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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & DETAILS ABOUT THE FLAGS

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 1. What flags are included in this set?

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• The individual paper flags are designed to be cut-out and glued to metal or plastic miniatures.

• This set includes 150+ miniature flags featuring the armies that fought at the Battle of Waterloo.

• The flags are laid out in the battle order of the day, along with the named commanding officers of corps, division and brigade from all nations.

• Only regiments that were present on the battlefield on the 18th June are included. For example, the flag of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Foot Chasseurs of the Old Guard, who were guarding the Emperor's treasure at Le Caillou, is excluded, as well as Grouchy's forces at Wavre.

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 2. What size miniatures do the flags fit?

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• 15mm and 18 mm metal miniatures - these flags have been physically measured to fit the 15 mm range of "Minifigs" and the 18 mm of "AB figures".

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​3. How should I fix the flag to the miniature flag pole? 

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• The best glue to use is one that doesn't dry too quickly so that you can manipulate the flag into its final position before it dries. This will allow you to form twists and turns in the flag to depict it waving and bellowing in the wind, if desired. The flags already include artistic depictions of "folds and creases", but physically bending the flags will definitely increase the realistic effect, as veteran modellers will know!

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 4. How accurate are the flags historically?

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• THE BRITISH & KING'S GERMAN LEGION - the British and KGL infantry battalions carried two colours each, the King's colour which was a union flag with the regimental badge in the centre, and the regimental colour, which was usually in the regiment's facing colour. Both flags are represented in this set for each regiment.

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• British Light Infantry flags - because the work of light infantry involved skirmishing on the battlefield in loose order, defending a regimental flag was just not practical. The single British regiment formed specifically for skirmishing, the 95th Rifles, had no colours issued - and I expect few have attempted to create a flag for them either on the wargames table! However, regular infantry regiments who had been converted to Light infantry, still retained their colours and had the option to carry them on campaign. One regiment at least, the 28th Light infantry, is recorded as having done so at Waterloo. Flags for all British infantry regiments are therefore included, except for the 95th Rifles and the two King's German Legion Light battalions, who were also unlikely to have been issued with colours.

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• The British cavalry also carried two flags - a King's colour that was carried by the 1st squadron, and a regimental colour by the 2nd and 3rd squadrons. The King's colour was usually a square or swallow-tail crimson flag with a union wreath in the centre. The regimental colour, a swallow-tail guidon in the regiment's facing colour, with the regimental badge in the centre. The exception was that if the unit's facing colour was crimson, then the colour would be blue. This set includes two flags for every British regiment, representing the King's colour, plus a regimental guidon for the 2nd squadron.
   
  The main question concerning flags for the cavalry is "Did they carry their colours when on campaign, as the infantry did?" Except for the Heavy cavalry, it would appear almost certainly not for Waterloo. However, we are in the business of creating miniature armies, often for the tabletop wargame, and for many a flag is an essential adornment. To that end, flags for all British cavalry regiments are included here.

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• THE HANOVERIANS -  The Hanoverian infantry may have carried just one flag, and I've seen no evidence to suggest they carried British ones. With the exception of the Landwehr battalions Gifhorn, Salzgitter and Osnabrück, that were present at Waterloo, and two others that were posted at Hal - Calenburg and Hoya - there are no other details of what flags were actually carried at Waterloo for Hanoverian units, other than suggestions from those of previous campaigns, such as the two basic designs included for the Field Battalions.

 

• However, even when we analyse the known flag details of these five Hanoverian Landwehr battalions, they still do not present a consistent pattern that can be confidently replicated in order to reproduce flags for the regiments that we have no record of. So in the absence of fact, I have used a healthy dose of reasonable conjecture (such as using a town's coat of arms), to come up with a selection of designs for all the remaining Hanoverian units, plus a selection of generic ones to provide flexibility and choice. I hope you like them.

 

• Hanoverian Light infantry - There  are some details of a flag belonging to the Hanoverian Feldjägerkorps, of which only two companies were present at Waterloo. For this reason, it remains possible that the other two Light Infantry regiments present - Grubenhagen and Lüneberg - had also been issued with flags, although it's unlikely they were carried on to the field. However, once again, I've decided to create flags for these units solely for the benefit of those who may wish to have them... Enjoy!

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5. Why did you create these sets of flags?

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• ​I'm personally building the armies of Waterloo in metal miniatures, and I wanted a flexible set of flags available to choose from, so I started to create my own. I later wondered if other wargamers and collectors who had a similar goal, might also be interested in my designs, which prompted me to go ahead and create these sets. There is already a good choice of some very good flag products on the market. I just personally found them either too expensive, or not offering the flexibility of choice that I wanted, or in some cases, even the correct shade of French blue for the Empire!

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• With the experience of having collected and painted the Waterloo armies in both the popular 15 mm range of Minifigs, and also now in 18 mm with AB Figures, I decided to make the flags suitable to fit either range. Also, with the growing popularity of 10 mm scale figures, I decided to expand the set to include this scale as well.

 

• My miniature armies will also be fighting both brigade and battalion-level battles, and I wanted flags for all occasions, so that I could interchange between using my units as either a battalion or brigade, as required. I knew that I would never use ALL of the flags I recreated for all the regiments and battalions, but I still wanted the luxury to decide from a wide selection nonetheless, allowing me the flexibility to adapt and change my mind as and when!

 

• This flag range is primarily designed to give you flexibility and an abundance of choice, without breaking the bank!

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Whatever your own personal aims and ambitions are for building your own miniature Waterloo or Napoleonic armies, I truly hope these sets of flags will fulfill a practical need for you, and will help bring that special peace, enjoyment and sense of fulfillment we all enjoy from this eclectic and absorbing interest we share.

​​Michael,

TBW

 

P.S. My original intention was to focus only on the Battle of Waterloo, as it's my special interest. However, some good folk have asked me about creating other ranges. My feeling is that there are many good flag sets out there in the world already, so I will have to wait and see if my efforts are required. Feedback is therefore essential in order for me to decide, so please let me know what you think, and why!