No moths . I passed this uniform on to a good friend to take care of and enjoy.
No moths . I passed this uniform on to a good friend to take care of and enjoy.
Jeeze it changed hands very quickly!!by hawk3370
Not really, I had it for years before I posted it on the site. Had it on display at the US Army Aviation Museum for over a year and when released back to me decided it needed a better home. I'm getting on in years and am glad it found a great home to be taken care of.
Still got it René! It’s not going anywhere..
I’m still trying to track down some original NCO stripes for it, so I can finish off the restoration..
How hard can it be? Really! (You’d think there would be a few kicking around..).
No luck yet Bob?
No! I may have to give up the wait and show as is..
The only stripes I’m finding are the wrong types - mounted troops, those lovely big Chasseur/Tirraileur type - anything but plain old NCO..
I’ll do a reportage on it and you’ll just have to imagine the rank stripes.
French territorial clairon bugler in full kit
I'm not sure how much life is left in this thread but, after a few years of slow pandemic collecting, I've managed to put together a fuller representation of a Poilu from the Great War. I thought I'd share it in the hope of encouraging others to show some more French items.
In this example, here is my version of a late-war 'clairon' bugler (using the instrument shown earlier in the thread), wearing the capote of a territorial unit. Unfortunately, the white numbers on the collar insignia have been mostly nibbled away, making it difficult to read - any educated guesses out there? This would be around 1917-18, so he has the final double-breasted version of the coat, helmet, gas mask tin and modified Berthier rifle. All leather equipment and the haversack are pretty standard. The original musician's lyre insignia is I believe the pre-1915 version in red. After 1915 it would have been in dark blue. The boots are the only non-period items.
Putting this together has been challenging, needing a lot of searching and patience. It's also been very interesting, educational and good for my limited French! I've also been left with many unanswered questions, which some of the experts out there may be able to answer: what is the official arm-of-service colour for musicians? Is it pink or something darker that has faded here? Would these musicians have worn standard infantry trousers with a yellow stripe? And would they have been expected to fight with the infantry or be held back for bugle calls, medical support and so on? None of my English language references mention this, so advice would be appreciated.
Anyway, I hope some of you find this interesting. Comments welcome.
Matthew
I would hazard 95e R.I.T., judging by the stitch placement.
As far as an arm of service colour goes, there was no separate colour for musicians, and the bandsmen would wear the colour of the branch to which they were attached. Their specific duty would be highlighted by the diced, tricolour musicians braid (originally to the standing collar edge, latterly to the cuff).
In most armies, it was (and remains) common practice for musicians to serve as stretcher-bearers in wartime, though in the case of your excellent mannequin, serving as a signal bugler, he would be an infantryman first.
Outstanding work, Matthew! A most impressive display.
All the best,
Rob
Your meticulous work is reflected in this excellent display, well done.
Regards, Al
Lovely display!
Similar Threads
Posting Permissions
.
Bookmarks