Officer Durham Light Infantry 1915 - WWI - Historical - Figures and Busts

2nd Lieutenant, Durham Light Infantry, Flanders, Spring 1915 The figure depicts a 2nd Lieutenant of the 2nd Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry. He has been trying his hand at some sniping on the British front line at a place called Hobb's Farm, northeast of Houplines, Armentieres. He has turned his field service cap around to avoid the shine from the two small brass buttons giving his position away. The young officer, only about 20 years of age, is now posing in the spring sunshine, holding the .303 in. Mauser sporting rifle. The Marquis of Londonderry loaned the rifle made by John Rigby of London to the 2nd Bn. DLI in 1914 as a sniper's rifle. This rifle can now be found at the Regimental Museum, Durham. The 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry was a regular unit, mobilizing from Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, in 1914 and in the cause of the war suffered over 5300 casualties. Inhalt: Figure (8 parts) Mauser Sporting Rifle .303 (inch). British Steel Helmet MK1 Figure Base The figure depicts a 2nd Lieutenant of the 2nd Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry. He has been trying his hand at some sniping on the British front line at a place called Hobb's Farm, northeast of Houplines, Armentieres. He has turned his field service cap around to avoid the shine from the two small brass buttons giving his position away. The young officer, only about 20 years of age, is now posing in the spring sunshine, holding the .303 in. Mauser sporting rifle. The Marquis of Londonderry loaned the rifle made by John Rigby of London to the 2nd Bn. DLI in 1914 as a sniper's rifle. This rifle can now be found at the Regimental Museum, Durham. The 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry was a regular unit, mobilizing from Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, in 1914 and in the cause of the war suffered over 5300 casualties. Uniform Field Service Side Cap: Worn by both officers and other ranks. The side flaps could be folded down and fastened under the chin for added protection in bad weather (seldom seen). Colour: khaki drab. Khaki - an Urdu word meaning dusty. The dye for the material originally came from India and was made out of tea, or mud. Scarf: Unofficial. May well of been sent out from home, or purchased locally. 1913- 18 Pattern Service Dress Tunic: The service dress tunic had a set in waistband, with a brass hook on each side to support the belt and would normally have been worn with a tie. The correct belt for wear with the service dress is the Sam Broune (brown leather), with a thinner belt going over the right shoulder, under the strap. Line officers wore their rank on the cuffs (Foot Guards on the shoulder straps), using chevron lace and worsted embroidery of a light drab (or cream coloured) thread. The two DLI `collar dogs´ badges on the tunic collar would have been a dull/dark brass colour. The buttons in the Light Infantry would normally be in Rifle black, but a few officers had brass. Colour of tunic: khaki drab. Lanyard: Standard regulation Light Infantry green whistle lanyard, worn over the left shoulder, under the strap. Breeches: Riding breeches with reinforced inside leg material. Worn by many officers of all ranks during the war. In the attack, especially during the first years, it was possible for the German snipers to distinguish between the officers and men, simply because their legs appeared thinner. Colour: khaki. Rubber Boots: Issued Wellington boots. Ideal for the static trench warfare, especially in Flanders. Equipment British Steel Helmet MK1: Produced from November 1915 onwards. Manufactured from a non-magnetic hardened steel and weighing 980 grams, the `Brodie´ resembled much the helmets worn by pikemen during the 14th and 15th centuries. By March 1916 a total of 140,000 had been issued to the Allied troops in France. Colour: the first helmets to be introduced had a shiny blue-grey paint, or even bright green. From March 1916 onwards the helmets received a rough textured paint of khaki colour. Note: this item is an extra for the figure. The helmets were not issued at the time, but it could be used for a figure conversion, or just the `spare box´. The brown card supplied can be used to represent leather or material chin straps etc. Cut the card approx. 1.2mm wide and 22 mm long and flatten or rub down on a hard surface with a blunt tool (handle of a modelling knife is ideal). Bend the strip around a pencil to give a natural curve and glue into position on the figure. The colour, thickness and texture achieved from rubbing down the card gives a good reproduction of leather in this scale. Weapon Mauser Sporting Rifle: The wooden parts of the rifle are of a red brown. The gunmetal is dark. The Base: The base supplied with the figure depicts the bottom of the trench he is standing in. The slightly raised parts are the front trench wall (larger of the two) and the start of steps cut out in the earth at the rear. Three spent cases have been trodden into the mud.