Hannoverian Infantry Uniforms

[Simon Egan-Payne]

Hi, Over the last few days I've got a bit of an urge to paint up some British figures as KGL in Spain.  The main inspiration for this being that Bexhill-on-Sea just up the road from me was their main infantry depot and it just seemed proper to me to draw on a bit of local history, but I've got a bit of a question I was hoping to put to some more knowledgeable people than myself on such things (I'm still very new to Napoleonics).  All of the information I've been able to turn up so far seems to show them wearing standard British uniform and shakos but I was wondering if the picture on page 99 of the Black Powder rules showing the Hannoverians wearing forage caps is equally true of field dress? More importantly, have I got all of this horribly, horribly wrong and did the Hannoverians field units made up entirely of their exiled countrymen and not part of the KGL at all? I don't want to be a period bore about it but I think I should make the effort to get things right. Incidentally, if anyone's ever in Bexhill Old Town and interested (and I can't think why you would be unless you lived there) then head up to the unimaginatively named Cemetery Road and there's a graveyard where an awful lot of KGL soldiers are buried.  Bexhill museum also has a small display on the KGL which is quite good. Apologies for yet another rambling post.  I'll get the hang of asking questions in a succinct manner one day...

[Suetonius Paullinus]

 As far as I am aware the KGL was part of the British Army and consisted of German refugees/ volunteers who wanted to continue to fight Napoleon even after their particular cities/states/provinces had surrendered. All their kit would have been standard British stuff.http://centjours.mont-saint-je.....itesKG.phpHannoverians were allies and their regiments had uniforms supplied by Britain but their own individuallly different colours and traditions.http://centjours.mont-saint-je.....itesHA.php Hope this is of help. Cheers S.P.

[Simon Egan-Payne]

Very helpful mate, ta very much for that

[NTM]

The units you see wearing forage caps are from the Hanoverian Army which was reconstituted in 1813 in Germany and are indeed seperate from the KGL which was raised from exiled Hanoverians in Britain.

[Simon Egan-Payne]

Ta for that Centurion.  Like a total dolt I completely missed the fact that even Osprey have a separate book available for the Hanoverians.  I'm vaguely disgusted with myself for missing that…

[Guest]

SimonThe Hanoverian Army had been  disbanded in the early 1800s and a new one was raised in 1813.For the most part it was supplied by the British and thus wore British style uniforms. The Line unitswore red coats with either Peninsular or Waterloo style shako. The Light units wore green coats andPeninsular style shako. The landwehr was raised for the 1815 campaign and wore red coats and mostlyPeninsular style shako.While some Officers wore caps, there is little evidence to support complete Bns. wearing them. The K.G.L. although Hanoverian was a seperate force and wore regulation British style uniforms.Hope this helps.Cliff

[Mr Happy]

Some nice colour plates herehttp://centjours.mont-saint-je.....itesHA.php   

[NTM]

Forgot to mention that the wearing of Field caps by Hanoverian units has been called into question. Other than the Kielmannsegge Jager (who apparently adopted shakos by Waterloo anyway) and the odd officer I have not seen plates to back up it's widespread use.

[Stratoq]

Be careful as there were Hanoverians fighting for the French in the peninsular and were famously mistaken by the French as Brits!

[Invisible officer]

Be careful as there were Hanoverians fighting for the French in the peninsular and were famously mistaken by the French as Brits!

In an army that included many Germans from Rheinbund and other French controled German states it is hardly possible that French style clad men from Légion Hannovrienne could be mistaken often as British or KGL. In Spain 2nd Paris guard, Swiss and Frankfurt units wore red too. The shako shape was more important on distance than the colour.

Never more than 2 Battalions, most time only one. (The 2nd formed 10 March 1810 from the survivors of the Bataillon Westphalie )
Légion Hannovrienne had to be disbanded due to losses on 11 August 1811 and the remaining personnel distributed amongst other German speaking regiments of the French army: 3e and 4e Etrangers, 127e, 128e and 129e de ligne.

Near to none came from Hannover. A 1811 return show for the Battalion of 503 men: 226 Austrians, 53 Prussians, 129 Federation of the Rhine, 3 Spanish, 2 from Naples, 7 Poles, 9 from Switzerland, 14 Russians, 3 Svedes, and 57 from Holland, the Hanseatic cities, Dalmatia, Istria, Friaul, the Roman states, and Genoa.