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JournalThe British Flat Figure Society

No 123 WINTER 2016

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BFFS Journal No 123 - WINTER 2016

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Front Cover: Indians of North America.Euromilitaire entry by Felix Ayala.3. The Walkover at Plassey.Yet another Gottstein Diorama8. What's New.Figures from the pages of Die Zinnfigur.10. Figures at Euromilitaire.Some of the flats exhibited this year.12. Your Ba to HeavenTranslation of the article in Die Zinnfigur by Gerhard Möninghoff14. The Battle of Fishguard.Ed Humphreys on the last invasion of Britain.16. What's New Too.Western Miniatures and BFFS latest.18. Odds & Ends.BFFS at Kulmbach, Euromilitaire, etc.19. Society Contacts.Who is who and Society information.Rear cover: EuromilitairePictures from the last Euromilitaire.

The opinions expressed within this Journal are not necessarily those of the

Editor, the Committee, other officials, or the British Flat Figure Society.

OK, mea culpa, I admit that I said in the last Journal that the Gottstein information was to finish, but then along comes Ian Parkinson with the article on page 3 of the Battle of Plassey. I thought this was probably too good to pass over.Also in this Journal is a translation of an article from the latest edition of Die Zinnfigur. These Ba figures should go well with other Ancient Egypt series of religious subjects.The last two issues of 'Die Zinnfigur' have been very strong on Indian subjects, with articles on the East India Company, Ranjit Singh and Indian troops on the Western Front in WWI among others.Could really do with some articles to fill the Journal. This edition is being distributed later in the year than I had hoped due to lack of content.The latest in the BFFS 'Arthur' series of figures can be found in What's New Too, they look pretty good.Finally - Please renew your membership promptly to make Ed's life a bit easier.

of The British Flat Figure

SocietyJournal No 123 Winter 2016

Journal

The BFFS Annual Meeting will take place at the Masonic Hall, Knowle on the 23rd April 2017.

The Zinnfigurnebörse at Kulmbach will be on 11th-13th August 2017

Printed by: North Devon Print Ltd, Unit 4 Daddon Court, Clovelly Road Industrial Estate Bideford, Devon , EX39 3HN

The Battle of Plassey, fought in June, 1757, to avenge the fall of Calcutta, was in itself a petty, almost laughable event, yet it made the British masters of all Bengal. These pages show scenes from a diorama of the battle and present in sequence the Indian forces, the British army and an over-all view of the engagement. They tell with the aid of half-inch models the extraordinary story of how a demoralized army of 50,000 turned and ran before a British force only 3,000 striong.

Riding forward in seried ranks, the 15,000 cavalry of Suraj-ud-daula pre-

sented a"grand though terrible prospect" but did little to harm the British.

Wild Indian Horsemen armed with pikes and bows, manoeuvre with the mag-nificent confusion that characterized the Bengal Army, commanded by an

incompetant young Nawab and scheming generals. This article is from is a part-work “ The British Empire”, published by Time-Life/BBC,

1972, part 8 “The Assault on India”, pp210 to 215.The attribution of the photographs in the acknowledgements is Dorset Military Museum, Dorchester.The article is reproduced here as it is relevant to the ongoing survey of the Gottstein Dioramas that were in the old RUSI Museum.

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A Battle Unworthy of its Fame.Just by the riverside village of Plassey,there was an extensive plain, reproduced below in the diorama. It lay only 20 miles downstream from Murshidabad, the Nawab's capital. As dawn came up,dank and wet, on June 23rd, the Nawab's army was already advancing across this plain to thewards the mangrove swamp where Clive had encamped. The British formed up, but heavy artillery fire drove them back into the grove. Here they sheltered till midday, when there was a torrential downpour that drenched the Indian gunpowder. Soon the enemy ceased firing, but the British, who had covered their field pieces, continued. At 3 p.m. they advanced to a strategic pond. Then the young Nawab, still tearful after the death of his loyal general, Mir Mudan, began withdrawing his troops to their entrenchments on the treacherous advice of his remaining commanders.Suddenly a panic-stricken rout developed. Judging the moment ripe, the chief conspirator, Mir Jafar, led his troops over to the British side and surrendered. By 5 p.m. Suraj-ud-daula was fleeing to his palace at Murshidabad, where soon the corridors echoed with the wails of his distraught harem.

A general view of the diorama of Plassey shows the Nawab's army drawn up on the left, in a vast arc almost covering

the plain, and two phases of the British afternoon attack on the right.

The Indian artillery fell easily to British Sepoys because the Nawab's troops had neglected to cover their cannon during a pelting rainstorm and the powder had

become drenched.

Carrying their Colours into battle, these men of the 39th Foot initiated a century

of co-operation between Crown and Company troops.

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Right: French gunners, sent in answer to Suraj-ad-daula's plea for help, set up "a very warm and brisk fire," reported one British soldier, but "did little execution," for Clive's men took cover until the firing

stopped.

Left top:Sailors, supplied from Calcutta by Admiral Watson, man the Navy's six-pounders and howitzers. These were the only guns Clive had and they were "very well served," and caused heavy enemy

casualties.

Far left: A drummer sturdily maintains the forward pace of advancing infantry.

Left: Ordering an advance with cover-ing fire, Major Eyre Coote directs the

225 men of the 39th foot, who were the only regular British infantry to serve at

Plassey.

Left middle: Turbanned sepoys, native soldiers who formed over two-thirds of Clive's East India Company army,

emerge from cover to engage the enemy.

Right: A war elephant returns to camp with a fatally wounded general, Mir

Mudan. One of the few who remained loyal to the Nawab, Mir Mudan's death early in the battle broke the army's will

to fight.

Clive's "Few Men of Resolution".Though hopelessly outnumbered the British forces had several crucial advantages. They were not split by dissensions like the Nawab's army. Their stamina was strong: on the day of the battle they rose smartly at 6 a.m., though they had not arrived at Plassey until after midnight and though they had been kept awake all night by the playing of drums and cymbals in the enemy camp. Above all, they were led by a commander tried and proved in battle, Robert Clive. He believed a "few men of resolution" could accomplish miracles against an enemy with low morale. By evening he was to prove it.

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Figures from the pages of Die Zinnfigur. All figures 30mm unless

otherwise stated.This page, top. The Gendarmes of St.Tropez. A pair of figures from a 1964 French comedy film of that title, one of a series of Gendarme films from that era. Designed by Quiquerez and engraved by Lepeltier. Available from:Jean-Luc Veinnant, 21 rue Suzanne de Dietrich, 67110 Niederbronn-Les-Bains, France.e-mail: [email protected], From Bernhard Bakat's series of 80mm biblical figures, two ladies representing the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). BB10 and BB11. Available from:Bernhard Bakat, Hubertstrasse 8, 40882 Ratingen. www.inZinn.deBelow, Brandenburg/Prussian (1688-1713) Lifeguards of foot. Nice set including musicians. Designed Heinrichs, engraved Grünewald. Available from:Zinnfiguren aus Königs Wusterhausen, Kerstin & Jens Möller, Lindenstrasse 11, 15745 Königs Wusterhausen, OT Zeesen www.zinnfiguren-kw.de

Opposite, a liveley set of a peasant's festival from the middle ages in 70mm. These are designed by Behring and engraved by Grünewald. Available from:Horst Tylinski, Achtermannstr 53, 13187 Berlin.Tel: (030)47 54 03 80.

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Alice in Wonderland - Debbie Volquarts

Asterix and Obelisk - John Russell

Monkey King - Debbie Volquarts

The Kiss - Trevor MorganThe Ladies Three - Trevor Morgan

Euromilitaire 2016

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The ancient Egyptian culture with its overriding death-based religion, is in stark contrast to our abolition of any cult of the dead. Here to a certain extent, death is a culture generator. All the more exciting are these efforts, this hope of resurrection as a certainty of belief. “I am alive, I have awakened, my body will not perish in this land of eternity”.

For us collectors a real treasure is provided in tin: embalming series from Neckel and Tylinski, Egyptian Gods and Judgement of Osiris from Lecke. Amazing what is available in zinnfiguren! But what is still missing? An undead/mummy army is available from Uwe Peter, Fantasy zin-nfiguren - but these are pure fantasy. Here it is necessary to make a little effort. For the Egyptians, the dead body is not simply transformed into a corpse, but an ideal image of the dead. The mummification preserves the body; a mask of the dead

makes it appear perfect: “He has begun to be a God.” The deceased rests in his coffin with amulets and death-books, has been mourned, and the journey to eternity begins when the sun goes down. On a boat replica, the coffin is drawn to the tomb, to the ‘mouth-opening ritual’ (figures by Otto), a sacrifice is made as it is said:

“Your Ba to Heaven. Your corpse to the underworld.”

Now a little on the depiction of the soul of the Egyptian. The soul has three basic elements: ‘Ka’, ‘Ach’, ‘Ba’. In the living human being, all elements are combined, in death they are separated and must, for a cosmic existence be re-written.

‘Ka’ is the real life force in human beings and gods. It belongs to the social sphere, gives status to the deceased, honour and dignity. ‘Ka’ needs nour-ishment for the next life, which can be given either in concrete form as sacrifice

or symbolically offered (no less real for the Egyptians) depicted in tomb paintings. In Tin, we have ‘Ka’ on banners, entirely correct, but not in a military sense!

‘Ach’ is an immortal, invisible force with a beneficial effect over death. ‘Ach’ acts from the hereafter into the hereafter and also vice versa. Sometimes ‘Ach’ is interpreted as a transfigured ancestral spirit. One cannot cast the invisible in tin, unlike the better-known third soul power, ‘Ba’.

Generally, ‘Ba’ is depicted as having a bird’s body with a human head, sometimes even with arms. ‘Ba’ is the spirit part of an individual, and can freely roam after death, and follow its own free will. ‘Ba’ is a synonym for the manifestation of a god (for example, the sacred bull in Memphis is the ‘Ba’ of Osiris). The ‘Ba’ rises to the sun god to regularly renew its power. One thinks of it as inhabiting the favourite places of the dead, and it can even strive for the joys of love. The ‘Ba’ lives and glides down wherever it wills. This form of existence is

so delightful, that one must remind ‘Ba’ of the corpse, whereby a continuity remains with the dead.

The new figures represent a male (with a salve cone on the head), a female (with or without arms) and, naturally, a flying ‘Ba’. The ‘Ba’ symbol already ex-ists in the ‘Old Kingdom’, up to the late Ptolemaic dynasties, often as a colourful wooden figure, and now in tin.

For painting, I turned to the ‘Ani Papyrus’: blue black for the hair, faces reddish-brown, but yellow was also cor-rect for women. The feathers are green or turquoise, with the tip of the tail black. The belly is white. The brown and blue colour-ing is taken from ‘Description de l’Egypte’, PL 47. Just paint a bright, colourful soul bird, the Egyptians felt it to be ‘right’.

The two-sided figures, which are 12 mm high, are based on my drawings and engraved by Regina Sonntag. Photos by Uwe Peter. The figures can be purchased from:Fantasy Zinnfiguren, Uwe Peter, Parkstr. 23, 53498 Bad Breisig.Tel: 02633 472 44-4

This article is reproduced from the November edition of 'Die Zinnfigur' as it makes an interesting addition to the religious sets of Ancient Egypt mentioned in the text. Many thanks to Ed Humphreys for the translation.

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In Jerry’s interesting account of his visit to Cawdor Castle, he mentioned the part played by Lord Cawdor in the Battle of Fishguard. This was the last occasion on which an invasion force successfully landed on the mainland of Britain, and the Pembrokeshire Yeomanry is the only yeomanry unit in the British army to carry a battle honour. Perhaps an explanation of this campaign might be useful.

In 1796, the revolutionary French government schemed to invade Britain. General Lazare Hoche conceived a plan whereby a fleet would sail to the south west of Ireland, disembark troops, gather support from the disaffected Irish population, and march on Cork and Dublin. There were to be two diversionary attacks, one flotilla aiming to take the docks in Newcastle, and the other to land in Wales and attack the docks in Bristol.

The main fleet, bound for Ireland,

was battered by storms in Bantry Bay, and limped home to France. The Newcastle bound flotilla fared no better, being driven home by the storms of the North Sea. Only the four ships heading for Wales reached their destination in Pembrokeshire, close to the spot where a Portuguese ship had been wrecked a few weeks before. Curiously, her cargo of Portuguese wine had disappeared.

The flotilla was commanded by an Irish-American adventurer, Colonel Wil-liam Tate. Experienced troops were scarce at that time, so as well as around 600 sea-soned grenadiers, he commanded a rabble of 800 released criminals and beggars from the gutters of Paris. This force was given the name of Légion Noire, chiefly because they wore captured British uniforms dyed a nondescript dark colour.

The troops disembarked at Carreg-wastad Point, near the port of Fishguard on the night of the 22nd February, 1797. Tate’s

grenadiers established a bridgehead, and he set up his headquarters at nearby Trehowel Farm, while his fleet sailed away.

The area between Carregwastad and Fishguard was made up of a series of farms and smallholdings, linked by high stone walls. Curiously, every farmhouse had in its cellar a plentiful supply of Portuguese wine.......

While Tate’s professional grena-diers carried out their military duties, the less reputable men of the Legion Noire set out foraging in small parties, and soon discovered the wine. Within an hour or two, the area was full of groups of French soldiers staggering from house to house, or sleeping in barns and cowsheds. This made them vulnerable to the local populace, who took several of them prisoner. A formidable local woman, an Amazon by the name of Jemima Nicholas, was said to have rounded up twelve, armed only with a pitchfork, and

locked them in the church.Word of the invasion had reached

Lord Cawdor, who commanded the local militia, and after some chaotic marching and counter-marching, his force of under 600 was on the march to Fishguard. They included members of his own yeomanry cavalry, the Cardigan militia, and a number of sailors, with a few small artillery pieces. As they approached the area held by the French, with night coming on, instinct told Cawdor to withdraw. A few yards ahead lay Tate’s grenadiers in ambush. Disaster had been averted.

Tate realised that, with no ships, he was trapped with a very much weakened force. He suggested a conditional surrender, but Cawdor, claiming he had vastly supe-rior numbers, insisted on an unconditional surrender. The documents were signed the following morning in the Royal Oak Inn in Fishguard, on a table which can still be seen today. The quality of the beer also makes a visit an enjoyable experience.

The French lined up on the beach, and were marched into captivity, though many were later released or exchanged. The following year, a French force landed successfully in Bantry Bay, were joined by large contingents of the Irish population, and had a degree of military success before finally being defeated by a British army.

A commonly quoted fallacy is that the French mistook local women in red shawls and tall hats for regular infantry. Welshwomen wore basically the same peas-ant dress as most of Europe. The west of Wales was well known for weaving flannel, much of which was dyed red, and many of the women would have worn them. The so-called Welsh hat is a romantic invention

of the early nineteenth century, much like the Scottish tartan. The chief culprit was Lady Llanover, who propagated the myth. Her husband was Sir Benjamin Hall, who oversaw the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament, and after whom Big Ben was named.

Royal Oak, Fishguard

Guidon and badge of the Pembrokeshire Yeomanry with the 'Fishguard' battle honour.

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Dick Jenkins at Western Miniatures has now completed his 'Teddy Bears Picnic' set. There are nine figures and the price is £20 plus postage. Two, the sitting bear and the picnic hamper are designed to be different on each side. One of each is included in the set.

Also available from Dick, three more in Dick's 'Riverbank' series are also available - Mole as wicket keeper and Badger as umpire, to go with the figures of Ratty and Toad in cricket gear, and Ratty ready to attack the weasels that have taken over Toad Hall.

The six new fairies are now avail-able from Dick. Numbered NMT (Not Michael Taylor) these are NMT1 Lavender, NMT2 Red Clover, NMT3 Peaseblossom, NMT4 Gorse, NMT5 Iris and NMT6 Pansy. Available from:Western Miniatures 51 Tregarth Road, Bristol BS3 2QR.Email: [email protected] to the same email.

The BFFS 'King Arthur' series continues to grow.

The second figure, 'The Lady of the Lake' shows the moment when Arthur receives the magical sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake.

The third figure is 'Merlin'. Merlin entrusted the young Arthur to the care of Sir Ector, who raised Arthur as his son without knowing his parentage. Arthur grew up as brother to Sir Kay, Ector’s son. The figure shows Merlin taking the young Arthur to Sir Ector. (Picture on page 18.)

'The Lady of the Lake' is engraved by Werner Otto and costs £14 plus postage. 'Merlin' is engraved by Daniel Lepeltier. Price is to be decided. The first figure, 'The Sword in the Stone' is still available. Contact Brian Keywood or Nick Ball.

New figures from the web and other sources. All figures 30mm unless other-

wise stated.

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Society ContactsPlease send all information to be published in the Journal to Jerry Mortimore. All other correspondence with the Society should be addressed to the Secretary. Membership applications and renewals go to the Membership Secretary. All addresses can be found on this page.The next JournalThe copy deadline for the next Journal is 18th February 2017 for the Spring edition.Contributions to the Journal can be typed, handwritten or digital. Images need to be high resolution; 300dpi with the long side about 1500 pixels or larger. They can be sent via Dropbox on the internet.Annual SubscriptionsFull membership including printed Journal:UK - £ 22.00 Rest of Europe - £ 27.00 Rest of World - £ 29.00Online Only, includes the Journal only as a PDF option: - £ 18.00Subscriptions are due for renewal in January or June every year.Payment of subscriptions can be made by cheque, postal order, or Paypal. We cannot accept foreign currency cheques unless drawn on a British bank.Paypal payments should be made in Sterling to [email protected]. Add £1 to cover Paypal fees.Cheques must be made payable to The British Flat Figure Society, not to the Membership Secretary or any individual person.AGMThe AGM is held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, in April.It is requested that all matters for discussion at the AGM and nominations for posts on the committee should be made to the Hon. Secretary before the end of the January preceding the meeting for inclusion in the agenda.The AGM minutes and financial statement will be published in the Autumn Journal following the AGM, but may be made available earlier on the website.

Contact The committee and Area Representatives of the Society

Hon. Secretary:Nick Ball 2 Manor Fields, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells Kent, TN4 ORG. Email: [email protected]

Membership Secretary:Ed Humphreys, 11 Oakeley Terrace, TalwaenyddBlaenau FfestiniogGwynedd, LL41 3LYEmail: [email protected]

Treasurer:Ed Humphreys, Address as above.

Additional Committee Members:Ian Parkinson, Ashton House, Main Street, Hemingbrough, Selby, North Yorks YO8 6QE

Editor:Jeremy Mortimore,Oak Meadow House,Chilsworthy, Holsworthy, Devon, EX22 7BQTel: 01409 254869E-mail: [email protected]

Journal Distribution & Printing:Jeremy Mortimore, Address as above.

Show Stand Co-ordinator:Chris Seeley, 13 West Road, Bury St EdmundsSuffolk, IP33 3ELTel: 01284 763560

Archivist:Richard Hyne, 2 Chambers Lodge, 2a Church Street, Baldock, Herts, SG7 5AD.

Webmaster:Mark KirkbrideE-mail:[email protected]

Area Representatives

SOUTH-WEST: Tony Du-Vall,4 Pixie Dell, Braunton,North Devon EX33 1DP

BRISTOL & AVON: Dick Jenkins,51 Tregarth Road, Bristol, BS3 2QR.

MIDLANDS: Jon Redley, 64 York Avenue, Finch-field, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV3 9BU. Tel: 01902 423732

NORTH-EAST: M.G.Wardle, 96 WestEnd Drive, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5JXTel: 0113 258 1508

NORTH-WEST: Malcolm Collins,16 Tithe Barn Street, Currock, Carlisle,Cumbria CA2 4EL. Tel: 01228 46444

EAST ANGLIA: Michael Creese, ‘Nutwood’, Great Glemham Road,Stratford St Andrew, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1LL Tel: 01728 602746

SCOTLAND: John Russell,2 Marcus Crescent, Aberdeen AB21 0SZTel: 01224 790680

CANADA & USA:Patrick J. Deluhery 141 Pine Grove Dr. South Hadley, MA 01075 Tel: 413-437-7145 [email protected]

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND:John Brewer, P.O. Box 5250,Turramurra, Sydney, Australia [email protected]

ITALY:Gianpaolo Bistulfi, Via Alberti 10,20149 Milano, ItalyTel: 02 33106690E-mail: [email protected]

Plassenburg Display.I am pleased to announce that we have kindly been given a large display area in The Plassenburg.

Those wishing to donate a couple or so figures to this display can either take them when they attend Kulmbach next year, or bring them to the AGM and I shall take them to Kulmbach in the car.

The display case will be as big as required, and it would be nice if all members could display at least one piece. All will be credited to the artist.

The figures will be on loan, and they can be collected or changed over every two years during Kulmbach should you so wish.

The first batch of figures have been received by Franz, and will be in the BFFS display case shortly. There will be another batch going in December, including the projects.

Nick BallGottstein figuresThese are now owned by the Leipzig Collectors and are starting to become available again through Scholtz

EuromilitaireOn a sad note, it seems that this year's Euromilitaire was the last. A statement on the Euromilitaire website reads "Founded and organised since 1985 by a local group of modelling experts and enthusiasts in the Folkestone region and sponsored for the last ten years by My Time Media, the show is no longer sustainable for a variety of reasons not least the critical decrease in the numbers of the original local organising team and its volunteers, but also a downward trend in both the numbers of visitors to the show and competition entries in recent years.Thank You to everyone involved over the years."

This seems a very low-key end to what was once a great show. It has lost a bit in recent years; going back to earlier shows there were always the re-enactment groups to add to the occasion. There were the French Napoleonic Guard with their cannon and the Order of the Black Prince with their sword fighting and cannon, various tanks and other vehicles, but also occasional visitors such as a small group of mounted British Napoleonic dragoons and, memorably, a Crow Indian re-enactment group with men, women and children danc-ing around to the rhythm of a giant drum.

Can only hope that a new figure modelling event arises to replace Euro-militaire.STOP PRESS: A new consortium has taken over and new event 'Euro Miniature Expo' will be happening over 16-17 September at the Leas Cliff Hall.

Free figure.Thanks to the generosity of Dick Jenkins of Western Miniatures, there should be a free figure with this issue of the Journal.Battle of Bosworth figures.Dick Jenkins informs me that he has sold the Bosworth set to Herr Dittmar.

The new BFFS Merlin figure.

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