ALY MORRISON'S "BUTTERFLY" ADVENTURES IN THE WORLD OF WARGAMES AND TOY SOLDIERS

Saturday 31 March 2018

Partizan 2018... Some refugees

Despite my hectic social life getting in the way(boo! Hoo! poor me)...
I have painted up a few civilian refugees...


These figures are from Brigade Models Great War range...


http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/GreatWar28/Items/GW28-1139.html


Apparently they are based on photo's from 1914...




I managed to track down one image...









These have all been painted in my usual style...


I have tried to keep the colours fairly muted to try and reflect the mood of the retreating refugees...
I also did a head swap on a couple for variety...


The paints are Wargames Foundry and Citadel...
https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/paint
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Painting-Modelling
Bases from Warbases...
https://warbases.co.uk/?product_cat=premier-bases-metric


I have also started painting up some British cavalry to represent King Edwards Horse who were pushed into the fighting around Estaires.




Nuno has also sent me some more background on the Portuguese army...


Taken from...
Sniping in France... by Major H. Hesketh-Prichard.






All the best  Aly

Thursday 22 March 2018

Partizan 2018... A little more on the WW1 Portuguese Army

Nuno Pereira... aka... Kingscarbine...
Has sent me a couple of snippets of info on the Portuguese Army in WW1...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgb_vpIXmog


This is an animated map of the Battle of Lys showing the Portuguese deployment and engagement during the attack...


I quote Nuno's appraisal of events...


"As you can see, this animation shows that the Portuguese Corps didn't run away as many British sources state but that the three brigades that were to be replaced by British units died on Line B as ordered by the British High Command and delayed the German advance allowing the allies to reorganise and stall the German offensive. Some battalions even refused to surrender after being surrounded. Some resisted with British ad hoc reinforcements until they ran out of ammunition. It's clear to see that the Portuguese artillery maintained positions until the last moment and then moved back to new positions. Some battalions were completely destroyed or scattered though."




Here is another rather amusing anecdote...



According to one story, when the Portuguese first arrived, the military authorities happened to have on hand a large surplus of tinned rations of pork and beans, of which our own men had long been heartily sick, and the opportunity was taken to pass them on to the Portuguese.
To the general surprise, the newcomers took to the pork and beans with avidity, and the ration established itself as their favourite food. Their fondness for it highly amused everybody, and then a song came out at a Divisional Concert Party performance with the refrain, "Pork and Beans for the Portuguese!"
Apparently, however, someone in authority became anxious lest the nickname, which, through the Concert Party song, had become widespread, should give offence to the Portuguese, and issued the following order:
"In future the forces on our left shall be referred to by all ranks as 'Our Oldest Allies', and not as heretofore as the ' Pork and Beans '."
 The order was intended to be confidential, but an indiscreet adjutant reproduced it in battalion orders, with the result that the order became a general jest.
The above explanation of the phrase was taken from "Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases..." by Edward Fraser and John Gibbons, 1925, but there might be others!
 Forrest
PORK AND BEANS
Portuguese. From the observation that British army ration pork and beans contained very little, if any, pork, and therefore alluding to the fact that the Portuguese had very few troops on the Western Front. This, however, is a myth: the Portuguese (one of Britain 's oldest allies), sent 120,000 men to the Western Front, as well as having 80,000 troops serving in Portuguese East Africa at that time. Their determination and gallantry was second to none - General Ludendorf's surrender speech praised the Portuguese, stating that had Portugal been on their side, they would have won the war. Also vaguely onomatopoeic.
Pork & Cheese, Pork & Beans Portuguese soldiers.
‘Pork and beans’, World War I. From 1916 (Partridge). Attested in B&P, Digger Dialects, and Partridge. ‘Pork and cheese’, World War I. Attested in Partridge.
Partridge suggests that the term ‘pork and cheese’ was popular mainly with the New Zealand troops; it was rhyming slang for ‘Portuguese’.

I love this tale as it typifies the British/Commonwealth Tommies...
Ypres = Wipers
Pork and Cheese = Portuguese...

Fear not More toys soon...

All the best  Aly












Sunday 11 March 2018

Partizan 2018... Portuguese Infantry.

Here are my first group of Portuguese infantry...






I have used Great War Miniatures British infantry for these... though not entirely accurate... they work well enough.


By 1918 most... if not all the Portuguese equipment was manufactured in Britain... so a certain British look seems inevitable.































The ribbed helmet is fairly unique to the Portuguese ... but British helmets were also used.


The standing collar was also a Portuguese thing ... but there is some photographic evidence that shows a falling collar.






Battalion numbers were sewn onto the upper arm ...but most photo's do not show them... I may add them latter...






The colour for the Tunic, Trousers and Puttees is....




A very old pot of Citadel Colour ... Blue Grey...


I brought it back to life using Citadel... Lahmian Medium.
There are know doubt other colours that will suit but I was feeling a bit old school...


The Webbing was... Foundry... Drab Light 12C.
The Helmet was... Foundry... Night Sky Shade 26A.


Everything was given a coat of ... Aly's Brown Liquid.


Then highlighted with the original shade.


The ribs on the helmet were created by painting them with Night Sky plus Blue Grey.
This was also used to pick out the rim.








I am very pleased with these ...
They make for an unusual uniform for WW1 western front worn by an under appreciated fighting force.





 I also managed to paint an officer from The Royal Naval Air Service...
Again not something you normally see... The Navy rank insignia making him stand out.


The Miniatures are Great War Miniatures...
http://www.northstarfigures.com/list.php?man=20&cat=153&sub=226&page=1
The paints are Wargames Foundry and Citadel...
https://www.wargamesfoundry.com/collections/paint
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Painting-Modelling
Bases from Warbases...
https://warbases.co.uk/?product_cat=premier-bases-metric






Any additional information on the Portuguese or the RNAS would be appreciated...


All the best  Aly






































Friday 2 March 2018

Song of Drums and Shakos... Uxbridge-Rust

Greetings...


When Mharaid and I were at the ROBIN show the only miniature I bought was Wargame Illustraited's The Earl of Uxbridge...


  https://www.wargamesillustrated.net/shop/earl-of-uxbridge/


Sculpted by Matt Bickley I believe...


Mharaid and I talked about using the figure as another incarnation of the notorious Rust clan that she has chosen to command her armies...


So be it... Uxbridge-Rust of the 7th  Hussars... Thick of Skull and Short of Brain... its the family motto don't you know.


I chose the 7th because of the dark blue uniform and the amount of gold bling...




The bare metal...
I was really taken by this figure.. a beautifully sculpted one piece model.




The blue bits... Citadel...  Kantor Blue... with a wash of  Drakenhof Nightshade.
I wanted the blue to be really dark to show of the gold.
The horse was painted...  Citadel... Mournfang Brown... with a wash of Reikland Fleshshade.
I wanted the horse to have a rich dark colour... A bit like Uxbridge-Rust's heart.




Here is a picture under stronger lighting hopefully showing the shading a bit better..






The straps etc. are ... Citadel... Doombull Brown.
The Red bits are... Citadel... Evil Sunz Scarlet.
The gold braid is... Citadel... Retributor Armour mixed with some Foundry... Orange 3B.
I wanted to give a 'material look to the braid that would contrast with the pure metal of the buttons etc...




Everything was given a wash of ... Aly's Brown Liquid...


Then highlighted with the original colours....




The finished article...


This figure was a joy to paint... and when I have finished painting the British infantry on my desk we can have a game and I can shoot him in the head... ;-).


All the best  Aly