'Reconnaissance' from KenR: 28mm WWI Cheshire Yeomanry

This was one of the easier Bonus Rounds to pick a subject for. Those who were here last year may recall my Big Push on my WW1 Mesopotamia collection, this lead (pun intented) to me reducing the lead pile for that project down to just 24 figures, 6 of which are here.

So these figures are 28mm Great War Miniatures Early War British Cavalry from which I have removed the heads and replaced them with Gripping Beast ones wearing the more tropical Wolesley Helmets. The figures arent cheap and as I doubt anyone will ever do plastic Cavalry for the period I have added to the unit slowly over the last few years. The figures were always going to be a chore to get done as they are one piece castings.

I use white primer for horses and black for figures so I ended up with white figures to paint which I really don't like, it might make colours brighter but it's a pain having to paint all the recesses !

In the vast areas of the desert / plains in Mesopotamia and Palestine in WW1, Cavalry remained the main source of Reconnaissance for the Army, acting ahead and to the flank of the main Army. The theatre was a poor cousin to the Western Front and often recieved, like a younger brother, cast offs. At the time of the Kut Siege there were only two aircraft in the whole area, Cavalry was the eyes of the Army, the vast open areas allowing them to act in their traditional role rather than being stuck behind the trenches in France.

Before becoming an honourable Yarkshire resident 30 years ago, I came from Cheshire are hence me choosing this unit. The Cheshire Yeomanry is most infamous for being one of the units involved in the Peterloo Massacre in 1819 and was initially intended for home use only, but the need for Cavalry in the Boer War saw them serve overseas for the first time and WW1 saw them serve in Palestine in 1917, they still exist today as a Territorial Signals Unit.

My research for the unit failed to find a TRF (tactical recognition flash) for the helmet so I used the traditional Cheshire badge of three Corn Stands on a blue background.

So we have 6 x 25mm figures in the unit giving me a 60 points base to add to those for the bonus round.