"Waterloo Colours - 28th British Foot" Topic

My first board post since joining in 2005!

No doubt this has been covered somewhere but my IT skills are limited.

I have unearthed five versions of the colours for the 28th British Foot for the Hundred Days and wondered if anyone has the elusive "definite". The main sticking point is the presence, absence or location of a sphinx, with it being one of the Egypt Regiments. Somewhere, no idea where, I have a reference to a quote from an Ensign saying the Sphinx was shot from the centre of the colour and secured in his jacket at Waterloo, so I'm guessing it must have been on one of the two colours somewhere.

Again reminding you of my limited IT, I'm hoping that the links I post here to my Pinterest board will work. The pictures are created by me using basic paint package to avoid any copyright infringement that might be lurking, and of course this means the standard of artwork is very low so please be gentle. Also I have not attributed the source of my information so as to avoid embarrassment of the original provider when/if proven wrong.

link
link
link
link
link

If the links don't work maybe a kind hearted soul would tell me how to add links or pictures directly.

I am amazed that you held off posting for some 14 years! "Better late than never! We hope to see you on the Board often in the future.

I cannot get your links to appear. And I cannot get my link to Miniaturrswereld.com to posts either. It is a German site with colours for 1/72 scale figures. I expanded it as much as I could and still speculate about the detail.

miniaturrswereld.com

This is where I started – colours of the 28th Foot. I then adjusted the size of the image, but it would not allow a link.

On my laptop, I have 3 dots ( … ) at the upper right corner of my screen, below the x that allows me to enlarge the print and images on the screen.

The Sphinx is in the center of the colour, over XXVIII.

Are you painting this regiment for a wargame army? It is quite unique, still wearing the stovepipe at Waterloo, with the "back number" of 28 inside a small lozenge on the back of the shako. The front has a cut-out brass plate with brass scroll above, 28 in brass, and scroll underneath. That's all. Not a full brass plate.

They are alleged to have taken French back packs after their victory in Eqypt, and some gamers conjecture that their flank companies still had them at Waterloo.

I did them in 30mm Willies figures of Austrians with double-billed shakos, files to a stove pipe' short piece of brass rod encased in epoxy steel. The Austrian back pack passed for French, but the blanket roll had to be flattened at one end, and then "gouged" to look like a folded roll. The Austrians seem to have doubled-over the top overcoat or blanket roll.

GdeP

link

I started by asking for "Colours of the 28th Foot at Waterloo."

I the opened the link to the German site. It shows a French cuirassier with tricolor, and scroll down to see the colours of the 28th. Enlarge using the "3 dot" methpd. Not clear, in focus picture.

GdeP

What a great posting with so much to discuss. (As G de P says…please say anything…it is getting quiet. You can speak with great authority on here, despite complete ignorance of the topic. It has never stopped me for a moment)

The first is the copyright issue which no-one seems to consider right now. EU law could change that very dramatically we are told and already folk are forecasting the death of Pinterest and other image sharing set ups.

The 28th. As G de P says the story goes about the cap, not a shako, in the old style, at Waterloo. About unique front ornaments and even more the back bit. Much suggestion here that, by 1815, not one unit turned out in anything but the "Belgic Shako" however. Rifles, Light Infantry etc….I doubt that.

The calfskin back back is still suggested for the Grenadier Co, but you have to ask how many were still in any decent state by 1815. Personally I would not hesitate…I'd show them!

The colours. Above all get them rightly placed. Front rank for both. The Union Flag in place of honour, right of the line. Regt colour, yellow flag left of it (facing forward). Sergeants with pointy bits all around the ensigns.

James

If you want pics of the real colours carried at Waterloo, see the following from the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum:

link

link

Unfortunately they are both balled up in a box for some reason !!

And this is the 1802 King's colour, not sure if this is the Waterloo one, but it does have the sphinx emblem.
link

The museum flag page:
link

Also, a while ago I found an article on-line about the colours that had a pic of the sphinx emblem and the following: 'At Waterloo the heavy silk Egyptian honour fell from the tattered Regimental Colour and was picked up by Captain Charles Cadell. It now hangs in the Regimental Museum.'
I'll try to find the article again.

Cliff

As for the stovepipe shako the following drawing done in 1817 shows them:
link

And the Grenadiers wearing French packs comes from the Regimental history 'Narrative of the Campaigns of the Twenty-eighth Regiment' p. 241-242
link

Thanks to all for your comments. I think I should have added that long ago I contacted the Regimental Museum (I think they were still Glosters at the time rather than an amalgamated successor) and got no reply.

From Camcleods links I think I'll opt for the usual crimson shield with gold lettering and silver sphinx without laurel below the union wreath on the regimental but no sphinx on the King's colour.

For those who cannot access the pinterest pictures here follows a brief description:
1. Usual Shield with Union wreath but no sphinx on either
2.Usual Shield with Union wreath with sphinx below union wreath
3. Usual shield with sphinx in laurel wreath below Union wreath
4. Usual shield and union wreath with sphinx and laurels in each corner of the Kings but only three corners of the Regimental (like the 79th)
5. Union wreath around sphinx with XXVIII below and two curling white scrolls, one either side and a crown at the top. (which is the one I think Garde de Paris was trying to show. I think this was the 1826 pattern but again could be wrong)

Anyway back to the paint table, see you in another 14 years maybe lol