Belgium Check these Dudes out

[Spasm]

Grenadiers I think, big shoulders and turned back coats. Not the best looking uniform with the star trek short trousers I gotta say.

Edited November 5, 2011 by Spasm

[Spasm]

First Dude

[Spasm]

Second with Colours

[Spasm]

Third

[Spasm]

And Trooper with weapon peeking in at the edge (looking a bit sneaky - what's he up to?)

Edited November 5, 2011 by Spasm

[peter monahan]

Nice shots! At the risk of exposing my ignorance - not for the first time, I hasten to add - they're French, right?

[Spasm]

Been looking around on t'tinternet and it seems as though these are from Belgium! Didn't know they had any Looks like I've put the pictures in the wrong thread.

Moderator - can you push this to Belgium please - ta

Edited November 6, 2011 by Spasm

[Ulsterman]

I am certain they are Begian grenadiers @ 1914. The regiments suffered enormous casualties and were amalgamated in 1915 to basically a battalion sized unit and rebuilt. Odds are that all of the men in these photos were dead by 1916.

[Spasm]

I also have, hanging around on the shelves upstairs, "A tribute to the Belgian King and People from representative men and women throughout the world". It's called "King Albert's Book":

Edited November 9, 2011 by Spasm

[Spasm]

A wonderful book sold to raise money for the "Belgian Fund" to support a country "with nothing to gain by taking up arms, with no territory to annex, no commerce to capture, no injury to revenge, having neither part nor lot in any European quarrel, desiring only to be left alone......confronted by the choice of allowing her soil to be invaded.....or of protecting her independence as a seperate nation by the whole strength of her armed resistance" - the introduction is dated Christmas 1914.

It contains tributes of admiration from many well known people from across the world. Two, from hundreds, I've shown here.

A letter from the Rt. Hon. H. H. Asquith, the British Prime Minister and a painting by H. Chandler Christy called "On the Field of Honour".

[Spasm]

Gents

You can actually read it like a book online, complete with all the pictures, sheet music, letters and poems, here:

http://www.archive.o...age/n0/mode/2up

Enjoy

Edited November 9, 2011 by Spasm

[belgoman]

Gents, these soldiers are indeed Belgian grenadiers. The picture shows the "garde au drapeau" = honor guard for the regimental flag. The flagholder is a

lieutenant (2 gilded stars worn on the collar before the grenadierss grenade) and his guards are NCO's (wearing sharpshooter's badges on the left sleeve)

The grenadiers are considered to be an elite regiment.

The photograph is probably to date from before the 1st WW, and taken during one of the numerous manoeuvres the army did...that is why they have a

"non military" background...

Up to 1914 they had 2 regiments : the 1er régiment de grenadiers and the 2nd regiment.

As Ulsterman says, they payed a large tribute during the first monthes of the war and in 1914 the were reduced to one regiment with 4 bataljons.

Only in 1916 they could again split into 2 regiments.

Their badge is a flaming grenade : a large cupper one on the bearskin and smaller ones on the collar, also on the parade belt plaque.

Hope this could help a bit, best regards, JP