A Series of (Colonial) Questions

[Major Weenie]

This is a copy of questions I'll be sending to TBC.  My theory is that the greater the size of the audience, the greater my chances of an answer.

1.) What color is the bugle cord in the Egyptian army, circa 1882?  I've already asked this question 'at the LAF' (Lead Adventure Forum) and the general consensus was that there was no firm and exact answer, but that "Red Looked Good."

2.) What color are the gun carriages in the Egytian army, circa 1882?

3.) What color are fingernails for a high ranking Chinese officer during the Boxer Rebellion?  Or even during the Tai Ping Rebellion.  Much to my surprise, this issue has never come up before as all my previous Mandarin figures have had both hands stuffed into their sleeves.  Now I have a very nice figure, at bit smallish but still nice, with one hand resting on his forearm, revealing long fingers and even longer finger nails.

4.) What rifles did the Egyptian army, circa 1882, use?  I believe it was Remingtons?  How should I be painting these?  I have a very nice batch of 6 figures already complete (no photo because my camera battery has gone west) and only just realized that I appear to have painted the rifles like some sort of musket with brass rings.  It looks very nice, but years ago I painted a Mauser like that, and ECH (another bengali who is not an imaginary major) berated me severly for having accurate uniforms, but make-believe rifles.

5.) Finally, what about Spahis Alegerienne (masculine ? feminine ? I've already been admonished once for inaccurate use of a Romance Language) I know that they're light cavalry, but ONLY skirmishers?  It's a question of basing.  I have around 6 figures that I acquired in a trade.  I believe that they're old 'Lead Boiler Suit' figures.  I've abandoned the horses, and am in the process of converting some old Wargames Foundry Boer War horses into suitable mounts. The question is, should these be 1 to a base, as permanent skirmishers, or 2 to a base like mose 'regular' cavalry.  Then if I need them to skirmish I just expand the unit frontage. So the question is; 'Regular Cavalry that can also skirmish?' Or 'Light Cavalry that can only skirmish?'

Many thanks,
Dow (Major Weenie)

[Plynkes]

Spahis Algériens would be my guess, unless you were just talking about one of them. Adjectives agree with the gender, but also are quite particular regarding the singular and plural.

As for the more technical, historical questions, I'm not much good at them. Is the Remington that made rifles for the Khedive (and indirectly for the Mahdi) the same Remington that made Victor Kiam  "so impressed, I bought the company?" He used to be all over the telly when I was a nipper, trying to persuade me I needed an electric razor.

[fastolfrus]

Not certain, but I was under the impression that Egyptian guns used grey carriages.

[Major Weenie]

4.) East Coast Herb would be the one to answer a Remington question.  However, I do think that they expanded into mechanical shavers.  Then spun off that portion of the company, and it was eventually purchased by the chap who later appeared in the TV commercials.  Drat!  Now I'll have to ask ECH.

6.) Another 'philosophical question.' What about the basing of Basingers and Bashi Bazouks ?  I know that the Basingers actually did form one, or perhaps two, sides of a square in battle near the Red Sea.  And the Bashi Bazouks, they're just unruly 'regular' infantry, right?  Not specialists in skirmishing or anything like that.  I was wondering if they should be based in close order, like British/Egyptians, or in a more open order... Like Chinese Imperialists.

[Major Weenie]

East Coast Herb comes through again,

The Egyptians did, indeed, use Remington Rolling Block rifles.  If you look at the renditions of the Bengal Bugle banner I sent you with the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, you'll see some wonderful drawings of said Remingtons by R. Caton Woodville.  They were all steel - no brass.  The barrel and barrel bands would have been blued steel and the receiver group would have been case-hardened (sort of mottled blued-grey-brown, but probably best just to depict it as blued steel).  From a distance, the coloring would have been similar to a Martini-Henry.
 
Yes, the razor was an out growth from the same company.  The original Remington arms company went bankrupt in the 1880's and was bought out.  One of the branches of the new Remington Arms Co. was Remington Rand - made typewriters and business machines.  Remington Rand originated the Remington Razor.  Remington Rand made some arms during WWII (IBM also made M-I carbines during WWII, so I suppose firearms are a sort of business machine).

[aecurtis]

1)  No knowledge; sorry.

2)  Grey, as best as can be determined.

3)  Mandarins' nails were lacquered in diverse colors.  But when outside, they'd most likely be wearing fingernail protectors, which could be made of gold, silver, tortoiseshell, or (I dare you!) cloisonne:



4)  For a good look at the Egyptian Remington, see here:

http://www.militaryrifles.com/Egypt/EgyptRem.htm

Note that the metal could be surprisingly bright (Plynkes' favorite Boltgun Metal?) if maintained, and note the variation in aging.  You may also find this intersting:

http://www.remingtonsociety.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2171

5)  Spahis were classed as light cavalry, and specialized in skirmishing and hit-and-run tactics.  But they were also capable of a close-order charge.  In fact, the last mounted cavalry charge in French military history was conducted by a platoon of spahis on January 2, 1941, in Eritrea (whilts attached to a Mahratta battlion in the 5th Indian Division), scattering a larger force of Italian askaris.

Allen

[nervisfr]

About the spahis, during the Algerian War (1956's) they were transformed in Dragoon regiment. My father was in one of these unit during this war. troopers are all french but not algerian ones
So the french army use them like more a dragoon unit than a light unit. Abale to skirmish but to fight in close action too.....