Keep Your Powder Dry

The Civil War version of the 95th Rifles/French Old Guard finally emerge from my painting pile; I'm not that tardy, they were 'lost' for a number of years, and I am slowly working my way through the figures that went astray. Every ECW wargamer worth their salt will have the London Lobsters in their collection. Sir Arthur raised a troop of horse in 1642 in Leicestershire, they were attached to Balfour's Regiment and fought at Edgehill. After Edgehill, Sir Arthur returned to London to raise the troop to full regiment strength. Their initial engagements saw the troop storm Malmesbury; fight at Highnam; and skirmish at Ripple Field, where they took heavy casualties covering the Parliamentarian retreat. The Regiment would fight as part of Waller's Southern Association. By now at full regiment strength they fought at Lansdown; Devizes; Roundway Down; Basing House; the Farnham standoff; Alton Church; the siege of Arundel; Cheriton; skirmished at Newbury; Cropredy Bridge; t...

When you think of a 'lifeguard' you think of a group of soldiers whose job it is to protect an individual. So the two King's Lifeguard units are a little bit of a misnomer. The Lifeguard of Foot were effectively just the King's Regiment of Foot, The same can sort of be said about the Lifeguard of Horse.  For actual protecting the King duties you need to look at the Gentlemen Pensioners. The Gentlemen Pensioners still exist as the  Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms .  The King's Lifeguard of Horse should not be confused with the Gentlemen Pensioners, they were completely separate units.  The King’s Lifeguard Regiment of Horse, served with the Oxford Army throughout the First Civil War and were led by the King's cousin Lord Bernard Stuart . Raised in Yorkshire in 1642, they were in the thick of the War from the very start being present at the Siege of Hull; Edgehill; the siege of Gloucester; First Newbury; Cropredy Bridge; Lostwithiel; Second  Newbury; the re...

In the seemingly endless production line of harquebusiers it is a great relief to paint some cuirassiers. Please read the next paragraph in the style of Dervla Kirwan's M&S food advert voiceovers Now these aren't your run of the mill Hasselrigg's "housewives' favourite, should have been a racehorse"* Lobsters. No, these are the Marquis of Argyll's Lifeguard cuirassiers. [/end Dervla Kirwan voice] A troop consisting initially of gentlemen volunteers, possibly equipped as cuirassiers, forming Argyll’s Lifeguard. The word 'possibly' is good enough for me, because who doesn't love a cuirassier unit? Their regimental history reads pretty much as 'quartered at..' punctuated occasionally by 'possibly at..'. At some time in 1645 they accepted the surrender of Lindisfarne, but spent the rest of their time serving in Scotland. Argyll was present at the battles of Fyvie, Inverlochy and Kilsyth, but no specific menti...