French Foreign Legion information. An online project dedicated to the famous Foreign Legion.

Today is exactly ten years and ten days since the first post was published on this website. This is the reason to share a slightly rarer picture in the PHOTOS series. Thus, here comes one of the rarest ones found in my archive.

The rare photography dates back to 1897 and shows an adjudant (Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army or Warrant Officer Class 2 in the British Army), which was the then highest NCO rank (it should be noted that the currently more superior NCO ranks of adjudant-chef and major didn’t exist back then). The NCO was a member of the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE), the Foreign Legion’s Motherhouse. The photo was taken in Sidi Bel Abbes, an Algerian town where the regiment was stationed from 1885 until 1962.

In 1897, the Legion was present in Tonkin, a freshly pacified territory in the Far East, part of French Indochina. Besides, the legionnaires served in Madagascar, also a recently pacified territory, located off the coast of East Africa. Lastly, operations were carried out by the Legion companies in South Oran, to pacify that vast, deserted territory situated south of Sidi Bel Abbes, in today’s Western Algeria, along the border with Morocco.

The rare photography is dedicated to “my two loved ones.” It is dated April 5, 1897, and signed Briez.

NOTE: Click the image to enlarge it.

The adjudant wears a mess dress uniform which was very similar to the officer one. It consists of a blue-red képi with an adjudant horizontal stripe, a 1893 dark blue jacket with Legion buttons and with the adjudant stripe on the sleeves, scarlet (red) pants according to the Zouave model (French Army of Africa light infantry), and black polished ankle boots. He wears also an adjudant saber.

  Adjudant Briez of the 1st Foreign Regiment in Sidi Bel Abbes, April 1897.

Unfortunately, although the photo is of a large format, it is not so sharp. However, we can see that the adjudant was awarded (left to right) the French Military Medal, the Tonkin Medal, and the Royal Order of Cambodia; the Kingdom of Cambodia was part of then-French Indochina. Note the Legion grenade on the képi, as well as the collar tabs, each with a grenade that bears number “1” inside the bomb, to mark the regiment designation. Regarding the beard, it has nothing to do with the Foreign Legion Pioneers at all.

  Beautifully illustrated back side of the photo. On the left, a small dedication written by the adjudant.

The second picture is closely related to the first one. It was again taken in Sidi Bel Abbes, but some time later, in the early 1900s. It shows a group of adjudants of the 1st Foreign Regiment. Apart from pants (white canvas), the uniform of most of them is still the same. Nevertheless, one senior NCO wear an older tunic, model 1883, with Brandenburg/Hussar style braiding. The photo was used as a postcard.

Related posts: PHOTOS: 3rd “Camerone” Company, 4e REI PHOTOS: 1963 2e REP training at Bou Sfer PHOTOS: 2nd Motorized Company GPLEM in Taroudant, Morocco, in 1954 PHOTOS: 6e REI in Tunisia around 1950

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