17 November 2013

Indian Screw Gun - Sudan

With a keen intent these 7 pdrs are ready to unleash upon some
enemy skirmishing Hadendowah to their front - mix of Foundry
 and Connoisseur gunners and connoisseur screw guns.

Smoking my pipe on the mountings, sniffing the morning cool,
I walks in my old brown gaiters along o' my own brown mule,
With seventy odd gunners behind me, an' never a beggar forgets
That it's only the pick of the Army that handles the dear little pets - 'Tss! 'Tss!

For you all loves the screw guns - the screw guns they all loves you!
So when we calls round with a few guns, o' course you will know what to do - hoo! hoo!
Just send in your Chief and surrender -  it's worse if you fights or you runs:
You may go where you please, you can skid up the trees, but you don't get away from the guns!
Excerpt from 'Screw Guns' by the great Rudyard Kipling.

The Sands of the Sudan project continues on despite life's distractions.

For this post I thought it would be an opportunity to bring out the old Indian Screw Gun battery that has seen a good deal of action over the years.  These figures are actually from the excellent Foundry NW Frontier range and despite the purists I am sure being able to pick a few details out they serve the purpose admirably for me and fellow gamers.  The fez topped British Officer, chap with binoculars (observant young fellow from Harrow I am told!) and the mounted officer are all Connoisseur as are the guns, the camels and the Indian handler.


Doesn't light make such a difference when it comes to colour
perception through the lens of an amateur cameraman!

These figures were all painted by me quite some time ago however I took the opportunity to tidy them up recently with some medium shade army painter dip and the complete repaint of the bases which I think has brought them up quite well.


Another view of the battery defending the old molasses store.



By the way the wonderful extract from Kipling at the top of this post was first seen many years ago at school when reading "The Man who would be King and other stories" from the wonderful Rudyard K.  I was reminded of it when visiting the excellent site "Diary of a Gaming Magpie" and thought it was quite apt to place in here as well.  If you get a chance, visit his site for some very, very nice work.

4 comments:

  1. Great stuff, quite a sight to see these in batteries - mine feels a bit lonely now!

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  2. Ah yes P but give me quality over quantity any time. Nice of you to pop by mate - love your site!

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  3. I loves the screw guns too - They serve me the same in many a game, when it looks all up with the boys. I unpacks the mules and assemble the screws, then it's three rounds quick with me toys! Ol' Fuzzy, 'e just don't like it, 'e runs and he capers around. I drops some shells in amongst him, and 'e can but cede us the ground. So gamers, take heed o' the screw guns. They'll serve you full well one and all. When Fuzzy's there hackin' an' the khaki line's crackin', the guns will help when you call. ;)

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  4. Very nice work AJ - very nice indeed. A nice literary bent to a wargamer is always a pleasant surprise.

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