French Foreign Legion: Arms Contexts

[Jim McDougall]

What David has prompted in his previous entry is an amazing example of a French musketoon which has been well embellished by the Berber warrior (I presume) who used it, and wondering about other cases of such guns of European origin used by natives across North Africa.

The illustration shows a case in Wadai with British forces. We know of course that in Egypt native forces were supplied with Remingtons and others, but what I hope to find is such examples used by opposing native forces.

In Moroccan and Algerian regions the rifles of native manufacture are interesting, but these European military guns (especially locally embellished like David's) are really interesting.

Another interesting form would be the much older European arms which went back to the snaphaunce, which seems the be of the form held by this man in Morocco 19thc. I dont know guns quite well enough to say whether this is one of those or a Moroccan version which I think were influenced by them. If these early guns were the inspiration, it seems likely they were present in some degree.


Again, this goes to the kinds of arms the French Foreign Legion and Chausseurs d'Afrique may have come in contact with through the 19th into the early years pre-WWI.