Tuesday 2 May 2017

1st Dutch Carabiniers

The 1st Dutch Carabiniers were commanded by Lt Col Coenegracht and were in the Dutch Heavy Cavalry Brigade commanded by General Trip van Zoudtlandt.   The majority of sources show the 1st and 3rd Dutch Regiments in bicornes and their counterparts in the 2nd Belgian Regiment in Grecian helmets.  A Belgian of the 2nd Regiment is shown below with a pioneer and a gunner.



The retention of bicornes seems curiously retro and out of sorts with every other regiment (of any army) at Waterloo.  Given that the uniform, less facings, is the same for all three regiments and based on the French Bardin style, the bicornes seem even more incongruous - one would have expected all three regiments to be in the same headdress.  And yet it's hard to ignore the few sources that show bicornes (and there aren't many).

Clear evidence of a bicorne.

This picture from the year before may explain the mystery: the trooper is shown in a pre-Bardin coat  -  I've seen pictures of Dutch Garde D'Honneur wearing a similar uniform - many of the newly raised units of that year originated from city Gardes D'Honneurs units.

This figure has the Bardin jacket

Here, all three regiments are shown.
My figures are Italieri dragoons with head changes.  I've gone for quite a dark pink, which in hindsight could be a little strong!

I've got quite a few more of these to come.



And just as you think you have it right another source suggests they wore a Grecian helmet.   Who knows the truth?!


2 comments:

  1. The uniform with the bicorne and long tailed and lapeled coat was prescribed by the Souvereign Order of 31st December 1813.
    The regulations of 9 January 1815 ordered a short tailed single breasted coatee and the Belgian helmet. They were to be fully implemented on 1st May 1816. So both regiments went to war in 1815 in the old uniforms.

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