The Queen's Own Guides, Infantry, Punjab Frontier Force

The Guides Infantry seize the kotal (summit of a pass or hill) in an early dawn attack on the Frontier.

The Corps of Guides was raised at Peshawar on 14 December 1846 by Lieutenant Harry Burnett Lumsden on the orders of Sir Henry Lawrence, the British Resident at Lahore, capital of the Sikh Empire. Initially composed of a troop of cavalry and two companies of infantry mounted on camels, the Guides were organized as a highly mobile force. The corps was ordered to recruit: 

" . . . trustworthy men, who could, at a moment's notice, act as guides to troops in the field; men capable, too, of collecting trustworthy intelligence beyond, as well as within, our borders; and, in addition to all this, men, ready to give and take hard blows, whether on the frontier or in a wider field."

The Subedar Major and his steely eyed escort.

Although the corps recruited men from all over the country and even beyond the Frontier of India, Pathans, Punjabi Muslims, Sikhs and Dogras later formed the bulk of their manpower.

Lumsden left a lasting imprint on the Guides, who first fought in numerous frontier operations. Believing that fighting troops were for service and not for show, Lumsden introduced loose and comfortable dust-coloured uniforms for the first time, which would soon become famous as "khaki" and within decades would be adopted by the British Army for service in India. In 1851, the Guides established themselves at Mardan, which would remain their home until 1938.

The Guides are proud of their uniform; drab but efficient. Note the poshteen (sheepskin lined coat).

For the period I am gaming, here are the Battle Honors awarded:

Mooltan

Goojerat

Punjaub

Delhi 1857

Ali Masjid Kabul 1879

Afghanistan 1878-80

Chitral

Punjab Frontier

Malakand

The infantry component of the Guides is my latest addition to my British Indian Army (hmmm, I'm starting to see a trend) that I game using the rules The Men Who Would be Kings. The figures are all by Artizan Designs and this unit was the first unit that I tried to use mostly Games Workshops Contrast Paints. Contrast Paints are not for everyone; you have to paint faster than I am used to doing. Also, the recommended time for drying is 30 minutes before using another color.

Another GW Contrast Paint experiment - and it was successful!

There are many tutorials on YouTube and I have discovered, within reason (mine that is) that there are some advantages to using Contrast Paints when you are used to a different style of painting.  In addition, the Contrast Paints cost more and I noticed that you tend to use quite a lot! Still, I am happy with the results for my Guides. The Guides were perfect as they are primarily khaki with various browns. Here are the paints I used:

Uniform and Pagri (turban): Contrast Skeleton Horde (BWAH HAH HAH!).

Kulla (the pointed skull cap): Vallejo Flat Red. I painted the tip Vallejo Gold for the tip to denote the officers.

Poshteen: Contrast Nazdreg Yellow.

Fur Trim on Poshteen and boots:  Contrast Cygor Brown.

Skin: Contrast Snake Bite Leather. By varying the amount of the paint on the brush you can make the skin lighter or darker.

Webbing: Contrast Gore Grunta Fur. I have recently discovered that a Gore Grunta is a large Ork War Boar.

Haversack and Puttees: I painted Vallejo Ochre Green over the Contrast Skeleton Horde  (BWAH HAH HAH!).

Rifle: Wood Vallejo Mahogany Brown. The metal parts are Vallejo Gun Metal dry brushed with Vallejo Silver.

Bayonet Scabbard and Hair: Contrast Chaos Black.

Jemadar (Captain). Note the gold tip on his red kulla which denotes commissioned rank. He would also have his rank insignia on his shoulder epaulets but these are hidden by the poshteen.

Sepoy (private soldier).

Sepoy.

Bugler (thank you Colonel Obvious!).

Halvidar (sergeant).

Subedar Major (Major).

Sepoy.

Sepoy.

Sepoy.

The mission of the Guides, both Infantry and Cavalry components, was to maintain order on the Punjab Frontier; a task they performed efficiently during the next fifty years. Between 1847 and 1878, the corps participated in fifteen major frontier expeditions and operations. Their formidable reputation soon spread far and wide, and was immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in several of his works such as The Ballad of East and West. In 1876, Queen Victoria rewarded the Guides by granting them the use of the Royal Cypher and they became the Queen's Own Corps of Guides with the Prince of Wales as their Colonel.

Corps of Guides Infantry, Afghanistan, circa 1880. Note the variety of pagris (turbans) which is determined by religion, caste and ethnicity. 

"We are the Guides Paltan! Rough and Ready!"

"On the Indian frontier the mountain tribes are continually fighting, and our troops there are renowned for their splendid achievement and gallant conduct. The best known of all is the corps called "The Guides" … To be a Guide out there means you are one who can be relied upon for pluck, for being able to endure difficulty and danger, for being able cheerfully to take up any job that may be required, and for readiness to sacrifice yourself for others." - Lieutenant General Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, from the Girl Guides' Handbook.

True to his salt.