WW1 Memorial

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montignac

Senior Member
Living in Europe there has been a lot about it being 100 years since the start of WW1 and here in France every village has a memorial to those who died. I decided to take some photos of these memorials and was somewhat surprised with one of them. The 2 photos attached show a distinct difference, one showing a soldier in uniform and with his weapon exactly correct for the period. The other shows a soldier with a cp not helmet and a percussion cap rifle both of which are completely wrong. I feel this monument is more American Civil War style and wondered if anyone has seen similar in the States.
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Sandpatch

Senior Member
I don't understand the bottommost subject matter either montignac!

I am fairly conversant with the politics, military strategy, weaponry and battles of WW-II, but not so WW-I. The various history channels on cable TV have recently done an excellent job filling the gap in view of the War's 100 Year mark. I must admit however that I still find the politics surrounding WW-I very complex. Upon the close of hostilities, poor settlement choices set the stage for WW-II.
 
M

montignac

Senior Member
I collect old weapons, my earliest being a 1790's flintlock pistol going through to the early 1900s. Alongside this I read about the periods during which they were used and like you Sandpatch I cannot understand the "soldier" in the bottom picture. This is a memorial in France... the French were the first to issue metal helmets 3 months after war was declared to replace a leather version of the same shape. I do not think that any European army was issued with percussion cap rifles after the 1870's. Even the uniform does not appear right especially for the French.

I know that the losses were high in WW1 ( first day of the Somme battle the British suffered nearly 60,000 casualities in 24hrs) but when you see a memorial with 11 names on it in a hamlet of perhaps 20 - 30 houses you realise that there could not have been a single family that did not loose someone. I know of 3 losses in my family
 
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