Drill

Last Sunday (August 12th), drill was held at the Heritage Park, in Cerritos, CA. The drill was attended by the two company officers, the company tailor, two fusiliers (myself included), and some loved ones.

The drill was good, considering the rather small number. The upcoming trip to Saratoga was discussed (more details will be coming to this blog, I promise). The company tailor had a rough cut light infantry coat for me to try on. I have a feeling the coat will turn out exceptional and that I will want to wear it more than the Ronald Reagan event. The tailor will also be working on my light infantry waistcoat.

The next drill will be August 26th at the same park. This drill will be in small clothes, so come prepared!

Ich Dien!

Shako Plate, Revisited

This morning I called Discriminating General in Canada regarding the Royal Welch Fusiliers stovepipe shako plate. They said that they could produce replicas of the plate but there is a caveat (there always is a caveat). The minimum order for such a custom job is 50 units and with a price of $60 per plate, whoever makes the order will be out $3,000. The minimum order size is also larger than the number of people that needs them, which also creates somewhat of a problem.

I might call them back next week to see about reducing the minimum order size. There is no need for 50 plates right now, although in the future the unit could possibly go through that many guys (especially if we ever do any film work). Hopefully I can convince the manufacturer that an order of 20 now with much potential in the future is equal to or better than an order of 50 now. We shall see.

Ich Dien!

Shako Plate

A friend of mine was visiting the UK this past week and while there, he decided to stop in at the Royal Welch Fusiliers museum. He took this picture:


If you look closely (and are interested in this sort of thing) you will notice a few things about this shako plate that are not normal. That is because this shako plate (for the "stovepipe" shako) is a special one just for the Royal Welch Fusiliers. Missing from the top is the royal crown--the GR monogram has been moved from the center to replace it. Instead of the GR in the center of the plate, we see the Prince of Wales heraldic emblem. Below that, where the lion should be, we have the Prince of Wales feathers. It is a fascinating piece and shows that while regiments did have standards of uniforms, there was much leeway.

Now I need to find a person or a business that can replicate the plate.

Ich Dien!

New website!

There is finally a website dedicated to the 23rd Napoleonic era unit! It is in the very early stages so there really isn't much there. Bookmark the URL, as changes will be coming soon!

Fusiliers in Spain

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1809

The following is an artists rendition of some British redcoats in 1809. The uniforms are not 100% correct, as the 23rd had discarded the bearskin for the shako and the "D" mess tin was not available until 1813.

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Charles Hamilton Smith Print

Charles Hamilton Smith (1776­1859) was an artist, illustrator, soldier and spy. He worked on his Costume of the Army of the British Empire, from which this plates is reproduced. This plate shows the 1812 dress uniform of the 23rd and the 6th regiments of foot.

(Source Wellington's Army)

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Napoleonic Uniform Print

Here is a great print of a private of the 7th Fusiliers and an officer of the 23rd Fusiliers around the time of the Battle of Albuera in 1811.

(From Bloody Albuera)

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I'm alive

Yes, I am still alive. It has been a very busy year for me and as such, I haven't had the time to update this blog.

Here are notes of the last few months:

• I attended my first Napoleonic event the first weekend of May. Although it was a private event, it is very fun. The Napoleonic era is gaining ground in Southern California and I hope to someday see more than one event a year.
• The Reagan Library Revolutionary Weekend event was again great, although the Continentals seemed to out number the British regulars. This is just unacceptable.
• Recruits for the 23rd keep coming in and the new guys are all very enthusiastic. I believe Ferguson's Company is in good shape.
• To help out the 23rd Napoleonic unit, I have been doing a ton of research (of which I will post here).

So that, in a nutshell, is what has been going on since Feb. I have not made it to all the 23rd events this year, since my personal life has been busy but I am definitely going to participate in Saratoga this October.

Ich Dien!