Chris Boonzaier

I think in the Porch History of the Legion he details the people who joined the army at the beginning of the war and were then horrified to be posted to the legion. One book likened the Legion to a cult which had no understanding or liking for the war time volunteers and the war time Volunteers felt it demeaning to be posted to the legion where many of the old hands thought of fighting as a "job" and were not big on Patriotic fervor. I can not point to the references as it is all "read somewhere some when"... but I think after they were processed a good % of war time volunteers with French roots were posted to French units.

I have never seen one either! Nice find!

Here is an other ranks one...

Here is one to Antonin Gilbert, given out at a Meeting of ex regimental commanders in 1996 Here is the same from 1993, but in a small "Pocket Empty" bowl.... same size coin... this one named to Commisaire General Boillaud who was 16 years after his retirement in 1994 stripped of all his medals as punishment for fiddling the books in some way when his HQ was being renovated.

OK, in the Legion this book is not really liked.... some I know refuse to read it... It is not that Christian Jennings was a deserter... many people desert... its more because he was a weasel and a w3nker... to his credit, he readily admits this in the book. Added to that, IMHO he broaches some subjects and has some complaints that air dirty laundry in public. I did not like it when I read it in the early 90s, but now with time passed I recognize it has its place in a Legion library... he covers the conditions of the Legion in a period where little or nothing was happening and where NCOs and CPLs took their frustrations out on the recruits... I would recommend "Mouth full of Rocks" (In the legion a "C" often replaces the "R" to disparage Jennings) as one mans version of the legion at a very specific time in history when not a lot was happening... In the Legion you adapt yourself to your surroundings... and if you fail... you land up like Jennings.

A 2 REI camp in Marocco during the crisis before WW1

Another view of the 2 REI Barracks in Saida

I think he was French, he was born in France, parents French. Maybe he joined under a false nationality, found out he was French and transfered him accordingly?

Very nice! Does that mean he has the Fourragere a titre individual?

Some of the older books are really worth a read!

The Badges of the Compagnie Portee of the 4th Foreign Legion Infantry Regiment. The Compagnie Portee from the 4th REI badge from about 1950-52... The unit moved to Khénifra in 52 and was called the Compagnie Portee Khénifra wearing the badge with the cogs... from 1955 the Company becaame the 1st Comp Montee of 4 REI... in the end there were 6 Comp Montee in the regiment. Compagnie Portee were a more modern Version of the Montee, initially with Dodge trucks....

"The Law is harsh, but it is the Law" motto on the badge of the Compagnie disciplinaire en Extrême-Orient during the Indochina war... here are the badges for the North African and Far East disciplinary companies.... the North African one was part of 1 RE, then at the end was 2 REI... the Far East one was run by 2 REI.... in 1969 the Section d'epreuve was started in Corte under 2 REI but was disbanded in 1976 after a book was published showing all the dirty laundry...

Hi, they are indeed his. The documents were issued in 1916 but the awards were earlier. All these XVI Armeekorps from this date were for awards 1914-1915... the Korps only introduced the document at the beginning of 1916. They also have the rank of the person on the date of the award, so Lt in 14-15. 😉

A Photograph of Adolph Tada taken in his first year in the legion, updated with later award and places he served in / Visited during his 5 years