Ww1 french soldier

The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was one of the bloodiest battles in WWI. During the first day alone, 1st July 1916, there were

Louis Porche, a roofer drafted in 1914, August 1914, probably in Nevers. When the First World War broke out, the French Army still had in service their nineteenth century uniforms, known navy blue coats and red trousers and cap. The French cuirassiers cavalry soldiers still wore the same uniforms of the Napoleonic period, that had nearly unchanged in one hundred years. Adolphe Messimy, Minister of War, wisely claimed ‘This stupid blind attachment to the most visible of colours will have…

A French soldier eating soup, ca 1915 He’s a 1st class soldier with what appears to be a sapper’s specialist trade badge despite the fact that he wears a regular Adrian Helmet. Photo taken by Jacques Moreau, a professional photographer, mobilized at the age of 27, he produced 2,000 photographic plates in 4 years, on the daily life of the soldiers during the 14-18 War. (Colour and text by Toussaint Bonavita from France)