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Royal Navy - Naval Brigade officer mounted

  • Product Code: CN6
  • Availability: In Stock

£1.18

This product is sold unpainted.

Additional Images.

1-2. Kevin Longley has rather cleverly painted up this RN mounted officer figure to lead his Russo-Japanese War Russian army. Great idea! 


A MOST IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENT

One of the most impressive achievements was that of the naval brigade of HMS Shannon, which dragged her heavy guns some 600 miles across Northern India, from Calcutta to Lucknow, during the suppression of the Indian Mutiny in 1857-58. Given the heat, the appalling road conditions and the fact that only bullocks and human muscle-power was available to pull the weapons, the achievement was an epic one.  

 

‘The frigate, HMS Shannon, was commanded by Captain William Peel, who was the son of the statesman Sir Robert Peel, and had won the VC in the Crimea when serving ashore with the naval brigade. Shannon was one of three ships sent from China when the Mutiny began. Peel, forming a naval brigade at Calcutta composed of some 450 seamen and marines, later reinforced by men from merchant ships at the port; the navy also landed six 68pdr and eight 24pdr guns, two 8in howitzers and eight rocket tubes, which proved of great value in the subsequent campaigning. Peel’s brigade served their eight heavy guns with the greatest effect in the operations to Lucknow (four Victoria Crosses were won on 16 November at the assault of the Shah Najaf (or ‘Najeef mosque’), and equally at Cawnpore. Peel was severely wounded in the thigh at Lucknow; he was created a KCB in January 1858, but while recuperating from his injury was fatally stricken by smallpox; he was aged only 33.’   

 

 Source: The Dawlish Chronicles, Antoine Vanner and The Colonial Wars Source Book, PJ Haythornthwaite, Caxton Editions, London, 2000. A fascinating and highly readable blog and text with a significant amount of useful detail for the wargamer.

Jacklex Miniatures Colonial Nineteenth Century 20mm metal wargame figures.