"Late War British Light Dragoon Headwear" Topic
10 Posts
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jhancock | 06 Jun 2016 10:08 a.m. PST |
I understand that Troopers traded in their Tarletons for Shakos late in the war. Did the officers and musicians wear Shakos as well, or could they have worn the late war cavalry helmet instead? I picked up some Minifigs 2nd Generation light dragons with command, and the 3 command figures wear the late helmet while the troopers all wear Shakos. Thanks, Jeff |
janner | 06 Jun 2016 10:14 a.m. PST |
I understand that regiments switched en masse to shakos – officers and all. |
Artilleryman | 06 Jun 2016 10:45 a.m. PST |
Yes, a mix of headgear would be unusual. Unlike the infantry, the light dragoons changed their complete uniform and not just the headgear. The issue would have been en masse as Janner has said. However, initially some regiments had the uniform without the shako and continued with the Tarleton so a mix of these items in 1812/13 is possible but throughout the regiment, not just parts of it. |
SJDonovan | 06 Jun 2016 1:05 p.m. PST |
Hi Jeff, It sounds like the wrong command set was put into the pack. There are three different sets of 2nd gen British light dragoons and they all have separate command sets. You can see what they should look like in this scan of an old catalogue which is available on Henry Hyde's wargaming site: PDF link Henry Hyde's site: link |
jhancock | 06 Jun 2016 6:59 p.m. PST |
That is what threw me off, Stephen. I checked that catalog. Either the Light Dragoon command was not available when these were first packaged, or an unknowledgeable soul confused them with the command from the Heavy Dragoons. Both late war British Dragoons, so…? Cheaper labor not always the best labor! Thanks, Jeff |
Terry37 | 06 Jun 2016 7:35 p.m. PST |
I have read where the Tarleton's were not that well liked, often being mis-shapen after a good rain, so I would think everyone would be happy to dump them for a shako. Terry |
Green Tiger | 07 Jun 2016 1:55 a.m. PST |
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42flanker | 07 Jun 2016 4:23 a.m. PST |
The French infantry casquettes, similar to the Tarleton, that were adopted before the revolution were notoriously smelly but because of inadequate treatment of the leather; so much so that, I read, one regiment chucked theirs into a river in protest. I hadn't heard that the British light dragoon 'Tarleton' was unpopular. It did after all remain in service for twenty odd years; longer for the RHA; and was adopted by some light infantry as well; notably the 90th (Perthshire Volunteers). If the leather was properly cured and jacked, it shouldnt have warped or smelled. Perhaps that was down to the stinginess of a given colonel, as well as length of time in service. I imagine it wasn't ideal headgear in the Peninsular; nor Egypt, for that matter, although there a 90th Tarleton did save at least one senior officer's life by stopping a musket ball… It did have the merit of distinguishing the British light cavalry from the French, as Wellington found out to his discomfiture. |
seneffe | 07 Jun 2016 2:22 p.m. PST |
Minifigs did a Light Dragoon code wearing the 'tropical' helmet (for India etc) with a long horse tail which looks quite like the late period heavy cavalry helmet. Maybe those are what you received? |
jhancock | 07 Jun 2016 4:43 p.m. PST |
I checked that as well based upon the catalog images, but these guys have a comb instead of a tail. I happened to get 2 packs of the Heavy Dragoons as well, and the commands are identical. Not the end of the world, just grasping at straws! Some days you eat the bear, other days the bear eats you. B) |
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