Queen's Troops and The Army of the Bengal Presidency of the Honourable East India Company on Parade.

By way of providing balance, here is the opposition for the Khalsa posted the other day, namely the troops of the Bengal Presidency of the HEIC, stiffened by several regiments of Queens troops as was common practice.

The Army of the Bengal Presidency 

The artillery train. I must get the rest of the Bullock teams and Horse Artillery limbers sorted.

Four regiments of Bengal Light Cavalry. In their rear the Governor General's Bodyguard.

The 8th Bengal Irregular Cavalry lead the way.

Three troops of Bengal Horse Artillery (I could do with another one at least), supported by HM 3rd Light Dragoons and HM 16th Lancers.

HM 60th Rifles leading five battalions of Queens troops and the 2nd (European) Bengal Light Infantry

Governor General Sir Henry Hardinge (left) and the Commander in Chief in India, General Sir Hugh Gough in his famous white 'fighting coat.

Bengal Native Infantry. 12 battalions in total.

Five companies of Bengal Foot Artillery in front of the massed ranks of the BNI.

A Bengal Foot Artillery battery equipped with something a little heavier than 6pdr or 9pdr guns.

I’ve  almost finished a couple more regiments (4th and 9th Bengal Irregular Cavalry and HM 9th Lancers) and am waiting for some Ghurkas from OGUK, together with a couple of Bengal Horse Artillery limbers. I’ve got a couple more bullock drawn limbers ready to paint the that’s it. I’ll have just about everything I need to refight all/any of the battles in both Sikh Wars. Job done. Until I think of the odd unit I might like to add that is.......

Anglo-Sikh Wars: The Khalsa on Parade

I thought I'd muster the forces of the Khalsa today to see what they looked like en masse. I am mightily pleased with how they've turned out. It has only taken maybe eight years to get them to this stage.

The whole army on parade.

Regular cuirassiers and lancers, two regiments of each.

The backbone of the army. Seventeen battalions of regulars and three of my large artillery batteries. 

The commander in chief on his elephant, leading four battalions of the Fauj-i-Khas (the elite of the army, well drilled by European officers) 

More artillery. There are five batteries, including one of horse artillery, in total.

Four units of Akali irregular and fanatical infantry, behind which is the camel gun corps.

Gorchara irregular cavalry.

The army seen from the other wing.

The Sikh gun line on the left, regular infantry in the centre and the artillery park on the right.

The artillery park.

I've got some more irregular cavalry and four more battalions of regular infantry on the painting table and I really want to add some irregular infantry. Somewhere I have some Afghan hillmen types that will do nicely. Oh, and I need more bullocks and another elephant.

Sikh Gurkhas

Another unit to add to the Khalsa, this time a unit of ‘Ghurkas’.

 Most weren’t actually Gurkhas but hillmen from close to the border with Nepal, with uniforms modelled loosely on the EIC-raised Ghurka battalions' dress of the time, except for the French tricolour cockade! These are Studio Miniatures castings. 6/10 overall as an action pose might have looked better, but these were easy enough to paint. And yes as a part of the elite  Fauj-i-Kais brigade there is a good chance that they carried French style tricolours as did the rest of the brigade.

Sikh reinforcements - more Akali fanatics

Not much to show actually COMPLETED over the Bank Holiday weekend . Just a dozen Akali plus a few bodies. Still, loads of prep done and a battalion of Sikh Gurkhas almost done.

Bengal Irregular Cavalry

This is the 8th Bengal Irregular Cavalry (BIC) in all their splendour, such as it is. I’ve just started the 9th BIC (ought finish them by Tuesday) and am waiting for the figures from OGUK to arrive for the 4th BIC.

April production progress report

A slow month in April due to taking a week off on holiday and various other commitments. However the sunshine over the early Bank Holiday weekend meant I could take myself outside and base up lots of figures.


Basing only, already painted figures:
20 Sikh Wars British cavalry (3LD and 16L)
120 Sikh Wars European infantry (6 btn)
240 Sikh Wars Bengal Native Infantry (12 btn)
48 Sikh 'Regular' cavalry (2 each cuirassier and lancers)
6 bases Bengal Horse Artillery gunners (3 troops)
12 bases Bengal Foot Artillery gunners (6 batteries)
240 Sikh Wars Sikh regulars (12 bun)

Painted and bases finished:
18 6pdr and 9pdr cannon for European Sikh Wars gunners
2 x 18pdr cannon as above
6 x ox drawn limber teams
4 x elephants and limbers
8 x Governor General's Bodyguard

All these units with the exception of the Eureopeans need their flags adding.

Games:
4

May will hopefully see me finish 20 Sikh irregular cavalry, 12 more Akali, 10 mounted Akali and my two Sikh Ghurka battalions, as well as three Bengal Irregular Cavalry regiments. I have some Sikh irregular infantry to do and some Bengal Horse Artillery limbers and EIC Gurkhas on order from OGUK.

The Elephant in the Room. More Sikh Wars stuff.

Some of my elephants on parade. A Sikh commander leads two batteries of heavy cannon. I have run out of tufts but when they arrive I will finish the base of the commander's elephant.