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French Foreign Legion Kepi


rankfilm

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Hi all

I'm reading a book that has French Foreign Legion soldiers in and it's started me researching the uniform early 1900s 

I am stumped regarding their headwear. I can find similar Kepi hats when googling - all are predominantly dark blue, leather band with red felt trim.

But the hats I have come across range from ww2 to virtually modern day.

The only difference I can see is brass buttons or silver buttons 

Does anyone know if there's a way to determine if they're pre 1900, ww1 ww2, 50s etc...

The hats I've found are largely made by Piere Huard & Co 

Thanks in advance
 

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I also keep finding a mix of Kepi's with the insignia stitched on and those without the badge on the front.

Does anyone know if they would have been plain or have a stitched badge?

Thanks again

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Here is how a pre-1914 regular French infantry Képi should look like, in this case for 91. Régiment d'Infanterie.  These were worn with a blue cotton cover in the field and in the the first months of the Great War until gradually replaced with the new horizon blue uniform in early 1915. The foreign legion would have had the same type of Képi, but not with the regular infantry number at the front. They may have had a flaming grenade or an anchor, as often in the case of colonial troops. The side buttons would also have been different as to the regular army, which in the case of the Képi shown had small lightly domed brass buttons with a rim and with a flaming grenade symbol. I had an example many years ago similar to that in the picture, but the number had been removed - the wearer probably became a prisoner of war. Very rare to find nowadays. Note, this cap has a soft top, sloping downward toward the front, quite different to the later stiffened examples, which I find are not so attractive.
(internet photos)

 

Képi.R.I.91.jpg

Copricapo-Berretti-FRENCH KEPI Mod 1883 1914 OF A ITALIAN ...

1914 period Infantry without numbers. Note side button form.

Général - Wikipedia

Képi for generals - this example for Marechal Joffre, probably after 1918

Képi des generaux de l'armée française / French Army generals ...

 

General, WW2 period, possibly Vichy France, note different style of decoration

WW2 German, Soviet, Allied militaria, uniforms, awards, weapons ...

This example for an officer of Engineers or Artillery, Prémier Lieutenant, probably early WW1 period

W1F9ds - French Horizon blue kepi

 

1st pattern early horizon blue early 1915 for other ranks.

File:Képi du capitaine de réserve Louis Miniac (1887-1952 ...

Capitaine de Réserve, ca. 1939

Auction France (Guerre de 1870) Képi de médecin major de…

 

Képi ca. 1870 for a medical official. Service de Santé

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Thanks Fritz, it looks like it's the later examples I've been coming across in my research 

Any ideas why some have insignia and some don't?

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Difficult to explain. Some could be identified by their colours. Officers usually had silver or gold braid trimmings. Most military képis would have a regimental number, also the side buttons would indicate the branch of service, whether infantry, artillery, pioneers, etc. Best to consult reference books.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi everyone,

Following my previous queries and a recent visit to the Hotel National des Invalide in Paris (much to the disgruntlement of my wife) had got me looking at Victorian Kepi's/hats in general.

I've found this example during googling - I'm assuming it's British from the style of the crown.

Can anyone tell me if British troops wore the Kepi or if they used a Shako at this point?

Is this a legit piece of uniform or an inaccurate reproduction?

Thanks

Screenshot_2018-08-18-22-34-53.jpg

Screenshot_2018-08-18-22-35-34.jpg

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  The British used pill box caps but I have never seen one like this, the 63rd regiment of foot is the Manchester regiment. I don't know much about the Manchester Regiment but the visor on the cap looks like a German vulcan fiber visor, as far as I know these were never used on British caps, also it does not look over 100 years old to me. 

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image.png.343edd524554d62ce0c151e5332926a4.pngimage.png.399d75019a0c26d06c405f48ad59e034.pngimage.thumb.png.d932f5c20a09eb2c0855073770ecde21.png

This could most probably be an old German student's cap, of which there were many forms and variations in the 19th and early 20th Century, and still to a small extent present day. Your illustration shows the Victorian crown, which has probably later been added to the cap by somebody. These caps were commonly known as a "Tönnchen" and were worn by the so-called Schlagende Verbindungen, which were élite conservative students corps, each university having it's own corps. Kaiser Wilhelm was in his younger days a member of the "Bonner Borussia" in Bonn, whilst he studied there during his youth. Here are some older examples. Studenten Corps were officially prohibited from 1934-1945. These corps are also traditionally associated with duelling scars (Schmiß).

image.png.eca5f76a0cb74edfa6cb0ab1e69e284c.pngimage.png.752734394c811b747174195ed9b8297a.pngimage.png.c01c5a70900e3fdd37c5305917605283.pngimage.png.aeb827020400caa5ad8b1954c3fcd54f.pngimage.thumb.png.99535c7d86d9a3b7374b84d1b432539b.pngimage.thumb.png.dfd52a3e88b608b65b5c4d412da1fe39.pngimage.png.2da8f31716d2b55882db1af78a73a4e0.pngimage.png.f1b52d073210a58c75e4766cb170324c.pngimage.png.b7b3a7847e80d39f2e5d6518a67a255b.png

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I would agree Fritz, most likely a students cap with extra badges added to deceive    

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  • 1 month later...

Foreign Legion enlisted man's private purchase cap. This came in a lot from a WWI American pilot along with a French trench knife, but I have been told that it is more like a WWII style cap. The side buttons are the correct pattern for the Foreign Legion.

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04_29_1.JPEG

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This has a slightly different shape to the standard line infantry képi, if you compare with previous picture. The Legion buttons have been in use for well over a hundred years, and still basicly unchanged. Example shown is definitely early WW1 or earlier. After 1915 the coloured uniform was replaced by horizon blue, shortly afterwards, the Legion received khaki uniforms of a similar cut to the horizon blue. Definitely not WW2.

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  • 1 year later...

More photo examples added at my first post of article

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