SYW - French Royal Ecossais

It's been a slow year painting wise for me in 2017. This 28mm SYW French Royal Ecossais regiment had been 'under the brush' for a number of months but finally can now grace the gaming table in the Mess as part of my WAS/ SYW French force. The unit will also be used in the 1745 Jacobite army that is slowly coming together. I've now got the regular French units for it (Royal Ecossais, Dillon's Regiment and the Fitzjames Cavalry Regiment), but I've been holding off painting up the Highland units as the thought of painting all that tartan gives me nightmares.

The figures I used for the Royal Ecossais are Front Rank French light infantry from their SYW range. I wanted to use this unit for the Seven Years War, War of Austrian Succession, as well as the '45, so I chose to have them in short coats that they were recorded as wearing during the Jacobite Rebellion. I also wanted the majority of troops to wear the standard 'cocked' tri-corn hat to represent a French unit on the Continent. To ensure the visual Scottish character of the unit I've used an officer and piper from the Front Rank Jacobite range to represent Lord John Drummond and his personal piper.The unique flags are from GMB Flags.

Thanks for taking a look.

Until next time!        

Dillon's Jacobite Regiment of Foot - Williamite War in Ireland

 As usual, I've been a bit slack in posting over the last few months. However, I've finally got around to posting images of Dillon's Regiment of Foot for my Jacobite army in Ireland. This is my first painted unit for 2017....which I finished back in January! Strictly speaking, the flags I've used with this unit were only used in the Irish Brigade of the French army, but they are too classy not to use for my table-top troops.

Figures are 28 mm Front Rank and the superb flags are by Warfare Miniatures

This will be the last Jacobite unit I do for a while as I'm concentrating on finishing of my 28 mm French and British Seven Years War forces. The French Royal Ecossais Regiment will be next off the painting table.

Until next time!

Earl of Antrim's Foot and Tyrconnel's Horse regiments

I'm a bit late posting the photos of these freshly painted Jacobite units as they have already seen action twice over the last few weeks; first in a practice game at the Mess leading up to our demo game at Conquest, and then at Conquest last weekend. Photos taken of this game by Rodger Wood can be viewed on our Southern Strategists blog:  www.southern-strategists.blogspot.com

The Earl of Antrim's Foot regiment was recruited from witihin Ulster around the McDonnell lands and was a veteran unit by 1691. Its believed that the soldiers initially wore Highland dress and were poorly equipped when first raised but were later supplied with grey/white French uniforms. Figures are Front Rank and the superb flags are from Warfare Miniatures.

There is only limited information regarding uniforms of individual Jacobite units the during this period but the trend was that officers tended to wear red coats regardless of the coat colour of the rank and file. 

I intend to paint up another command stand with officers in grey coats for this unit so that I can use them as a French regiment as required.   

Pikemen were still being used by some regiments during this period, especially those armed with matchlocks, as they were handy in defending against cavalry.

Tyrconnel's Regiment of Horse was raised by Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnel He was James ll's right-hand man in Ireland during the war and  led the Jacobite forces during the early campaigns. This regiment fought at the Boyne and was one of the veteran Jacobite cavalry regiments that slowed the Williamite infantry advance once it had crossed the river.

This is my first red-coated cavalry unit that contrasts with Galmoy's Horse dressed in grey/white. I liked the Warfare Miniatures flag for this regiment, which helped me decided what unit to paint up.   

I've mixed the figures up so that the unit has a less 'regimented' look by having some troopers with pistols and others with swords.

Tyrconnel's Horse have proved their worth is the two actions they have played out so far, especially in helping to destroying the Williamite Horse in the demo game at Conquest. Unfortunately, Antrim's Foot was forced to retire in both actions after suffering heavy casualties....or perhaps the fault lies with very poor dice throwing on my part!

I've currently got Dillon's Foot  regiment under the brush at present to help bolster the Jacobite infantry.

Until next time!     

Irish Jacobite command stands

In honour of the family heritage of my 98 year-old grandmother who died last week, I thought it an appropriate time to post some images of my recently painted Irish Jacobite senior command stands. My grandmother's paternal grandparents were Irish Catholic farmers from County Tipperary who immigrated to New Zealand in the 1870s.

James ll himself, accompanied by a mounted ADC and standard bearer from his Foot Guards

These figures are from the 28 mm Front Rank 17th Century range

The flag is James's royal standard from Warfare Miniatures 

James's premature departure from Ireland after the battle of the Boyle earned him the sobriquet 'Seamus a caca,' meaning 'Seamus the Shit' in Gaelic. The Irish felt abandoned and betrayed by their king but still fought on to defend his kingdom with very little support from their French allies.   

I'm going to use this stand to represent my favourite Jacobite general, Sir Patrick Sarsfield, later known as Lord Lucan (not to be confused with the one who disappeared in the 1970s suspected of murdering his children's nanny).

I'm quite happy with how this grey horse turned out after dry-brushing with a few different tones of grey. The figure is listed as William of Orange in the figure range and I've modified the horse a wee bit.

I've taken the week off from work so hopefully I'll get some painting done and have photos of Antrim's regiment in a week or two.

Until next time! 

  

James II Irish Foot Guards

I finished off James ll's Irish Foot Guards a few weeks back but I just got around to photographing them. These are the first of my foot regiments for my Irish Jacobite army and I have another three to paint up before the demo game at Conquest, Christchurch, in late October. I'm halfway through painting Antrim's regiment (in white/grey coats) and I've also started another horse regiment (Tyrconnel's). I thought I would have a few more units done by now, but never mind, I'm sure the other Southern Strategists will be progressing their painting to ensure we have enough units for a decent game...fingers crossed!

James's Irish Foot Guards. Three stands of 6 figures in double-ranks and one stand of 3 pikemen in single rank at the rear.

The centre command stand. These figures are by Front Rank and the flags are by Warfare Miniatures via the League of Augsburg website. 

One of the two musketeer stands. I've chosen to have blue garters for this unit based on the examples found in the Guards Museum in London.

I decided to include pikemen with this unit as extra defence against cavalry. During this period there was a move away from using pike, with greater emphasis being placed on firepower. However, most Jacobite units used pikes to compensate for the limited number of firelocks and matchlocks they had compared to the Williamite forces.

I wasn't sure what colour to use for the sashes and there is very limited information regarding uniforms for the Jacobite units. I think white provides a nice contrast to the red coats and is in keeping with the traditional white rosettes worn by Jacobites.

The next posting will features James himself, along with my favourite Jacobite general, Patrick Sarsfield.

Until next time!  

    

And now for something completely different ! - Part 3

I had no intention of having a part 3 regarding the expedition to Oamaru, but somehow the photo of the fantastic estate barn disappeared when I published part 2. Never mind, I'll put that down to driver error on my part.

The barn at Kuriheka, with the 32-room homestead on the hill in the distance. I reckon this medieval-looking barn would be unique in New Zealand and has the look of a 13th century manor house with its Gothic windows.


Next up will be photos of the latest elements of James ll's army in Ireland to come off the painting table.

Until next time!  

 

And now for something completely different ! - Part 2

Apologies, but until now, real life has got in the way of posting the second part of my expedition to the Oamaru Steampunk Festival last Queen's Birthday weekend. Apart from the fun of exploring the historical Victorian quarter of Oamaru, while admiring the imagination of those who put together some incredible Steampunk costumes, my final day there also provided a bit of a lesson in New Zealand colonial history.

The ornate architecture of the limestone-facade Victorian buildings with their Etruscan columns along the main street of the town, as well as the warehouses near the port, remain proof of the wealth and opulence within Otago society during the colonial era of the 19th century. This wealth initially came through the Otago gold rushes of the 1860s, but was cemented through the development of pastoral agriculture based on sheep. There were a number of large sheep stations surrounding Oamaru, where the run-holders became rich on wool production, and later by the refrigerated export of sheep meat to Britain.

One such rich run-holder was Joseph Cowie Nichols (a.k.a. Cowie Nichols CBE), who in 1885 bought the 12,545 hectare Kuriheka Station inland from Maheno, just south of Oamaru. Although born in the colonies, like many New Zealanders of the landed-gentry class at the time, Nichols was sent to England for his formal education where he studied at Oxford.

On his return he settled into the life of a gentleman farmer and community leader, which saw him serve as an officer in the NZ Volunteer Force. By 1914 he was lieutenant-colonel in command of the 5th (Otago Hussars) Mounted Rifles. The badge that this regiment adopted and wore overseas during the First World War includes a shield of the Nichols family coat-of-arms in the centre. However, Nichols was considered too old for overseas service at the time and he remained in New Zealand in command of the Territorial troops of the Otago province.

After the war Nichols built a substantial memorial to the 83 'servants' from the Kuriheka estate who served overseas during the Great War, which included 21 who were either killed or died during the conflict. Nichols' own son (with the same name) was killed while serving as a rifleman in the Canterbury Infantry Regiment on the Western Front in October 1916 and is included on the memorial. The memorial is surrounded by a number of field artillery pieces from the colonial era and the First World, including captured German Krupp field guns and trench mortars. Somewhere along the way Nichols also acquired two 64-pounder rifled muzzle loading coastal defence guns that had previously been part of the Taiaroa Head defences. These guns have been placed in an open field at the entrance of the estate, which is open to the public.

Although located in the back-blocks on rural New Zealand, I almost felt that I could have been visiting a manor house estate in England or Scotland from the style of the buildings. These were all built from limestone blocks in the neo-baronial style, including a substantial barn that has Gothic windows. Very impressive and a statement of wealth and achievement, which I'm sure was the intention when first built.

We couldn't travel to Oamaru without a visit to this iconic location, only a 20 minute ride in the car from the seaside port town. Hence, the New Munster Steam Fusiliers took the photographic opportunity to record our visit for prosperity. I highly recommend a visiting Kuriheka if you get a chance.  

Major Reginald Ogilvie VC and his memsahib astride one of the 64 pounder RML guns at Kuriheka. 

Ogilvie of the New Munster Steam Fusiliers sighting the enemy target.

Major Sherlock-Brown adopting a martial pose.

Attempting to look like a pair of  colonial officers of the NZ Volunteers

Ogilvie looking for fuzzy wuzzies to shoot with the breech loading field gun behind, but I tried to tell him they only had a few drunken & rebellious gold miners to deal with in this neck of the woods. 

A captured WW1 German mortar in front of the estate's memorial

The memorial with captured German field guns and mortars. Nichols was an avid collector of all things military, including a collection of 624 military service medals - believed to be the largest private collection in NZ. 

                                 

One of the historic out-buildings of the estate

The New Munster Steam Fusiliers on their walk-about in the Victorian quarter of Oamaru

Ogilvie and Sherlock-Brown looking a bit sepia outside the old whisky distillery in the Victorian quarter 

Nothing like a whisky or two to put a bit of colour back into your life. I couldn't help myself from having a fiddle with Photoshop with this image. 

                                   

Normal wargaming service will now resume.

Until next time!