Spanish Infantry by SHQ

The Regiment Del Rey

I was only able to take two pictures before the battery in my camera made its excuses, but I think you'll agree the fellows above look very well indeed. These are SHQ casting, formerly Kennington, and painted by Mrs Kinch's cousin, Casey Minor. I think he's done a cracking job and I'm afraid you lot will have to endure at least one more post on the subject as these chaps deserve a great deal more than two photographs.

He has painted them as the regiment Del Rey. They were the senior unit in the Spanish army and still are, though they necessarily somewhat changed. Sebastian Foy writing of the Spanish army said "...the oldest of them all bore the name of Immerorial Del Rey, and the date of its creation is beyond memory". They have some claim to being the oldest formed unit still in existence in the world, at least according to Wikipedia*.

"The King's Own Immemorial 1st Infantry Regiment of the Spanish Army is considered to be the oldest armed unit in the world. There is certain proof of this and according to what the chronicles mention, King Ferdinand III, "The Saint," in 1248, during the conquest of Seville, with some of his men-at-arms, assaulted and took a tower. Seemingly, with such boldness and bravery they gained the admiration of the King. The campaign finished and with the consequent disbandment of troops, King Ferdinand decided to permanently keep with him said force, giving origin to the permanence of the Armies, that is to say, the origin of itself."

Officer, Drummer and Ensign

(click to embiggen)

The flag is a new one for me, as I rarely field units with them and when I do, they are invariably painted rather than printed. The flag is a Rofur flag which I got from Simon over at Painted Napoleonic Armies, and rather sharp it looks too. I based this fellows up a few days ago, but haven't gotten around to varnishing them yet, though they did good service in their first battle, Barrossa.

And sadly, the story of that battle will have to wait for another time.

*Though there is some truth in the words of Doctor Johnson who said, "Madam, he who quotes Wikipedia is a guttersnipe and certainly no better than a Scotsman, as confirming the quotation is difficult as every silly person will have repeated it and the labour of doing so is wearisome."

Spanish Guns & Gunners

SHQ Spanish Gunners with an ESCI gun

When I worked in the book trade I dealt with an elderly man who had served on Monty's staff during the Normandy campaign. I never met him in person as he was too frail to travel, but we spoke several times over the phone. I recall two very particular things.

1) The abuse that he heaped on me for sending him "The Full Monty" by Nigel Hamilton. I never knew elderly men knew such words. He had ordered it I hasten to add.

2) He always maintained that Eisenhower could have ended the war in six months if he hadn't tried to maintain a broad front.

I feel that in some ways I'm emulating Eisenhower's mistake as at present, I'm attempting to complete an order of battle for the Spanish army, while finishing off my Waterloo armies and struggling though my Indian and Cold War projects. It may take a while, but I have no doubt that we'll finish in Berlin.

SHQ Spanish Gunners

These are lovely little figures. They're very simple with clean lines and with very little flash. A few seconds trimming with a craft knife was all that was required to get them ready to go. I'll be packing them off to Mark shortly, but there was one problem, I had no guns. Fortunately, my researches indicated that the Spanish used Gribeauval system artillery, so I could use my surplus French guns. The first one picture above, shows an ESCI Guard Artillery gun.

This chap here required a little bit more thought. Despite being under the impression that I had many guns tucked away somewhere, I could only put my hand to one. However, there was a carriage spare from my ESCI box and I was able to wed that to a spare barrel from a Zvesda set.

It has come to my attention that regular readers of this blog have laboured under the misapprehension that General Du Gorman is a drunken, treacherous, cheese eating sybarite, whose moral turpitude is only matched by his devilish good luck.

I was shocked to learn that certain people could get such a wrong impression and wish to issue a full retraction on behalf of this blog and on behalf of the Internet in general; to anyone who may have read this blog and mistakenly assumed that General Du Gorman was a gin sodden, right wing oaf, whose professional life is devoted to the pursuit of a fraud so transparent as to make the Hitler diaries look like a piece of innocent fun and whose many tabletop victories are the result merely of treachery, underhandedness and happenstance.

An artists impression of General Du Gorman,

a mere scribble that cannot possibly hope to do justice to

the radiant inner light of man himself

What makes this misunderstanding all the more shocking is that General Du Gorman is in fact an angel who walks among us, whose sweetness and generosity makes a dark world light and shines as a beacon of hope to all his people, everywhere. A simple abstemious man who might have a glass of sherry at Christmas on returning home after entertaining the children at the orphanage with a puppet show, pausing only to mend a broken doves wing on his way.

A HAT gun from their French Horse Artillery set

I should also mention that General Du Gorman came across a HAT horse artillery gun that he had forgotten about and brought it over at last nights game. This meant that I won't have to buy another box to get that final gun. It also means that my Spanish artillery will have a suitably hodge podge appearance. On the whole I think I can write this one as a victory.

So with the Spanish artillery cobbled together and ready to go off to the painter, it looks like cavalry is the next thing on the agenda.

French Guard Grenadiers a Cheval by SHQ

Le Gros Frere

I've been working mustering forces for Waterloo for quite some time now. The Anglo-Dutch forces didn't present much difficulty, though I will have to reorganise my filing system to take account of the influx of Dutchmen. However, I did have to grapple with the problem of French Guard Heavy Cavalry or specifically, the Horse Grenadiers of the Guard.

These are not available in plastic, so I had to look at the available figures in metal. I've had good experiences with Pete and Ray at SHQ and they didn't disappoint. When there was a problem with my order, they rectified it immediately. Sterling service.

French Guard Grenadier A Cheval at rest by SHQ

The figures arrived and as you can see they are virtually flash free. There are unfortunately two flies in the ointment*. Firstly, the command pack contains two officers and a chap with an eagle and therefore lacks the trumpeter who usually graces my French cavalry units.

Secondly, as you can see above getting the chaps to sit their horses properly is a bit difficult and will require some work with a craft knife and file. I was thinking about my own experience of riding and thought maybe that the rider could be rising in his stirrups. But then, the whole squadron can hardly be doing that!

That said, I am happy with the figures themselves, which have a pleasing heft and solidity that I expected of this most iconic of Napoleonic corps.

*I recently came across the origin of this particular phrase while reading Ecclesiastes. It was a strange, touching someone across an ocean of time moment.

A very generous gift

From left to right: Kennington Spanish Infantry, Hat Dutch Line Infantry, Minifigs French Dragoon Officer, Der Kreigspieler (nee Hinton Hunt) Dismounted French Dragoon. As always click to embiggen.

The Napoleonic collector faces something of quandry - there are so many Frenchmen. In much the same way that the collector of the Second World War will usually have a collection of Germans that surpasses his needs even at their most extravagant, the Napoleonic gamer is haunted by visions of Chasseurs, Lancers, Grenadiers of the Guard and six different kinds of hussar.

I have achieved most of my purely personal goals in Napoleonic toy soldier collecting; I have vivandieres for many of my regiments, I possess a good supply train, I can field the "Die Hards" and a troop of the Sixth Light Dragoons. There are other goals and to be honest, I add more all the time, but one that has dogged me for years is the desire for a regiment of Dragoons.

Left to right - Minifigs French Dragoon Officer, Minifigs French Dragoon Ensign, Minifigs French Dragoon Drummer, Der Kreigspieler (nee Hinton Hunt) Dismounted French Dragoons. As always click to embiggen.

Easily done you say, there is the fine Italeri set, go to it young man - but I am an awkward sort and want Dragoons mounted, dismounted and horse holding. This is more difficult - I had Italeri Dragoons and the Strelets dismounted set had some good (and some very bad) figures in it, but it didn't completely scratch the itch. My chum John C was able to provide me with some Der Kriegspieler French dismounted dragoons. I had been pondering what to do with these, should I convert some of them into horseholders?

I have since learned that the original figure was a horse holder that was converted by the addition of a musket.

This did leave me with the tricky question of what to do for officers, musicians and other such harmless persons?

Left to right - Hat Dutch Line Infantry, Minifigs French Dragoon Officer, Minifigs French Dragoon Ensign, Minifigs French Dragoon Drummer. As always click to embiggen.

By an incredible stroke of luck, I got to corresponding with Mr J of Chicago, who had in his collection not only some more Kriegspielers, but also some Minifigs in the shape of an officer, a chap with an eagle and a drummer. These he sent off and they are now tromping around my wargames table, sowing panic and dismay in their wake. They are of a height with the other figures, though considerably bulkier, but I think with a lick of paint and the same basing they should do the job. The tricks the eye can play are extraordinary.

I don't think it can be too long before I have a troop of Dragoons, charging and on foot. Just in time to do some damage when the Command & Colours Spanish supplement arrives.