Bonjour a tous,

Is anyone willing to explain to me what are those peculiar looking cafard medals and insignias?
Are they unofficial items of associations for those served in AFN or just souveniers?

Cordialement, Harri

Bonjour Harry

I think you are speaking about the so called "cafard de Médénine" and other badges coming from Sahara and North Africa.
They are coming from soldiers posted in isolated bases in the desert. They used to create some false orders and decorations, especially before WWI. It was a sort of excentricity and humour. Just for joke. The life in the desert was not so funny !

Some are very well known, like the "cafard de Médénine", but many other were found, like the "moustique de Tunis" (Mosquito of Tunis), etc... You can find some posts about them in the Forum.

Amicalement
Bison

Merci again Bison ,
it was something I expected after seeing the designs in the Forum but wanted to be sure.
Is it true that as a term, the "cafard" also has something to do with the soldiers mental state after being in the desert for too long?

Cordialement, Harri.

Bonjour Harri

"Avoir le cafard" is a French idiom standing for being sad, especially when being far from home. I assume there is a direct link between this sentence and the famous "Cafards".
It was certainly a technique to destress and have some mental hygiene...

Amicalement
Bison

Merci beaucoup Bison for this information .

hello Harri,

I think that a post without a plate can "donner le cafard", so, just a post-card on this subject.




This post-card was sent from TATAHOUÏNE, by a soldier of "5° Africa Light Infantry" on the 20.03.1917.
You can see how MEDENINE was a delicious and very nice country!!!

Amicalement.
B.B.