Thats something no other units get.
An officer of the (real) Cavarly honor-guard complimented us on our drill at our last event.
If we were made of money we would probably buy all of that stuff but we arent. All this "correct" stuff is considerably more expensive as there are only 2 people in the world who will supply it to the UK.
How? How is the 1810 uniform, or a modified 1805, any more expensive then an 1812 coat? I'm not sure about the shako plates. I believe the 1810 shako plate is the same design yet somewhat smaller then the 1812. The 1815 uniform is, as far as I'm aware, really just your current uniform with Royalist insignia and shako-plate.
The uniform combination you wear is at best applicable for mid 1813 (German campaign) to mid 1814 (France campaign).
Napoleonic re-enactment has a few disadvantages. The uniforms are expensive you really can't get the correct uniform for every period, I'll be the first to admit and defend that. My uniform, for example, is 1815. We portray the 6th Hussars at Waterloo. We do events that are 'based' on 1813-14 as well. You'll see units in 1806 uniforms, 1812 uniforms and 1815 uniforms all fighting together. Is it historical? Absolutely not. Can we do anything about it? Absolutely not. For me, it would mean getting a second expensive-as-fuck dolman and all new (black) leather. For some groups it would mean getting new guns, new shakos, or sometimes they won't technically even allowed on the field. If we'd force people to get all those uniforms...We'd just have no re-enactment. It's impossible.
Napoleonic re-enactment is different from ACW or WW2. It is the period where groups portray a certain unit in a certain period (Like us, 1815) and fight units who might be completely different period. There are some units that try to make up the difference. Like the 9e Chasseurs, they wear shakos for later period and bicornes for early, or here, the Dutch marines that have bought shakos to look more 1810 (to do 1813 period
). The problem is with people not know what period they re-enact exactly or start making incorrect combination. I have no problem with people carrying an Bardin uniform with Imperial insignia at Waterloo. I have problems with people saying it's historically correct - Mostly it's often the same people who point at more obvious incorret uniforms and say 'oh these faaaaaaarbs'. Research is also a bit harder. We don't have photographs. Eyewitness accounts mentioned little about uniform details. And so on. It's not impossible, just hard, and I've discovered that myself.
Napoleonic re-enactment is also a bit rotten at its core. Most groups started many years ago and at that time we knew very little about what was historical and what wasn't. Groups bought uniforms, groups got bigger, and then when they're told they are wrong, they either say 'well, sorry, that's a little bit expensive!' (which is absolutely true) or they go full defensive 'YOU ARE DISRESPECTING MAH RESEARCH AND MAH UNIT!'. Here there's a group who bought Charlevilles 15 years ago and only recently discovered that the unit they portray switched to Brown besses two months for Waterloo (which they portray). They decided not to, because it's expensive as hell, Dutch gun law is difficult (Stop laughing Munk) and people weren't willing to get rid of their buddies after 15 years. Is that a bad group? Hell no. They're awesome. They go the extra mile, standing guard, having pickets, and the shit. They've pushed trough some uniform changes (like a new forage cap and a different type of epaulet) after discovering that the uniform regulations were a bit misunderstood and not entirely pushed trough in 1815.
Here I agree with with Davout. In Napoleonic re-enactment, it's really the actions that show your seriousness and historical accuracy. It's also about being honest to yourself and visitors. If you are willing to tell yourself, other re-enactors, and visitors that the uniform you are wearing is actually not 100% correct for the battle because your unit portrays an earlier or later period, you have my respect.
