More WIP pics of the Royal North Surreys

The First Battalion of the Royal North Surrey Regiment served on Mars between 1886-95.

After their return to Earth, they were re-deployed to Africa to serve in Kitchener's Expedition to the Sudan.



Royal North Surrey command




Captain Carruthers




Lieutenant Pootling-Twelp




Colour-sergeant Jeffries wonders if he really has anything to do, now that Ensign Jensen seems to have lost the flag




Dashing and handsome Captain Yates, seconded from UNIT as a special advisor

Royal North Surreys on Mars

What do you think it is, Captain?



 Officers and men of the Royal North Surrey Regiment - accompanied by Captain Yates of UNIT - investigate a Martian settlement, unaware that they are themselves under observation from unfriendly eyes.

I bought a new 'Insane Detail' brush from the 'Army Painter' range, and have had a fun afternoon painting in details I just couldn't do with even the best of my other brushes. Eyes, that look something like eyes, for instance. Now I have to go back and paint loads of details on the whole of the North Surreys.

Also pictured is Captain Yates, who will serve as an officer for UNIT, or when I'm feeling a little more pseudo-historical, for the Northdale Rifles. Or, when I'm venturing into the rarified future world of the Very British Civil War, the British League of Fascists' Militia.

Family tree

Whimsy's family tree This is a draft of the family tree of Whimsy Pootling, circa 1895. No painting so far this week (been ver' busy with real life), but soon I hope...

WIP of some new Chaps

Officers and Men of the Royal North Surrey Regiment

Well then - 15 Officers and men of the Royal North Surrey Regiment (affectionally known as the 'Really Not Sorry' Regiment), which (according to the 1939 film of 'The Four Feathers') takes part in Kitchener's Expedition to the Sudan in 1896. This photo must show the Regiment somewhat earlier, as they are mostly in 1879-pattern uniforms; however, their blue facings suggest that they must be from the 1880s, after the Childers Reforms of 1881 - unless, co-incidently, the Royal North Surreys used blue facings before 1881.

Captain Carruthers, doing a vital job of guarding the hats.

Group Commander for GASLIGHT purposes will be Captain Carruthers (seen in his natty and anarchronistic red jacket, even though red officers' tunics circa 1880 didn't have breast pockets like that, it should be khaki as it's of a design from around 1900).

Joining him are Lieutenant Crispin Pootling-Twelp (cousin of Whimsey Pootling) and Sergeant Bromley, and their men.

Lieutenant Pootling-Twelp and Sergeant Bromley

Men (parts at least) of the 2nd Company the Royl North Surreys...

Also pictured are Ensign Jensen (even though the rank of 'Ensign' was apparently abolished in the Cardwell reforms of the early 1870s), and Colour Sergeant Jeffries (because he looks a little like Lionel Jeffries), with their troops.

Colour Sergeant Jeffries and Ensign Jensen

Men (most of them) of the 1st Company of the Royal North Surreys...

Who the chaps in the khaki jackets are is mysterious. They were intended to be an 1880s incarnation of the Wessex Rangers (from the 1980s TV series 'Spearhead') but I later realised that the regiment was actually the Royal Wessex rangers. I'm now trying to find a non-Royal non-Guards non-Fusilier non-Rifle non-Highland Regiment, that I can use these chaps for. And then I'm going to try and work out how I got my maths wrong and ended up painting two of them as North Surreys, not in khaki as I originally intended. I may have to do another 2 khaki chaps and 6 more North Surreys to get back to where I need to be...

Not sure who these chaps are...