Did sergeants in the 43rd Foot and the 52nd Foot carry spontoons? Both of the regiments were light infantry.
Thanks!
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Sumner also glued an article about the 52nd uniforms in his notes - the article seems to be out of the Journal of Army Historical Research, no author given (perhaps himself?) ... I quote:
"Sergeants had the same jackets as the men, but of finer cloth, laced with plain white tape, chevrons of the same on both arms; wings a little neater than those worn by the private soldiers; a sash of crimson worsted, striped with the color of the Regimental facing, round the waist, and the sword suspended in a frog from a white shoulder belt; a light pouch hung on the right sied, a light fusil being carried instead of the pike."
So it seems that from 1804 onwards the Sergeants of the 43rd and the 52nd didn't carry the spontoon and a carbine instead.
Greetings over the pond
Markus Stein
Bob,
I checked the Sumner sketch/notes books I was lucky to study at ASKB. For the 43rd (and refers to the 52nd) he writes:
"1804 11. Aug. Carbines applied for the sergeants of 43rd and 52nd (W.O. 3/37)"
A black/white copy of a sketch is glued into the book showing a sergeant of the 43rd with a carbine (and of course no spontoon).
Greetings from Berlin
Markus Stein
Ron & Stephen -
It is what I thought. Thanks!
Bob
According to Haythornthwaite's The Waterloo Armies, sergeants of Light Infantry and Light Companies did not carry spontoons.
I don't have access to any of my books to double check this but I am reasonably certain that sergeants of British light infantry regiments did not carry spontoons.
Best wishes
Stephen