Tommy of 1915

[Dan Morton]

This is Roger Newsome and my latest collaboration - a typical Tommy of 1915, based on a posed studio photo. The reference photo is a composite, with the head of a youthful soldier and the body of another dressed for the winter of 1915. All parts original. Two different heads...

· M1902 khaki field service tunic

· M1902 khaki field service trousers

· M1902 khaki putties wound up from ankle to knee and tucked into trouser bottoms. Hobnailed blackened "ammunition" boots

· On left hip, M1908 khaki haversack, infantry mess tin in canvas cover hung off of haversack, bayonet scabbard, entrenching tool helve attached by straps

· On right hip, M1908 entrenching tool head in khaki carrier and 2 pint water bottle covered with khaki cloth and hooked to belt

· M1908 cotton webbing equipment with two sets each left and right of five cartridge pouches, each carrying three five round charger clips, total of 150 rounds. The back pack is strapped to the webbing. Very broad waist belt with brass elongated buckle.

· Short Magazine Lee Enfield rifle No. 1, Mark III, 0.303 inch caliber with M1908 cotton webbing sling

· M1915 trench cap, known as the 'Gor Blimey', with cap badge of the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI)

· Phenate hexamine (or PH) type anti-gas hood in small two button satchel on string

· Furry goat skin vest worn over service tunic and under "British Warm" great coat

Hope you like it!

All the best,

Dan

[Dan Morton]

And the last photo...

[mctaz]

Great Work Dan, how many hours did it take you?

[Dan Morton]

Many thanks for your kind comment! Roger did a wonderful job with the painting!

It took a lotta weekends! That's the only time I have to work on my figures and I tend to spend about 10 hours a day. This one took a lot longer because it had to be made up as castable pieces for a model kit. This is the first time I did that and I went down a lot of blind alleys and had to backtrack. The coat alone was re-done four times. I am now beginning to get the hang of thinking about making figures for casting with my second and third figures, which should be done in the next 3 or 4 weeks - A Middlesex Regular of 1914 cleaning his rifle and a Seaforth Highlander cobbler fixing shoes.

Sorry, I'm not allowed to commercialize here, but if you go to this web site you can see what I mean. http://www.milminwh.com/theoldcontemptibles.htm

All the best,

Dan