'Comedic' by RichardC - 'A Salute to Boney'

A Walk in the Park – Paris, August 1815

This was one of the bonus rounds where I changed my mind a few times. My first ideas were cinematic (Monty Python played a large part in my younger days!). A chance comment from my boss Jeremy Green set my thoughts to this seen. Jeremy can’t understand my strong interest in Napoleon (or the “French Hitler” as he frequently refers to him). How would a similar soldier react on meeting the Emperor?

The model depicts two soldiers of the 2nd Bn 35th (Sussex) Regiment strolling through a park in Paris during the occupation which followed Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo. They come across a statue of Napoleon, and salute him in the time-honoured British tradition.

The 35th played a relatively small part in the Napoleonic Wars (Maida, the Ionian Islands, the Netherlands in 1814), but they did take part in the 100 Days. They formed part of Colville’s 4th Division, with 564 All Ranks stationed at Hal to stop the French, should they have broken the main army, and protect the main road to Brussels. Their Colonel was the Duke of Richmond, and it was his wife Charlotte who hosted the famous ball on the 15th of June. The Regiment had the unique distinction of orange facings to its uniforms – a mark of respect from King William III reflecting its origins in Ireland in 1701.

The two British soldiers are from Westfalia Miniatures (available in the UK via Empress). The pigeon-poop covered statue of Napoleon is a really nice 40mm figure from First Legion in the US (the postage was three times the price of the figure). The eagle on the plinth is actually part of a 200mm figure of Napoleon in his coronation robes.

Great fun to paint British Napoleonics for a change.