Post Office Rifles uniform help, please.

[JollyBob]

I recently bought the Perry Miniatures heliograph section for including in my VSF/Colonial Naval force and have decided (probably wrongly, I admit) to paint them as a detachment of the Post Office Rifles. It just seems to fit, somehow.

However, I am turning up very few images of uniforms that I can copy, so can anyone help? I have an Osprey of the Sudan campaign with a picture in, but it is of a private and most of the chaps in the set seem to be officers or NCOs and I would like to at least have a stab at getting them right.

I believe the uniform was a greyish blue, so should stand out nicely against all my Navy figs, but I'm particularly interested in getting the rank markings right, i.e. stripes etc. (They are moulded on, but what colour should they be...?  )

Although they will mostly be used for supporting Her Majety (Gawd bless 'er...)'s forces on Mars, I thought I'd post here in Colonial Adventures as I'd like to at least pretend that I'm being historically accurate, so sorry if this is in the wrong place. 

Sorry, I'm rambling and coming accross as little bit obsessive, so I'll stop and cede the floor to those who know better.

Thanks in advance,

JB. 

[joroas]

Found this.........

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/media/cigarettecards/cigaretteterri/cigaretteterri12.htm

[JollyBob]

Oooh, nice find, thank you!

That's a darker blue for the jacket than I was expecting, but everything else looks good. One of the figs is even in the exact same pose!

Most helpful, Sir. 

[joroas]

...and there is this...

http://postalheritage.org.uk/history/war/por

[Christian]

That's a really cool idea, JollyBob. I think Kevin Costner was in a movie about this...? 

Can't wait to see the figures!

[Plynkes]

The Osprey on Tel El-Kebir (the intervention in Egypt) has them in pretty much the same uniform as on that ciggy card. Darkish blue jacket, black (maybe dark blue?) trousers, green facings.

It is likely they had a different uniform in the Sudan. Most everybody else seemed to have a one-off uniform for that one, just to piss off gamers who want to do lots of wars with the same figures.

[JollyBob]

...Darkish blue jacket, black (maybe dark blue?) trousers, green facings...

Yeah, I thought the trousers had a sort of brownish cast to them, which would stand out a bit better against the blue of the jacket (which I had thought was a lighter, greyish shade for some reason...).

I take your point about the Sudan campaign though, Plynkes, not a period I know a lot about but what I do know seems a bit confusing as regards uniforms. Perhaps I could get away with brownish pants and grey blue jacket as they are on campaign and the dyes have all faded?  It would just help mark them out as different to the Naval officers, who are similarly dressed in some cases. 

[Dags]

More here, Bob....

http://osborneradloff.blogspot.com/2009/12/redcoats-in-desert.html

[Plynkes]

Yeah, I thought the trousers had a sort of brownish cast to them...

Yes, I agree. Brown on that cigarette card. That's why I said "pretty much the same uniform", as the ones on the pic in the Tel El-Kebir book appear to be black or dark blue.

[JollyBob]

Ah, right, sorry, misread your earlier comment.

Dags, thanks for that link - lovely pictures! 

[matakishi]

There is a report by someone who was seeing them off to the Sudan who described their trousers as just 'dark' I did mine brown I think, based on the cigarette card which was the only picture I could find.

Lost them all in a varnishing accident back in '05

[JollyBob]

Lost them all in a varnishing accident back in '05

Eeeep!       Sorry to hear that.
 

[Thunderchicken]

Sounds like a great project JB. Looking forward to seeing these.

[JollyBob]

Right, I dug the Osprey out of the loft last night and it seems my aging memory was playing me tricks - nothing grey about the jacket in the illustration at all. I think I'd managed to conflate it with two others of a Royal Marine and a Camel Corps trooper.

So, the current plan is dark blue jacket, black pants highlighted with brown. That should cover all the bases.

But... does anyone have any idea what rank markings should look like? I'm thinking white or yellow stripes for NCOs, but will happily be corrected. Can't seem to find any pics of anything other than privates for some reason. 

[Blackwolf]

JB this is a great idea,you could do a Post Master General............