Sometime ago I was searching for any information on flags used by the various Indian forces during the 18thC for our forthcoming game in October. I think it fair to say that finding anything is pretty hard. However I came across Mal Wright's Blog one evening quite by chance that has a pretty good selection to say the least. So far it is the best source I've come across. To see them you'll need to scroll down towards the bottom of the post.
Not only does he have a good selection for India, but also a very useful and eclectic mix for other periods too, so well worth checking out. Too many tempting periods there, so be warned!
Sadly there is little info on what the Honourable East India Company used for the flags and standards, but I'm sure something can be cobbled together. For our game we might be going down the ImagiNations route, given that there were plenty of Companies in action at this time, plus I have a cunning plan to make it fit in with our on going 'Rhubarb Wars' campaign/games, but more on this in another post in due course. So any flags or standards can have a liberal dose of artistic licence!
TTFN.
Wow! That is an almost inexhaustible array of flags!
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten how many and how varied they are, which is of course excellent. Also that there were some for the various HEIC Presidencies, which could be useful alongside some of the possible general HEIC flags.
DeleteThese days I find it surprising and annoying when an internet search does not turn up the goods ….. but then I think ‘why should it’ and see myself having quickly forgotten that it was not that long ago that we were coping well enough in a pre-internet age :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Mal Wright link, I used to be a regular visitor.
A very good point that we have gotten so used to be able to find anything out in a few clicks of a button, just in the last 20 years or so. Before that you hoped there might be an article in a wargames magazine or in a book that a club member might have etc. We are indeed lucky yet forget we are.
DeleteMal used to be a regular contributor on the old BKC forum but his Blog appears not to have been updated for a year now. Maybe another one who has migrated to FB?
Thats is a seriously amazing collection of flags - I have saved it to my favourites - you could just about avoid ever buying a commercially produced flag again, using the images on his blog (not that I have personally actually ever bought a commercial flag in my life anyway....but you know what I mean!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing the link, Steve!
It is pretty incredible, isn't it? There used to be an excellent selection on the Durham Wargames sire IIRC, but sadly they disappeared before I could save them. A friend who is well into his photography had an image editing package that included being able to remove watermarks from any image, so you can imagine he was well set on the flags front!
Deletenice find. You know in the ACW everyone basically had the same flags. Just saying. 😀 lol
ReplyDeleteThanks Stew. At the old and now defunct club I used to attend, I think one of the big draws for playing the Confederacy was that they had more interesting flag options in comparison to the Union ones. Everyone seemed to have the Louisiana Tigers, Zouaves etc which looked good, but after a while lost their lustre;).
DeleteTo be honest Steve, I’d be tempted to go fairly generic - that way you’re not “tied down” to your troops representing, say, the 93rd Fusileers May 1771-October 1773 (when, as we all know, the flag tassels were changed from scarlet to burgundy red).
ReplyDeleteFor a fictional campaign I’d be tempted to try “link” the HEIC or equivalent by having, say, a common company logo/symbol as part of the flag - maybe just a quarter?) but the remainder being the choice of the commander. So some variety, but with a common connection.
Cheers,
Geoff
Good points Geoff and I have been pondering fairly generic stuff for the 'British', so they can fight elsewhere and not look too out of place.
Delete