For a variety of reasons (mostly my fault) a standard bearer for the 17th century - Mark Shearwood's piece on building a multi use force had been delayed... sorry Mark. Here, Mark continues with his tales of triumph and challenge building armies in the 17th century...
Now in my mind there are generally two schools of thought, the first that everything down to the last button has to be right and the second (and my own philosophy) is that if it looks rightthen it's ok by me, the boundary is softer for club games than for demonstration games.
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| The Earl of Antrim's Regiment from Mark's collection |
There is no need to worry, I am not going anywhere near the questions of Pike or No Pike or soft or tricorne for head wear, I will only say that the bulk of my force is soft hats and most foot have some pike except my Danish and Huguenot regiments who have tricornes and no pike.
That nice Alec of Front Rank released his late 17thcentury infantry figures especially for the Monmouth rebellion, and so my collection began with Monmouth’s Red and Blue Regiments and the smaller independent company of Lyme along with a Militia unit, and there I was, thinking I was all set on my journey until a Mr Barry Hilton, aka The League of Augsburg aka Warfare miniatures brought out his range and I fell for them hook, advertising line and white metal sinker.
Know just a little diversion down a small West Country lane to talk about Monmouth’s standards, this seems to be a case of read your books and take your choice, for apart from 1 Blue flag in the National Army Museum that looks like any Civil War Flag, opinions differ apart from Monmouth’s personal standard of Green with “Fear Nothing but God” on it, otherwise there are references to plain colour standards, the St. George Cross on various background colours to standards with a Bible drawn onto them.
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| Sjaellandske or Zealand Regiment |
Know, I have nothing against Barry’s basing system for BLB, but I needed a system that would allow me to have units serving more than one master, so I still have 3 bases 60 by 60 for the unit (including any pike) and a half hexagonal command base in front with the commander and two standard. So know it only takes three figures to change a unit’s allegiance from say the Red Regiment of James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth to Creagh’s Regiment of King James in Ireland.
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| Patrick Sarsfield's Regiment of Horse again from Mark |
British Units: Serving In
Kirke's Regiment of foot West Country, Ireland
Trelawney’s regiment of Foot West Country, Ireland
Oxford’s Blue’s Horse West Country, Ireland
King James Life Guard West Country, Ireland where they changed sides
Enniskillen Dragoons Ireland, West Country as Militia
Monmouth’s Units
Red Regiment West Country, Ireland as Creagh’s Regiment for King James
Blue Regiment West Country, Ireland as Earl of Westmeath’s for King James
Company of Lyme West Country, Ireland as Militia for King William
Wiltshire Militia West Country, Ireland as Jacobite Militia
Danish Units
Zealand Regiment, Jutland Regiment and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment all serving in Ireland and in the WSS
Huguenot Unit: De La Meloniere Regiment serving in Ireland and in the WSS
Irish Units:
Sir Patrick Sarsfield Horse, Lord Clare’s Dragoons, Lord Clare’s Dragoons, Antrim’s Regiment of Foot and De Boisseleau’s regiment of Foot, all serving in Ireland and can serve in the West Country as militia.