New mini project - French flags of the battle of Minden 1759

I really like the elegance and style (as well as pleasing simplicity of many) of the 18th century French flags. Having now finished doing the flags of the regular French regiments that fought at Quebec I think I may well take a stab at doing the flags (infantry, at least) of the French army at Minden 1759. Watch this space! :-)

Flags of French Béarn Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.7

And finally, the last of the French (regular) infantry in Canada flag series.

First raised 1684, the 2 battalion infantry regiment Béarn supplied its 2nd battalion for the war in Canada. It arrived in 1755. It was at the capture of Oswego in 1756; the capture of Fort William Henry in 1757; the victory of Ticonderoga 1758; the siege of Quebec and battles of Montmorency and the Plains 1759; the surrender of Fort Niagara 1760 (detachment); the victory of Ste. Foy and siege of Quebec 1760; and finally surrendered with the others at Montreal on the 8th September 1760, where the colours were all burned to prevent capture. The captured battalion returned to France in 1760 and the regiment was disbanded on the 25th November 1762. Only the ordonnance flag  as depicted here was carried in Canada.

English Civil War flags - Royalist Infantry 1

I've done a fair number of WSS flags for commissions recently, which takes us back to the very early 18th century, and as I've a large collection of unpainted 15mm English Civil War figures I've decided to head even further back into the mid-17th century and make some ECW flags in the hope I might one day get round to painting my ECW armies. (As I've had the figures over 27 years that is probably, to use a 17th century phrase, a forlorn hope - but you never know...)

These are two infantry colours carried by the small Royalist infantry regiment of Colonel Francis Cooke. The unit was probably raised in 1643 in the south-west and it fought at Cheriton, Cropredy Bridge, Lostwithiel and 2nd Newbury. Three colours for the unit were recorded by Symonds at the Aldbourne Chase muster in April 1644, suggesting the unit counted 3 companies (at one flag per company), and these flags represent two of those. Cooke was captured in Salisbury in December 1644. He also raised a small cavalry unit. (Most information from Stuart Reid's invaluable series of booklets "Officers and Regiments of the Royalist Army", Partisan Press. On infantry colours of the ECW, "E.C.W. Flags and Colours: 1: English Foot" by Stuart Peachey and Les Prince, also Partisan Press, is an excellent summary and assessment of all the reliable sources of material.)

The material of these often short-lived infantry flags of the ECW was usually taffeta or sarcenet, a soft silk cloth, probably of lighter bulk than 18th century flags and less durable. I've experimented a good deal with trying to make the flags seem more "see through" than 18th century flags but am still not entirely happy with the results. Anyway, this is where I've arrived with them at the moment and at the price people can't really complain. :-)

Things Are Happening Behind The Scenes...

In case people think nothing is happening with the blog at the moment, I thought I'd mention that, amongst other things, I'm revamping a number of the early templates which I now feel are somewhat crude - initially I'm working on the French and Austrian infantry but ultimately quite a number of templates will have a makeover. I'm also producing coloured versions of a number of templates (e.g. the British) that originally had only outline templates. It all takes time, though, and so for the moment I don't have very much to put on the blog.

Generic General-Type Template - of the fanciful variety!

I was playing around with one of the elaborately laced Royal Navy templates and also producing a feather-edged tricorne, of the type worn by generals in the 18th century (not to mention Baron von Munchhausen; rewatched the Terry Gilliam film recently ;-)), and the result was, I think, rather pleasing. I aim to create some authentic generals' uniforms (hence the feather-edged tricorne), which are long overdue, but in the meantime this is a pleasant, if rather fanciful, version. (Then again, given the freedom generals of that period had in inventing their own uniforms, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone somewhere wore this exact uniform! :-))

I haven't yet created a blank for this, as to show the feather detail in a non-vector format the template needs to be very big, but these do show what fun can be had with recolouring some of the templates already created.

Update: I've now added a somewhat Russian-style general's uniform in green and red - also rather attractive, I think. :-)

Update 2: Added a rather Austrian-like variant in white and red and a French-like variant in blue and red.

Saxon Surgeon

Almost every army of the period had rather too many underqualified drunken sawbones, as Christopher Duffy confirms in his books, the only notable exception being the Austrian army which tried with some success to regulate and improve the medical profession in its army.  Of course there were always some conscientious surgeons who did what they could with the little knowledge and resources they had. However, in a time without anaesthetics or anti-biotics, and with the medical profession lacking most of the knowledge that medicine has acquired since the 19th century, any wound on the battlefield was a potential death sentence; as Christopher Duffy says, every soldier of the period had to face battle "in the knowledge that the slightest wound might condemn him to the most terrible and lingering death" ("The Military Experience in the Age of Reason", page 318).

WSS Grenadiers - First 3 templates

Here are the first 3 grenadier templates.

WSS Grenadiers' Preview

Just a quick preview shot of the next 6 variants of WSS infantry with 3 different versions of the early grenadier cap.  I'll post them on the blog in the next few days.

I thought it best to keep the caps simple so they're more adaptable - if I used specific designs, especially of the detail of the frontplates, they'd be far less widely useful without further editing.

WSS Infantry Template 2

A variant with laced buttonholes, gaiters and cockade on the hat.

WSS Infantry Template 1

I've been asked a number of times for templates for the War of the Spanish Succession and, although I have a simple cavalryman and a Bavarian cuirassier template on the blog, a big omission has been any infantry templates. So, prompted by another recent request for them, here is the first of several infantry templates I plan to do, with a number of variations of lace, hat and legwear. In reality the possible variations are actually quite numerous for what is usually perceived as a period of simple, rather homogeneous uniforms throughout Europe.

Note that the rapidity (or even appearance at all) of new WSS infantry templates will quite probably depend on the response I receive for this one, as my To Do list is now very long!

UPDATE: I didn't export the image with its 256 colour palette the first time I uploaded it to my blog so it will almost certainly not colour in properly – I've fixed that now and you can get the updated image from the blog. That comes of doing things when very, very tired! Sorry about that…

Colours of French Artois Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.6

We are near to completing the French in Canada flag series with this, the Artois regiment.

First raised 1610, the 2 battalion infantry regiment Artois supplied its 2nd battalion (13 companies strong) for the war in Canada. It arrived in 1755, garrisoned Louisbourg and was captured at the capitulation of the fortress in July 1758. The captured battalion was sent to Great Britain and exchanged at Calais in December 1758. Only the ordonnance flag was carried in Canada but the colonel's colour is shown here for completeness.

Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and New Year. I had hoped that as usual I'd do a Christmas-themed template but events overtook me this time; a very elderly uncle had a bad fall and was in hospital and dealing with that has eaten up the time and energy the past week. I still have plans to do more templates, flags, etc., and hope that in the coming year I find the time and energy to do them!

All good wishes,

David.

Royal Navy Flag Officer, dress uniform waistcoat

The same caveat applies to this plate as to the previous one.

Royal Navy Flag Officer, dress uniform

I'm not entirely happy with this one, as in order to make the lace manageable at this scale I stylised it somewhat. I may well have another go at the entwined gold lace when I can find the time and energy. However, it still looks fairly good, I think, and ImagiNations people probably won't mind anyway.

Royal Navy Lieutenant, waistcoat

Royal Navy Junior Captain, waistcoat

Royal Navy Senior Captain, waistcoat

As the full coated version obscures the details of the waistcoat there are also templates showing the waistcoat only.

Royal Navy Senior Captain, full dress uniform

Royal Navy Flag Officer, undress uniform

From 1748 to 1767 all officers except midshipmen had two orders of dress, full dress and undress, the former being much more elaborately laced. With successive regulations after 1767 the full dress uniforms were dropped leaving the undress as the only order of dress.

This is one of seven Royal Navy officer templates of the first 1748-1767 pattern, which were commissioned by Paul who runs the St George's Squadron of the Pirates of the Burning Sea online game: see here: http://www.st-george-squadron.com/sgs/wiki/index.php?title=1748_Pattern and here: http://www.burningsea.com/page/home He has kindly agreed to my posting them on the blog.

7 new Royal Navy uniform templates very soon...

I've just completed a commission to produce seven new Royal Navy officers' uniform templates and the chap who commissioned them is happy to see them go on my blog. They are: Lieutenant, Junior Captain, Senior Captain, and Flag Officer in waistcoat; Senior Captain and Flag Officer in dress uniform; and Flag Officer in undress uniform. Some of these are very elaborate and impressive. As usual, there'll be colour and blank templates for each uniform. Watch this space!

Colours of French Languedoc Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.5

 

First raised 1672, the 2 battalion infantry regiment Languedoc supplied its 2nd battalion for the war in Canada. It arrived in 1755, although 4 companies were captured at sea by the British. It was at the defeat at Fort George 1755; the capture of Fort William Henry 1757; the French victory of Ticonderoga 1758; the siege of Quebec and battles of Montmorency and the Plains of Abraham; the French victory of Sainte Foy and the siege of Quebec 1760; and finally the retreat to and surrender at Montreal 8th September 1760. Only the ordonnance flag was carried in Canada and was burned before the surrender at Montreal but the colonel's colour is shown here for completeness.

We're getting close to the complete set of infantry colours of French regular battalions in Canada - only a few to go now...

Colours of French La Sarre Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.4

 

 

First raised 1651, the 2 battalion infantry regiment La Sarre supplied its 2nd battalion for the war in Canada. It arrived in 1756 as part of the convoy carrying the new commander Montcalm. It was at the capture of Oswego 1756; the capture of Fort William Henry 1757; the French victory of Ticonderoga 1758; the siege of Quebec and battles of Montmorency and the Plains of Abraham; elements surrendered at Fort Niagara 1759; was at the French victory of Sainte Foy and the siege of Quebec 1760; and finally the retreat to and surrender at Montreal 8th September 1760. Only the ordonnance flag was carried in Canada and was burned before the surrender at Montreal but the colonel's colour is shown here for completeness.

Colours of French Guyenne Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.3

 

 

First raised 1674, the 2 battalion infantry regiment Guyenne supplied its 2nd battalion for the war in Canada. It had a busy war; it was at the capture of Oswego 1756; the capture of Fort William Henry 1757; the French victory of Ticonderoga 1758; the siege of Quebec and battles of Montmorency and the Plains of Abraham; elements surrendered at Fort Niagara 1759; the French victory of Sainte Foy and the siege of Quebec 1760; the battle and retreat from Isle aux Noix; and finally the retreat to and surrender at Montreal 8th September 1760. Only the ordonnance flag was carried in Canada and was burned before the surrender at Montreal but the colonel's colour is shown here for completeness.

I'm currently redoing the French infantry uniform template as the current one is old, crude and rather worn out. :-)

Flags of French Royal Roussillon Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.2

The 1st Battalion of Royal Roussilllon served in Canada from 1756-1760. The golden lilies signify a Royal regiment. Of the 2 drapeaux d'ordonnance (the upper colour) carried by this regiment in Canada, one is supposed to have been captured by the British 35th Foot at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on 13th September 1759 and the other was burned before the surrender of Montreal on the 8th September 1760. More information on Kronoskaf here: http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Royal_Roussillon_Infanterie

Colours of French La Reine Infantry Regiment - French infantry in Canada series No.1

 

 

The second battalion of La Reine in Canada carried the battalion colours (the upper colour) from 1755 until the 8th September 1760 "when General Levis ordered the colours to be burnt following the British refusal to grant the Honours of War as part of the terms of capitulation" (René Chartrand, "The French Soldier in Colonial America"). Dashed unsporting and ungentlemanly! (Of the British, that is... ;-))

Apparently only the single battalion regiment Angoumois carried its white colonel's colour in North America during the Seven Years War; the rest of the regular infantry carried only the regimental or battalion colours (drapeaux d'ordonnance).

Unfortunately the blog does not allow me to post these flags as a vector file, which would be both a smaller file size and much more crisp and detailed.