GUEST POST: Mark is STILL marching.. into poverty?

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...

The Earl of Antrim's Regiment from Mark's collection

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.

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 17^th century 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.

Sjaellandske or Zealand Regiment

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.

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.

Patrick Sarsfield's Regiment of Horse again from Mark

At this point, I must admit that my focus has changes slightly from completing my Monmouth rebellion force to King William and King James in Ireland, but it will continue to grow, so at this point in time I have the following:

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 2^nd 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.