Zulu Dawn:Col Crealock. “Excuse me, my Lord, there's something I must convey to you. I rode along the track down to Rorke's Drift. The sky above is red with fire. Your orders my Lord? Do we move to the drift?”
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Posts : 600 Join date : 2013-09-18 Location : West Country
Subject: White foreign service helmet Sat Nov 02, 2013 7:03 pm
I am currently building a 1:72 diorama of isandlwana. I have a quick question about the white service hemets used by the British troops. What colour should I use, I read somewhere that the helmets were dulled with dyes improvised from tea, coffee or boiled bark. any advice would be great. Many thanks.
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 52 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sat Nov 02, 2013 8:16 pm
waterloo50 wrote:
I am currently building a 1:72 diorama of isandlwana. I have a quick question about the white service hemets used by the British troops. What colour should I use, I read somewhere that the helmets were dulled with dyes improvised from tea, coffee or boiled bark. any advice would be great. Many thanks.
Hi Waterloo, yes that's correct, they used to dull the helmet's in the fashion you mentioned.
6pdr
Posts : 1086 Join date : 2012-05-12 Location : NYC
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:34 pm
littlehand wrote:
Hi Waterloo, yes that's correct, they used to dull the helmet's in the fashion you mentioned.
They took the badges off too...so nothing was shiny.
impi
Posts : 2308 Join date : 2010-07-02 Age : 41
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sat Nov 02, 2013 11:41 pm
But kept their redcoats on. Did they stain their webbing?
6pdr
Posts : 1086 Join date : 2012-05-12 Location : NYC
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 2:35 pm
impi wrote:
But kept their redcoats on. Did they stain their webbing?
That's logical but I'm not sure about that. I have read this was the last campaign that the British Army went in to a major fight before the switch to khaki...and also the last time the regiment carried its battle standards (the company colours) with it, although I've never been clear whether other regiments still brought theirs on campaign.
24th
Posts : 1857 Join date : 2009-03-25
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 3:47 pm
The Boer war saw the change in uniform colour.
90th
Posts : 10291 Join date : 2009-04-07 Age : 65 Location : Melbourne, Australia
Subject: White Foreign Service Helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:10 pm
I'm not so sure about that 24th , they were wearing Khaki in Afghanistan 79-80 ! , and fairly certain in India as well at that time . Happy to be corrected . 90th
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:47 pm
Laings Nek
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 52 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:26 pm
The last time a scarlet tunic was worn, was at the Battle of Gennis in the Sudan on 30 December 1885.
John Young
Posts : 2263 Join date : 2013-09-08 Age : 65 Location : Lower Sheering, Essex
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:28 pm
Impi,
impi wrote:
Did they stain their webbing?
They would have been far ahead of their time if they had worn webbing in 1879! The first issue of equipment made from webbing was 1908 Pattern.
90th,
Following up on your answer to 24th; a number of units wore khaki in the Indian Mutiny of 1857, it was certainly commonplace during the 2nd Afghan War.
6pdr.
6pdr wrote:
...the last time the regiment carried its battle standards (the company colours) with it, although I've never been clear whether other regiments still brought theirs on campaign.
I hope you meant Regimental Colours rather than company colours? As Xhosa has pointed out at Laing's Nek on 28th January 1881 the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment carried their Colours into action against the Boers. The South Staff's had their Colours with them in 1882 during the occupation of a still hostile Alexandria.
JY
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:31 pm
Further..
Lieut Baillie, who carried.. the Regimental colours was mortally wounded. Peel who carried the Queens colour, turned to assist him and, on being told, " never mind me, save the colours," took both colours but fell in- to a hole. a sergeant came to his rescue and carried both colours for some distance before, Lieut Peel came up and regained them.this was the last time the colours were carried by a British Regiment. as JY says..
Transvaal war of independence 1880-81 G.R.Duxbury. cheers xhosa
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 52 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:33 pm
Posts : 2263 Join date : 2013-09-08 Age : 65 Location : Lower Sheering, Essex
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:41 pm
Littlehand,
Littlehand wrote:
The last time a scarlet tunic was worn, was at the Battle of Gennis in the Sudan on 30 December 1885.
Evidence has revealed that at the Battle of Hlophekhulu, 2nd July 1888, that troops from the following units fought in scarlet: the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons; 1st Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers & 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment.
Hlophekhulu is also remembered for another reason, as it was last time that a senior member of the Zulu Royal House, Prince Shingana kaMpande fought against the British.
JY
littlehand
Posts : 7077 Join date : 2009-04-24 Age : 52 Location : Down South.
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:46 pm
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Mon Nov 04, 2013 12:07 am
littlehand,JY. the colour party, Roy is a given,he always looks the same, but who fourth left? i'm reluctantly off to bed, just into the second day of a massive head cold, so i'm not inclined to search at the mo.. i'm currently ' washing my spears in snot '. xhosa
John Young
Posts : 2263 Join date : 2013-09-08 Age : 65 Location : Lower Sheering, Essex
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:33 pm
Les,
It is Sergeant 25th Brigade/56 Edward Wilson, 1st Battalion, 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment.
JY
Guest Guest
Subject: Re: White foreign service helmet Mon Nov 04, 2013 6:26 pm
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