The pictures of my amateur website:
"livres-legion-etrangere"
are pulled out of my books and
of "Kepis Blanc"
( Formal monthly magazine
of the French Foreign Legion)

Originally,the kepi-cover and the back of the neck cover were protecting legionnaires against summer sun when they were patroling in Africa.
In 1907 the kaki kepi-cover wearing is instaurated for all the units participating at the pacification and conquest of Moroco.
Under the action of sun and washings, the tissue becomes white from what the oldest and the former legionnaires take pride.
The white kepi cover has to be worn with the white uniform in summer but its wearing gets back to normal in winter. ( strong blue headband and red bottom )

In 1939, on the 14th of July, the French Foreign Legion marches with the summer uniform for the first time with the appreciation of the Parisian people. Since then, the white kepi is worn in summer and in winter by most corps of the French Foreign Legion.

Today, the white kepi is indisputably the main sign in the legionnaire's uniform.

Before 1868, The French Foreign Legionnaires wear the usual colors of infantry : red and yellow. After this date, the French Foreign Legionnaires wear the green and red Soulder pads.
They were forgotten from 1884 to 1930, when they reappeared with General Rollet. Today they are still on the parade uniform.

It makes its apparition in the Units of the expedition corps in Algeria in 1830 until 1882. The wool belt, was originally worn by African corps to protect their stomach from infections.
Since 1881, the blue belt (4.20 m long and 40 cm width) has been added to the parad uniform, worn over it as a distinctive sign of the French Foreign Legion.

It appeared in 1933 at the lieutenants' popote of Sidi-Bel-Abbès and was tolerated until 1939 when the kaki tie is establised back as the formal tie.
In 1945, Colonel Gaultier find an old pack of green tie. Since then, it has been established as the formal tie and was integrted to the parad uniform.

Worn back in 1929, green wool seniority sign is put on the left sleeve. Each sign represents 5 years of service. The Legion is the only army corps to wear it again.

The grenade appears on the kepi in 1879. Since then, its design has evoluted and was integrated in the formal uniform in 1946 in its actual shape : an empty bomb with the number of the section, topped by seven flames.
Distinctive sign of the French Foreign Legion, it is worn on the kepi and the beret. It is also found on flags, drums, trumpets, monuments, newspapers, prints...

Weapon buttons were the only signs which have been conserved through the French Foreign Legion's History. They appeared in 1831, although they were modified 50 times, they always kept the same model : 2 circles, in the centre one we can see the description of the weapon, on the periphery is engraved wether a pattern, a unit number or a regiment number. Those of the cavalry are silver-platted.

Officially attributed to the 1st BEP in 1948, it's trimmed with a "dextrochere" and feathers arround a broadsword. In 1957, it becomes official for all foreign paratrooper regiments and in 1959 for all units during rest as well as in exercise

Red and green flags appeared in the beginning of the century. These two colors became the official colors of the French Foreign Legion in 1931. Flags have a side with the official colors of the Legion and another side with the official color of the unit. All of them have the seven flame bomb, surmounted by a horse tail on the pole in the cavalary units.