Colonising and 'colonial period in the two
full line-ups with WWI ANZAC uniforms visible below. I don't know enough to
start attributing units/eras, but the Cavalryman looks like the sort who might
have been sent to help against the Zulu's or Boars?
I rather like the cavalry guards uniform -
middle left - which looks like the Hampshire Yeomanry mess-dress, although I think
the local version was more ostentatious with even greater swathes of
silver-braid! The Victorian period seems to have made a big thing of formal
dress . . . 'All those parties - don't
you know, what-what!'
And what's Windsor Davis doing next to him .
. . "Luverlyboy-luverlyboy"!
Some modern uniforms here, I don't know
enough about metal production either, but would imagine some Stadden's, New Hope and Under Two Flags
to be here, maybe the odd Cavalier or
even a Scrubby? Anyone recognise any
of them? I like the knackered dog.
The whole display; gluing them to a mirror
is a brilliant idea, by moving your head slightly you get to view all the backs
of the figures, so the equal effort the painter went to isn't wasted! Mr. B
didn't get the artists name, but they all look to be by the same hand, and a
different hand to those of the dioramist we saw earlier.
Note also the 'Lemon Squeezer' hat, from
mentions in posts on the NZNAM fund-raising figures, which we saw after Glenn
Sibald generously sent them to the Blog at the beginning of the year.
Another; from an alternate angle, you can
see it's different to the US or Canadian versions, I think, with a taller,
sharper point and wider head-band area? While it lacks the turned-up side of
its neighbouring Aussie, smooth-peaked one (shared - with detail differences -
with the Ghurkhas). However, it is similar to the old boy-scout version, but
then Baden Powell would have worked with colonial troops?
There's a book in there somewhere? One of
the little Shire Albums perhaps, or a
rather esoteric Osprey! It would be
interesting to know when which version was adopted, by whom and why, formally
or casually.
The metal figure of the colonial cavalryman
in jodhpurs (first image) has one more like the Australian slouch-hat,
suggesting a common 'colonial troop' heritage, but was the Canadian Mounties'
shorter-version also born out of 'Empire & Africa;, or taken from the US
'Smokey Bear'.
Or did the Americans take it from the
Canadians? Were ex-colonial troops wearing their old hats while working on the
railways, being built 'out west', or while rushing for gold? An 'etymology' of
the squeezed-peak and/or slouch-hat, would be an amusing read, and not less
than a little interesting!
I suppose the 'cowboy hat', Stetson and
Fedora must be on earlier branches of the family tree, and the leather
forerunner of Richelieu's musketeers or Cap'n Jack are ultimately to blame!
And thanks again to Brain for the images.
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