Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: Echidna Studios on July 31, 2014, 07:48:49 AM
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Morning all
I've tried to find some examples of the uniforms worn by the British Militia during the Napoleonic era and not managed to come up with anything, can anyone recommend any sources either online or in paper format which provides examples?
Cheers
Garry
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They were called fencibles. Folowing Funcken they had often old-fashioned uniforms, with long tailed coats and Round Hats-Tarletons. But the plates are from the 1800/1805 era, perhaps later in the war that was less so. I think models from the Egypt/Mahratta period will do the job (though without mosquito trousers) als they have round hats and the older tunic type.
EDIT: Wrong: there was a real militia. It seems it followed army uniforms, probably with stovepipes or hats. That corresponds with militias in canada during the 1812 war.
ADDED: http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/1661to1966/militia1/militia1.html
http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1960-07-198-1
ADDED: http://www.policehistory.com/early.html this source from ireland suggest that, like in canada, the facing colour of the infantry was not necessarily blue.
Here:
http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.nl/2013/10/the-local-militia-act-of-1808.html
I see that the militia was converted to a system of extra battalions supporting regular battalions. That supports the notion of militia uniforms following the army uniforms. Would be practical, wouldn't it?
For cavalry: search for yeomany. Yeomanry had Light-Dragoon-ish uniforms, however, the standard colour being red (modified or added to by pomp-loving danger-avoiding officers, hence the green)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/btQKQS5oTGSo9eDxNcTfug
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Volunteer_Corps
Some sources:
http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/fencibles/c_fencibles2.html
http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/fencibles/c_fencibles.html
http://www.pinterest.com/clancoutts/fencibles-and-caterans/
Perhaps by searching per regiment name you can find more.
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Thanks.
I had a strong feeling from somewhere that the Yeomanry wore a dragoon like uniform, probably from a museum visit as a kid!
It's useful that the uniforms worn by the militia appear to not be that different to that of the regular army. It would certainly mean that painting some up would not be that much of an issue. I do wonder if any of those charged with raising the regiments diverged from the standard style of uniform colours.