Tirailleurs sénégalais. Forgotten for far too long.
Is that guy balancing a stick on his head?
Senegalese recruits! This picture reminds me of African soldiers who fought along side Portugal against independence movements in the former Portuguese colonies.
Disgustingly abandoned by Portugal in Africa, a lot of them still consider themselves as Portuguese and their motherland as Portugal. If loving Portugal, a country who completely abandoned you after you fought for it isn’t being Portuguese I don’t know what is. Obviously the colonial war was dreadful and should never have happened, but still these men gave their life and were completely abandoned, an absolute shame.
I’ve always been interested in France’s role in WW1, sources in English are comparatively lacking compared to Commonwealth and US books. The casualties were appalling by population and I have my doubts any western nation could tolerate them (I’m looking at you, some of my idiot countrymen with their surrender “jokes”).
Verdun is well known, but the Battle of the Frontiers was a terrifying bloodbath in the first months of the war. 27,000 French soldiers were killed in 1 day, Aug. 22, 1914. I hope we remember all those from all countries in this useless, frightful war.
I’m picky, but this way is more dyslexic friendly, and also puts the date in the order which almost 6 billion people on the planet write it like, so it just makes sense to do it that way.
Where is this? I know that there were some French colonial troops in the French army that fought alongside Serbian troops in the Balkan. Specifically at the Salonica front, against Germans and Bulgarians.
senegaleses, “tirailleurs sénégalais”
>French
You’re a brave person posting this here OP. RIP to the mods.
Short reminder: The british army though it was beneath them to fight alongside black soldiers in WW1. They only used those “beneath the white british men” for manial labour duty. Same with the chinese send by the Republic fo China who were only used for laboour in horrible conditions.
As far as racism goes the french army was definitly the best place for a “non white” to serve in during WW1.
Also maybe the russian imperial army as well considering its land empire had so many dfferent ethnicities and not all of them were “white russians”, but I dont have information on that. Maybe somebody knows more about racism in the imperial russian army during WW1? 🙂
Never forget autochrome too
I do not believe its original colour. That red would have faded in 6 months
“At Night All Blood is Black” chilling and fantastic book about an African fighting for the French in WWI.
18 comments
Tirailleurs sénégalais. Forgotten for far too long.
Is that guy balancing a stick on his head?
Senegalese recruits! This picture reminds me of African soldiers who fought along side Portugal against independence movements in the former Portuguese colonies.
Disgustingly abandoned by Portugal in Africa, a lot of them still consider themselves as Portuguese and their motherland as Portugal. If loving Portugal, a country who completely abandoned you after you fought for it isn’t being Portuguese I don’t know what is. Obviously the colonial war was dreadful and should never have happened, but still these men gave their life and were completely abandoned, an absolute shame.
If anyone is interested in French African colonial troops here is an excellent song giving them the credit they much deserve [Le chant des Africains](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3PRNAJsdqM&ab_channel=Ingen)
I’ve always been interested in France’s role in WW1, sources in English are comparatively lacking compared to Commonwealth and US books. The casualties were appalling by population and I have my doubts any western nation could tolerate them (I’m looking at you, some of my idiot countrymen with their surrender “jokes”).
Verdun is well known, but the Battle of the Frontiers was a terrifying bloodbath in the first months of the war. 27,000 French soldiers were killed in 1 day, Aug. 22, 1914. I hope we remember all those from all countries in this useless, frightful war.
https://www.france24.com/en/20140822-august-22-1914-battle-frontiers-bloodiest-day-french-military-history
Weren’t French uniforms blue?
What front?
*16 June 1917
I’m picky, but this way is more dyslexic friendly, and also puts the date in the order which almost 6 billion people on the planet write it like, so it just makes sense to do it that way.
Where is this? I know that there were some French colonial troops in the French army that fought alongside Serbian troops in the Balkan. Specifically at the Salonica front, against Germans and Bulgarians.
senegaleses, “tirailleurs sénégalais”
>French
You’re a brave person posting this here OP. RIP to the mods.
Short reminder: The british army though it was beneath them to fight alongside black soldiers in WW1. They only used those “beneath the white british men” for manial labour duty. Same with the chinese send by the Republic fo China who were only used for laboour in horrible conditions.
As far as racism goes the french army was definitly the best place for a “non white” to serve in during WW1.
Also maybe the russian imperial army as well considering its land empire had so many dfferent ethnicities and not all of them were “white russians”, but I dont have information on that. Maybe somebody knows more about racism in the imperial russian army during WW1? 🙂
Never forget autochrome too
I do not believe its original colour. That red would have faded in 6 months
“At Night All Blood is Black” chilling and fantastic book about an African fighting for the French in WWI.
Ah yes, true French.
They are not french