07 February 2009

Infantry Regiments

Regiments consist of two field battalions and a Depot Company. Each battalion consists of four musketeer companies, each of two platoons of 120 soldiers. There are no grenadiers, grenadiers being considered "stuck up snobs in funny hats". Each battalion has two 3lb guns attached when on campaign.

The uniforms are simple and based loosely on Russian uniforms. All Infantry Regiments have a pale grey coat and dark rose small clothes, reflecting the national bird of RNS, the Galah. This bird invokes the usual irreverance that is a hallmark of this nation. There's also a deeper meaning, but only those who have read BRIG George Mansford's book The Mad Galahs will understand the reference. Regimental disinctions are shown in hat lace, the colours of the cuffs, collars and turnbacks and the button colour. The national colours, gold and blue, are shown on the cockade. Officers have gold lace and blue silk cockades, Other Ranks golden yellow and deep blue cotton ribbon.

Officers wear metallic lace on their hats, a gold and blue sash around the waist but inside the coat, and have gilt or silvered buttons. They also have metallic, "bastion" shaped lace around their button holes. NCO are distinguished by having metallic lace edging to their collars. Shabracques for mounted officers are deep blue with button coloured lace trim and the saddle and tack are in polished brown leather. Drummers, bagpipers (4th Regiment only) and fifers wear reversed coloured coats and white or yellow, depending on the button colour, piping to the facings. The drummers and fifers of the 8th Longhai Regiment of Foot wear light yellow coats with dark blue facings and slate grey piping to their facings. Drums are plain brass with white and facing-coloured diagonal stripes on the rims. Jäger hornists' coats are the same as the men, and are distinguished by white piping around facings and six 25mm white lace hoops, evenly spaced, encircling the sleeves.

Belts are whitened leather (buff for the Jaeger) and cartridge boxes black, with brass corners and decoration on the flap. The knapsack is natural kangaroo leather, with the fur left on. The muskets are copies of the Prussian 1723 model.

All Infantry Regiments carry one Parliamentary colour and one regimental colour in each battalion. The colours are 150cm square. The Parliamentary colours are deep blue with the national emblems displayed, always in gold and "natural" colours. The regimental colours have the field matching the regimental facings and embroidery matches the button colours. The Füß-Jäger Battalion does not carry colours. The pike staves are painted black and the finials are gilt or silvered, pierced with the stars of the Southern Cross. The cloth of the colours is wrapped around the staves and then nailed with gilt or silvered nails.




Parliamentary Colour used by all infantry regiments

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