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10/30/11(Sun)05:52 No.56559778>>56559695
In
Ancien Régime France, Noms de guerre (French phrase meaning "names of
war" or "war names") were adopted by new recruits (or attributed by the
captain of the company) as they enlist in the French army. These
nicknames had an official character and were the predecessor of
identification numbers: soldiers were identified by their first names,
their family names, and their noms de guerre (e.g. Jean Amarault dit
Lafidélité). These pseudonyms were usually related to the soldier's
place of origin (e.g. Jean Deslandes dit Champigny, for a soldier coming
from a town named Champigny), or to a particular physical or
psychological trait (e.g. Antoine Bonnet dit Prettaboire, for a soldier
prêt-à-boire, ready-to-drink). In 1716 “noms de guerre” were mandatory
for every soldier; officers did not adopt noms de guerre as they
considered them derogatory. In daily life, these aliases could replace
the real family name. |
