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perhaps comrade rob hymer and other comrades could direct me in the acurisation of russian cossack gear. i have got the shaska of worldwide arms, do i just need new shiney boots, ensignia and a fur hat (kuban of course )
any help would be appreciated

James_evans wrote:perhaps comrade rob hymer and other comrades could direct me in the acurisation of russian cossack gear. i have got the shaska of worldwide arms, do i just need new shiney boots, ensignia and a fur hat (kuban of course )
any help would be appreciated

Comrade Jim,
For a full cossack impression I would reccomend that you keep your normal sapogi - most of the cossacks did and they are much more comfortable to ride in than rigid boots, with the added advantage that you can walk comfortably in them too when you aren't horseborne.
Cossack sharries should be blue with a broad red stripe, and I think they are carried by Front of Russia. You will need a baldrick (the strap the sword hangs off), which you can usually find on eBay.com. The best ones are made in Pakistan.
A Kubanka and both coloured insignia (pagoni and pitlitsii, as appropriate)
are available from our commissar, Fraser. I'll give him a ring and get a price on them. Be warned, there tends to be a slight delay with things that you've ordered off Fraser. You have stopped growing, haven't you?
I think I have a spare pair of crossed sabre insignia that you can have. If not, I'll pick some up off Bair's comrade Aleks when I'm in Russia.

thanks for all your help, urra one more cossack for the ranks
also just looked on ebay and the only things called baldrick are smelly ugly and are always getting beaten up by a 1st world war brit officer

You're quite right - quite a surprise as there were loads of them last year. The leatherwork is pretty simple though, so I'll have a word with my local saddler and see if he can do a cheap copy.