Raiding Party: Lucknow 1857

[Cadman]

All figures are 54mm.

 

 

 

CAST of CHARACTERS: left-to-right;

 

Lieutenant Micklewhite.
Cashiered for “looting while intoxicated”.
Re-enlisted using an alias, calling himself Peachy Carnehan.
Later promoted to Sergeant.
HIGHEST RANK ATTAINED: 
Aide-de-Camp to the King of Kafiristan.

An unidentified Private soldier rumored to be from Edinburgh, Scotland.
Court-martialed and dishonorably discharged for “looting while intoxicated”.
Also, re-enlisted using an alias, calling himself Daniel Dravot.
Later promoted to Sergeant.
Together with Sgt. Carnehan, was reputed to be affiliated with the same Masonic Lodge in Lahore as the assistant editor of a local newspaper, the “Civil and Military Gazette”.

Where they assisted him to bake exceedingly good cakes......(probably).
HIGHEST RANK ATTAINED: 
King of Kafiristan.

Harry Paget Flashman.
Had recently served as detached Political Officer at the court of Indian heroine, Lakshmi Bai the Rani of Jhansi.

Who, on account of her epic career as a rebel leader and somewhat inevitable demise in battle, was unjustly derided by the British gutter press as “The Jezebel of India”.
Anyway, getting back to Flashman’s adventures;
Survivor of the uprising at Meerut and briefly served as a member of “Rowbotham’s Mosstroopers”. 
Also survived Wheeler’s entrenchment, escaping the massacre at Suti Chowra Ghat by the skin of his teeth.
Subsequently assigned, not without due protest, to the commissariat support element of the Lucknow Relief Force.
Later promoted to General, Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC, KCB, KCIE, etc., etcetera. 
Appointed by a naïve Queen Victoria as honorary president of the famous charitable institute, “Mission for the Reclamation of Reduced Females”.  

In which duties he took a diligent and proactive interest, (by all accounts).
HIGHEST RANK ATTAINED: 
Debatable; but acting on a friendly suggestion from kindly old Prussian statesman Otto von Bismarck to impersonate, Prince Carl Gustaf, and then entering into a bigamous marriage with Duchess Irma of Strackenz, doesn’t count.
However, military service as Sergeant-General of Mad Queen Ranavalona’s Armed Forces of Madagascar must surely be considered.

Havildar Shadwell Gupta Singh.
A half-Welsh/half-Sikh deserter from the Sikh Khalsa and now masquerading as an Afghan trooper in The Corps of Guides for reasons as yet unknown.  

Although I’d hazard he was also kicked out of the military for “looting while intoxicated”.  It’s a rather familiar story.
HIGHEST RANK ATTAINED: 
Butler at Gandamak Lodge, Ashby, Leicestershire.  Flashman’s opulent retirement home, funded by a lifetime of ill-gotten gains.

 

Livestock.

Rooster & Goose
HIGHEST RANK ATTAINED: 

Contents of Tomorrows Cooking Pot.

 

 

 

"Rally around the flag lads", cries Flashy, while now hiding under that spiked Howitzer.

 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Elspeth Flashman is busy giving The Nana Sahib a jolly good talking to. (She always reverts to her broad Scottish accent when riled).

 

I left some space available for a few Sepoy kit figures that ought to be popping through our letterbox in a couple of weeks time. They'll need a bit of conversion work and then I'll paint them up.

Once added to the diorama, I'll be able to call this one finished.

😊

[593jones]

Splendid work!  Any diorama which features Harry Flashman gets my vote.

[Cadman]

15 minutes ago, 593jones said:

Splendid work!  Any diorama which features Harry Flashman gets my vote.

Oh, I agree....😊

 

 

[593jones]

Curiously enough, I've just finished reading a Flashman book - 'Flashman and the Mountain of Light', set in the First Sikh War, 1845-46, which features the Khalsa.  I wonder if Shadwell Gupta Singh had an uncredited part in it?

[Cadman]

2 hours ago, 593jones said:

Curiously enough, I've just finished reading a Flashman book - 'Flashman and the Mountain of Light', set in the First Sikh War, 1845-46, which features the Khalsa.  I wonder if Shadwell Gupta Singh had an uncredited part in it?

Hah, I re-read that one, (my 3rd favorite Flashman adventure), a couple of months ago.

And yes, I would imagine Flashy first met Shadwell Gupta Singh during his time in the Punjab. Birds of a feather and all that.

😉...😁

 

I've been considering a small scene set inside the Lahore Durbar of the Maharani Jeendan. The not-quite-a-slave-girl Mangla will also feature and I'll be using 75mm figures for this one, once I finish two or three of my presently ongoing little projects. Hmm......as long as local Customs officials and Postman Pat don't decide to be awkward. (You never can tell).

 

Won't be for a while yet though as I'm presently up to my eyes with three additional figures I'm going to try and squeeze into my small diorama of Robert the Bruce's short vacation in the Hebrides 1307.

Plus I just started some figure conversions to depict Gen. James Hope Grant, Gen. James Outram, Gen. Hugh Rose and Lt. Scud East of HM's 101st Queen's Regiment - all circa 1857 India.

They look more like French Foreign Legion at the moment, but I'll do a bit more work on their Kilmarnock Caps after those first dollops of Milliput filler have cured properly.

 

Not difficult to see that I've had a real blitz on my Grey Army stash recently; and I'm not finished yet.

😊
 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by Cadman
corrected spelling

[593jones]

Hmm, I was thinking of a diorama featuring Mai Jeendan and Mangla  and I had to go and take a cold shower and lie down for a while.  Looking forward to seeing that in RFI

 

Would I be correct in thinking your favourite Flashman is 'Flashman in the Great Game'?   That's certainly mine, (followed by 'Flashman and the Redskins' -~Flashy at the Little Big Horn!)  You really should do a figure of Ilderim, one of the great characters in the book, the little boy from 'Flashman' grown into a mature soldier.  Keep up the great workl!

 

[PLC1966]

Flashman, a bally British hero I tell you.

 

 

 

 

Flashman actions during the charge of the Light Brigade, absolutely epic....

[Cadman]

On 12/11/2021 at 6:57 AM, 593jones said:

Hmm, I was thinking of a diorama featuring Mai Jeendan and Mangla  and I had to go and take a cold shower and lie down for a while.  Looking forward to seeing that in RFI

 

Would I be correct in thinking your favourite Flashman is 'Flashman in the Great Game'?   That's certainly mine, (followed by 'Flashman and the Redskins' -~Flashy at the Little Big Horn!)  You really should do a figure of Ilderim, one of the great characters in the book, the little boy from 'Flashman' grown into a mature soldier.  Keep up the great workl!

 

 

Books 7 to 12 are really all 7th equal

01.               Flashman in the Great Game (1975)

02.               Flashman at the Charge (1973)

03.               Flashman and the Mountain of Light (1990)

04.               Flashman’s Lady (1977)

05.               Flashman and the Dragon (1985)

06.               Flashman (1969)

07.               Flashman and the Tiger (1999)

08.               Flashman on the March (2005)

09.               Royal Flash (1970)

10.               Flashman and the Redskins (1982)

11.               Flash for Freedom (1971)

12.               Flashman and the Angel of the Lord (1994)

Edited December 21, 2021 by Cadman
corrected spelling

[Cadman]

2 hours ago, PLC1966 said:

Flashman, a bally British hero I tell you.

Flashman actions during the charge of the Light Brigade, absolutely epic....

Was a bit of a windy experience for Flashy.

😄

[Cadman]

Not a great photo by any stretch, but does show the progress made on this wee scenario.

Some minor details on the Sepoys still need fixed and then I'll blend them into the diorama base.