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| This excellent model by Bill Horan illustrates how a soldier of the 24th would have looked at the battle of Talavera on 28th July 1809. He is a private of a battalion company wearing the second version of the shako. The first one introduced in 1800 was lacquered and proved unsuitable, so in 1806 the felt version was issued. This lasted until 1812 when the Waterloo shako was worn. The hair is cut short, by order of 1808. His jacket is a short-tailed, waist-length red garment with green facings and decorated with white tape that has the regimental distinction of a red and a green stripe. The white leather belts that hang from his shoulders support a black ammunition pouch on the right side and a bayonet on the left. A brass breast-plate fitted over the belts where they cross. There is also a canvas haversack hanging on his left hip. The water-bottle lies on the ground perhaps to show that he was drinking when he was shot. The lower garments may not be correct as most sources show the soldiers wearing white trousers at this time. |
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