Legion Francaise des Combattants

Poster: "Prisoners because they cling to the soil of France, they are your Legionnaire brothers" - issued by The French Legion of Fighters / Legion Francaise des Combattants (LFC; 1940-1944), formed by the Vichy regime as a merger of the WWI veteran associations.

It shows a veteran in a beret with the winged helmet badge of the LFC on it in front of an outline drawing of another soldier to show unity of the French Foreign Legion above a view of a prisoner of war camp against the grey shaded background.

El Ramuntcho - 1929

A fascinating find! A news article, including photos and business cards, about berets from 1929. 

On 29 September 1929, François Malsant of the newspaper La Gironde, reported about the (then new) El Ramuntcho beret factory in Bordeaux.

"A few years ago, it would not have been considered good form to appear in town wearing a Basque beret. It was a purely local attribute that was tolerated, outside its country of origin, only by a few fanciful people. Then, athletes took it up and realized that this headgear, which holds well to the head and allows the hair to be kept in order, regardless of the violent movements of the body, was more pleasant and more practical than any other.”

“Some young women, in turn, noticed that the beret, whether blue, black, white or red, was more flattering to the face than the most charming "bibi", and gave them a very amusing little boyish look. They did not hesitate to adopt it, in some seaside resorts. Then, it was for long car rides, for tennis, for golf, that they used it.”

Basque tennis player Jean Borotra

“One day, the Prince of Wales, while crossing from Brittain to Bayonne, had, it is said, his hat blown away by a gust of wind. There was a Basque hat shop nearby. He went in and, seeing nothing to his liking, chose a beret. Half an hour later, all the fashionable people of Biarritz were looting the bazaars and coming out wearing berets.

Women with berets in Deauville

The fashion was launched. It lasted. The Basque beret crossed borders. It is worn in England, the United States, Poland, South America, and Czechoslovakia.” 

“The existing factories were no longer sufficient to ensure the necessary production. And, little by little, we saw industrialists dedicating themselves to manufacturing which found increasingly wide outlets.

A factory has recently opened in Bordeaux. It is located, along with large hosiery workshops that are part of the same organization, near the Xaintrailles barracks, a stone's throw from the main boulevards.

We went to visit it, thinking it would interest our readers by revealing the manufacturing processes of the French beret.

It is not, in fact, the large beret of the Spanish provinces that is being prepared here. It is a headdress of medium dimensions, more becoming than the small Landes vine, and less voluminous than the Guipuzcoa beret.”

Knitting loom

“Looms are responsible for the first operation: knitting the wool. This will produce a knitted clip of soft, short wool, made up of twenty-four quarters, which bears little resemblance to the beret as it will be displayed in the hatter's window. It is not closed and could quite easily be compared to a piece of Brie cheese. It is, moreover, much larger than it should be later, because, after various operations, it will shrink by about 25%.”

Fulling mill

“Here it is now going through the chain stitching machine , it is then closed. Then, it is the darning, which aims to fill the holes, repair the small manufacturing defects and shape the famous "tail", which will crown the headgear.”

“This is when the most curious work will take place: the fulling . Twenty kilos of moistened berets are piled into a sort of vat. A wooden hammer, driven by an electric motor, will pound them. A determined quantity of soap will activate this operation, after which the knitting, shrinking little by little, will become a beautiful tight felt. Rinsing will then proceed to eliminate all foreign matter.

The berets, removed from the vat, are then wrung out, then they are dyed.”

“The wool used, it is worth noting, is grey. It is only for the manufacture of white berets that a special wool is used, white from the very first operations.

The dyeing, which is done in a kind of paddle boat, lasts, depending on the case, one hour to one and a half hours.”

“Each beret will now be stretched over wooden forms and placed in drying rooms where it will be treated with steam at 50 to 60°. For white berets, sulfur will have to be sent using the Clayton process.

When they have undergone this treatment, the berets will not be far from finished. However, they will still have to undergo two operations before they can be worn.

First, they will move on to scraping. Imagine a small millstone made of natural thistles mounted on a millstone that rotates at a set speed.

The beret is presented on its upper and lower sides, and thus takes on relief. All that remains is to pass it through the clippers, which will remove the excess down.”

“To obtain different sizes, it will be enough to stretch it before proceeding with the filling, that is to say to place a leather inside and to line the bottom with a silk which is generally of a bright color. The machines, driven by charming workers, have completed their role.

The truck, the railway and the ship will begin theirs..."

That Day

Yes, that day again, another year older and grayer. 

63 today, thank you.

And, as the old adage goes, Make My Day - Buy A Beret! 

Anthony Peto - Chapelier

Anthony Peto was born in the United Kingdom and set up his millinery  company in Paris because of the enormous wealth of skills and supplies in the millinery and hat making world here.

Soon after, he set up our workshop in the centre of Paris, training his own staff in the heritage and artisan traditions of French millinery and hat making.

His aim is to offer the widest variety of shapes and forms, from fedoras and caps to traditional headwear such as bowlers, top hats and berets, subtly brought up to date. 

Putting the Shot

From the National Museum of Scotland:

Alasdair Alpin MacGregor, puts the weight, or shot at the summit of Crogary More, North Uist, 1934

Putting the shot is just one of the many ways to show your strength at a Highland Games. Highland Games rose to popularity in the 19th century, and they now take place all over Scotland.

Aboriginal Soldiers in Vietnam

Only in 2023, First Nations men who served during the Vietnam War are being added to the Australian War Memorial's (AWM) official history. There was no conscription for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, but many still volunteered to serve.

John Wade

Corporal John Wade, who was a technician in the Royal Australian Signal Corps during the Vietnam War, is one of those diggers. He recalls one of his most prized memories — an unscheduled humanitarian mission to an orphanage. "It was on a Sunday with a couple of mates we went to an orphanage to feed the children," the Birpai man says. "Their hands were out, like grabbing the food … I was absolutely taken with those children. "We handed them the food and they ate it straight away."

Australian soldiers providing food aid in Vietnam

Back home in Australia, the same humanitarian spirit was not shown to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This extended to the army, where Indigenous men were exempt from service.

Hundreds volunteered regardless, and those who could, like Mr Wade, kept their Aboriginality a secret.

Russian Liberator

A female Soviet soldier (with the rank of sergeant major) leaves an autograph for a resident of Prague, after the liberation in 1945. The happiness about the Russian military didn't last long...
 

Frank Sargeson

Frank Sargeson (born Norris Frank Davey; 1903 –1982) was a New Zealand short story writer and novelist. Born in Hamilton, Sargeson had a middle-class and puritanical upbringing, and initially worked as a lawyer. After travelling to the United Kingdom for two years and working as a clerk on his return, he was convicted of indecent assault for a homosexual encounter and moved to live on his uncle's farm for a period. 

Having already written and published some short stories in the late 1920s, he began to focus on his writing and moved into his parents' holiday cottage where he would live for the rest of his life.

Sargeson became an influential figure in New Zealand writing, and his work continues to be recognised as a major influence on New Zealand literature. Sargeson is known for his minimalist and sparse style, with a focus on unhappy and isolated male characters, and has been credited with introducing everyday New Zealand English to literature. He published over forty short stories in the 1930s and 1940s, and later works included novels, plays and autobiographies. He also mentored and supported other young New Zealand writers, most notably Janet Frame. 

Valentine's Day

From Feb. 13 to 15, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. The men sacrificed a goat and a dog, then whipped women with the hides of the animals they had just slain.

The Roman romantics "were drunk. They were naked," Noel Lenski, a religious studies professor at Yale University, says. Young women would line up for the men to hit them, Lenski said. They believed this would make them fertile.

The brutal fete included a matchmaking lottery in which young men drew the names of women from a jar. The couple would then be, um, coupled up for the duration of the festival — or longer, if the match was right.

The ancient Romans may also be responsible for the name of our modern day of love. Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Their martyrdom was honoured by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day.

Friday 13th

 Take no risk - wear your Reality Shield!

Aeroflot Beret

A 1980 postcard published by Soviet airline Aeroflot.

Khakimjan Nauryzbekov

Kazakh sculptor Khakimjan Nauryzbekov is working on a bust of Lenin, 1971.

Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion

Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion is a 2023 French biographical drama film based on the life of Abbé Pierre, a Catholic priest and national hero in France who devoted his life to helping the poor, homeless people and refugees.

The film portrays the life of Henri Grouès, known as Abbé Pierre, from his time in the Resistance in WWII to his fights against poverty and for the homeless.

The film stars Benjamin Lavernhe as Abbé Pierre.

The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 26 May 2023. It was theatrically released in France on 8 November 2023. 

Charlie Hebdo's Berets

Charlie Hebdo is a French satirical weekly magazine known for its controversial and often provocative cartoons, articles, and opinions on various topics, including politics, religion, and culture. It is known for its anti-racist, secular, and libertarian stance, often publishing content that challenges the far-right and religious extremism.

The magazine gained international notoriety on January 7, 2015, when it was the target of a terrorist attack by two French-born Algerian brothers, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi. The attack resulted in the death of 12 people, including several prominent cartoonists and journalists, and injured several others. The attack spurred a global conversation about freedom of speech, religious extremism, and the role of satire in society.

Following the attack, France declared three days of mourning and increased the Vigipirate security plan to its highest level. The incident also led to numerous solidarity demonstrations and discussions about the need to protect freedom of expression. In December 2020, a trial was held for individuals accused of complicity in the attack.

Charlie Hebdo continues to be published and remains a subject of debate and controversy due to its provocative content. The magazine continues to publish satirical cartoons and articles, often addressing issues of religion, politics, and culture with a critical and often irreverent perspective.

Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention (BRI)

The Search and Intervention Brigade (Brigade de recherche et d'intervention) is a unit of the French National Police.

The first units were formed in 1964 and carried out their tasks under the command of the Paris prefecture.

BRIs are specialized in serious criminal cases such as armed robbery and kidnappings. They typically attempt to catch offenders in the act after monitoring their activities, a technique that was first experimented with in the 1960s by the then-new Paris BRI. They use a mix of traditional techniques and modern technology to collect and archive data about banditry. 

In 1972, in the wake of the Munich massacre, it was decided that BRI-PP would form the nucleus of a police tactical task force known as Brigade Anticommando or BRI-BAC. BRI-BAC, when activated, is reinforced by other specialised units of the Préfecture de police. It has been involved in the resolution of hostage crises from its beginnings in the early 1970s to the Porte de Vincennes siege in January 2015 and the "Bataclan" assault during the November 2015 Paris attacks. In the Porte de Vincennes case, BRI-BAC and the National Police's RAID operated together as part of the National Police Intervention Force.

 

Boutou Kinoù

The "Boutou Kinoù", clogs worn by Breton sailors until the 1930s, kept their feet dry but did not always protect them from the cold despite the large wool socks knitted by their wives.

For more comfort, these "Boutou" were manufactured at the saboteur's house and then worn at the shipman's house to place the upholstery of greasy leather, which made them  waterproof.

Photo: 1907, on the quays of Audierne, Per Guével and his son Yves, both fishermen in the Audierne district, "godailles & boutou kinoù" in hand, they are happy after their tide to finally put hooves on the ground!

Soviet Poster

 

"Woman. Get onto a steam locomotive!"

Soviet poster from 1939

Louis Espinassous

Louis Espinassous (1951) is an educator, biologist, ethnologist, novelist, storyteller and shepherd, working more particularly in nature education. 

Louis Espinassous lives in Béarn, in the Ossau Valley (hence the brown beret, typical for the Ossau Valley).

For twenty years he worked as a technical and educational advisor in Nature Education within the Pyrenees National Park, as well as at the Departmental Directorate of Youth and Sports of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

A storyteller from his adolescence, he continued, over the years, to tell stories for children and adults, producing a number of naturalist, ethnographic and educational books and documents.