I haven't just been painting Royal Navy troops but have been getting on with some of the eighteen Beja camel mounted cavalry I will need. A mix of sword, rifle and spear armed troops. 
The Beja cavalry were virtually all camel mounted.
I love painting these Perry camels for some reason; much more than horses, which I hate painting.
The Beja (especially the Bisharyyin, Ammar'ar and Haddendowa tribes) were great camel breeders (as they are now) and their off white Bishari camels, bred in Kassala and the Red Sea Hills are quite distinctive. When the reconquest of the Sudan took place in 1898 the British made sure that they had Bishari camels rather than the motley cocktail Redvers Buller pulled together to populate the Desert Column.
They are comparitively small and strong and today these camels are highly prized for racing.
Here are some camels in Suakin. Note the distinctive mud brick buildings.
2 comments:
Good stuff! You have inspired me to start my camels up. I bought my British and Sudanese army last September from the Perrys and have made the decision that I want to finish it by the end of he year. I too dread horses and camels.
I found a pretty good horse guide on the GW Specialty Games site.
http://www.specialist-games.com/assets/horses.pdf
Any tips on painting camels or colors you used etc?
All the best
David S.
Minnesota USA
You do camels very well, LH. Always such informative posts too!
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