Photo by kind permission of JackProphotographypicture
Portez vos armes!
As illustrated here in this wonderful photo captured by Daz's Photography, French soldats only ever carried their muskets on their left shoulder, whether at the "portez" or "au bras" positions. By contrast, a French Officer or "bas Officier", a supernumerary NCO such as a sergent or a caporal acting as a sergent, always carried their … Continue reading Portez vos armes!
Making a Habit out of this!
With the first of our regimental coats (or "habit", pronounced a-bi) completed, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk a little about a few of the finer details. The garment itself is built to last (many of the edges are piped, rather than left raw) and for good reason. The French army only issued … Continue reading Making a Habit out of this!
Winter Training Weekend 2024
Although in winter quarters, our soldats' work is never done. This weekend we met for a day of drill practice, socialising, and inducting our newest member! He's already begun mastering the foundational elements of foot drill, alignement (dressing), and marching in time. And if you want to join the ranks of the army of le … Continue reading Winter Training Weekend 2024
Training the soldats is a tricky business!
The Ordonnance suggests teaching men in threes (to form a full file), but our smaller numbers means the Caporal can spend time making sure we're each getting it right individually... Photo by kind permission of Emma Jayne
Join us!
Are you interested in the 18th century In French history If you're looking for something new to do at the weekends, Le Régiment Gatinois might be the choice for you. And no, you don't have to be able to speak French! We are a UK (predominantly Yorkshire) based living history group who portray the grenadier … Continue reading Join us!
On This Day – 14th October 1781
Octobre 14, 1781. Having besieged Yorktown for several weeks, grenadiers of le Gatinois are part of the assault force on Redoubt 9. In conjunction with men from Le Régiment de Deux-Ponts, raised in the Rhineland for French service, le Gatinois attacked the fortification and took it at the point of the bayonet. Wilhelm Graf Von-Schwerin, … Continue reading On This Day – 14th October 1781
Oakwell Hall Country Park
Back from an amazing weekend at Oakwell Hall Country Park, garrisoning the Batt family property in Virginia against les rosbifs. It was good to work further on the details of L'ordonnance de sa Majesté, to demonstrate how the French army co-operated with American civilians and military forces, and we got to talk to a lot … Continue reading Oakwell Hall Country Park
Who’s in charge?
Knowing who's in charge in a military formation is crucial, and in the #Frencharmy of the 18th century this was no different. For NCOs, unlike the British, rank was fairly obvious. Our Caporal here is shown with his mark of rank: 2 blue bands of lace around the forearm. Sergents wore one silver band, and … Continue reading Who’s in charge?
What’s in a name? Quite a lot actually!
Unlike the British Army, where upon joining a regiment a soldier might be allocated a service number (it wasn't until 1920 that these were standardised across the whole army), the French Royal Army assigned each new recrue a "nom de guerre" - literally a "name of war". This would be based upon a soldat's surname, … Continue reading What’s in a name? Quite a lot actually!
Le Régiment Gatinois 