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AHC Uniforms
Rob Dumelow


Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 24
Location: Staffordshire, UK
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Once more I must appeal to the knowledgable members of this forum to help me out. Can anyone inform me of the Army Hospital Corps uniforms? I seem to recall it being blue for some reason and having a sort of cloth cap, but I may be thinking of some other corps.

I ask in my continuing pursuit of yet more figures to convert for my Rorke's Drift refight, having just finished another batch of zulus and a conversion of Rvd Smith handing out ammunition in his peaked cap (as shown here: http://rorkesdriftvc.com/defenders/smith.htm), though he may well have chosen to wear a pith helmet on the day the cap makes him look suitable recogniseable and distinctive on the battlefield.

So can anyone please help me on the uniforms of Cpl Miller, 2nd Cpl McMahon and Pvt Luddington?

Thanks in advance guys.

Rob D
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Rob

Can't help you with Hospital Corps uniforms I'm afraid, but I think you are right that Smith probably wore a pith helmet (if anything) during the fight at RD. It seems to have been standard headwear for chaplains in Africa at the time and I would be very surprised - given the advice he received - if de Neuville had got Smith's headgear wrong for his painting. Lady Butler, of course, had him bare headed.

The well known peaked cap photos of Smith were taken some years later during his career as a full chaplain. I don't know enough about uniforms to know whether a peaked cap was issued to full army chaplains by 1879. If they were, it still seems possible (to a layman such as me!) that he may still not have been issued with one himself, given (a) the haste of his appointment, (b) his acting rank and (c) the fact that he had a pith helmet anyway and was no doubt also seen bare headed at times.

Peter
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Rob Dumelow


Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 24
Location: Staffordshire, UK
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Thanks Peter,

It was one of the topics on which I was willing to concede to popular opinion rather than realism. Most people who I have talked to and know of the Chaplain have seen the post-war photos and I needed something to make him stand out more from the sea of pith helmets developing amongst my collection so I scratch built a peaked cap for him (the alternative was bare headed, but I am no where near talented enought to sculpt hair!).

Rob
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Peter Ewart


Joined: 31 Aug 2005
Posts: 1797
Location: Near Canterbury, Kent, England.
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Rob

Perhaps a bit of marmalade "up top" would do, thereby producing the required copperknob effect!

Pete Laughing
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Bill Cainan1


Joined: 01 Sep 2005
Posts: 107
Location: Lampeter
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Rob

With regard to your querry on AHC uniforms - see Ian Knights "British Forces in Zululand" Osprey Elite series No 32. This has a number of coloured plates showing the uniforms in which you are interested.

You can get a copy relatively cheaply from the RRW Shop.

Bill

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Bill Cainan
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Rob Dumelow


Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 24
Location: Staffordshire, UK
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Bill

Thanks for that, I didn't know that book existed!

I have the Rorke's Drift book (Campaign series), the Zulu War Uniforms one (Men At Arms 57), Auxillaries etc (MAA 388), the Zulu warrior one (From Warrior series). I just used some various Ian Knght and other books for British uniforms and never assumed the basic Osprey would have AHC uniforms in, but i'll certainly check out Elite 32 now (I work in the local wargames shop with a good selection of Osprey books so i'll order one direct from Osprey when the next batch of books is required).

Cheers

-------------------

Peter,

That may well have a better effect than the attempts at painting ginger hair I have made (fortunately mostly hidden by the hat). Ginger hair is amongst the worst to reproduce well on a figure.
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AHC Uniforms
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