India 1857- Irregular’s Indian Mutiny Range 15mm

My India 1857/8 comes from Dixon and Irregular. Today I though we might see some of the Irregular ones. Mainly because I have rebased them. Also, as toy soldiers go they are rather fun. Often not much on display by way of uniform. Not as we normally understand it anyhow. Here and there you might see a Dixon miniature.

Irregular have returned from a well deserved extended Christmas Break. Pleasingly they still offer a British Army Pack and an Indian Army pack £35.00 each. A very accessible way into gaming the period.

British Heavy Dragoons above. I really like these. They seem to capture the big lads on big horses thing very nicely.

British Lancers. A mixture of uniforms to remind us we are in in India.

British Light Dragoons. Here I wonder about the sword thing again. Blunt swords must have cost many lives. Or, conversely saved them. The British Regular Native Cavalry had the same problem. Here is an extract from Mutiny Reflections:

“Again, reforms had been proposed for the light cavalry as far back as 1847, and interestingly enough, the recommended changes came from Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Carmichael Smyth. He wanted to clothe the cavalry in “a broadcloth Ulkalluck, or long native dress, a pair of loose trousers, a turban and cummerbund with Hindoostanee saddles and bridles, “ thus aligning them in dress to the irregular cavalry who were not only more comfortably dressed but better equipped, forgoing the light cavalry sword for the much more efficient tulwars and shamshirs.”

No one in authority heeded Smyth. Nolan was championing the same cause years later. With some incremental success we might note beginning with saddle and tack.

 

Sikh Sowars with a British Officer. Sharp blades there.

 

A variety of Sikh Infantry next. No Indians were ever entrusted with the Enfield in 1857/8. They carried the percussion musket.

Each Sepoy regiment had a Rifle Company armed with  Brunswick Rifles. Better than the Baker Rifle it was said. An effective Indian Commander might cause these to be combined into a Rifle Battalion. Otherwise each rifle element might remain with its parent body.

 

A couple of gun emplacements. The gabions and defences are from Irregular.

The Crimean War once more next time. I have found something interesting.