Portuguese 4th Freire Regiment

It feels a little disingenuous to be putting up a post on Napoleonic Portuguese when it is currently the 18th of June here in Australia. I do now wish that I had done something a little more special to mark the 200th anniversary of Waterloo as many others have done, but then I completed these on the weekend and am now knee-deep in this particular project. Besides, I have been thoroughly enjoying reading the lead-up to the battle on people's blogs elsewhere, and especially the spectacular campaign and battle recreations.

To be honest, Waterloo is starting to represent something a little akin to Brigadoon or the end of the rainbow to me, in that I have been to Belgium twice including Brussels itself on one occasion, but simply ran out of time (family commitments and small children etc.), and then went on a driving holiday through France with the express intent of heading up to the battlefield toward the end of the holiday, only to have the car blow a head gasket which meant we had to spend the whole ten days in Paris (no real hardship, it has to be said).

To top it off, I was booked on a battlefield tour for the celebrations this year, but ended up having to cancel due to other commitments. At least I can live my life vicariously through the internet until I can launch a fifth attempt, hopefully at some point in the next couple of years.

Anyway, they may not be French, Prussian, British etc., but at least they are Napoleonic. Another couple of Portuguese battalions completed in the form of the 4th Freire regiment, which is a regiment that formed part of the Centre Division as indicated by the white regimental flag carried by the second battalion, and by their white piping:

This regiment saw action at Albuera as part of Hamilton's Portuguese brigade, but were probably wearing the stovepipe by then. However, since I am aiming toward an earlier Portuguese army, I have again painted them using the Front Rank barretina-wearing figures (which I have to say I prefer anyway as it has always seemed to me to be one of the defining characteristics of the Portuguese uniform):



















As with the previously completed battalions, I have used Front Rank flag finials with the tassels and done these in line with the Divisional colours, in this case white:

I have also painted the bulk of the figures in the regulation or dark blue pantaloons, as opposed to the white issued for the summer campaign season, mainly to give a bit of variety and because I was becoming a little bored with the similarity between the units:

That's three regiments comprised of six battalions now completed, and I have the two battalions of the 3rd/1st Olivenza regiment on the painting table at the moment, which should see me through to the end of the month at least.