Perryfigs
Has anybody got AW 52 qnd AW54? To me they look indentical but there has to be a difference. Can anybody lighten my darkness on this point? Thanks in advance, DaveB

AW52 has single-breasted jackets (referred to in the listing as "roundabouts" but I believe this is an anachronism). AW54 has the normal, open British regimental coats with lapels, but with the coat-tails trimmed down. I suspect the same masters/dollies (I never know which is which) were used, which is why they look so similar. I can assure you that the difference is obvious when they are in front of you.

Ronan, Thanks for your swift reply. Next, (and probably predictable question), mix and match in each unit or units of 52 and units of 54?. I'm not a slave to accuracy so my natural tendency would be to mix and match in each unit, certainly for the officers. But I'm inclined to think that each battalion would be the same. Thanks again for allowing me to pick your brains. Dave.

I suppose it's possible there was a unit (or maybe two) that could have had such a mix, but I can't think of any off-hand. Personally, I'd keep them separate, but your figures - your call. Basically, the red "roundabouts" were the light infantry waistcoats with the sleeves of the regimental coat removed and sewn onto it. Since the battalion and grenadier companies had white waistcoats, there wouldn't have been any commonality between the two garments. One or two units, such as the 40th Foot c.1777, removed the lapels and turned their regimental coats into single-breasted items (not dissimilar to a Napoleonic redcoat's coatee/tunic, but slightly longer and fuller), but these were easily differentiated from the roundabouts because they were a looser fit and kept the turnbacks (and the collar, too, IIRC). The Royal Artillery had been doing something similar for some time (at least 1770) and calling them "frock coats".