Hodgepodge for May 2017

Sorry this is a couple days late–May was a very busy month and June is no different so I’ve had very little time for enjoyable things like blogging.  But anyway, here are some interesting and enjoyable things about the Foreign Legion that I found last month.

1. Musee de la Legion Etrangere.  The French Foreign Legion has a museum which I think is fitting for any such military organization with such a storied tradition and history.  The main building is located at Aubagne in southern France (20 min east of Marseille) and houses most of the exhibits and collections while an Annex at Puyloubier is the temporary home of the Guyader Uniform Collection (called le musée de l’uniforme).  These consist of an additional 94 mannequins that display Foreign Legion uniforms from 1931 until 1968.  Here are some pictures of the uniform displays from the museum.  The narrow ones are from Wikipedia while the others came from Flickr.  (Not sure which were from the Puyloubier annex).  This .pdf document is a 2012 informational publication on the museum and it’s renovation.  Legion Museum

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

Musée de la Légion étrangère, Aubagne

2.  Legion-et-cinema. Speaking about the Foreign Legion Museum here is another informational booklet produced to promote the exhibit about the Foreign Legion in movies.  The movies selected include mostly French language titles but also many American classics such as Legionnaire (1998), Morocco (1930), and the Beau Geste movies.  Another interesting item inside is the four film directors who actually served in the Foreign Legion (including William A. Wellman)

Dossier-de-Presse-Legion et cinema

3. A Kiwi in the French Foreign Legion.  Another YouTube video that I somehow missed.  This time an English documentary featuring a New Zealander discussing the Foreign Legion.

4.  More Majorum.  This web page is focused on the German members of the Foreign Legion who fought in Indochina from 1946 to 1954.  Even though it is in German I found it well organized and very informative (using Google translator to help me).