Time for a Parade

While the troops catch a bit of a breather I thought it might be a good time for a parade. First up the Boers.

The army totals 95 pieces. They are a mixture of Newline Designs, Jacklex, Raventhorpe Miniatures, Strelets and Scruby. They have all been painted by me except for the Scruby figures donated by Ross. There are:

4 x 13 Commandos (foot)

1 x 13 Commando (mounted)

2 x Field Guns

2 x Pom Poms

1 x Long Tom

1 x Wagon

2 x Command Stands

And now the Soldiers of the Queen...

The army totals 259 pieces. They are a mixture of Newline Designs, Jacklex and Raventhorpe Miniatures. They have all been painted by me except for the cavalry and the firing 'Guardsmen' painted by Matt G. There are:

6 x 27 Infantry Battalions

2 x 13 Half-Battalions

1 x 13 Lancers

4 x Field Guns

2 x Limbers

1 x 4.7" Naval Gun

2 x Maxim Guns

5 x Command Stands

Take a bow lads!

The Gordon Highlanders

I’m quite shocked to see that it’s been a year and a half since I painted the first 6 figures of the Gordons but here at last is the completed unit. All the figures used are by Jacklex.

The main reason for the delay is that I painted a lot of Napoleonic figures last year but now that I have a permanent wargames table it has given me the incentive to finish the Boer War armies.

I’m very close to having the forces I need to refight the battle of Elandslaagte which was the initial aim for this project. The Boers are all finished but the British still need some more artillery and a unit of dismounted Imperial Light Horse. I hope to get these done soon but we’ll see!

Another Commando

Commando made up of the last of  the Scruby's that Ross sent me together
with Jacklex, Newline and Raventhorpe figures. I think they blend together
remarkably well.

I’ve just finished another Commando bringing the total in my Boer army up to three plus a mounted one. This means I have enough Boers now to have a stab at playing a game based on the Battle of Elandslaagte. This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was 14 when I was given a copy of “History of the British Army” (edited by Peter Young and J P Lawford) which contains a chapter on the battle that sparked my interest in the Boer War.

I’m still short of British though as I need a Highland regiment (which I’ve just started to paint), two British field guns, some lancers and a unit of dismounted Imperial Light Horse. This is likely to take me some time to paint up but it’s good to have a goal.

I’ll also need some scenic items including Elandslaagte Station, some farm buildings and a few barbed wire fences. Oh, and I need to finish writing the rules!

Coldstream Guards

The 1st battalion Coldstream Guards formed part of 1st Guards brigade under major General Colvile and also contained the 2nd Coldstream, 3rd Grenadier Guards and 1st Scots Guards. The 1st battalion Coldstreams were engaged at Belmont, Modder River and Magesfontein where they suffered heavy casualties.

Although I have called these the Coldstream Guards they will be able to stand in for any Guards units on the wargame table. These wonderful figures by Raventhorpe Miniatures are on the chunky side of 20mm and certainly dwarf my Jacklex figures but I guess Guardsmen were suppose to be tall and I really wanted to use them.

27 Raventhorpe figures painted for me by the talented Matt Golding.

Scruby Commando

Commandant Ross leads out the newly refurbished Scruby Commando. These are more of the figures I received from Ross last year that have now been touched up, re-varnished and rebased to my own system.

These figures by Jack Scruby are slender and look a bit small compared to the Boer figures by Jacklex and Newline Designs but they have a charm of their own. I particularly like the figure representing Commandant Ross with his rifle cradled in his arm.

Each of my Commando’s will be comprised of 12 men plus a Commandant based in such a way as to allow casualty removal. The initial phase of this project will require me to have three such Commando’s and I’m well on the way to this now.

Suffolk’s on parade

The 1st battalion the Suffolk regiment is complete and are now being put through their drill prior to embarking for South Africa. The Suffolk’s didn’t actually take part in any of the battles in 1899 so I may have to stretch reality a bit to let them take part in my planned campaigns.

The battalion in close column, officers to the front. Roy's right, they
do look a bit like flapping seagulls!

Deployed in line and ready to advance.

Extended order - this new fangled formation is frowned
upon by the senior NCO's.

A half battalion - some scenarios will call for smaller British units.

The sergeant major on the right is sensibly carrying a rifle to
make himself a less conspicuous target. The officers however
may not last long once the mausers start firing.

I’m really pleased to have finished one British unit and hope to start on the next one soon. In the meantime I need to return to the Napoleonic figures on my painting desk who are feeling a little bit neglected.

1st Commando

Having said that I wouldn’t be mixing different manufacturers figures within the same unit I’ve gone ahead and done exactly that in my 1st Commando.

This unit is comprised of  5 x Newline Designs, 6 x Jacklex and one odd Raventhorpe Miniatures thrown in for good measure. To be honest I don’t think there’s actually that much difference between the figures once they’re based up. It would probably be much more noticeable if I did the same thing with the British.

Next I’ll be turning my attention to my first British battalion which will be a Jacklex one.