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2 BFFS Journal No 52 - February 1999

of The British Flat Figure Society

Journal No 52 February 1999

Journal

Society ContactsPlease send all information to be pub-lished in the Journal to Graham Dixey. All other correspondence with the Society should be addressed to Michael Creese. Society sales are handled by Simon Briggs. Orders or questions about the Bulk Ordering Service should be sent to Ed Humphreys and member-ship applications and renewals go to Ian Pay. Any inserts for the Journal should be sent to Joe Melvin. All addresses can be found on this page.The next JournalThe copy deadline for the next Journal is April 9, 1999 and the publication date is May 24/25, 1999.

Annual SubscriptionsUK members:£10.00; European members: £12.00; Overseas members £15.00 (by air mail). Subscriptions are due for renewal in January of every year.

Payment of SubscriptionsPayment can be made by cheque, banker's draft, International Money Order, Postal Order, etc. These MUST be made out in Sterling, payable at a UK bank. Under no circumstances can we accept foreign currency cheques. We can, however, ac-cept payment in paper currency e.g. Dol-lars, Marks, Francs, etc, but please add the equivalent of One Pound Sterling to cover the conversion costs. Cheques, etc, should be made payable to the British Flat Figure Society and sent to the Membership Secretary

Hon. Secretary:Michael Creese, 'Nutwood., Great Glemham Road, Stafford St Andrew, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 ILL Tel: 01728 602746

Membership:Ian Pay, 31 Grimstone Road, Little Wymondley, Hitchin, Herts. SG4 7HH Tel: 01438 357224

Treasurer:Dr Bob Williams, Stable House, Hall Farm, Fakenham Magna, Thetford, Norfolk 1P24 2QX

Editor:Graham Dixey, 3 College Close,Harrow, Middlesex HA3 7BZTel: 0181 954 3085Fax/Tel: 0181 357 0159 (24hr ans.)

Bulk Orders:Ed Humphreys, 11 Oakeley Terrace, Talwaenydd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3LY Tel: 01766 830031

Distribution & Printing:Mike Taylor, Stonechat House,8 Ferndell Close. Cannock, Staffs WS11 1HR

Joe Melvin, 21 Ridgeway, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 OHL

Malcolm MacDonald, 279 Blackberry Lane, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B74 4JS

Archivist:Richard Hyne, 23 Letchworth Road, Baldock, Herts. SG7 6AA

Society Sales:Simon Briggs, 9 Douglas Place, Cove, Farnborough, Hants. GU14 8PE.. Tel: 01252 377726

Area Representatives:

LONDON: Phil Redman, Georgian House, 50 Games Road, Cockfosters, Herts. EN4 9HWTel: 0181 440 8475

SOUTH-EAST: Hugh Taylor, 39 Pleasant View Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 2UU Tel: 01892 662376

HAMPSHIRE: Geoff Bradford, Allenstyle House, 24 Bereweeke Way, Winchester, Hants. S022 6BJ

Tel: 01962 868096

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

BRISTOL & AVON: Situation vacant.

MIDLANDS: Jon Redley, 64 York Avenue. Finchfield, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV3 9BUTel: 01902 423732

NORTH-EAST: M.G.Wardle, 96 West End Drive, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 5JX Tel: 0113 258 1508

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

WALES: S.G.Rutherford, 5 Coleridge Road, Beechwood, Newport, Gwent NP9 8HY Tel: 01633 273014

EAST ANGLIA: Ken Bright, 28 St. Leonards Close, Scole, Diss, Norfolk IP21 4DW

SCOTLAND: John Russell, 2 Marcus Crescent, Aberdeen AB21 OSZ Tel: 01224 790680

EUROPE & OVERSEAS: John Cox, 6 Anderson Close, Woodley, Romsey, Hants., UK

NORTHERN IRELAND: C.W.Robinson, 25 Princetown Road, Bangor, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT20 3TA

CANADA & USA:Kevin W.Dunne, 1817 Queen St., Bellmore, NY 11710, USATel: (516) 679 9704

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: John Brewer, 18 Selby Avenue, Dee Wh 2099, Australia.

ITALY: Gianpaolo Bistulfi,Via Alberti 10, 20149 Milano, Italy Tel: 02 331 06690

Contact The committee and Area Representatives of the Society

3BFFS Journal No 52 - February 1999

I know that some of you out there count the days between issues - how do I know this? You write and tell me how much you anticipate the arrival of the next copy. This makes the occasional 'ear bashing' that I get just another of life's minor ir-ritations! I'm sorry, therefore, that those enthusiasts have had to wait a week or two over the expected publication date. This, as they used to say at the BBC, is for technical reasons. More precisely, my new hi-tech computer decided that, hav-ing already suffered two modem failures and a number of software faults during the first five months of its life, it was time to pull the plug completely and trash the hard drive! Fortunately, I had almost completed the Journal by this stage and had some but not all back-ups, so there wasn't too much retyping and re-scanning to do - just enough to account for the de-lay. The main computer is away for an unspecified time for repair so this is get-ting finished on a lap-top. So sorry, but I hope the extra wait was worth it.

There are a couple of supplements in the Journal this time, one of which is the end result of a task that I had been meaning to get around to doing for some time. This is an index of our first 51 Journals, a fairly basic listing of all the feature ar-ticles, short and long, that have appeared over the years. It's obviously not practi-cal to list absolutely every little item that has appeared in print but you should now find it much easier to locate that subject of interest that you know is lurking some-where, but where? If you find a reference to an article of interest but don't have that issue, then maybe someone in your area may be able to help out. It might be possi-ble to offer a reprint service for individual articles. It's just a question of how much time and effort would be involved and, obviously, there would need to be a small charge.

The second insert is our first page of col-our for 1999, which will be a regular fea-ture from now on. Choice of subject rests with me for this issue and I have chosen to use some of Hafer's Second Empire cantinieres for the main pictures (our choice of bulk buy is Hafer for June this

year) and Gary Higgins's recent Ameri-can Civil War general, the first of a series, in this case Stonewall Jackson, as well as a couple of what I can only describe as `flat busts' (OK, cameos, if you're going to be pedantic) which I picked up in Paris last year (Eisenbach). I hope you enjoy them. I don't want this extra to become a showcase for my own work so, if you have really nice and interesting pictures to include for the future, send them along. I can scan prints of any type (up to A4) and also films, both negatives and slides. Naturally, one issue will be reserved for our annual show report. Speaking of which, the date appears elsewhere in this Journal and you will also notice that we are going up-market for our venue. If you have the spare time, then the ruin of Ke-nilworth castle is nearby as is the superb Warwick castle and, in the same area, the county (Warwickshire) regimental mu-seum.

I would like to thank members for their response in sending in articles for the Journal. Keep it up; once one Journal is done I have to start thinking about the next so it's never too early to send in ma-terial. Please note, those of you on the In-ternet, that my account with Compuserve is now closed and that I am in the process of switching over to a new ISP, details for which will appear in the next issue.

Finally, let me welcome John Brewer down there in sunny Oz to the team of area reps., who has kindly volunteered (many thanks for that) to take over the post from the late, dear old Harold. Good on yer , John!

Graham Dixey

Editorial4. Les Tres Riches Heures

6. Boxing Clever

9. Sales, Wants & Exchanges

9. Show Calendar

10. Painting a Pattern

11. World Expo 2000

12. Life in Nelson's Navy - Part One

18. Garnett's Brigade - Hell for Glory!

19. Custer's Last Stand

20. Hey Thar! Injun Lovers!

21. Tin Figure Parade

22. More Figure News

23. The 1999 BFFS Annual Show

24. Flats at Chicago

Contents


If you love painting bright colors and elaborate costumes, then there are few things better than a good medieval set of falconers. The figures are dressed in long flowing robes with embroidery or brocades and with elaborate hats. They represent medieval times at their best. Idle rich lords and ladies dressed in their finery, out for a da's sport. Several companies make excellent flats of falconers, including Golberg and Wolfgang Hafer.The Hafer figures are directly copied from an illustrated manuscript titled "Les Tres Riches Heures,” created by one of the great collectors of all times, Jean, Duke of Berry (1340 - 1416). Jean was a son of France's King Jean the Good, brother of King Charles V. Although he was a participant in the great battles that dominated French history during his lifetime, he seems to have taken little interest in the games of power and intrigue that dominated the French court during the One Hundred Year's War. Instead, he built great houses and collected great works of art. His collecting and patronage of the arts and artists would become a model for the great Italian Renaissance princes of a generation or two in the future.

About 1402 he began keeping a record of his collections. That record survives, but few of the collected items have survived in museums. Duke Jean, his wife, homes, fields, retainers, serfs and life style are featured in two works. The two are "Les Belles Heures" and "Les Tres Riches Heures." Both these illuminated manuscripts were prepared by a remarkable set of brothers, the Limbourgs. Paul, Jean and Herman Limbourg were from Nijmegen, Holland, best known for being one of the bridges crossed in Field Marshal Montgomery's Market Garden Operation in the fall of 1944.Artist Jean and Paul's talents were recognized early and they were apprenticed to a Paris goldsmith in 1399. By 1402, they were illustrating a Bible, completed in 1404, for Phillip, Duke of Burgundy, the Duke of Berry's brother. This is the earliest known work of the brothers. It is now located in the National Library of France.

When Duke Phillip died in April 1404, the two Limbourg brothers

were invited to work for Duke Jean. In 1409, joined by Herman, they took on their largest commission yet, "Les Belles Heures," an illuminated book of 157 miniature paintings, designed to inspire prayer and meditation on the events in the Bible, life of Christ, the Virgin and lives of significant Saints and Martyrs. The Book begins with the Months, the astrological sign and Feast Days of the Saints for each month. Small illustrations show Jean or the population of his lands engaged in some event that would be important that month, like planting or harvesting. The book proceeds to present 145 richly colored illustrations of a religious nature. These beautiful works with rich gold, light magentas and bright blue colors took until 1412 to complete.

The second major work, Les Tres Riches Heures, was started in 1413. The book appears to have been only half finished at the Duke's death in 1416. This is a much smaller volume consisting only of illustrations of the months of the year with some showing what may be a means of

By Vaughn E. Whisker


calculating the phases of the moon and other astrological bodies. Why this book of 12 illustrations took the same amount of time as the previous book's 157 is clear when studied. The Brothers have presented impressive landscapes showing the Duke's principal houses and domains. The Duke and his entourage feast, pick flowers, ride in a procession and hunt with falcons. In other illustrations, peasants perform ordinary chores such as plow fields, harvest hay, grain and grapes, tend pigs and hunt boar in lush landscapes depicted in minute detail.

In the impressive landscapes, we see real buildings, detailed backgrounds, with the foot prints of peasants leaving foot prints in the snow, grain being harvested by one group of peasants while another tend sheep and women stack hay. In one picture, we see people swimming as the Duke and his party ride by. While the dress, particularly of the peasants, and beauty of the land is idealized, we see the development of an art style that contains elements of both the Pre-Raphaelites and the themes chosen by Monet. The detail, proportion and composition of these miniatures are far ahead of their time.

Following the Duke's death the work was completed, but somewhat

later his collection was broken up and the books disappeared. The Riches Heures was rediscovered in 1856 in the hands of an Italian family. It was obtained by the founder of the Musee Conde in Chantilly where it still resides. The Belles Heures is housed in the Cloisters at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Because these works were lost for 450 years, after their creation, it seems the Limbourg's place in the development of art in general and the perfection of illuminated manuscripts in particular, has not been given proper credit. The romanticized style, realistic folds and details of the ornaments were advanced for the period. The elongated proportions for the nobility look like illustrations from Vogue or some other high fashion magazine while the colors are very reminiscent of the works of the Pre-Raphaelite painters of the last century.

Hafer has produced all of the falconers in the August illustration in Les Tres Riches Heures. There are three mounted figures. Two are of a lord holding falcon with his lady riding behind him on his horse. A single lady is mounted, holding her falcon. A peasant leads a dog on a leash. The first couple, lord looking ahead, rides a dark gray horse with

red harness. The lord is clothed in white hose and a cobalt blue robe trimmed in white and a light yellow straw hat. His lady is dressed in a black gown trimmed at the bottom with a broad white band and white veil. The gown has short sleeves but shows long deep cadmium red sleeves, from some under garment. The second couple is on a dark brown horse with black harness. The lord wears a black fur hat and black robe. Over the robe, may be a cowl of dark gray, escalloped, extending from neck to over the shoulders to mid chest. His lady is clad in pink with a black belt at the bodice and white veil. The single lady is on a white horse with blue trappings with gold studs. The lady's rich cobalt blue robe changes to cadmium red from the knee down, both parts are adorned in gold oak leaf designs, in a double row down the back. The sleeve turn back is light blue. The peasant wears a yellow straw hat, mid neutral gray tunic with white sleeves where they are rolled up. He has bare thighs, red hose and black boots. One dog is yellow ochre and one is burnt sienna red brown. All of the birds are dark gray or black.

The set makes an interesting addition to any collection and brings to life one of the early masterpieces of Renaissance art.


I've always enjoyed messing about with wood. I collect and hoard bits of wood in my garage so whenever my obsession with making wooden boxes becomes overpowering, I rarely have to look far to produce the necessary materials. Of course, I've acquired quite a nice collection of tools over the years. But I'm no Chippendale. My boxes have no dovetail joints, but they are strong, serviceable and my house if full of them.Since I began flat collecting and painting I quickly realised that for me the best way to display fig-ures was in a box diorama. Once or twice I have attempted quite a large diorama but they do take a bit of time and effort. So most of my work ends up in modestly sized boxes.

I suppose the first decision to be made is choosing the group of figures one wishes to display. For a small box , one to five figures might be selected. But as my aim is to talk about the actual box for the diorama I will leave that for the reader to decide.

You will need a suitable picture frame. These are easily obtainable

(in the UK there seem to be plenty in sales, really cheap). It is difficult to be precise about sizes as I think this will depend on what you are attempting to display. For the sake of argument I will use measurements for a completed box measuring 15cm (6 inches) long and 11.5cm (4 inches) tall and some 7.5cm (3 inches) from front to back (Notice I give measurements in Metric and Imperial measure. Reason: I had an eventful week in New York in 1997 which was just full of surprises. I was amazed that, in the USA, Imperial units are the order of the day! Therefore, I include these for American readers).

Personally, I like quite a narrow moulding on the picture frame e.g. 1 cm (3/8" wide) I also like my boxes to be squared off. I've seen many good dioramas where the frame protrudes around the edge of the box. It's a matter of choice.

Now we need to choose the bottom board. I suggest a piece of wood 1 cm (3/8") thick. Side panels may be slightly thinner. At Christmas time I try to scrounge boxes that wine has been packed in as Christmas gifts. This wood is excellent for the job, just the right thickness for back and side panels. Al one has to do is dismantle the wine- box and there you have

plenty of planed up wood ready for use. Otherwise plywood may be used. In fact I do usually use plywood for the back panel. For the top or roof-light of the box I employ clear Perspex which I sand down on both sides with my orbital sander. (It can be sanded by hand fairly easily). This gives an opaque effect. Light entering from the top is to my mind an important feature in a box diorama. I carefully drill small holes, one each end of the strip, to accept very small brass screws which will later affix the Perspex to the top of the box.

The timber has to be carefully cut to size. Right angles are, of course, important. I use Evo-stik impact adhesive to put the bottom, sides and back panels together. Once stuck down, I drill fine holes to accept a few panel pins to strengthen the joins. Now we have a box without its lid. This is a good time to match up the picture frame with the box. Remove the glass from the frame. In the back of the frame carefully drill three holes, one centre bottom and one centre of each upright. Tap in some nails from which the heads have been removed, leaving the points outwards. Now gently align the frame with the box and press slightly together. This should leave some indentations in the box.

byMike (Cannock) Taylor


Drill holes in these marks. Now the frame and box can be pressed together, the metal pegs sliding into the holes. Once this operation has been satisfactorily completed, carefully prise the frame from the box. OK up to now?

Next we need a chunk of soft wood for the figures to stand on. This should be the size of the box base and about 2.5cm (1") thick. I shape this so that it slopes down to half its height at the front. The back corners I round off with a file. From above this gives a sort of 'D' shape. Then I roll out some plasticine (children's modelling clay) about 4mm (1/8") thick. I stick this sheet to the top of the shaped wood with Bostik clear adhesive and trim round. Plasticine will take oil paint beautifully, but it's best to use an appropriate colour (e.g. use white plasticine for a snow scene).

I use good quality watercolour paper for my backdrop. This should be cut to size, bending it gently around the corners of the base. Usually I paint my back scene a little bit longer than needed. This allows a bit of juggling before finally trimming off the surplus.

The figures, of course, are waiting fully painted in the wings, ready to take centre stage. Arrange them on the base and juggle them around to suit. (Here is the magic of flats. They were just made to overlap one another and give a 3-D effect!) Now you have decided where they are to go, mark round their bases on the plasticine. With a sharp, pointed knife cut out the plasticine and divide it longways. Insert the figure

and squeeze the bits of plasticine back into place. Remove surplus and smooth off. Hey presto! Your figure is standing on the ground with none of its base showing. Once the figures are fixed in place (the plasticine will hold them quite firmly) you need to paint the ground. Careful! You don't want to daub a brush-full of colour on those magnificently painted figures on which you have spent all those hours of painstaking work! Add appropriate groundwork, vegetation, etc.

Now the diorama is ready for assembly. Glue the back drop around the back of the D shape. Try to smooth plasticine to cover the crack around the edge. Titivate with paint as required. Slide the model carefully into the box. I f everything is satisfactory, use clear adhesive to fix the back drop to the sides. Next we can attach the `sunshine' roof and screw it down.

For a diorama this size I sometimes use a card mount but it is not essential. This needs preparing at this stage. Now the glass (and mount if used) needs fixing to the frame. I use thin matchsticks of balsawood and clear adhesive for this task. Once this is done, press frame and box together.

Personally, I never glue the frame to the box. The pegs should hold things in place nicely. I now use black insulating tape to seal the frame to the box. I also do the edges of the roof-light to make things look neat.

I think it should be easy for you to adapt my ideas for your own needs. Measurements can be adjusted to work with frames the size

you need. (Sometimes I get a picture framer to knock me up some long, narrow frames, which I find work very well and will house quite a lot of figures for a small battle scene, etc).

Of my thirty or so completed dioramas, eight have been made to the aforementioned measurements. In two cases I have upended the boxes to make a comfortable desert home for just one camel ride in each. The distance between the front and back of the box is quite critical if you want to give depth to your 3-D picture; 7.5cm (3 inches) seems to work well for this size of box.

I know there are many ways of displaying flats to advantage but, if you've never tried it, perhaps this article will tempt you to have a go at a box diorama.Appendix

Fairly essential tools for the job include a tenon saw, small hacksaw, fretsaw, set square, hand drill with fine bits, wood files, sandpaper, hammer, pliers and vice. I find my 'workmate' table invaluable.

N.B. I paint the sides and back of my box with black paint, satin finish, before the final assembly.


Dieter Ruetz (Kienlohe 28, 92256 Hahnbach, Germany Tel: 0049-9621-62882) would like to sell or exchange the following 30mm figures:

Mongols in Europe, Battle of Liegnitz: 1241 - 60 mounted knights and approx. 30 mounted Mongolians; 17 Mongolians on foot. Total Price DM300.00.Figures from Nhusdin/St Petersburg and from MAN Berlin. Drawings by Martin Block. Engraver K.W.Rieger.

Crusaders - 39 mounted knights and 47 Saracens.Origin: Lehnart, Andrae, Sander &Golberg. Price DM250.00

The seller would also be prepared to exchange above figures against 25mm round figures of the series "Wars of the Roses" from Wargames Foundry and Old Glory and also -Crusaders and Mongols in Europe" by Essex or Old Glory.

Second Auc t ion fo r F la t F igures , 86 May 1999Zinnfiguren Cabinett Olav Kebbel (Schloss Bartenstein, 74575 Schrozberg-Bartenstein Tel: 07936/1282 Fax: 07936/1266.(Received via Ehrhard Finster)

There are 1000 lots being offered of old toy soldiers of the following origins:Allgeyer, Rieche, Haffner, Soehlke, Heinrischsen, Aarau, Ochel and others. The figures were manufactured between 1890-1920. Figures cover from the Antique up to WWI and there are a lot of figures of British military history.

Catalogues are available from April for DM23.00, payable by Eurocheque.

Thousands of Flats for SaleHaving decided to concentrate on the Medieval Period I am selling thousands of flats from my collection. From Ancients to Modern; in sets, many in original boxes untouched. A wide variety of editors, standard and large scale figures. Selling at 1990 prices + P&P.Send SAE for list or send your wish list to: Robert Bryce, 40 Biggar Road, Symington, Biggar, Lanarkshire ML12 6FT. Tel: 01899 308 321. Email: [email protected]

Robert Bryce

(1) Aldershot BMSS Annual show Military in Miniature 1999 (it's their 25th Anniversary this year), to be held at the Princes Hall, Aldershot on Saturday 20th February from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

(2) Welling 99, the annual show of the Welling Model Club will be held at the Falconwood

Community Centre, The Green, Welling, Kent on 10th April 1999. The BFFS will be having a stand at this event. For further details telephone 0181 480 7186 or e-mail [email protected].

(3) Waffenbörse IWB 99 will be held in Stuttgart from 9-11April 1999. For further details

contact Harald Kafczyk on +49711/2589-667/-666.

(4) The BMSS Annual Show to be held in the New Connaught Rooms, Great Queen Street, Holborn, London on Saturday 24th April 1999.


Before starting this article I have been asked on numerous occasions about my last article, that is - painting in washes. The main question being: "How thick/thin are the washes supposed to be?” Well, you may as well ask, how long is a piece of string? There is no set mix of thinners (white spirit or distilled turpentine) to paint, it depends entirely on what you are painting really, For instance, if you are building up a colour on a largish area of a large scale flat, then you are going to want the wash to be fairly thick. Lay the colour on and let the thinners evaporate, then with a flat (dry and clean) brush, remove the excess and get rid of the brush strokes. If you only applied a tinting of colour it would take you for ever to get the desired effect. A trick I use for highlighting reds is another good example, I highlight with white, giving a sickly, pink highlight,

then, however, I apply, once it is thoroughly dry, a wash of yellow which results in an orange highlight. For this you do want a very thinned down wash with just a little more than a hint of colour, better too little than too much as once dry you can apply another wash. This may result in your having to re-apply the red to the mid-tone and redo any shading, but it works for me. If, though, it is a small area on a 30mm flat, then you have to use your best judgement - too thick and you have problems removing the excess, too thin and it will run into the rest of the figure. As always, practice makes perfect; it has taken me a long time to get the hang of it. I'd also like to point out that not absolutely everything I paint is done this way. I very much paint by feel and would probably not tackle the same problem the same way a second time around. This makes describing how I paint very difficult, as many times I cannot even remember how I did it.

This leads nicely on to an area where painting in washes is not always the best way to do things, although you may well adopt the technique to suit where you think it is appropriate. Patterns are always risky things to embark upon; after many sessions of painstaking brushwork one wrong move can ruin all your hard work.

First, it is important to plan the pattern you want to apply; it is never very easy to make it up as you go along. Draw the figure in pencil and practise applying the pattern to the drawing until it looks right. This guide will help you over the next few sessions as the pattern starts to take shape. I generally paint the

ground colour first and add some highlighting and shading, then with extreme care and a minimum of paint, apply the bottom layer of the pattern. If you can break down the pattern into layers and apply them one at a time, this tends to make your life a lot easier. The paint wants to be fairly wet to allow it to flow smoothly but not so wet as to be runny; this is especially true for lines, etc. However, for small, for want of a better word, blobs of paint like leaves or flowers, then paint straight from the tube would be better. If applied in very small amounts at a time, you can steadily build up the shape without leaving any brush strokes.

So after anything from a couple of sessions for a simple pattern to anything up to and sometimes beyond a dozen sessions your pattern is laid in and you are knackered and a nervous wreck. Now is the time to relax and become complacent, keep a good packet of fags handy or a stiff G & T, you'll need it. Why? Well, because the pattern looks wrong; it is flat and does not follow the careful moulding you have applied with light and shade to the rest of your figure. Well of course it doesn't, after all there was only a very light suggestion of shade and highlight when you started. Ensure that the paint is dry, not just overnight dry but at least a week because now we go back to those blasted washes I like.

Applying the shade is the easy part now, though it can very easily ruin the whole thing. The pattern runs with the cloth, so where there is a fold all the colours in this fold will be in the shade and, depending upon the complexity of the pattern

by Simon Briggs


and how many colours there are in it, this could be a nightmare. Not so because we are going to cheat a little, with a very transparent wash of a neutral colour (I often use Sennelier's Neutral Tint but any dark shading colour will do) we apply it to the areas that need shading. Now this may take some time as each wash has to dry. I can get away with two washes in a session if I am very careful, but I would not recommend this as it is very easy to lift off the first wash and the whole thing is a disaster. As you can no doubt imagine, this is another slow process as you are leaving only very small quantities of paint behind every time you apply a wash, but it does build up and, being transparent, the colours in your pattern show through but are muted evenly through the shade. It is personal choice here how dark you want the shading, but it is also easy to vary the intensity of the shade by restricting later washes to those areas where you consider the shade to be stronger i.e. right in the fold or seam of a piece of cloth or where the cast shadow is nearest the object blocking the light.

The highlights are more of a problem. With silk it is adequate to apply white highlights over the whole of the pattern even if it obscures some of the detail; silk is a very reflective material. However, if it is wool or linen that you are painting, then all the highlights have to be individually applied down the line of the highlight. Yes, each individual colour that is picking up the stronger light needs individual attention and a right royal pain in the backside it is too, painstaking and terrifying. It is also best to do this all in one go as this will help to

ensure that the highlight colours are consistent (though you can vary the intensity) and not different shades of the same colour because you forgot how you mixed the original colour in the first place! It happens - well, it does to me anyway.

Now let the whole thing dry for a few days and go and do something completely different, a game of rugby, a hot curry and getting blind drunk is probably the best idea!

When you next look at the figure you are sure to pick up the little faults, like a deeper shade in certain areas or a part of a highlight that you missed. Take your time and correct all these errors, but do not rush it; the longer you contemplate the figure, the more little details you will put right, and details is what patterns are all about. That said you could conceivably sit there for months just applying miniscule amounts of paint and not really enhancing the work that much at all, but do not omit this phase, or sooner or later and probably too late - you will think "Oh, my God, I've cocked it up!" Tough!

One thing 1 notice in myself, and in many other people, we are our own worst critics. I can see all sorts of faults in my work, but others do not seem to see what I am talking about. The same the other way round. I might praise somebody's work, only for them to say, "Yes, but it's full of faults like that there", and they are pointing at what I consider a flawless masterpiece. In a way, this is a good thing because it stops us becoming complacent. I dread starting to think that my work is really great and that there is nothing wrong, because then you will stop striving to do better next time, and there are people I have met who are

like this, though none of them are members of this Society, otherwise I wouldn't have said that.

Well, I hope this has been of use to somebody. If you have any problems with it then contact me. I'm in the front of the Journal. Better still, write in to the Journal yourself, to echo Graham's plea, write an article. If anybody has a different approach to painting patterns, I'd love to read about it.

Also, if anybody there has a good trick or two on painting horses and other hair-covered animals, then please write an article. I'm absolutely hopeless with animals and would love to pick up some new techniques.

World Expo 2000 - Advance Notice The above event is to be staged in Glasgow at the Glasgow Thistle Hotel in, of course, the year 2000. The dates for the show are; 4th 5th and 6th of August, slightly later in the year than previous shows, but for a good reason. These dates coincide with the first weekend of that year's Edinburgh Military Tattoo. As Mitchell Davidson says: "If you've got it, flaunt it!". Well, why not, say I? You'll be spoilt for choice. The hotel chosen is right in the centre of Glasgow, just off Sauchiehall Street. It has ample residential car parking and is also right next door to the NCP car park. It has 302 bedrooms and the largest public floor space, outwith an exhibition centre, of any hotel in Scotland.At this time things are pretty fluid, es¬pecially with regard to what is actually ca¬tered for - types of seminar, guest speak¬ers, etc. Should there be a show figure? Should a well known modeller be asked to donate a model for a raffle? If anyone has any suggestions at all regarding this show, especially if they have been to any of the previous shows, perhaps they could let me have them and I'll pass them on to Mitchell. Meanwhile, as they say 'watch this space' in future issues of the Journal.Graham Dixey.


Some years ago I was asked by the editor of Sea Classics International to write a series of articles on 'Life in Nelson's Navy', a commission which I was delighted to accept. I was very fortunate to have as my illustrator the late and very talented Rick Scollins. It is interesting that Napoleon is always the name that is associated with the war on land of this period and Nelson is the name which is associated with the naval aspect. Perhaps this is because of the successes that each enjoyed in their own medium. I feel that the Napoleonic buffs have had far too much exposure and I intend to redress the balance by letting 'Horatio' have his turn. True there aren't quite so many flats for the Nelson period but Dr Dangschat has done his best to give us a fair share.

With references to Braunschweiger flats, then, I propose to re-print my original series in its entirety, dedicated to the memory of Rick Scollins and making use of his illustrations, in black and white or

colour as appropriate.Graham Dixey

On Monday, October 21, 1805, eight miles off the Portuguese coast, at a point called Cape Trafalgar, there took place a naval battle the like of which the world had never seen. The English fleet, under the command of Admiral Lord Nelson in the Victory met the combined French and Spanish Fleets commanded by the French Admiral Villeneuve. These ships opposing England's naval hero numbered 33 sail of the line but by the end of the battle, 15 had gone down or were ashore, eight were prizes and the remaining ten returned to Cadiz in a sorry state. But Nelson himself took a fatal musket ball from a marksman in the French ship Redoutable and the great event was tempered with sadness. His noble victory was won by opposing greater numbers with superior tactics; by manning his ships with men of unequalled morale and superb training. Thus was he able to put paid forever to Napoleon's dreams of conquering England by invasion.

The story of Nelson's navy is not just about 'wooden walls' hammering away at each other through rolling clouds of smoke. It is the story of the men who served the guns, who climbed to dizzy heights in the teeth of a gale to reef in the sails. It is about

men who suffered the cruellest privations for a pittance of pay and poor food and the hope of prize money, often to die unsung or be cast on the beach, pensionless, with no other possessions than their memories. It is a tribute to the men themselves that their morale remained so high.

Where did these men come from, who manned Nelson's victorious ships at the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar? Did they volunteer for a life in which brutality was a byword, food inadequate and pay niggardly and uncertain? Some did, perhaps believing that there was glamour to be found in the King's service. But many were ‘pressed’ - King George’s ships were nearly always undermanned. Others were jail-bait, the so-called ‘Lord Mayor's men’, whom the City magistrates supplied as punishment for some petty offence, or men sentenced at the sessions and offered sea service as an alternative punishment.

One volunteer, Jack Nastyface, left us his memoirs. He went to the Tower Hill recruiting centre on May 9 1805. Apparently he quickly regretted his folly, but was then too late. As a precaution against such changes of mind, volunteers like Jack Nastyface spent their first night in naval service incarcerated in the ships hold, with hordes of rats scuttling


about in the darkness, making sleep an impossibility. The next day would see them being, conveyed to the Nore by Admiralty tender, in which vessel they were again battened down in the hold under the watchful eye of a marine guard. So would the pass their time until they reached their destination. Such conditions are hardly imaginable but picture if you will 200 or so men squeezed into a small airless space without light, many becoming sick with the vessel's motion and over all this the stench of the bilge. The relief when the hatches were finally taken off must have been overwhelming. On arrival at the Nore, an issue of 'slops' was made (deductible from pay!) and the new recruits were then distributed among the waiting warships. So may have begun the naval careers of many men who, in civilian life, covered the whole gamut of crime from picking pockets to highway robbery. Not that a highwayman would usually be punished in this way - hanging was more normal. But to escape justice, he might choose this desperate method of escape, hoping not to be recognised.

Not all common sailors were criminals. It would be an insult and a libel to suggest that they were. There were many men who

volunteered in order to get the bounty - though their regrets must often have long outlived the money! Some joined as boys, yielding to a love of adventure and running away to sea. Other lads joined through the Marine Society, usually between the ages of 13 and 15 years. Such youngsters were given a brief preliminary training on a ship in the Thames, under a boatswain and a boatswain's mate. Then they were off to sea to serve as ships' boys, almost the lowest form of ship life on board a man-of-war.Press gang!

One method of recruitment mentioned earlier, and a familiar one, is the use of the 'press gang'. This was normally commanded by a lieutenant, with a petty officer and some trusty men (often made so by the promise of money!). Some marines might also be sent, usually to block the roads leading out of the port into the countryside to prevent escape that way. In theory at least, only merchant seamen, fishermen and watermen could be pressed, but in practice hardly anyone was safe, especially during a national crisis.

The merchant navy was a particularly convenient source of recruitment for the press. The men, by virtue of their training and experience, would adapt far quicker

than any landlubber. And they were right on the spot, in port, when needed. Many a poor merchant sailor returned from a long voyage, perhaps thinking of a spot of leave with his family, only to be rudely seized by the press gang and carried aboard one of His Majesty's warships. According to John Masefield, one time Poet Laureate and an authority on our maritime history, the merchant service regarded the Royal Navy with dread and loathing. It was this fear of the press gangs, he said, that drove many of our best seamen into American ships. It is an irony that subsequently, in the war of 1812, they would fight against English men-of-war.

The captain of a Royal Navy vessel had to fill his quota somehow before he sailed. Having secured as many crewmen as could be had from the sailors' taverns, the press gangs roamed the streets at night in search of other hapless creatures. Woe betide the drunk sleeping off an excess of ale in the street. He was likely to wake up with rather more than a hangover, in the unfamiliar accommodation of a King's ship! And if he was a married man then so much the worse for him. The press gang did not enquire into marital status - it was all 'grist to the mill'. The fact that the


press gang was often paid by results made them particularly ruthless. It is a matter for wonder that a service that manned itself in such a haphazard way should acquit itself so well in battle as it did and on so many other occasions.

A perpetual cause of discontent among the sailors was their pay, which was very irregular, with long intervals between successive pay-days. Thus, each pay-day, when it came, was a time for great celebration. On the morning of the day, the money was brought on board by the commissioners. Later in the day when the pay was issued, it was done so by rotation, on the books. Each man, as he was called, removed his hat, which was taken from him; when returned it contained his wages, the amount chalked on the rim. How much a man might actually receive was a matter for conjecture, at least for the recipient. What he got he accepted without quibble. However much (or little) the calculated amount might have been, it was often reduced to as little as one third of this sum by deductions made by the ship's doctor for pills and ointment or by the purser for slops and tobacco.

These 'slops' were the sailor's clothes and sea-bedding supplied by the naval storekeeper to every ship in commission. These were kept on the orlop deck under the care of the purser. Seamen and pressed men who came aboard destitute were allowed a purchase of slops up to a maximum of two month's pay. Then they could, if the need demanded, purchase slops at the rate of 7/- a month, but only with their lieutenant's permission. Slops tended to be of a common pattern thus forcing some degree of uniformity on the crew.

So what did the sailor do with his money when he eventually did get it? Since he had usually managed to accumulate some debts, these were paid off first of all. Then, because he was not allowed ashore to enjoy his money the pleasures of the port were brought to him. There were always plenty of Jewish pedlars to supply all the sailors' needs in terms of clothing, plus many other trinkets guaranteed to entice the money away from the gullible. Then there were the boatloads of women who invaded

every ship that arrived in port. It was not unusual for the ship to be surrounded by small boats, full of local females ready to provide Jack with a little company. Down the ship's sides would swarm the sailors, each intent on selecting his fancy and heaving her back on board. A man-of-war with a crew of perhaps 600 men might temporarily acquire some 400-500 extra occupants! It was not unusual for these women to form a permanent relationship with sailors from several different ships, thus acquiring a string of 'husbands', each blissfully unaware of the other's existence!Victuals

If the sailors grumbled about the pay, they were hardly any happier about the food, which was not exactly calculated to titillate the palate. Breakfast, usually served at eight bells (i.e. 8am) often consisted of a burgoo of coarse oatmeal and water. This was pretty unpalatable stuff, often inedible, but after Trafalgar an issue of butter or

molasses made it a little more acceptable. Then there was ̀ Scotch coffee', made from burnt ship's biscuit boiled in water with sugar added for sweetening. The meat almost defied description - it certainly stretches the imagination. There were two varieties, beef and pork, both preserved by salting in barrels. I can do no better than quote John Masefield's description of it:

`It was of a stony hardness, fibrous, shrunken, dark, gristly and glistening with salt crystals... The salt pork was generally rather better than the beef, but the sailors could carve fancy articles, such as boxes, out of either meat. The flesh is said to have taken good polish, like some close-grain wood'...

There was a weekly diet laid down by the Navy Victualing Board. In accordance with this a sailor received one pound of biscuits and one gallon of beer each day. Twice a week he would get two pounds of beef and on each of two other days he


received one pound of pork. Half a pint of pease was served four times a week, one pint of oatmeal three times a week and

there were also four issues, each of two ounces, of butter and three, four-ounce, issues of cheese. The latter smelt strongly and abounded in thin, red worms. The ration of meat may sound quite generous but, in practice, much of it was bone, fat and gristle, leaving very little that was anywhere near being edible.

Tales of ship's biscuits are legion. They were always full of weevils. It is said that the custom was to eat the biscuits in the dark, at night, to spare oneself the sight of what was actually being digested!

Although there was a ship's cook, of warrant rank, each mess had its own cook, who generally carved and served the meals. The system for issuing out the portions or 'whacks' at the mess tables is interesting.

As the mess cook divided the food, one member of the mess stood with his back to the table so that he couldn't see the size of the portions. As each portion was lifted out, the cook called out 'who shall have this?' The mess member standing called out the name of one member of the mess and the portion went on that man's plate. And so it went on until everyone had a share.

If the food was awful the drink helped

to atone for it. There was a surprising variety not forgetting the Scotch coffee mentioned earlier and a fairly awful cocoa. First there

was the ship's water, which was stored in wooden casks and, during a voyage, underwent several stages of development. It started life as reasonably clean river water. After a few days it became putrid and then, surprisingly, it grew sweet again and fit to drink. However, after a few weeks at sea it became thick and slimy, supporting a variety of aquatic life, and stagnant and flat into the bargain. It was when it was in this latter condition that it was usually issued to the crew. However, prior to that the sailors drank a rather poor brew, known as 'small beer', which was, nonetheless, popular with them. Sailors on watch at night could go to a cask of fresh water, known as the 'scuttle-butt'. Because it was at meetings here with other crew members that gossip was exchanged, this term has become synonymous with the word 'rumour'. When the beer had run out there was the wine, just a vin-ordinaire, purchased abroad and, of course, the sailor's favourite, 'grog'. This was pure navy rum, diluted to one part in four with water, perhaps with the addition of a little lemon juice (anti-scurvy) and sugar. Grog was named after Admiral Vernon, who was nicknamed 'Old Grogham' because he

wore a waterproof boat cloak of that type.For a sensitive soul, and there were

some, life on board one of His Majesty's

ships must have been purgatory. The routine was harsh, the company often brutal and licentious and privacy was almost non-existent. The hands who worked the ship were divided into two watches, larboard and starboard. The men slept in hammocks, slung in rows from one side of the ship to another, like sardines in a tin. A man's entitlement was generally 14 inches of space but this niggardly allowance could be alleviated by the fact that the men of the two watches often occupied alternate hammocks. Since one watch was always on duty this meant each man had an empty hammock to each side of him.

For meals, the sailors were divided into messes, as mentioned earlier. Each mess was composed of from four to eight men. Each mess had a narrow table which, when not in use, was hooked up to the beams above but, at meal times, was fixed between the guns in such a way as to follow the ship's motion. Each sailor had his own knife (normally kept on his person on a lanyard), a spoon and hook-pot, an earthenware bowl and platter. Apparently these messes were very friendly places and each one took a particular pride in its appearance. Each


man in turn acted as mess cook for a week and it was his responsibility to collect the mess provisions from the purser daily and take them to the ship's cook. He mixed the duff in his handkerchief on the days that they made duff and drew the issue of grog, getting a double ration for himself as his 'perk'.

It was in his mess that a sailor kept his few belongings. In frigates the men were allowed small chests, which had to be secured to the sides of the ship. In ships of the line, however, this was not allowed and sailors kept their belongings in a black painted canvas bag. This was either kept in his berth or stowed down on the orlop deck, in which case he only had access to it at certain times. A careful eye had to be kept on the bags because all ships swarmed with thieves, and a bag left unattended was soon emptied.On duty

Depending upon his watch, a sailor's day began at midnight or at four in the morning. The middle watch from 12pm to 4am might be quite easy in fine weather, with little more to do than trim the sails. There were lookouts aloft and various other men, officers, marines, etc, at their stations throughout the vessel. Sometimes those of the watch not actually on look-out, were allowed to sleep on the deck. But, if the night was wet, all were busy collecting rainwater to supplement the ship's supply of fresh water.

Shortly before eight bells, or 4am, the quartermasters went aft to call the midshipman, mates and lieutenant of the new watch. The boatswain's mates piped 'All hands down the fore and main hatchways', followed by a shout of `Larboard (or Starboard) Watch Ahoy', plus various other exhortations to arouse the men from their hammocks. Woe betide any man who was sluggish in getting out. All boatswain's mates carried a knotted rope or 'starter' to encourage a lively response to orders. At eight bells they were sent to their stations, the helmsmen and the look-outs were relieved, rate of sailing was noted from the log and the old watch went below. The ship gradually came to life then. The carpenter and his mates began their work

of inspecting the vessel and checking the caulking of the deck seams, etc. Next to appear was the boatswain, which signalled the real start to the day's work. It was off with shoes and stockings, and trousers rolled up the thigh. Then the pumps were rigged and the scrubbers and buckets came out for the job of wetting the decks. On the wet deck planks sand was sprinkled by a couple of hands, after which the main body of men went to work with the ̀ holystones' to whiten the decks. These were so called because their size approximated to that of either a bible or prayer-book. This was hard, unpleasant work. After the holystoning, the decks were washed down with more water and the sand swept out through the scuppers. Finally the decks were dried by means of swabs. This left the odd bits of brass to be polished and ropes to be attended to. It would now be about 7am, just in time for the first lieutenant to appear. At 7.30am the sleepers below were roused by the pipes of the boatswain's mates and all hammocks were stowed. Breakfast, lasting half-an-hour, was at 8am. The watch changed again, the new watch beginning the ceaseless round of working the ship, exercising on the guns, and so on. The watch below might be free to sleep, chat or make do and mend their clothes. Any punishment to be meted out would be dealt with during the early morning.

Taking the Sun's altitude was an operation performed by the master, his mates and the midshipmen. When the Sun reached the meridian, it was time for dinner, eight bells was struck and the boatswain's mate piped a long, cheery ̀ pipe to dinner'. This was the best part of a sailor's day. Dinner was eaten to the accompaniment of

much laughter and talk and at the end there was a great banging of tin plates. This was a signal for the fifer to take his flute up to where the master's mate stood by the grog tub. As one bell was struck, the fifer began to play some lively tune, such as 'Nancy Dawson', in which the ship's company joined him. All the mess cooks dashed to the tub for the mess ration and, on receiving it, carried it straight back to the eager men, who downed it with many songs and toasts.

The afternoon passed with many drills in addition to the normal ship's work. There was gun drill, musket drill, cutlass drill, fire drill, practice at the anchor and boarding practice.

Undoubtedly it was this rigorous devotion to disciplined practice that gave the Royal Navy the edge over other navies. At 4pm supper was piped and taken, together with another serving of grog. After supper it was 'beat to quarters', all hands fell in at their stations, the guns were cast loose and a minute inspection of the men, the guns and the tackle was made by lieutenants and midshipmen. Eventually the hammocks were piped down, the first night watch (8pm to midnight) was set and the watch below turned in. Lights were extinguished or covered and the ship gradually became quiet. The master-at-arms or ship's corporals began their rounds. The ship sailed on into the night to the sounds of water gurgling round the hull, the creaking of ropes and the periodic hails of the sentries.

Far from beginning a day of rest, Sunday morning saw a scene of much frenetic energy. The day started half an hour earlier than any other in order to get everything really ship-shape before Divine Service. There was no holystoning of the decks; they were just swabbed down. Everywhere was swept dust-free: all the bright work was polished to a mirror finish with brick dust; the cook polished his coppers, the cooper mended his casks. In fact, every specialist on the ship was busy. Between finishing their work and attending the service on deck, the sailors had to shave and put on a clean shirt; the old salts dressed each other's queues, while others attended the barbers. At 10.30 the


first lieutenant inspected the ship and the drummer beat to muster. The men then fell in for inspection by the lieutenants prior to the captain's inspection, which included every accessible part of the vessel on or below decks. Divine service then followed on the quarterdeck officiated at by the ship's chaplain or the Captain.

Finally the men were free, allowing for sea duties. After dinner the sailors slept or yarned, played cards, dice or draughts. When in port or with the fleet at sea, parties of 'liberty men' visited other ships and each vied with one another to offer the greatest hospitality. After Sunday supper the weekly muster was held. The men passed, one by one, before the captain to answer to their names. Those the worse for drink were secured below. When the hammocks were piped down, the first night watch was set and Sunday was over."Crime" and punishment

Occasionally the hard and unfair conditions of navy life proved too much for the men and they rose in open revolt. The demands they made were usually very reasonable, the occasional day ashore, better pay and food and similar considerations. It now seems incredible that a sailor, once taken to sea, could not expect to set his foot upon dry land again until either the ship was paid off or hostilities ceased! No doubt the authorities feared that if men were allowed shore leave, they might not come back. If so, then they indict themselves!

Punishment was meted out for a variety of offences and was invariably brutal and out of all proportion to the crime. The most serious offence was mutiny, which was almost inevitably punished by hanging. There are two famous mutinies

in the history of the Royal Navy, those at the Nore and Spithead. Hanging at the yard-arm was not a mere phrase. Many a rebellious tar ended his days, kicking on a rope high above the deck. After the Nore mutiny was quelled, all the ringleaders were hanged at the yardarm and even less serious attempts at subverting authority ended in this way. Justice was swift and certain in

all such cases. Or not quite all. The mutiny at Spithead to air the sailor's grievances was so expertly handled by the instigators that they were pardoned, and an improvement i n c o n d i t i o n s obtained. This was in 1797. In the same year the Nore mutiny broke out but in this case matters were not so well handled. Some ships had to

be coercedInto co-operating and others remained

loyal. In the event, the mutiny collapsed andThe ring-leader, Richard Parker,

together with about 50 others, was hanged. A good many others were ̀ flogged around the fleet', a fate actually worse than hanging and usually fatal anyway.

Floggings were commonplace on many ships as a means of maintaining discipline. The offender was strapped to a grating and the whip applied by boatswain's mates. The whip was the infamous cat-o'-nine-tails, which was a short wooden stick covered in red baize with tails of knotted cord, each about two feet long. As a punishment flogging was barbaric, degrading and, strange as it may seem, virtually ineffective. The condition of the offender's back after even a dozen blows resembled raw veal. Yet some captains ordered up to 300 strokes, with three dozen being commonplace.

Flogging round the fleet was the standard punishment for striking an officer. The offender was placed in the ship's

longboat with his wrists lashed to a capstan bar. Each ship in the fleet sent a boatload of marines to witness punishment. The offender was attended by the master-at-arms and the ship's surgeon. At the start of the punishment the captain read the sentence and a boatswain's mate inflicted a given number of stokes. After this the boat was rowed to the next ship, in time to the Rogue's March beat upon a drum. The other boats followed in procession. The punishment was then repeated. And so it was for each ship in the fleet. A man could not necessarily survive the entire punishment at one go. In which case he was allowed time to recover, even in the ship's sick bay if necessary. Then the punishment was recommenced. Very few survived the course or lived long after it. Those who died during the punishment were buried in the mud at low water without ceremony.

This then was the way of life for the men who carved England's name with pride at Trafalgar. They were men of simple needs, generally illiterate and brutalised by their existence. Very rarely do we know their names. Even ̀ Jack Nastyface' is only a pseudonym! We are right to honour the names of our naval heroes, Nelson, Collingwood, Howe, Vincent... just let us not forget those other nameless heroes. They also served.

The next part of this series, to be published in Issue 53, will deal with 'Midshipmen and Mates'.


Those were the words of Henry T. Owen, a captain with the 18th Virginia Volunteer Infantry who survived what is now commonly recognized as Pickett’s Charge, Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863.

A vignette of the 18th's advance has been released by Glorious Empires (see BFFS Journal No. 41 - May, 1996) and is available through the good offices of Ed Humphreys. The piece is a single casting, fourteen figures of approximately 54mm. This in turn is based upon a painting by Keith Rocco, and is the cover piece on his book "On Campaign" and is itself entitled "Hell for Glory". The Glorious Empires’ casting selects and rearranges the figures for interest and dramatic impact in its own rendition. Thought and care should be taken in painting the piece as the scene represents some depth and, therefore, light and shadow must work accordingly. This action piece faithfully depicts the 18th Virginia as it breaks into a charge through the tall grass near the Emmitsburg Road taking it into the last 100 yards exposed to massive Federal artillery and infantry fire from which there was already no turning back. The vignette is composed of the assaulting infantry men in a mix of head gear, coats and weapons with one mounted figure, Brigadier General Richard Garnett, slightly left of center and the flag of the 18th slightly right of center. The flag is

correctly shown and carried by Lt. Colonel Henry Carrington. Two color bearers had been struck down during the advance at which time Lt. Colonel Carrington took up the colors and carried them to the stone wall where the Federal army awaited. An examination of Keith Rocco’s art work is most helpful in detailing out both that officer's uniform as well as that of General Garnett. Items such as the button patterns, belt sash and plate shapes as well as insignia and sleeve braid are readily identifiable. Oddly enough General Garnett's uniform has been the subject of some controversy based upon writings of survivors but Keith Rocco has effectively studied those and made his illustration based upon the best evidence. The General had two horses at Gettysburg but it appears that he was riding the bay thoroughbred "Red Eye" at this time. His uniform was a double-breasted, light grey frock coat, approximately one month old with the wreath and star insignia at the collar, the dark trousers tucked into top boots. He was within the 18th Virginia, waving his black felt hat as he led on the five regiments of the brigade.

Picket's Division had nearly completed its advance upon the waiting Federal forces when Garnett's brigade was required to execute a left oblique„ approximately 45 degrees, as it approached the Emmitsburg Road, masking to the last possible moment

the true intentions of concentrating forces at a small copse of trees and the stone wall in front of it. During the course of the march the rebel infantry had been taking Federal artillery fire for which it had no defense and was understandably anxious to close with the enemy as quickly as possible without using up its strength before that encounter. The vignette catches this portion of the 18th as it quickens the pace now being exposed to close, heavy infantry and canister fire from behind the stone wall, The lead Confederate units had already been raked during the course of the advance by not only artillery fire from Cemetery Ridge and Little Round Top but also Federal skirmishers who would fire, withdraw, reload and fire again during the movement through the tall grass.

General Garnett and the other officers steadied the infantry on their march ordering that they not break into a double quick but also not stop and return fire at the Federals who were cutting them down. That kind of discipline can be difficult for regulars let alone ‘citizen soldiers’. After the Confederates climbed and cleared the fences along the Emmitsburg Road, the Federal artillery fire became more intense and was accompanied by heavy infantry fire, noticeably chewing up the ranks. General Garnett, riding up and down the brigade calmly encouraged the men “Faster, men! but don't double quick!” "Steady, men! Steady! Don't double quick. Save your wind and your ammunition..."

Study of the maps and troop movements clearly indicate that Garnett’s brigade was

"Pickett's men were within a few feet of the stone wall when the artillery delivered their last fire from guns shotted to the muzzle.... a blaze 50 feet long went through the charging, surging host with a gaping rent to the rear, but the survivors mounted the wall, then over and onward, rushed up the hill close after the gunners who waved their rammers in the face of Pickett's men and sent up cheer after cheer as they felt admiration for the gallant charge."


in advance of Kemper’s brigade which was to its right and was in the lead of Armistead’s brigade. As Garnett’s movement was to the stone wall at a corner later referred to as “The

Angle” it was exposed to both frontal and some flanking fire, the effect of which created within the Confederate lines what was described as a “wild kaleidoscopic whirl”.

General Garnett, suffering from a bruised ankle, insisted on leading his brigade which necessitated that he remain mounted and a target for the better part of three-quarters of a mile in the course of the advance. The charge had been preceded by Confederate and Federal artillery barrages which concluded at about three o'clock in the afternoon. It was clear that this would be a difficult assault, General Garnett having said to General Armistead “This is a desperate thing to attempt”. Richard Garnett would not have taken any opportunity to do less despite the obvious risks which he personally would face. This is best understood within the context of not only the times but the fact that he believed that his reputation had been unfairly tarnished in the course of a dispute which arose out of the Battle of Kernstown, March, 1862 the issue having been set by General Stonewall Jackson who leveled charges of misconduct at General Garnett. Garnett’s brigade was running out of ammunition after hours of very difficult fighting against the larger Federal force and were about to be overrun. General Jackson was not available and Garnett selected to save the force, ordering them to fall back. Much of the rest of the line also then withdrew and a rout commenced. General Jackson subsequently demanded General Garnett's arrest which in turn called for scheduling of a court martial. Many within the

Stonewall brigade were surprised by that move and General Robert E. Lee ordered Garnett’s release and transfer from General Jackson to General Longstreet. The court martial was never convened but Garnett believed that he had been

improperly treated and his reputation unjustly challenged. Interestingly, General Lee used the same solution, bypassing a court martial and transfer to General Longstreet, in resolving a conflict between General A. P. Hill and General Jackson. In light of the circumstances it is predictable that in the course of the Battle of Gettysburg General Garnett would decline any measures of personal safety for those of strong leadership in the course of his brigade’s advance. Major Charles Peyton of the brigade’s center regiment, the 19th Virginia, observed of General Garnett that “never had the brigade been better handled...”; that General Garnett was “...totally devoid of excitement or rashness...”, that he ”...rode immediately in rear of his advancing line, endeavoring by his personal efforts, and by the aid of his staff, to keep his line well closed and dressed.”

During that last 100 yards from the stone wall, Garnett’s men opened fire and charged driving the Federals from their positions. Lt. Colonel Carrington carried the colors of the 18th Virginia to the stone wall where he fell wounded. Some believe during the course of the charge the brigade lost five flags, one being the 18th Virginia. That, however, is not based upon inspection but rather a captured flagstaff with the name

of the 18th Virginia stencilled on a canvas strip at the staff, fragments of the flag still being attached to the canvas. The flag not otherwise having been identified or located, the probabilities are that it was torn from the staff by one of the members of the 18th and secreted away, still unknown to this day.

The reality of the assault may have been a great deal more surreal than either the Rocco or Glorious Empires vignettes can suggest. The Confederates had just advanced through intense fire, artillery double and triple shotted with canister, “... the earth seemed to be on fire, the smoke dense and suffocating, the sun shut out, flames blazing on every side, friend could hardly be distinguished from foe...”. Garnet's brigade having seized the stone wall at “The Angle” near the copse of trees found that the enemy which had broken and abandoned the target were now reinforced with fresh Federal forces who were about to overwhelm the brigade’s remains. The 72nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a Philadelphia zouave unit, opened fire. It was at that time that General Garnett appears to have been struck, toppling dead from his horse. General Garnett had now successfully brought his brigade to the stone wall before he fell, according to one witness within 15 or 20 paces of the wall


near "The Angle".Considering the importance of the

man it would be expected that the fate of his remains would be well known. However, as with the flag of the 18th, another mystery developed. During the course of Pickett's charge six Confederate generals were mortally wounded, but only one, General Richard Garnett, was killed outright. Of those six, all but General Garnett were successfully recovered from the battlefield and buried by family. The body of General Garnett was never identified. The site of the copse of trees and the stone wall were covered with bodies, well within reach of looters. Both Federal and Confederate officers, friends of General Garnett, made specific searches for his body but it was not identified. His equipment and uniform would have been tempting souvenirs to Federal scavengers. Most of the bodies in this area remained unidentified and, therefore, were buried in mass graves. Interestingly, some years after the war his sword and scabbard turned up in a Baltimore, Maryland, pawn shop. Subsequently it was turned over to the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, where it remains as part of their collection.

It was only after the war that the Confederate veterans, families and friends were permitted to remove these mass burials, many of which were placed at a special shrine to unknown Confederate dead at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond. Though General Garnett's remains were never identified, there was ample evidence that he was among his comrades with the unknown dead of Pickett's Division. In 1991, on the anniversary of the battle, a memorial was dedicated at Hollywood, the granite reading as follows:

“Among the Confederate soldiers’ graves in this area is the probable resting place of Brigadier General Richard Brooke Garnett C.S.A. who was killed in action July 3, 1863, as he led his brigade in the charge of Pickett’s Division on the final day of the battle of Gettysburg. First bur-ied on the battlefield, General Garnett’s remains were likely removed to this area in 1872 along with other confeder-ate dead brought from Gettysburg by the Hollywood Memorial Association. Reguiescat in pace Richard Brooke Gar-nett 1817- 1863.”

Noticing a brief mention of the Grunewald U. S. Cavalry in Tin Figure Parade, Journal No. 51, I thought I might make some observations on them just in case anyone should think them suitable for the Custer period.Firstly they are not all new, some I bought at Kulmbach a couple of years ago and very nice they are too, well designed and engraved. There are eleven figures, shown mostly riding or leading their horses and including a civilian scout, he a handsome fellow, more the Harve Presnell. (“The Glory Guys”) type than California Joe and therein lies the problem as they

tend toward perpetuating the Hollywood legend. To quote Frank Humphris, author and illustrator of “Battle of the Little Big horn”, Ladybird Books 1976. “The white gauntlet gloves, webbing braces (American suspenders), and light coloured felt hats seen in Hollywood films were NOT issued to cavalry at this period. Neither were bright yellow neckerchiefs! I'm afraid those criteria could also rule out the Romund figures. One can see The Dream Factory's postwar problem. Soldiers wear uniforms, soldiers are smart. Far better that the costume departments design something plausible rather than show the world

America's army of the 1870's were a rag tag and bobtail crew. Nowadays authenticity is what counts, The Seventh Calvary of “Son of the Morning Star” would have been much more to Humphris liking.The one Grunewald figure that would be of use comes from an earlier issue. Some years ago I purchased a selection of plains Indians from Rolf, amongst which I found a lone cavalry trumpeter, GT 2903/4. Later through the Society archives, which I had charge of at that time, I discovered it was a portrait of Trumpeter John Martin, or to give him his baptismal name Giovanni Martini, an Italian emigrant of limited language skills, who owed his life to being the bearer of Custer's last message, ‘fraid he’s wearing gauntlets, but what the hell... maybe he suffered from cold hands like me!. As a veteran of the Saturday-morning pictures I shall paint the Gr's a la Hollywood. I have the Braune figures, much more accurate for the gritty realism bit.

HEY THAR ! INJUN LOVERS!

By the time you read this the Native Nations photographic exhibition at the Barbican Centre will have closed along with its bookstall full of tempting tomes. One book purchased there I recommend you look out for, especially if you holiday in France, is Les Indian Aquarelles de Karl Bodmer, a ten by eleven and a half inch, ninety-six page, full-colour paperback published by Bibliotheque de l'image. Of course the text is in French, but the illustrations more than compensate for this. Where possible reproductions of Bodmer’s original watercolours are used as opposed to the hand coloured prints, so out of seventy-seven pictures, sixty-six are original and that includes the hard to find Birohka the Minnetaree and some I had not seen before. A snip at £9.99!

Jim Woodley


Goesslings Privatfiguren (Im Volgelsang 7, 88131 Lindau, Germany)Napoleon in Egypt - Regiment of Dromedaries: a nice little set of 7 mounted and 4 foot figures. There is one figure leading against a dromedary. Their poses are mostly standing; it seems they are getting ready to ride out. The set is engraved by R.Gruenewald.Cleopatra tries out poison on slaves: Six figures, Cleopatra reclining on a large seat, one slave fanning fresh air and the two other slaves either dying or being carried away, with one person holding a bottle of poison. A big palm plant rounds off the group. A bit macabre but something for the Egypt buff. Engraver R.Sonntag.

Dieter Schulz(Weinmeisterhornweg 169, 13593 Berlin, Germany)Two fire engines, the first is Daimler's first fire engine 1888; the pump is powered by an engine, the

second is a pneumatically operated extending ladder, end 19th C. Both carriages are horse drawn. Engraver K. W. Rieger.

Street life in Berlin after Zille. Six figures of street vendors, nannies, one with a pram and a cart with earthen wares. Useful as a back drop to the fire engines. Engraver K. W . Rieger.

The Golden Goose: Three single figures — the queen with two court officials and a well animated large group of eight people pursuing the man with the golden goose. Engraver K.W.Rieger.15th Century Jesters and Tumblers: Nine figures dancing and making all sorts of poses, making hand stands, a fountain with two figures mounting it. Could be a colourful and challenging set. Engraver K.W. Rieger.

Horst Tylinski (Achtermannstr. 53, 13187 Berlin, Germany)Egyptian Hippo. Hunt: Two hunters attacking one large hippo., hurt by a lance, and three more hippos. Resting. A tree trunk with river birds and a plant competes the set. Engraver not mentioned.

Series Rameses III and the Sea Nations: A hostile fleet tries to land in the north of the Nile delta. Two background figures of two sailing boats, two large boats of the landing force, 10 landed warriors fighting and one large Egyptian boat, 14 defending Egyptians, all on foot, and three war chariots and one wrecked attacking the landed invaders. Engraver not mentioned.

K.W.Rieger (Melsdorferstr. 77, 24109 Kiel, Germany)Horse racing: 60mm figures of seven racing riders. They depict an actually run race and with the figures come some coloured pictures showing some identical racing colours. The coloured illustrations looked very realistic. Engraver K.W.Rieger.

GO International (Christian R o h l f s We g 11 , 2 4 5 6 8 Kaltenkirchen, Germany)

Fishmarket 1400-1500: A fisherman offering his catch, his wife selling behind a counter, two other traders and some customers besides a man and his donkey. A very nicely engraved set. Drawings F.K.Mohr. Engraver E.Kovar.More reviews over


Roy Hunt Miniatures (9 Joyce Page Close, Charlton, London SE7 8TA)

Pantaloon

Choosing yet another subject on which to test his sculpting talent, Roy has now created in fine resin one of the famous Commedia dell Arte figures, Pantaloon. This strutting fellow, clad in red with a large, floppy hat and a long, blue cloak, has been captured in a moulding of the most exquisite delicacy. How does he do it? Maybe the ‘die bards’ won’t like it but I have to say that modern resin materials more than equal white metals for the fineness of detail that they will render. If this new issue proves popular then Roy will sculpt Madame Harlequin to complement this figure. I hope he does it; they should make a lovely couple. Meanwhile, you can obtain the first of these new figures for just £7.50 post paid, which includes an excellent colour photograph as well as painting notes and some background information.

The illustration shown above reproduces the actual engraving which Roy used as the basis for his sculpture.

Andreas Barz, MA (Schießhausstraße 19a, C - 97072 Würzburg, Germany)

Pinnochio

This is a figure from a brand new editor, who tells me that this is his first and possibly his last figure! It is the realisation of a dream and to make it come true he has picked a top designer (Mike Taylor) complemented by a brilliant engraver (Regina Sonntag) to turn a vision into reality. The subject is that character of fiction, Pinnochio, (based on the novel by Carlo Collodi, first published in 1883), who is seen in the company of a fox and a cat, the two thieves who betrayed him and stole his money. Figure size is 60mm and the quality, I assure you, is impeccable. Who can resist it? If you want one, you can get it from Andreas for the sum of £7.00 sterling but do not send foreign currency cheques: send folding money in pounds or DM (check exchange rate) or a Euro-cheque (in DM). Price includes postage, which is hefty in Germany.

Graham Dixey


Western Miniatures

The first ‘new’ release from Western Miniatures for this issue of the Journal may not be so for some members, since it just missed the publication date for Issue 51. It is a four-piece set of the Flight of the Khalifa after the battle of Omdurman. The figures were designed by Neil Pinchbeck and are based on the painting "The Flight of the Khalifa after his defeat at the Battle of Omdurman" by Robert Talbot Kelly in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. The figures capture the spirit of the painting perfectly and will make an excellent boxed diorama. Unfortunately, although the painting is well known and often reproduced, the Walker Art Gallery do not have a post card of the painting. They are willing to supply a black and white photograph of the painting at £7.00. The four figures concentrate on the central figures in the work - the Khalifa on a donkey being escorted by two servants running alongside him; a standard bearer mounted on a camel; a second camel rider and, finally, two women again on a camel, making good their escape. The set costs £11.00 plus postage and packing.

The second new release from Dick comes in the form of lily nymphs, this being the work of Regina Sonntag. This is one for the painters and surely will be a good test for a steady hand to separate the nymphs from the lilies in which they hide. The piece is larger than the traditional 30mm figure, measuring some 70mm from the topmost bud to the base. This piece will certainly get you reaching for the gardening books to check the colours. The piece costs £3.50 plus postage and packing.

There are also more Alice figures on the way but more of that next time. If you cannot wait, you can always contact Dick at Western Miniatures, 123 Henacre Road, Lawrence Weston, Bristol BS11 OHB.

Jon Redley

The 1999 BFFS Annual Show

This year our annual show is moving to rather more prestigious premises. Members might like to make a note in their diaries now, that the date for the show and the new venue will be as follows:

Sunday 6th June, 1999

At the Chesford Grange Hotel Kenilworth

This central situation should make access relatively easy for the maximum number of members. A map will be included in the next issue of the Journal, as will fuller details of the times of opening and closing.


Orders to: Ed Humphreys, 11 Oakeley Terrace, Talwaenydd, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd LL41 3LY

SOCIETY SALES & BULK ORDERS

All catalogues should be obtained from Simon Briggs. All prices quoted here include postage. To use the Bulk Order System, make your selection of figures from the selected Bulk order catalogues only and send your order, giving as much detail as possible of page and figure number, and any title, to Ed Humphreys. Only include a SAE (1st class) if you think Ed will not already have one of yours in hand. Don’t send any payment until requested. Above all, be patient, as some orders take several months to come through.

Catalogue BandBelaschk ABraunschweiger Zinn. GB & S Zinnfiguren BCeard Staoine (Frenzel) BCortum BCortum supplement ADe Tinnen Tafelronde EGössling AHafer (1995 Edition) EHeinrichsen BHelmut Braune BHistoria Müller GHohrath ARieger DJürgen Schmittdiel H

Catalogue BandKoch CKrog GKügl CLübecker Zinnfiguren AReiner Mischko BMenz CNeckel Part 2 (1790-1945) D Nonn (1994 Edition) COldhafer (1993 Edition) EPelta AReh AReibold ARetter AFigures of Ancient Egypt F

Dieter Schulz ASchüssler/Wohlmann ASegom (1992 Supplement) A Segom (plus Supplement) ESpeyer ATobinnus EUnger AVollrath (Golberg) DWagner AWeirich (1994 Edition) BWiener Zinnfiguren DWünsch BKovar DKasstner C

Catalogue Band

The Military Miniatures Society of Chicago (Illinois) had its 24th Annual Show, October 16-17 1998 at the Hyatt Hotel in Oakbrook. Registration was at 6pm, Friday.The show was in what appeared to be a ballroom with a very high ceiling. The tables were chest-high with neutral coloured covers. Everyone was allocated three feet for their presentation. Entrants had the opportunity to present themselves in any manner they chose. There were divisions such as: Painters, Open, Ordnance, etc. There was no separate flat division; entrants were judged along with

the round figures in their chosen division.Gold Medal Winner by Rick TaylorThere are, generally, 400-500 figures at this show. I would guess 50 medals (Gold, Silver and Bronze), plus certificates, were given. This is my unofficial tally. With so many things going on it's hard

to take notes. If I slighted somebody or misspelled names, I'm sorry.Rick Taylor won a Gold medal for his flat presentation in the Open division. Jim Schroeder won a Bronze medal for his Napoleon's Paris grouping. Other flats that I saw in the show were:Vern Minkwitz - Grenadier: Mike Hall - General Jackson; a series of knights by Pat Voss;Barry King - Polish Trumpeter; Peter Ferk - Indian Portrait ofWolfskin. -The show seemed smaller than last year, maybe because it came on the heels of the Toronto show. There was a vendors’ area adjacent to the show. The show was open to the public. Those people who brought their families along could visit one of the largest shopping malls in the US, located just across the street.

Report via Jim Schroeder

Gold Medal Winner by Rick Taylor

Back Issues of the Journal (as available ) - Price Code A

May 1999

Golberg International

June 1999

Wolfgang Hafer

July 1999

No bulk buy this month

journal - international flat figure societyintflatfigures.org/bffs/themes/bffs-mods/journals/bffs...

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