THE FOREIGN LEGION

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 28

THE FOREIGN LEGION

So many novels have been written around the Foreign Legion of France during the past year or so, that people are asking what-the Legion really is, how it functions, and how it treats its rank and file. The following facts, culled from official sources, give an accurate description of this famous organisation. In the year 1831, a Belgian, who styled himself Baron de Boegard, collected round him some four thousand soldiers of fortune and set sail for Africa after swearing allegiance to France.

They were so poor and ragged that the Arabs called them the Bedouin from France. They gave such a good account of themselves, however, that a royal edict, dated March 10, 1831, sanctioned their incorporation in a Foreign Legion, under the title of La Legion Etrangere, on the pa. tern of the Legion d’Hohenlohe, which fought .at the time of the Restoration, ffihis was the beginning of that famous band of adventurers, the French Foreign Legion. Popular fancy pictures the regiment of strangers as the last refuge of the waster and the criminal. This is the. generally accepted view in Germany. The reason for this is not far to seek, for the proportion of German recruits exceeds that of any other nationality (except the French). They have also to their credit the largest number of deserters from the Legion ranks. These men have returned to the Fatherland with harrowing tales of' suffering and ill-treatment endured while serving under the tricolour. Most of these stories are deliberate falsehoods, put about to gain a little cheap sympathy. At the same time, it may be stated that life in the regiments is not exactly a bed of roses.

Discipline is severe in the extreme. The training tests a man t<i the limit of his endurance, and the pay—when compared with that nf other armies—is infinitesimal. What, then, is the lure of the Legion, you may ask. There are many explanations. A far greater number than one would imagine join because of some affair of the heart. Others through pure love of adventure. Some to regain the loss of their selfrespect. A small proportion are undoubtedly there through, some offence against society, for no questions are asked about a man’s past when he becomes a Legionnaire. But there is no better school in which to learn the job of soldiering, for the corps is always on service. ( The Legion remained as a separate entity until 1864, when a decree was passed bringing them into the armies of the French Empire. In an unpretentious building in the Rue St. Dominique, ’ Paris, the head recruiting offices for both regiments are housed. There, when a man presents himself for enlistment, he will be surprised to find that he is not received with open axms, He is told tw the grizzled

veteran who presides, to go and think it over. If not frightened off, the would-be recruit will return, and having passed the doctor, will be sent to Oran, in Algeria, where the recruits are assembled.

The atmosphere, of Oran is far more Spanish than either French or Oriental. For centuries it was a Spanish outpost and convict settlement, and at the present time a large proportion of the inhabitants are Spaniards. On their arrival at the fort, the newcomers are mustered for particulars of identification. They are asked their name, age, nationality, profession, and if any of them are'musicians, the reason for this being that the Legion has a band ranking second in point of merit among the armies of France.

Recruits are given the choice of joining the First Regiment, stationed at Sidi-bel-Abbes, or-the Second Regiment, located at Saida. The former is easily first favourite with the young soldiers, for Sidi-bel-Abbe’s is a gay place, witth cafes and dance halls, and wine, too, is cheap in Algeria. Here, the great barracks of the Ist Regiment' cover more than two acres of ground. The city of the Legion has a population of thirty thousand. It is fifteen hundred feet above sea-level, and is embowered in gardens, trees, and vineyards. Its fertile fields in a wide valley are watered by the river of the Mekarra. On their arrival at the barracks, the recruits are greeted with shouts of derision from the old Legionaires. “Here come ‘Les Bleus,’ ” they call out, and pass scathing remarks on the newcomers’ personal appearance. All this is simply meant as chaff and banter, and must be accepted as such. On the second or third day after their arrival, the recruits are served out with new kits. The “fitting” of each man is a source of amusement to the old hands, who are ready, to pounce on the discarded clothes, and sell them to the Arab dealers for a few francs. There are two meals a day for the Legionnaire, and the deadly monotony of the food is a source of constant irritation to the men. The new Legionnaire signs on for a period of five years. The most trying part of the life at the beginning is learning how to march; for marching is a religion in the Legion. The recruit starts by covering short distances, carrying only his arms. Gradually, this is increased until he is able to carry at least seventy pounds’ weight on his back, and cover twenty-five to thirty miles day by dav without < interruption, at a pace of five kilometres an hour under a broiling African sun. This is the time when a man regrets the day he set foot in the Legion. Socks are not worn, but the boots supplied are excellent, especially for marching. After a time/ the recruit gets used to these marches, and ceases to wish himself dead. ' I

Iron discipline is enforced, and the punishment meted out is unbelievably severe. “Ordinary arrest” is dreaded by every Legionnaire. Those undergoing one form of it are kept in confinement all the time, except when they are brought out to do six hours’ punishment drill daily. This consists of going round the prison-yard at the double, with a bag containing thirty pounds of sand strapped to the shoulders. The prisoner has to halt for a .minute or two, and go down on one knee every time he goes round. It is not a pretty sight to watch the agony of men undergoing this awful ordeal. The strongest collapse under it. The Legion types are as interesting 1 as they are varied. Some are not j easily