Haszel Bossen, August 1914

[janner]

All the ones I've ever seen are green so that will do for me. After all, as I've said to some before, these are only toys in a game. And one of about two dozen periods we play now and again, so it will do for us.

Burn the heretic!

 

Many thanks for the inspiration again, I might actually finish my small German force one day

[Phil Robinson]

I have not seen any grey ones either but as Dave says it's a game,  I can't help feeling that it would look like they were giving a birthday salute in Hyde Park though

[charla51]

My question wasn't meant to be a snide remark. I was asking for information. The 13pdr in the IWM, salvaged from the Nery action (although not the gun that was kept firing) was painted khaki-green at a later date. Contemporary postcards and the official painting of the action suggest that L Battery's colour scheme was grey on that day. Thus other RHA and RFA batteries may have sported the same colour scheme in the early weeks of the war.

[Yankeepedlar01]

My question wasn't meant to be a snide remark.

Since you already appear to have the information you supposedly were asking for your first statement falls a tad short of accuracy.
If you want to paint you guns grey, or even pink, please do so. I'll tootle along painting mine green and we'll both be happy.

[Phil Robinson]

Despite my flippant reply I did not take your query as snide, in fact it got me thinking. Having done a bit of searching there does not appear to be any real concensus on the subject. As you say contempary pictures have them grey, in fact a serving RFA officer did his picture with a grey gun, although guns were supposedly painted "khaki" from the late 1800's there is no reason that some could not still be grey in 1914, it was not a throw away society like today after all, and pictorial evidence suggests it could well have been the case as you say. But as Dave says "khaki" is the excepted colour so thats what folk paint and looks "right" without contempary colour photo's we can only sumise.

[charla51]

Since you already appear to have the information you supposedly were asking for your first statement falls a tad short of accuracy.
If you want to paint you guns grey, or even pink, please do so. I'll tootle along painting mine green and we'll both be happy.

I suppose what I was asking for was confirmation. Your statement is as useless as a chocolate tea-pot.

[Phil Robinson]

If you read my reply you will see that it cannot be confirmed definateley, so the answer stands do what you want or feel is right, can never understand what why people get so anal about a game of toy soldiers.

[charla51]

I suppose I'm wondering why the evidence of the contemporary official painting of the action at Nery (2nd Sept 1914), for example, where the guns and limbers are clearly depicted in a grey colour scheme is so often ignored by modellers and wargamers who otherwise crave accuracy in these matters.

As an official painting the artist would have done his research and would be supervised by the military. Unless the officers involved were stereotypical of Staff being so far from the Front that they hadn't a clue what colour the guns might be?

For the record, I think grey guns on the games table look daft for the BEF.

[janner]

If you read my reply you will see that it cannot be confirmed definateley, so the answer stands do what you want or feel is right, can never understand what why people get so anal about a game of toy soldiers.

I was going to make a comment about the benefits of plastic over metal figures in regards to this, but I decided it would be in bad taste...

 

[charla51]

I was going to make a comment about the benefits of plastic over metal figures in regards to this, but I decided it would be in bad taste...

 

But you made a comment anyway, Janner. Well done. Could you extend it by continuing the 'bad taste' into your mouth?

Before this gets way out of hand, can I say I was simply questioning Yankeepedlar's and others' assumption about a green colour scheme for British field guns in 1914. Is there any hard evidence for a green colour scheme for guns in the early weeks of the war? Whereas the painting of the action at Nery seems to be evidence for a grey colour scheme.

[janner]

But you made a comment anyway, Janner. Well done. Could you extend it by continuing the 'bad taste' into your mouth?

Thank you for the congratulations, I do my best.

As to any lingering bad taste, my lunchtime tomato soup seems to have sorted that one out just fine.

Toodle pip!

[Yankeepedlar01]

A chocolate tea pot? I like that! As to usefulness,about the same as your "contributions" so far. The fact remains that these are my toys in my game. What you may or may not think are really of no interest to me. As I said,paint yours grey if you like,it bothers me not a jot. Try to get some perspective on this please,it really doesn't matter to me what you think, nor does what I think matter to you. Just let it drop eh?