British Manufactured Uniforms

(a) A blue jacket with long tails and “shoulder rolls” but without the white lace to the button holes.

(b) A similar jacket without the “shoulder rolls” but with white lace to the button holes.

There was a slight difference between the tails of the two jackets. Jacket (a) had tails which were rounded into the body of the jacket and a strip of lace continued from the turn backs to decorate the bottom of the jacket at waist level. This lace continued vertically along the opening in the jacket from waist to collar. Jacket (b) had tails which were square cut into the body of the jacket and had white lace decorating the button holes, but not the bottom, or the opening in the jacket. Both these jackets were worn with blue trousers, generally worn outside the short black gaiters.

(c) A dark green uniform identical to that worn by the British rifle regiments was also supplied. This had short tails, with turn backs only on the outer edge of the jacket, but with a vertical, three-pointed pocket also decorating the tails. Three rows of closely spaced silver buttons formed a feature on the breast and the shoulders had “rolls.” Green trousers of the same colour as the jacket were worn outside the gaiters, although some men seem to have been issued with grey trousers instead.

The three uniforms were topped by a “ stovepipe” shako. Those battalions issued with the blue uniforms had an oval brass plate on the front with an impression of a lion rampant stamped on it and a red and white feather at the top centre. Those with the “rifles” uniforms had a silver horn at the front and a dark green feather at the top. All other items of equipment were, in general, regulation Prussian issue.

The Prussian reservists, although grateful for the uniforms, disliked their distinctly un-Prussian appearance. As a result, these uniforms were heavily altered by some battalions. Many battalions issued with uniform (b) removed all or part of the white lace which seems to have been particularly detested. Some discarded the plumes. Others even went to the trouble of re-tailoring the jackets by removing the lace or shoulder-rolls and adding a second row of buttons at the front to make them look more like the regulation kollet. Added to this, some battalions had the stovepipe shako replaced with the regulation Prussian shako as soon as it was available. It is as a result of these changes that such confusion surrounds the reservists in British uniforms.

It is not possible to sculpt figures to cover all the myriad uniform permutations, or indeed to cover the changes over time in the uniform of any one battalion. My only option is to supply the three uniform types, as they were initially issued, and to leave alterations to your discretion.

These uniforms, in the many altered forms, were worn by the following battalions / regiments -

Uniform (a) - 1st battalions of the 8th and 9th reserve infantry regiment. The 1st battalion of the 9th (by then the 21st inf. reg.) were still wearing these uniforms during the Waterloo campaign.

Uniform (b) - 1st battalion 1st reserve inf.: all battalions 2nd reserve inf.: all battalions 4th reserve inf.: 2nd battalions of the 8th and 9th reserve inf. ergs.. Only the 2nd battalion of the 9th (now the 21st inf. reg.), were still wearing these uniforms at Waterloo.

Uniform (c) - 3rd battalions of the 8th and 9th reserve inf. regs.: also (possibly) 3rd battalion of the 5th reserve inf. reg.. Once again, only the 3rd battalion of the 9th reserves wore these uniforms of Waterloo."

Top of page image = Uniform a, below first image = Uniform b, very bottom image = Uniform c