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Soldat au 37e rég - help needed identifying great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin

Soldat au 37e rég - help needed identifying great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin

Posted: 31 Jul 2014 7:03PM GMT
Classification: Query
I am seeking information of my husband's great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin b. 1872. He served in the French Army during WWI and the information I found was that he was a Soldat au 37e rég. I am attaching a picture of him in uniform dated July 1919. Any information on him, his regiment, his rank, etc would be welcome.
His collar insignia looks like either "Military Colleges, Military Police Officers" or "Artillery Staff". I cannot make out the insignia on his kepi but would presume it is the same. Was he an officer? I don't see any rank markings. At the time this picture was taken he would have been 42 years old.
Thank you, Debbie
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Re: Soldat au 37e rég - help needed identifying great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin

Posted: 1 Aug 2014 1:23PM GMT
Classification: Query

He might be gendarmerie, as the insignia for that force was a flaming grenade. During the war, the gendarmerie was for practical purposes a branch of the army.
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Re: Soldat au 37e rég - help needed identifying great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin

Posted: 1 Aug 2014 7:04PM GMT
Classification: Query
Sorry the lack of vocabulary, my mother tongue is French.
As Firmin was over 34 years old at the beginning of the conflict, he has not been incorporated in a regiment which was at first line.
He was in the 37e régiment territorial and his barracks was in Auxerre.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9giment_d%27infanterie_te...
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/37e_r%C3%A9giment_d%27infanteri...
It seems that there is no rank on the picture (?).
I imagine his role was the one of a "gendarme" during the WW1 as said
The "livret matricule" of people before 1900 classe (=b. before 1880) are not on line at the Yonne web site.
Gendarmerie is still part of army in France.
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Re: Soldat au 37e rég - help needed identifying great-grandfather Alfred Firmin Vadorin

Posted: 2 Aug 2014 7:33PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 2 Aug 2014 7:40PM GMT
After a discussion on the french site Geneanet, a check on Wikipedia and then a check of the birth date of Alfred Firmin (1869), it appears that he was 45 yo in 1914, so he has been incorporated in the reserve of the 37e régiment d'infanterie territoriale for seven years in Auxerre. The role of these régiments were to substitute the gendarmery whose younger members were sent to the front. The képi wear one stripe which means either is has no rank or be an aspirant (student). But in 1919, he was 50 yo.
From french wikipedia :
the reserve of the territorial army
It is composed of men aged 40-45 years, that is, those born between 1868 and 1874. Duration is seven years.
Quickly reserve Territorial Army incorporates men aged 46-49 years, that is to say, born between 1868 and 1865.
Nota : the flaming grenade is also the insigna for the Infantery.
For more investigation, do you have a later adress for him, so we could check the census or a death date and see what was his occupation if any at that time.

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