Saturday 1 February 2014

SYW - Dillon's Regiment of the Irish Brigade




After months of sitting idle with only a black undercoat for any colour, I've finally finished painting up Dillon's Regiment of the French Irish Brigade of the 1740s - 1750s. I chose to have these superb Front Rank figures in full coats so that I could use them for the Jacobite Rebellion of the '45, as well as the War of Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War.

This unit is very special to me due to genealogy research at the French military archives proving my ancestors served in a number of regiments within the Irish Brigade throughout the 18th century, including Dillon's. My next Irish unit that I paint will be Lally's Regiment as I've recently found out that there was a company within the regiment known as 'Stack's Company' during the period that the regiment served in the ill-fated Indian campaign of the Seven Years War. Captain Thomas Stack served as the company commander, while his cousin, Lieutenant James Stack served under him. 

The outstanding flags are supplied by GMB Flags, while the foliage was made by terrain guru, Rodger Wood of the Southern Strategists here in Christchurch. I've only recently started adding foliage to my stands but I'll continue to do so as I reckon it really lifts the final effect. 

The current unit 'under the brush' are some Napoleonic dismounted French dragoons that will take on my Spanish guerrillas. 










11 comments:

  1. Absolutely stunning Wayne!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, mate. I forgot to mention that they aren't quite finished as I'm waiting for some flag fenials from Front Rank. I'm keen to purchase some more of your foliage when you make some more....it really does make a difference.

      Delete
  2. Very nice indeed - thanks for sharing. Strangely enough I've just been basing two Regiments from the Irish Brigade for my War of the Spanish Succession project (Clare's and Dorrington's) albeit in 15mm though (I couldn't afford - money or space - to do that in 28mm no matter how much I liked the figures!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hear where you are coming from regarding price and space. I have the same unit in my 15mm SYW French army, which cost me less and takes less space. The problem I have now is that I find it harder to paint smaller figures....must be the process of aging wargamers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I say Stackforth, lovely paintwork. Well done that man.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cheers, Ogilvie, old bean! The red coats seem very bright in the images but in reality they are more dull and not so dazzling.I fear my French army may be somewhat over-represented with Jacobites...but what the heck, they generally fought well and they may bring more luck to my dice throwing. Lets face it, it can't get much worse !

    ReplyDelete
  6. Very smart work Wayne, most impressive. Nice find on the geneolgy front - I've often wondered what my ancestors got up to...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Scott. Finding that stuff out has inspired me to get stuck into my painting for that era....plus you find out some very interesting stories that don't always paint your ancestors in a good light...such skull-duggery just adds a little spice to your family history. It seems my family mostly backed the losing sides in history...much like my dice throwing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very noicely done, sorr!

    I was intrigued reading about your connection with the Irish Brigade, too. A Wild Goose, aye?!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Roly. I don't know about being wild, but I'm certainly a goose in regard to my dice throwing of late. I've known for a long time that a number of my ancestors fought in the French Irish Brigade, with one being wounded and captured at Culloden and another from Walsh's Regiment who commanded the 'fighting tops' of the Bon Homme Richard in the capture of HMS Serapis during the AWI. Last year the Stacks had a clan reunion in Listowel, County Kerry in Ireland where a distant cousin produced the results of his family research at the French military archives in Vincennes. This research was like gold to me, especially the stuff regarding Stacks Company in Lally's Regiment. So now it seems only natural for me paint up that regiment for my slow growing French army. Although I hope my miniature regiment has more success than the real life unit had in India. Poor old Comte de Lally was originally blamed for the French loss of India and was executed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have awarded you the Liebster Award here
    http://rebelbarracks.blogspot.co.nz/2014/05/liebster-awards-2014.html
    Cheers
    Rodger

    ReplyDelete