The Senegalese Tirailleurs

1857 · Dakar

In 1857, General Faidherbe created the corps of Senegalese Tirailleurs. Despite their name, soldiers were recruited across Africa south of the Sahara. During the First World War, about 180,000 of them were mobilised, of whom around 30,000 lost their lives. During the Second, nearly 140,000 served under the French flag — many without ever receiving what they were owed.

Sources

• Persée — Philippe Dewitte, « La dette du sang » (Hommes & Migrations, 1991) — chiffres de recrutement 1914-1918
• Histoire Coloniale — cristallisation des pensions

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