"Australian Light Horse" Topic

I need help with the ALH uniforms (World War One-Middle East). I am inspired the film "The LightHorsemen". Please recommend hobby paint colors for the entire uniform to include the equipment, belts, and footwear. Thanks. GJ

George, have a look at the photos of re-enactors and preserved uniforms at the links below. They'll probably be of better help than a written description. The hat, coat, trousers, shirt and boot were the same pattern for everyone, based on the British items, with the officers' being slightly better quality. The ALH added emu plumes (aka "kangaroo feathers") to their hats and wore the brim down when in the field. (If the left side is folded up in an "action shot" photo then it's almost certainly staged.) British coats, shirts, jodhpurs and boots would be worn when supplies from Oz were low and some officers preferred to wear British issue uniforms, or better-made items bought and sent from home or the UK. If you want to paint on the colour patches (often they were not sewn onto new coats) then the the bottom link will be of help.

link

link

link

link

A touch greener than British issue khaki – reminds me of Canadian uniforms from WWII, that also had a touch more green than British – I use a light wash for my WWII Canucks

A touch greener than British issue khaki

I've read a couple of accounts that say the uniforms were a bit greyer, rather than greener, Frederick. But they were probably based on surviving artefacts in museums. In any case, different dye batches, different mordants, length and number of immersions and how many times the gear got washed (if ever) means that the colours will vary. For a unit on campaign, rather than on parade, "khaki-ish" might be accurate enough.

Are these uniforms khaki serge or khaki drill? That's an important thing to clear up from the get-go, since this makes a world of difference in the tones of "khaki" you'll be looking at.

I haven't seen the movie in a while, but my *impression* is that the tunics, at least, as shown were khaki serge; wool, more hard-wearing and durable. And a very different shade from the cotton khaki drill material.

They're serge, Piper. At the time Oz had little, if any, domestic cotton crops. But it was one of the largest wool producers and during WWI Oz and NZ supplied nearly all of the UK's wool imports.

Thanks Gents!