Chris Boonzaier

I wonder if this is just after the Putsch when the 1ere REP was disbanded... the men were sent to other regiments, I assume in this case 1 RE...

These date around the mid 50s... made in Algeria and sold on the Legion PX probably...

This is Pretty cool.... I just picked up a number of hand made wooden Legion wall insignia. They were made in Algeria during or just after the Indochina war when the regiments returned to North Africa. They are all very cool.. but of course the 2 Infantry Regiment is my favorite... and displays well with the Indochina badges....

The colours of the 1ere Regiment Etrangere....

Optically a whole different level... the Legion barracks in Oran, you can see a couple of additions and changes in the barracks.

A column of Legionnaire marching in the Bou Denib area, in Marocco, but close to the Algerian border.

Here are 3 Pre WW1 postcards showing the Colours of 2eme Regiment Etrangere, although the one card was mailed in the 1960s

The Legion Barracks at Beni Ounif and the Redoute and Camp at Le Kreider

That is fantastic on every level.... of course the BILA bit just makes it "cool times two" ... fantastic find.

Mama Mia... that one is to die for!!

Ahhh... the generic term being "Chaude Pisse"

Saida was very "residential" compared to the redoubt in the infamous Colomb Bechar..... Notice the badge of the 1 Regiment Etrangere...

AIXIA was a small firm founded (apparently) by an ex legionnaire. They made badges in the early 90s for 2-3 legion regiments. Not regular everyday badges, but usually cast out of silver, hand finished items. They usually made special occasion or "OPEX" (deployment) commemorative badges. They made a number of badges for the units who deployed to Cambodia in the early 90s, for the 3rd Compagnie 2REI in Zaire etc. They also made the Officers X-Mas gift badge for 2 REI in 1991, and the 150th Anniversary for the regiment in the same year (Which had the El Mounghar Skirmish info in the back). The badges were cast in silver and were all unique with the small imperfections which can be found in hand made products (See the finishing difference below the banner on the Baumier badge). The OPEX badges were commemorative in nature and were not to be worn. The 2 REI badge could be worn instead of the mass produced item if you had a taste for quality. Also shown are what seem to be a test strike for the Noel 91 2REI badge, and what looks to be one that did not pass the Quality control and had its loops snipped off. I assume the last was cast, had the loops added amd when it went onto the next stage was rejected due to casting imperfections and had its loops snipped and was never finished.

So the badge was rather short lived... Here is a Legion Barracks in Syria in 1923

Very occasionally one of these will turn up... a regimental badge in gold... these are factory made gold. Abvanced French collectors surmise they may have been gifts for dignitaries.

Details of the elusive "dissolution" badge...

Long the home of 2eme Regiment Etrangere.... The Barracks in Saida

Drill at Sidi Bel Abbes

The CM, or mounted Company were the elite, the rest had to go everywhere on foot... Legionnaires from the Advance post at Merada return after an exercise...

Stealing the thread name from a recent book about the Legion, I thought a study of Legion Postcards would be good fun... The Compagnie Montee of the 1er Regiment Etranger returns to Bou-Denib. It was part of the Haut Guir Column. The Mounted Company had a 2 men 1 mule system. Every hour the men changed, one dismounted, his partner mounted... and they continued moving without having to stop. As the one slid of he pulled the other Legionnaire up.

There are certain waves in Legion history... a post WW1 wave were many Russian recruits fleeing Red Russia... and in post WW1 Germany quite a number of Germans died..... Here the Good Cunduct certificate of what must have been a Russian And a German soldier who had fought in WW1, joined the Legion, then left after 5 years..... Then... An Italian Legionnaire, born in 1902.... leaving the Legion in August 1939! I wonder which uniform he was wearing a year later???

Hi, about 15 by 18mm... Nope, no von anywhere near him ? The other part is a little lid, was initially sealed with the gold paper. I was wondering if it was maybe a "von2 who gave them as gifts? And is it a German or French style of symbol?

I found this in a small group belonging to a German Legionnaire... it is a round box, blue with gold trimming, and inside a seal... is it some kind of gift? what seal could it be? Thanks Chris

A Beret belonging to a German Legionnaire and his para wings awarded in 1959. This seems to be a very early Private Purchase beret

Here are some variations of the same theme ... am not sure is they are the same maker... some date back to private purchase in Algeria, They are still made today I think... Does anyone know anything about these makers?