French or Belgian?

[The Prussian]

Hello!

This card was written 1910 OR 1916, I´m not sure, if we see a 0 or a 6...

He writes, that we see belgian telephonists and about bad food, that he received, and asked his mother for a piece of cheese.

My question is:

Do we see belgian uniforms or maybe belgian soldiers in the French Foreign Legion? There is a french-style collar number "2", but I don´t know, if the belgians had such uniforms.

I ordered the photo but it didn´t arrive yet. I will show a better scan later, if wanted.

If he was in the Legion too, the photo might have been taken in Africa, but the house-wall is NOT Africa, but France or Belgium.

What would the white cap-bands mean?

Thanks  a lot!

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by The Prussian

[The Prussian]

Hello!

The photo just arrived! Here a few close-ups. Probably we´ve got lions upon the buttons. So the guys are Belgians?

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by The Prussian

[The Prussian]

no-one?

[Rich]

Difficult for me to tell but I am sure an expert could, as Belgians wore a variety of uniforms and had, I believe, started to change uniforms and insignia just before 1914. I believe the letter is dated 1916, not 1910.  Could be French, but they 'look' Belgian to me because much of their army in 1914 was reportedly rather unkempt by other nations' standards due to its poor status and budget.

 

I'd send it to a Belgian museum, such as the 'In Flanders' Fields' in Ypres. Or post it on The Great War Forum website.

Edited February 25, 2023 by Rich

[No one]

Dear The Prussian,

 

The photo is too small, but the text does not seem to be in French. If you think it is Belgian, it could be Flemish (Vlaams). As for the uniforms no idea, sorry.

But if it was "Légion Étrangère" there should be "grenade à sept flammes, emblème de la légion étrangère".

 

 

French Foreign Legion, Sidi Bel Abbes, Algeria, 1910

 

 

As for the "2" : 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment | French Foreign Legion Information

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by No one

[The Prussian]

Hello guys!

Thanks a lot for your answers!

Well, because of the uniforms we found out, that they are belgians. The indicator were the buttons! Now I agree with the date 1916 too.

No-one (nice name!!! 😁 )The card is written in german! That´s why I am so confused.

In which case would a German (soldier or not) complain about bad food in relation to Belgian soldiers?

As far as I know, in the first world war there were no prison camps in Belgium. And could a prisoner send photos like this home?

 

Here again the text.

The german original:

 

den 1.II.1910(6)
Liebste Eltern!
Hier sind belgische Telephonisten

Liebe Eltern!
Ich hätte eine sehr große Bitte, wenn man bald ein Stück Käse sendet, ich wäre auch sehr herzlich tausendmal dankbar, weißt, liebe Mutter.
Jetzt darf es auch bald ein Ende nehmen. Bei uns ist das Essen hundsgemein schlecht, solches Fressen stellt man einem Hund nicht hin wie wir es jetzt bekommen, wenn wir nicht so viel stählen, dann bekommt keiner genug.

 

and the english translation:

 

the 1.II.1910(6)
Dearest Parents!
Here are Belgian telephonists

Dear Parents!
I would have a very big request if you send a piece of cheese soon, I would also be very grateful a thousand times, you know, dear mother.
Now it may also soon come to an end. The food here is bad as a dog's ass, you don't give a dog the kind of food we are getting now, if we would not steal so much, no one will get enough.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by The Prussian

[No one]

Dear The Prussian,

 

I am glad you could find the answers you were looking for. 

Do you know wich unit "2nd ..."?

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[The Prussian]

Hi no-one!

No, unfortunately not.

Because of the buttons, it´s probably a Pioneer-unit ("Génie").

Each division had 1  pioneer-bataillon. So I assume it´s "Génie-Bataillon N°2"

[Rich]

"The food here is bad as a dog's ass"

 

Excellent. Really brings the past alive.

 

Richard

[The Prussian]

That was not my translation... It was the internet translator...😁