"French Foreign Legion: Spain 1830s" Topic

I'm painting some French Foreign Legion for the Carlist Wars in Spain during the 1830s. I have adequate uniform and organization information but I've found nothing about the flags. Hopefully the TMP community can come to my rescue. In lieu of a specific flag for the FFL, perhaps images of flags for regular French line infantry during the period? A potential wrench to be thrown into the works would be that the FFL was "transferred" to the Spanish (Isabellino, or government) army, according to Conrad Cairns book about the conflict. Perhaps they were issued flags by the Spanish government? I think this last to be unlikely, however.

Any help would be appreciated.

cheers, Dave

Hi!
I think they should have spanish flags.
They went to Spain in june 1835 and after few days they were totally turned over to the spanish government.
Wiki says "they were no further part of the french army".

link

RRR

They may have had a flag similar to the British Legion but I don't think anyone knows for sure.

spqrdave,

If you don't mind me asking… what figures are you using as FFL in the Carlist Wars?

Thanks for the replies guys! I am now leaning toward Spanish flags, as Ruben says. The British Auxiliary Legion was also a Spanish formation and the component units were issued Spanish-style flags, modeled after those of the national militia (i.e red & yellow). It would make sense that the Spanish government would have followed the same or similar convention with the FFL.

One online reference mentioned that the FFL was issued its first flags in 1832 soon after its creation but before deployment to Spain. But this really speaks not at all to their flags in Spain.

As a side note, I came across an online reference that mentioned the FFL and the British Auxiliary Legion were regarded contemporarily as the Spanish Foreign Legion, although I have found nothing else to corroborate this.

Mad Guru,

I'm using Blaze Away miniatures for the FFL:

link

They are modeled with the tall ribbed kepi. Interestingly, the Osprey "French Foreign Legion" has a colour plate of a FFL grenadier of 1831. He is depicted wearing an "1825 model" black shako with red upper band and red pom-pom. The text further points out that "the red cloth cap (casquette d'Afrique)appeared druing the conquest of Algeria in about 1840…."

If I were to follow the Osprey text, the Blaze Away figures have the incorrect headgear but I'm not too concerned with this. I prefer the more recognizable FFL kepi and the slight ambiguity of "about 1840" is enough for me to doubt the introduction date of the kepi.

cheers, Dave

Thanks, Dave! Was not familiar with Blaze Away until now.

Hello, i join this discussion late, but i may give an answer for FFL head gears.

since 1831 the regular head gear is "shako" , in fact the same than during the first empire with a 1831 plate . A red ribbon is around the top of the shako. But during first and second year of conquest of algeria, old shakos seems too heavy and hot. Hight dommand decided to start tests for a "campaigner hat" . The patern in test in the FFL became the new regulation for "march colomnes", this is the "red cloth cap" wearing in Spain. The shako was steel the fisrt head gear for garnison but not kept in spain ! For duties, soldiers kept there old "bonnet de police" . So, for carlists war, red cap or bonnets de police are right!!

regards
paco

hmm I have a feeling the perrys are doing theirs in shako?

Personally I prefer the cap!