"British ensigns with bicorns" Topic

I painting up some command figures of British infantry for the peninsular campaign. They have a variety of heads to choose from. Would the ensigns (flag bearers) ever wear bicorn hats like the other officers?

They are officers so yes.

It depended on their financial standing, if they could afford one or wanted one then, potentially yes, but remember that an Ensign was a low rank for an officer.

Not a lot to do with money. It was a standard item of rank for officers. If you were one, you wore it – there was no alternative.

Ensign may have been the lowest ranking officer but you were still expected to set an example and meet a standard.

The only financial concession would have been to the quality of the manufacture and the status of the supplier.

Some may have had to put up with cheaper items, or even second hand ones but the dress code and social requirements of both the Army and Society meant there was no choice in the matter – you wore one!

There were considerable number of tailors, hatters and boot makers who catered for the Officer trade both military and naval, a lot of whom were also high fashion suppliers to the gentry who made their civilian clothes as well as uniforms.

For example, James Lock & Co. of St. James Street, London were famous hatters but only the well heeled Ensign, or one that had a rich father would have shopped there!

OK…that's three "yes's" in less than three hours. I wonder why so many manufactures put them in shakos?

The confusion may arise from the fact that light infantry officers wore the shako before 1812 and all infantry officers did the same after 1812. Mind you, as far as we can tell, light infantry battalions did not carry their colours on campaign so ………

Tell that to Ensign Leeke of the 52nd at Waterloo……..I thought like you, that Light Regts did not carry colours. 71st lost theirs in Buenos Aires, too.

Trajanus describes the system well.

Line officers including ensigns could wear the bicorn or the shako depending on the regimental colonel. Field officers (majors and above) wore bicorn until 1812 when Majors and colonels wore the Belgic shako.

Light infantry carried colours.

Mind you, as far as we can tell, light infantry battalions did not carry their colours on campaign so ………

You are confusing Light infantry regiments in the Napoleonic wars with converged light infantry units from the earlier FIW and SYW. Converged light infantry (formed from the light companies of several line regiments) did not carry colours. Neither did converged Grenadier units for the same reason. However, by the Napoleonic period, the British army had complete light infantry regiments in the OOB and as deadhead said they had their own colours.

That confusion could still apply to the British in Spain who had both converged light infantry and light infantry regiments.

It's easy to forget as the day to day operation of the combined light companies of British and Allied infantry Brigades don't get much exposure in general histories of the war.

However, they were detached from their parent Battalions on the march as well as when carrying out skirmish duties all be it generally only as the equivalent of a half battalion or so, if you take the requisite rifle company from the Brunswickers, 5th/60th etc added in.

The same question was asked very recently. While SOME LI regiments didn't have their colours at Waterloo (e.g. the 71st had lost theirs prior to Waterloo due to theft at the Prince of Wales' residence, where they were displayed), others most definitely did. I'll try to find that earlier thread.