SAGA -Vikings

Continue to paint up the excellent Gripping Beast plastic figures to ready my raiding party for a 'SAGA' outing.

The Coldstream Guards - 1672

Just off the Workbench and part of the new 1672 Anglo-Dutch Wars project are the restoration period Coldstream Guards.

Figures are from North Star (via Copplestone), and in 28mm to make them easier for my aging eyes to paint!

Known as Monck's Regiment these were one of two guards units of the period, they did not change from green to blue facings until about 1684/5, the exact date is uncertain.

ECW Scots Covenanters

Here's a couple of photos of Warlord games Scots Covenanter Infantry, Artillery and Dragoons,recently shown leaving the workbench.

Earl of Buccleugh's Regt

Diary of William Smythers Esq.

The following are the recently re-discovered campaign dairies of the Hanoverian sympathizer -William Smythers, who worked to subvert the Jacobite rebels in the club's campaign that ran around 2002/3. Hope they are of interest and view these in conjunction with the diaries of Alan Beck Stewart - also published here. The two accounts are contemporary...

The papers cover the opening stages of the campaign- an excited Neil Oliver is believed to have said - "these papers reveal a new understanding on how the campaign was conducted". His team are searching for the remaining papers that would cover the later stages of the campaign..




3rd July 1745
Rumour is rife that the usurper Prince shall be trying to land in this great kingdom over the next few weeks. As such I have been assigned by his gracious majesty to board his majesty’s ship ‘HMS Neptune’ to record in a true and exact manner the progress of his forces against the Usurper.

Today we are at sea in the English Channel searching for any contraband vessels that might be aiding the usurper Prince or his allies the French. All to no avail and the master of the ship tells of his orders to sail west on the morrow to continue the search.

4th July 1745
The squadron consists of the ‘Neptune’, ‘Apollo’, ‘Venus’ and ‘Zeus’ all of which are rated as frigates, The crews are good and hearty in their eagerness to be a part in the capture of the Stuart Prince. No sightings of the enemy today.

5th July 1745
The weather gets worse as we move north and into the Irish Sea, spirits are high but it is increasingly difficult to see any great distance in the squawls that arise in this area of the ocean.

6th July 1745
The squadron passes into the Atlantic Ocean, I believe that the strategy is to belay the usurper Prince at the very point that he might intend to land. What a cruel trick on such a fellow, but a joyous celebration to us if we should succeed in such a cunning and cleaver plan.

7th July 1745
The weather eases as we sail into the shelter of the Western Isles, the area is covered in many small islands. From my position on the deck I can see many villages on the islands as we pass by, the folk here are by all accounts accommodating of the usurper but all seem to hard at work in their fishing vessels to make time for such ill conceived ideas of rebellion. Still no sightings of the enemy, I begin to believe that they may have given us the slip!

8th July 1745
The die is cast, the ‘Neptune’ determines to head towards the island of Mull, on approaching the main port it becomes clear that there is unusual activity. At first I think it is one of the Royal Navy’s squadrons re-supplying but on closer inspection we have stumbled upon the usurper Prince and his fleet.

The ship’s Captain quickly accessed the situation and determined a course of action – namely that two shore parties would be placed upon the island of Mull, both to consist of an officer, two marines and three ratings of good repute from this very vessel. The first party under Lieutenant Connor, an energetic and experienced man,  is to be dropped at the north point of the island, a second party under Ensign Muir, a young man from these very shores but loyal in the extreme to our glorious king. Muir is an officer in the Marine contingent and is to be dropped at the south point of the island. The two parties are to observe the goings-on on the island and report back to the ‘Neptune’ on its return.

For our part we are to sail south west and link-up with the rest of our squadron and return in haste to force battle on the rebel fleet. With the plan made we set sail, heading north to drop the first party, we then sailed south circumnavigating the island and dropping the second party at the southern most point of the island before we move away to rendez-vous with our sister ships.

9th July 1745
Over night the we had little success in finding our squadron but at first light we met with the ‘Venus’, later in the morning we were able to rendez-vous with the ‘Apollo’ and the ‘Zeus’. After a ‘Council of War’ the squadron headed north east to meet the rebel fleet. The ‘Zeus’ was sent further north to seek out the Campbelltown and 2nd Plymouth Squadrons that were patrolling there.

By three o’clock our squadron is approaching the island of Coll and as they do so a lookout on the ‘Venus’ notices three other vessels anchored to the north east. It is the rebel fleet and off to the east is a fourth vessel rapidly approaching, clearly a naval action is about to take place.

Diary of Alan Breck Stewart

These notes are part of the re-discovered campaign dairies of the Jacobite sympathiser -Alan Breck Stewart, (Not to be confused with Robert Louis Stevenson's hero of the same neame!) who worked to promote the Jacobite rebels in the club's campaign that ran around 2002/3. Hope they are of interest and view these in conjunction with the diaries of William Smythers Esq - also published here. The two accounts are contemporary...

3rd July 1745
With a glad heart and a bold spirit the adventure began setting sail from the Brittany ports. Prince Charles and his advisers, the Duke of Athol and Col. O’Sullivan aboard the privateer ‘Le Dolpine’. Accompanying the Prince was a squadron of three French Frigates – ‘Lyons’, ‘Monpellier’ and ‘Dunkirque’. Aboard the frigates are detachments from all of the Irish regiments in French service, under the command of the good colonel O’Sullivan and to be known as the ‘Irish Piquets’ additionally there is a detachment of the ‘Regiment Maupas’.

Weather in the English Channel was good, visibility was excellent and it was with great fortune that a sailor of the ‘Monpellier’ did spy the sails of  an English vessel just over the horizon, the fleet tacked east and out ran what was most likely a Royal Navy squadron.

4th July 1745
The fleet passed without event into the Irish Sea, many of the common men in the hold were feeling decidedly sea-sick and by the end of the day the smell from below decks was enough to make even the strongest man cry.

5th July 1745
The weather gets worse as we move north towards home. There is constant concern about being discovered by the Hanoverians and the lookouts spend many long hours in the masts spying the horizon for the enemy. The stench from the holds is worse – if that is at all possible, the men are now being allowed onto the deck for an hour at a time to keep up their spirits.

6th July 1745
The fleet passes into the Atlantic Ocean and the seas get rougher, we skirt around the coast of Ireland without detection. The strain of this journey is starting to effect all on board for at any moment we may be discovered and attacked by the Hanoverian fleet. The Prince, however, is in good spirits as he talks at length of his plans for the future of his new kingdom.

7th July 1745
The weather eases as we sail into the shelter of the Western Isles, at a ‘Council of War’ the Prince elects that we should land at the Island of Mull, O’Sullivan had suggested the mainland Port of Oban but with the Duke of Athol supporting the Prince’s view the decision is made.

8th July 1745
The die is cast, mid morning the fleet finds safe harbour at Mull, the Prince and his officers disembark and immediately head to the house of the local clan leader, Sir Hector MacLaren. The chieftain welcomes the Prince cordially and by manner of his enthusiasm and his good spirit the Prince did gain word from MacLaren of his support for the Princes cause.

By way of good will the chieftain is promised a role in the future affairs of the government of Scotland and the Prince pays MacLaren a bounty of gold to help in the recruiting of men to his cause.

The meeting is brought to a swift close when work is brought to the Prince and his officers of a lone Royal Naval frigate standing off the island. The command group hastily moved back to the port accompanied by Sir Hector. After a period of about one hour the Hanoverian vessel now spied as ‘HMS Nepture’ hove-to and sailed north around the headland.

A council of war was called and it was determined that overnight there should be put into place a daring and cunning plan. Sir Hector organised the local fishing vessels to transport the members of the French troops from Mull to the port of Oban – a clan homeland for the Stewarts – where the prince expected a warm welcome and where I, this  humble diarist, would meet my kinsmen for the first time in 3 years. The Artillery and the arms supplied by the King of France would be transported to Oban by ‘Le Dolphine’ along with the Prince and his officers.

The Duke of Athol  then did make his cunning plan, the French frigates would sail on the morning first to Coll and then onwards north to navigate around the north of Scotland to return to the Brittany ports. On these vessels the captain of the ‘Lyons’ shall carry two letters. The first, a rouse, should be surrendered in a secretive manner to the Hanoverians if the vessels should be captured or destroyed, it details false plans of invasion in East Anglia and Ireland. The second, true letter, requests additional troops from the French King and announces our daring landing.

9th July 1745
Over night the French troops are transported from Mull across the waters to Oban, helped by the good weather the task goes well. By daylight ‘Le Dolphine’ has landed her cargo of Artillery and Arms at the port, the French troops are nearly all landed and the Prince makes a stirring speech on the dockside.

At dawn the French squadron sets sail from Mull heading as planned to Coll, the journey passes uneventfully and they anchor off the coast of Coll to await ‘Le Dolphine’ for the journey north. A shore party lands to tell the local population the news of the arrival of the Prince in Scotland and there is much joy.

Mid afternoon ‘Le Dolphine’ sets sail from Oban to rendez-vous with the rest of the fleet, by three o’clock the vessel is approaching Coll and as it does so it notices three other vessels rapidly approaching from the south west. It is the ‘Neptune’ and two of her sister ships ‘HMS Apollo’ and ‘HMS Venus’ and a mighty battle did commence.

Diary of William Smythers Esq. - ‘The Great Sea Battle’

9th July 1745
After what seemed like an age, where the hours turned into weeks, we were able to close in on our targets. Capt. Hardy, the Squadron Commander, was stationed in the very vessel I was travelling in – H.M.S. Neptune. This allowed me to have a glorious insight into how the good Captain’s orders were put into action.

Hardy was concerned to ensure that the rebel vessels were not unduly alerted to our presence at an early stage in the battle, thus ensuring our complete surprise of their mutinous crews.

To this end we made good time, however, from the starboard horizon we did spot the sails of a single vessel, an armed merchantman or pirate, which with time we saw flew the French and Jacobite colours.

Soon there was great activity on the three French Frigates which as we approached we saw were at anchor, their crews were scrambling in the utmost disorder to raise their anchors and set sails.

As ranges closed we exchanged our first shots, and I must say that I have not heard such a thunderous roar of guns in my life, it would certainly put fear into the hearts of the rebellious crews at the receiving end of such fire. With the squadron running in line the first of the French vessels was able to break away from it’s moorings and as it sailed forth laid a terrible cannonade into the bow of the ‘Apollo’, which was leading the Royal Navy line. So powerful the attack that the vessel noticeably slowed in the water.

The other two French vessels were then able to slip their moorings and both sailed past the Apollo and turned starboard – as these naval fellows say – unleashing fire on the slowing vessel.

At this stage Captain Hardy issued the order for all vessels to take their own quarter, as the rebel vessels attempted to break through the Royal Naval line the Apollo was able to lash it’s self to the French Frigate ‘Montpellier’ and a frightful slaughter did follow and Capt. Vallance was able to claim the vessel as a prize.

Two other French vessels – ‘Dunkirque’ and ‘Lyons’ did manage to break through after taking some sever damage from our guns. The French Privateer – ‘Le Dolphine’ also attempted to break through the lines but was stopped by mighty fire from ‘H.M.S. Venus’ under the command of Capt. Sears.

10th July 1745
Captain Hardy spends the rest of the night re-organising his force and in the morning the damaged ‘Apollo’ and the prize ships ‘Montpellier’ and ‘Le Dolphine’ were dispatched to Campbelltown for repair and safety.

On interrogating his prisoners who were of two sorts – Regular French Officers who were given the appropriate Honours of War, the others were Scottish ‘Gentlemen’ taken from the Privateer, who will be handed over to the authorities in Campbelltown.

From the questioning and a brief search of the captured vessels an letter from the so called ‘Prince’ Charles Edward Stuart was found requesting French forces to be sent to East Anglia. What is also clear is that the pretender was landed on the Island of Mull, on the 8th July but has since moved to the Mainland with an escort of Highlanders.
Lord Lovatt’s Regiment. – 150 men, Tried