Question - Did any British light infantry regiments wear the Belgic Shako.

[THE CID]

As above, or did they only wear the stovepipe.

[the commissar]

I am pretty sure that they retained the stovepipe shako through the whole Napoleonic period

[THE CID]

Thanks, I thought as much.

[huevans]

There appears to be evidence that Rifles units switched to the Belgic, which was generally issued after 1813-1814, or whenever your lot happened to get new kit. You could certainly argue that Light Infantry got them too.

[the commissar]

There appears to be evidence that Rifles units switched to the Belgic, which was generally issued after 1813-1814, or whenever your lot happened to get new kit. You could certainly argue that Light Infantry got them too.

That's interesting - I have never seen this mentioned before do you have any other info on this?

[janner]

The 1812 warrant stipulated 'Belgic' shakos for all non-Highland infantry regiments, foot guards, line, light, and rifle. I'd understood that all battalions had switched by 1815 less the 28th Foot and Mouth.

I know that in advance of Waterloo 200, the British based 95th reenactors switched to Belgics based on some pretty thorough research. (They have also dropped the ToS-type forage caps in favour of a more accurate option).

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

WARNING - BIT OF THREADOMANCY AT WORK HERE:-

Interesting update to this conversation:-

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=475691

One of the points made is that the light infantry/rifles might have been chosen to use up the "left-over" stove-pipes from pre-change manufacturing.  Someone responded that this would require three years' wear from an item that was only supposed to last two, but in fact that would not necessarily be the case - the 1812 regulations would really have impacted the 1813 clothing issue, so perhaps (I put it no more strongly than that) some light infantry/rifles were still wearing stove-pipes?

What do people, especially the original posters on here (if they are still alive!) think?

[janner]

No new evidance has seemed to come to light since the last time this was debated on PMT.

The Duke of Boots obtained a 12 month remission for the army in Iberia in 1812. Unless evidence emerges of British units ordering new stovepipes in 1812, this suggests that they had to struggle on with what they had to hand.

Apart from Bernard topping up 1/95th in 1813 based on what stovepipes were left in theatre and the request from 28th Foot for a continuance, there is still no firm evidance I am aware of for non-Highland infantry regiments being given further dispensations.

However, there remains some room for ambiguity based on artistic representations, unrealiable though such sources can be.