The wonderful thing about our North Star 1672 range is that the figures will do for many different nations armies in the period 1665-1680. This is
because it is a time just before uniforms, and the figures are all dressed in the fashions common amongst soldiers throughout Western Europe.
because it is a time just before uniforms, and the figures are all dressed in the fashions common amongst soldiers throughout Western Europe.
This of course includes Britain.
The years covered by our range is called the Restoration Period in
Britain as it was the time the monarchy, represented by Charles II,
was restored after the English Civil War.
It was also the genesis of the British Army. Britain, tired of soldiers
and war, had disbanded much of it’s forces after the Civil War and
Oliver Cromwell’s reign. With the return of Charles II to England in
1660, the units still under arms swore allegiance to the King and
became the senior units of the British Army.
Some of the infantry regiments:
Coldstream Guards
Grenadier Guards
Scots Guards
1st Regiment (Royal Scots)
2nd Regiment (The Queen’s)
3rd Regiment (The Buffs)
st
The years covered by our range is called the Restoration Period in
Britain as it was the time the monarchy, represented by Charles II,
was restored after the English Civil War.
It was also the genesis of the British Army. Britain, tired of soldiers
and war, had disbanded much of it’s forces after the Civil War and
Oliver Cromwell’s reign. With the return of Charles II to England in
1660, the units still under arms swore allegiance to the King and
became the senior units of the British Army.
Some of the infantry regiments:
Coldstream Guards
Grenadier Guards
Scots Guards
1st Regiment (Royal Scots)
2nd Regiment (The Queen’s)
3rd Regiment (The Buffs)
st
Colour.
town with their bloody spears and rattling shields". Just like
the Matabele, the subjects of Queen Victoria were not
prepared to put up with this sort of insult from what they saw
as "lesser breeds". Soon the colonists were advancing into
Matabeleland in force from two directions.
The southern column was mainly a diversion, and played a
minor part in the fighting. The main threat came from the
north-east, where two more columns, from Forts Salisbury and
Victoria, rendezvoused at Iron Mine Hill and marched on
Lobengula's kraal at Bulawayo. Together they numbered six
hundred and ninety mounted white men with Martini Henry
rifles, about four hundred Shona tribesmen on foot, two
seven-pounder field guns, and eight machine guns, of which
five were Maxims. There was also a steam-powered
searchlight for protection against night attacks. The transport
wagons were designed to be formed in Boer style into a
defensive laager. To face this powerful force, Lobengula had
about 12,500 warriors altogether, not counting a large force
which he had sent off to the Zambezi before the crisis erupted.
On 25th October 1893, at Bonko on the Shangani River, 3,500
Matabele attacked the two laagers of the north-eastern column
in the early hours of the morning. Despite the demoralising
effects of the searchlight and the unexpected rapid fire from
the Maxims, the warriors attacked with great determination,
but they were beaten off without ever reaching the wagons,
with the loss of about five hundred men.
Lobengula forbade any more attacks to be made on laagered
wagons, but instead ordered his "impis" to wait until the
marching columns were crossing the only useable ford across
the Umguza River on their way to Bulawayo. Then they
should attack while the wagons were half way across, so that
the whites would have no time to form them into a laager. (Is
it coincidence that the Zulus had beaten the British in similar
circumstances at Intombe Drift in 1879, when a column had
been split by a flooded river and defeated in detail? It is
interesting to speculate that some of the "indunas" with Zulu
names in Lobengula's army might have been advisors
employed to pass on the lessons of the Anglo-Zulu War.)
the Matabele, the subjects of Queen Victoria were not
prepared to put up with this sort of insult from what they saw
as "lesser breeds". Soon the colonists were advancing into
Matabeleland in force from two directions.
The southern column was mainly a diversion, and played a
minor part in the fighting. The main threat came from the
north-east, where two more columns, from Forts Salisbury and
Victoria, rendezvoused at Iron Mine Hill and marched on
Lobengula's kraal at Bulawayo. Together they numbered six
hundred and ninety mounted white men with Martini Henry
rifles, about four hundred Shona tribesmen on foot, two
seven-pounder field guns, and eight machine guns, of which
five were Maxims. There was also a steam-powered
searchlight for protection against night attacks. The transport
wagons were designed to be formed in Boer style into a
defensive laager. To face this powerful force, Lobengula had
about 12,500 warriors altogether, not counting a large force
which he had sent off to the Zambezi before the crisis erupted.
On 25th October 1893, at Bonko on the Shangani River, 3,500
Matabele attacked the two laagers of the north-eastern column
in the early hours of the morning. Despite the demoralising
effects of the searchlight and the unexpected rapid fire from
the Maxims, the warriors attacked with great determination,
but they were beaten off without ever reaching the wagons,
with the loss of about five hundred men.
Lobengula forbade any more attacks to be made on laagered
wagons, but instead ordered his "impis" to wait until the
marching columns were crossing the only useable ford across
the Umguza River on their way to Bulawayo. Then they
should attack while the wagons were half way across, so that
the whites would have no time to form them into a laager. (Is
it coincidence that the Zulus had beaten the British in similar
circumstances at Intombe Drift in 1879, when a column had
been split by a flooded river and defeated in detail? It is
interesting to speculate that some of the "indunas" with Zulu
names in Lobengula's army might have been advisors
employed to pass on the lessons of the Anglo-Zulu War.)
Orders were disobeyed
But unfortunately for Lobengula, his orders were disobeyed.
Just before noon on 1st November the eastern column stopped
for lunch on top of a low hill in open country not far from the
Bembesi River. The colonists seem to have thought that they
were safe as long as they stayed away from the dense bush
which lay a few hundred yards away, and although they formed
two wagon laagers, one on either side of a small deserted kraal,
they rashly sent their livestock to graze on lower ground about a
mile away. Some of the men put their rifles aside and began to
mend their torn clothes. But what they did not know was that
6,000 Matabele were marching parallel to them under the cover
of the bush. The "impi" included two elite regiments, "Ingubo"
and "Imbizo", and was well supplied with guns, including many
modern breech-loading rifles. Perhaps the "indunas" in
command felt that as their force was overwhelmingly superior,
they were justified in disobeying orders and launching an
immediate attack while the whites were vulnerable. Suddenly
the young Zansi warriors of "Ingubo" and "Imbizo" burst out of
cover and charged the nearest laager, five hundred yards away
across open ground. They fired their guns on the move, but their
shooting was inaccurate and caused few casualties, while the
startled colonists raced to get their Maxims into action. This
may have been the first time in history that regular soldiers
charged against massed machine guns, in the open and in broad
daylight. The outcome may have surprised the Matabele, but to
us, with hindsight, it was inevitable. A survivor from "Imbizo"
recalled that when the "sigwagwa", as they called the Maxims,
opened fire "they killed such a lot of us that we were taken by
surprise. The wounded and the dead lay in heaps." Nevertheless
the warriors rallied and returned to the charge at least three
times, advancing to within a hundred and ten yards of the
laager. Sir John Willoughby, who was with the column, later
said that "I cannot speak too highly of the pluck of these two
regiments. I believe that no civilised army could have withstood
the terrific fire they did for at most half as long." But the only
result of their incredible courage and discipline was the loss of
more than half their number before they finally retired.
Just before noon on 1st November the eastern column stopped
for lunch on top of a low hill in open country not far from the
Bembesi River. The colonists seem to have thought that they
were safe as long as they stayed away from the dense bush
which lay a few hundred yards away, and although they formed
two wagon laagers, one on either side of a small deserted kraal,
they rashly sent their livestock to graze on lower ground about a
mile away. Some of the men put their rifles aside and began to
mend their torn clothes. But what they did not know was that
6,000 Matabele were marching parallel to them under the cover
of the bush. The "impi" included two elite regiments, "Ingubo"
and "Imbizo", and was well supplied with guns, including many
modern breech-loading rifles. Perhaps the "indunas" in
command felt that as their force was overwhelmingly superior,
they were justified in disobeying orders and launching an
immediate attack while the whites were vulnerable. Suddenly
the young Zansi warriors of "Ingubo" and "Imbizo" burst out of
cover and charged the nearest laager, five hundred yards away
across open ground. They fired their guns on the move, but their
shooting was inaccurate and caused few casualties, while the
startled colonists raced to get their Maxims into action. This
may have been the first time in history that regular soldiers
charged against massed machine guns, in the open and in broad
daylight. The outcome may have surprised the Matabele, but to
us, with hindsight, it was inevitable. A survivor from "Imbizo"
recalled that when the "sigwagwa", as they called the Maxims,
opened fire "they killed such a lot of us that we were taken by
surprise. The wounded and the dead lay in heaps." Nevertheless
the warriors rallied and returned to the charge at least three
times, advancing to within a hundred and ten yards of the
laager. Sir John Willoughby, who was with the column, later
said that "I cannot speak too highly of the pluck of these two
regiments. I believe that no civilised army could have withstood
the terrific fire they did for at most half as long." But the only
result of their incredible courage and discipline was the loss of
more than half their number before they finally retired.
NSA1009 - Matabele Amadoda Warriors
