The Scottish Book, a Flag Book and a Year Book

The books that I have illustrated and created flags for are on pre order at Solway now priced at £8.00 each plus postage and package. I know this is a shameless plug but I have to say I think that the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish republic contain some of my best work to date and I have really enjoyed illustrating it. Here is the cover for the book and the book itself contains details of the Scottish Republic, the Covenant, the League of St Andrews, the Red Clydesiders and  other Socialists forces, the Jacobites and more.

Also coming out and on pre order is The Factions, Flags and Formations Part 1, the Royalists and Reactionaries. Containing over 60 flags designed and created by me, this book includes details of the formations of King Edward VIII's forces of both the Army of the Severn and the Army of the North but also the British Union of Fascists flags and Legions.

Si at Solway has also done a year book of the figures that he has painted which looks at a very interesting book. This includes a number of differing periods including VBCW and the vehicles that he has converted and painted.

All these book now on pre order now and should be available from 20th December.

Also Only one day left to the raffle draw for the raffle to be drawn and have a chance of a figure sculpted by Paul Hicks, as header above. Cash prize is expected to be £2000! Still time to get involved:)

The Last of the Scottish

Here is the last of the Scottish illustrations for the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic for Solway  Here chap is a fella by the name of George Barr Ghillie  who is a leading light in the Scottish British Union of Fascists. He formed the League of Officers when the Republic was formed and he was been fighting there, with various degrees of success ever since. He is dressed rather unfavourable for the  Scottish weather, but is a bit of a health, fitness fanatic and love the feel of shorts. So here is the chap.

Barr Gillie, 1938

Introducing Prinz Ruprecht

Here is the next in the leaders of Scotland series for the Armies and Enemies of Scotland for Si at Solway and it is Prinz Reprecht. Prinz Ruprecht is a member of the German aristocracy and was only to glad for the opportunity to leave the increasingly difficult situation in Heer Hitler's Reich for an adventure overseas. He brought with him a small force of Great war comrades and a few mercenaries, a small army forming in the highlands raising the clans and preparing for a confrontation for the Republic. Enter the Jacobites. Prinz Reprecht is wearing a German style Hussar uniform but of no known regiment. Instead he has chosen colours of Scotland and the Royals, blue and purple. He wears a Tam O Shanty with pheasant feathers in it and a red sash of a Royal Prince. Here he is.

Prinz Ruprecht, Jacobite Leader, 1938

Introducing the Admiral Douglas Buccleah

Yes here is the first of the personalities of the Very British Civil War in Scotland and it is Admiral Douglas-Buccleah. He is a veteran of Jutland  and the naval war in the Great War and has come to the aid of the Scottish Republic, leading forces and organising defences. He is wearing the full dress naval uniform of the time with a wonderfully ornate sword. He has dropped the wearing of the Admiral's cocked hat in favour of the tin helmet. Si here he is.

Admiral Douglas-Buccleah,
Commander of Scottish Republic
1938

The Last Covenanter

Here is the last of the Covenanters and this chap is wearing the traditional Scottish Highland infantry uniform. Again he has the Hodden Grey jacket and blue Tam of the Covenanters but he is wear a kilt of the Covenanter tartan pattern. He has Pattern 14 leather webbing and I think this this has worked out way and I rather like the look. Next up are the leaders of the Scottish Republic. So here is the chap.

Scottish Covenanter, 1938

Prinz Rupprecht Volunteers

This is the next in the series and he is one of the Covenanter's German Volunteers that has come over with Prinz Rupprecht. Their will be more on the German Prince in another post but this chap came over will him as one of his loyal supporters and joined with the forces of the Covenant. Operating mainly in the highlands and islands of the north of Scotland, this chap wears the uniform of the German Army from the Great War. These volunteers are not supports of the current leadership in German and have come to the UK to fight the BUF and the Edwardites here so they dont get a foothold here.So here is the chap.

Covenant's German Volunteers, 1938

One Finished Covenanter

Here is the first of the finished Covenanters for you. This chap, as stated before, is wearing a uniform influenced by the standard British uniform of the day, the Service Dress, but where the earthy, khaki colours are the order of the day for the standard British infantryman here the colours have somewhat changed. Looking back to a time when the Covenanters held influence and power in Scotland, the time of the English Civl War, here they are revived the colours of old and updated it for the modern day. So the Hodden Grey of the  old Covenanters have been reborn in his jacket with a slate grey used for the trousers. In keeping for the Covenanters his Tam O Shaner is in the traditional blue colour with a ECW Covenanter flag being used as a flag and his webbing is the standard Pattern 08 Webbing, armed with an SMLE rifle. His armband reads "One Religion, One God". I hope you like him.

Scottish Covenanter, 1938

Another Scottish Covenanter

Here is the second Scottish Covenanter for the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic book by Solway and I have gone for a more highlander look for this one. Again I am going to do a Grey jacket and blue tam but the kilt is going to in Covenanter tartan which is a rather simple tartan pattern which suits these rather God fearing gents.

Highland Covenanter, 1938

Covenanter Tartan

After the Royalists What's Next?

After finishing the Royalist plate the next plate is the Covenanters. Now the original ones which from the time of The War in the Three Kingdoms, The English Civil War, and were Scottish worn sworn the Solemn League and Covenant. Now that is back in the ECW and the these are for the VBCW so I have updated them, so keeping the idea of the uniform being the same colour, grey jacket, dark grey trouser, blue beret, I have updated the uniform to a service style uniform with a Tam. Here is the result.

Scottish Covenanter, 1938

Last of the Royalists

Here is the last of the Royalists that I am doing for Solway's latest book Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic. This chap is actually the commander of the British Union of Fascists for Scotland, 2nd Commander Ernest Smallbottom. Being a ex bank manager type, drawn your own conclusions there, I have aimed for the arrogant, pompous look, associated with a man who thinks he has more power than he actually has. He is wearing the Action Press Uniform of the BUF and piped dark blue as identification  for Scotland. If anyone can think of a good name for the dog I would be chuffed as I am thinking "Mosley".

2nd Commander Ernest Smallbottom
Commander of BUF in Scotland, 1938

The Finished Troon Volunteer

Here is the finished Troon Volunteer. Based on Highland Regiments Full Dress uniforms and various Victorian Militias and I happy with it. I have used the Royal Troon tartan pattern for two results, firstly the name and secondly the sett just looks the part. He has a Glengarry on and those fancy Argylls the Highland Regiments wear and looks better than plain red socks.

Troon Volunteer, 1938

 

Scottish British Union of Fascists

Here is the last sketch of the Royalists for the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic and this chap is a rare member of the British Union of Fascists in Scotland. I have gone for the more civvie look with this chap and envisioned him to be a bank manager type from a rather well heelled family and have tried to capture this. The uniform is an actually copy of a BUF Action Press uniform and   I am looking forward to painting this one. Here is the chap.

Ernest Smallbottom, BUF Commander,
Scotland, 1938

Next Scottish Royalist Illustration

This illustration for the new Scottish book from Solway is the Troon Volunteers. I have based him on partly the Atholl Highlanders and a Victorian Highland Militia. I am not totally sure what colour I am going to the jacket, there is a part of me that says Dark or Royal Blue and a part that says Kharki, but I am going to do the tartan is Royal Troon tatran. I think it will look either great is a blooming mess, being really busy but I guess that I will only know once I have done it. So here is the sketch.

Troon Volunteer, 1938

New Illustration for Scottish Book

Here is the latest illustration for the Scottish book from Solway. I am now doing a plate for the Royalist forces in Scotland and first off is a Officer in a Scottish regiment. I have gone for that very "British" gentleman and officer look with pipe and service dress uniform but I have given the chap tartan trews. I am going to use Royal Stewart tartan for the beeches and a greenish khaki jacket. Hopefully it should look quite striking and work well.

Scottish Royalist Officer, 1938

The Finished League of St Andrews

Here is the finished League of St Andrews Militiaman is his full Scot/German glory. I have gone for the blond hair semi german look but with a scottish twist, which I hope that I have pulled off. He has his butchers apron and cleaver with tweed plus fours and argyle socks. He has a suitcase on his back to carried his equipment and personal stuff and is armed with a Mauser. I rather like this eccentric look and I think it is very Very British Civil Civil War. So here is the chappy in his full glory.

The League of St Andrews Militiaman, 1938

I have also noticed that this is my 500th post, which I have to say has shocked me as I never thought that I would get around to 500 of them and the blog would of died a long time ago. So thanks very much for reading and encouraging me to keep doing this. Cheers there for supporting this blog.

Fancy a Fag?

Here are the two Socialist chappies enjoy a woodbine with each other. The chap offering the cigarettes is the Red Clydesider with his "Sunday Best" on of a nice heavy duty and warm tweed jacket and trousers, with a red neckscarf and armband to identify him as a left wing socialist member. He has a Breton cap of cord on as he works on the dockside and  has "home made"webbing. The other chao is a Falkirk Anarchist who has fashioned himself on the Spanish Anarchists during the Spanish Civil War. He wears a blue denim overalls with a service field cap of red and black, the Anarchist's colours, and is equipped with a soviet made Mosin-Nagant Model 1938 Carbine. Here is the picture.

League of St Andrew

Here is the next illustration for the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic by Solway and this one is of a member from the League of St Andrews. Now these are a small but growing garrison that guards the approaches to Edinburgh from St Andrews. Here the support for the Anglican league has manifested itself in the League of St Andrews and they are allied with the Republic at the moment but who knows what the future will bring. Drawn from largely the academic universities and  german population of Edinburgh this figure shows his German butchers past.

League of St Andrews member, 1938

More Illustrations for the Scottish Book

Yes I am back on the trail after spending a fews off work and not really doing anything of note bar clearly out the office come art studio. I have to say that I feel much better now that I can see my sofa and carpet again, lol. Anyway enough of the domestic, firstly I would like to say that I won  a prize of "Postie Dice" from Ray at Dont Throw a One and I hopefully will be having the dice soon, so thanks very much there Ray for them and I can't wait to receive them.

Secondly as the title suggests I have start of the next illustrations for Si at Solway next book named Armies and Enemies of the Scottish republic. This chap is a socialist from the Clyde area and having strong docking and naval traditions there I went with a chap wearing his Sunday best tweed or checked jacket with a red scarf and in keeping with the naval theme and traditions there a Breton Cap. He has a Soviet made carbine and "home-made" locally manufactured webbing. I rather like the pose of him giving a fag to another chap, more on that later.

Red Clydesider, Scotland, 1938

The Highlander is Coming Along

I am now a little worried by the title for some reason, well there are going to be a couple of disappointed people when they visit my blog, lol. Here is the Highlander Militiaman that I am painting for Si at Solway and the next book the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic. I have gone for the Jacobite feel with the dirk and the claymore, I thought that the Targe was a bit too far. I have settled on Cunningham pattern Tartan, actually suggested by someone of the same name and here he is so far.

Highland Militiaman, 1938

News of a New Book for Solway

Yes indeed back of the Very British Civil War wagon and the next book for Si at Solway this time its the Armies and Enemies of the Scottish Republic, eat heart out Alex Salmon we beat you to it, lol. To get the whole thing rolling here is the first of the illustrations and this one is of a Scottish Highland Militiaman. He has his Tam O'Shanta on, which I my going to paint blue, he has a dirk and claymore on his left hand side and a kilt, yes Ray more bloody tartan, though I am not totally sure which clan I am going to paint. If you have any ideas on this please let me know, but I might on for Douglas.

Highland Militiaman, 1938