagle in 1805, with a green flag or unique design (show below). The other battalions carried a plain green fannion, bearing the Irish harp in yellow/gold. The keen-eyed will notice that I actually painted the wrong battalion for Fuentes; I wanted to do the 1st Battalion, with the Eagle.

Voltigeurs deployed in skirmish-order:

Nice.

It's always good to resurrect a hibernating unit and bring them back in play.

very nice!

You can never go wrong with the Wild Geese. Nice paint job and good research.

Very nice indeed.

Pretty stuff!

Always thought of doing one of the Régiment Étranger but since I do 1805 & 1806, I'm not sure if any were available at least I haven't seen any in the OB's.

Great looking unit though and always nice to resurrect a unit from it's hiding place.

Ta!

Yes, the trouble with a lot of these 'interesting' contingents is that they spent an awful lot of time doing things like garrisoning fortresses and conducting anti-partisan operations, so don't appear in battle orbats very often.

Some other units I dug out are the Legion Hanovrienne, Legion du Midi (both of which I also painted for Fuentes) and the Baden Light Dragoons (which I painted for our Eggmuehl AB Figures Weekend in 1999). All of these are 1:20 units for General de Brigade.

Top marks – thanks for posting.

Nice work!

By the way, it would be "La Légion…" or "Le Régiment…".

Lovely Irish JF, you must have spent an age putting it together! that officer with bicorne and lowered sword is a cracking figure.

Cheers Skeptic! God alone knows why I got that wrong (been away from Napoleonics for too long, I suspect…)

Paul,

One of the advantages of loitering in the (then) AB workshop was that I was able to cherry-pick the figures I wanted, rather than pray to the Gods of Random Pose Variantion. :)

I had the same here as I live within a couple of miles of the old EHQ who was the original distributor of AB's in the US. So I would go down in the stock room to buy figs in groups of 12's as that's how they sold them in blisters. That way no broken bayonets or sabers and pristine casted figures without a trace of flash. That's was about 4,000 figures later that they lost the distributorship and later moved into a smaller location.

Back in the Danny Boreham days of Battle Honours, I saw their advert for the new Spanish infantry and HAD to have them…

Imagine my disappointment then, when every single 'random' pose turned out to be the one smoking a cigarillo…

Nevertheless, the 'Regimiento del Pulmoncancer' never lost a battle and became a club legend. :)

Lovely looking unit!

Paul,

Here's a closeup of that officer figure. I'm not sure what code he is on AB's catalogue:

Jemima Fawr: Damn, they are beautiful! Thanks for the photos, John Miller

Code number is IF54

Nic EUREKA MINIATURES

Cheers Windy!

Thanks Nic! :)

great looking unit