Infantryman of the 66th Line Infantry Regiment, September 1915. Replica uniform, period portable equipment.

Our client wished to pay tribute to his great-grandfather, killed during the Second Battle of Champagne, which included the Third Battle of Artois, in September 1915.
The main challenge was relying on period illustrations and surviving artifacts clearly dated to that era.

Indeed, the second half of 1915 was a period of extremely difficult supply.
The authorities had anticipated a short war, but it became bogged down in the trenches. The textile industry was located in German-occupied territory, forcing the army to resort to substitute products, to ersatz—a German word.
They made do with whatever they could find. Some went to the front wearing their own corduroy trousers and civilian boots.
They fashioned webbing from tent canvas and covered canteens with heavy, bluish canvas.

So much so that the French military authorities contacted their German counterparts, asking them to kindly refrain from executing, as spies, the French soldiers captured in what was practically civilian clothing. Despite the atrocious barbarity of the killings, certain rules remain acceptable between long-time enemies... While regulation uniforms pose no problem—we simply recreate the same "standardized" uniforms, based on reliable sources—we mustn't give the impression of dressing our infantryman like a vagrant by slapping him with anything resembling period civilian and military equipment—that would be a bit simplistic.
Therefore, we focused on incorporating period elements into this uniform, elements that we could find, consistent with photographs from that era, sometimes originating from families where they had been preserved. If we had to recreate them, we always used period materials. The whole project required a great deal of research, but the request came from one of our most loyal clients, and we were delighted to fulfill it and explore a different historical period. Mr. Vauvillier's plates depicting the field uniform of an early 1915 line infantryman proved to be particularly well-made and comprehensive.
Our client's ancestor was killed at the end of September, and the major changes to the uniforms that followed began in October!

We also created a uniform of the 66th Line Infantry Regiment during the Empire period for the same client.

Prices of equipment supplied upon delivery:

- Model 1877 canteen, restored with its cup: €105
- Early 20th-century civilian boots, poor condition: €120
- Model 1852 mess tin with its shoulder strap: €72
- Model 1915 belt with webbing, backpack, and ersatz canvas cartridge pouches: €210
- Lebel 1886-15 bayonet with ersatz canvas scabbard: €110
Total portable equipment: €617

Prices at the time of manufacture 10 years ago:
Kepi with the number 66: €222
1915 greatcoat, known as the simplified version, with buttons, number 66 on the collar, and rolled epaulettes: €809
1915 tunic, number 66 on the collar: €615
1915 breeches: €380
Luge bands: €59.
Tarte, one example of which, the 66th, is in a collection.
For a height of approximately 175 cm, a chest size of 104 cm and a waist size of 90 cm.

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